text
stringlengths 95
186k
|
|---|
"What?" Cain grunts.
> You say "How capable are your men?"
"They're tough. We've fought many times before. Most of us can wield bolters, though a few just end up using them as clubs to fight with their claws. A few can operate bigger weapons, and a few can only wield clubs and such. They follow orders, though. They show no fear, feel no pain, lose no battle. They'll take as much firepower as the enemy can give, even without armor." |
"What?" Cain grunts.
> You say "What exactly is your motive?"
"Motive?"
"What do you want?"
Cain pauses, scratching one of his "horns". The horn begins to bleed, but you doubt he cares.
"I don't know," Cain finally answers. |
"What?" Cain grunts.
> You say "I've no more questions."
"Alright," Cain sleeps. "What else?"
"Nothing else is required," Magos Cern says. "Return to your pod."
Cain nods, before walking back into his pod. The cyro-pod shuts, leaving Cain back to his cold, endless sleep.
"We should continue," Magos Cern says. "I still have to show you the gladiator slaves who you'll take under you command and the Uwais Tribe. The Goliaths will act as your heavy shock troopers, the gladiator-slaves will act as scouts, skirmishers and fill in whatever spare roles you have, and the Uwais tribe will be your main unit. I'll take you to see them."
You begin following Magos Cern out of the cyro-sleep area, and along the hallways. After ten minutes, you reach a large metal door, which opens to reveal a large room filled with bunk beds, with familiar bronze bodies lying in the beds.
"This is Dorm A. We have around sixty soldiers here," Magos Cern says.
Fay walks into the room, and lets ou a shout.
"Gentlemen! Your captain's back!"
The tribals roll out of bed. You recognize a few of them, but strangely you recognize many as men from other various tribes."
"Fay, you're back!" one says.
"How did the fight go? It took far longer than expected," another adds.
"Oh, shit! Is that Karth?" another asks.
The attention immediately goes from Fay to you, as tribals begin appearing. They all appear far more muscular, many bearing fresh scars.
"Karth! How are you even still alive?" someone asks incredulously.
"It's the Uwais shaman!" another asks.
"Karth, how are you? What have they been doing to you?"
You watch as the tribals begin to surround the three of you, although Magos Cern makes sure they keep as least half a dozen feat away from her.
"Stay back. Karth is only here to see you, not talk to you," Magos Cern says, drawing a datapad and letting out an electro-shock that causes the group to let out a pained yelp before they back away.
"Why are there so many men and women from other tribes? I thought it was the Uwais tribe who was kidnapped."
"When we arrived on your planet, we needed to do a lot of work. We drained lakes for water, drilled into the planet's crust to get vast quantities of Promethium, wiped out native species for food. It takes a lot of effort to run a vessel this large, and to do it quickly and efficiently. While we did so, our soldiers went to work. They needed to fight, both to train and to simply shed blood for their own enjoyment. Prisoners were taken in vast quantities, and I used them as I used the Uwais tribe. Now, there's far more from other tribes than there are from Uwais tribe."
"Hmmm... your home world is destroyed. Ambition is the only path forward now, Karth, there is no going back. We will conquer the stars together." Meliodas says.
"I suppose calling them the Uwais tribe is a bit of a failing, then. Tribals would be more suitable."
"As you wish. You are their superior. You can do as you wish with them."
"The average tribal will be be outfitted with combat armor as well as some equipment, such as grenades, gas masks, communications devices, that kind of thing. The stronger ones will get Bolters, the strongest will be equipped with melee weapons; chainswords, chainaxes, power swords, as well as bolt pistols. The weaker ones will be given specialized roles and equipped for as such: meltaguns and missile launchers for anti-armor, snipers with sniper rifles and stealth roles with chameoline cloaks and silenced weapons. We should have a fairly well equipped army that will be able to hold their own when fighting alongside the Guardsmen and Traitor Marines we have under our command."
"We're not fighting for you fucks!" someone shouts.
"Yeah! Fuck you, you kidnapping bastards!"
"Ah, this is an issue," Magos Cern says. "Unfortunately, due to my... failures in work on the brain, Kyros has forbid me to tinker on their minds to ensure loyalty. Fay has only so far failed to do, so it'll be your job now. I need all rebelliousness to be crushed."
"How?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Get it done. I don't care how. I need to go check on the oxygen decks to the macro guns on the starboard side doesn't asphyxiate," Magos says, turning around and walking off.
"Well, that's a bitch," you complain, turning to Fay. "I guess we need to get rid of rebelliousness before Kyros gets pissy and blows our heads clean off."
"Or..." Fay says slyly. "We could just hide the rebelliousness. It would be better if we kept it under wraps until we have a chance to get out of here."
"Oh, choices, choices, choices. Terrify, threaten, talk or trust. Which shall it be, Karth?" Meliodas says.
You walk forward, into the center of the dorm. You have several options here. You could attempt to use some of your psychic powers to show these tribals the true power of the Warp. That would definitely ensure their loyalty, if only out of fear. You could threaten them to ensure their loyalty, once again while out of fear, and you wouldn't have to alienate yourself by making yourself seem like a terrifying psychic being. You could attempt to convince the tribals that loyalty to this place is the only rational choice. You could also take Fay's path, and assure them that they'll have the chance to get revenge, but that for now they should hide all rebelliousness until it's time to strike.
> You terrify the tribals with the powers of the Warp
You tug at your collar, but fortunately, due to Kyros' distraction with his troops who are "disloyal", the restrictions are loose. Not gone, still definitely there. You know if you try anything you'll gain his attention and the restrictions will be tightened, as well as the collar around your throat, most likely. Still, you need to take advantage of this and put on a full show.
You walk slowly forward, raising into the air. Black and purple electricity begins running along your body, bursting along yourself. You set alight, as the crimson flames of the Warp engulf. You change your meek and timid voice, amplifying it through the Warp to booming proportions.
"Do you see what I've become? Do you see what Kyros made me? I am a vessel of Chaos, a being of the Warp. This is the power the Warp holds. This is the power Kyros holds, the power this vessel holds, and the power of the cursed men who guard and crew it. You can't possibly hope to beat it. You should only thank the Dark Gods that the role they've asked you to fill is beneficial to you, and embrace this role to the utmost."
The tribals, including Fay, stand back, looking terrified. You know in that moment that fear has replaced all rebelliousness in their souls. They'll follow orders now. You drop down to your feet, staring around.
"Spread the message," you say to the tribals, before turning to Fay. "We should go."
You walk out of the room, quickly followed by Fay, who runs after you.
"What the fuck was that?" she asks.
"I did my job," you say simply.
"Those are our friends, our family, our kinsman. You're not seriously happy with a life of service to a guy who kidnapped us? These guys killed Duggin!"
"Duggin was a fool," you reply. "Our lives were once meaningless. Now, we have a hope. Surely you understand?"
"I wish I could say I could, Karth, but I don't. I don't know how you can think that."
You walk outside, where Kyros awaits, smiling.
"Well done," he says, smiling. "Impressive display."
"You were there for that?" you ask.
"I was aware. Why else would your collar restrictions be weaker?"
"I assumed it was because you were distracted," you admit.
"If that was true, whenever I slept you'd be free to do whatever you wanted," Kyros says, smirking. "Now, we need to visit the last of your soldiers, the gladiator-slaves. They're always an interesting crew. Shall we go?"
You look at Fay, who nods, although she still looks nervous from your earlier "display" of power.
"Yes, let's," you reply.
> You visit the gladiator-slaves
You follow Kyros, as you head to the arena. You reach the doors that would lead into it, but instead oof entering you go off to a small elevator behind it. You enter, and it slowly begins descending. It opens, revealing the underhive of the arena. There's dozen of cages, holding exotic beasts and dangerous Xenos. You see a half dozen thick, heavily muscled, green-skinned Orks in a cage, their necks chained to the wall. They're howling and roaring, tugging at their chains. Surprisingly, while most shout in their barbaric, guttural language, one seems to speak yours.
"Humie! Humie! Get me free! Get me free!" he shouts. "I is gonna let you live, even give ya a bitta loot and an escape pod if ya let me free!"
"Don't respond!" someone further down the catacombs that lay beneath the arena shouts. "It only encourages Ol' Dak!"
"Hmmm... this Ork must be one of the greatest speakers of his kind," Meliodas points out. "Of course to us he's a fucking idiot."
The ork's eyes narrow, before he begins howling in frustration and smacking his hands against his own head, a heavy thud emanating as his muscled fists slam into his thick skull. You continue walking, passing amazing and fantastic creatures and gladiators. There's a tentacled slug-man with a large beak and dozens of eyes peppered around his body which is huddled up in the corner of it's cage, a trio of horrible bird-hound creatures that scratch at their bars, a massive human wearing what appears to be an iron cage with hundreds of inward pointing nails who rams himself against the cage wall, his body shredded to such an extent you're amazed he's not dead yet, a multi-legged, horned creature that looks almost cute. Finally, you reach a long hallway, with thick, heavy metal doors spread along the hallway. An eye peers out of a door eye-slot, staring at you.
"Hello there. Do we have more fighters, or...? Oh wait, it's them. Terrific."
The eye disappears, and the slot closes. Kyros takes out a datapad, pressing several buttons before the door slowly slides open, revealing a large open area. Bunk beds line the wall, with a bunch of young men and women, the oldest in their late twenties and the youngest in their mid-teens. They wear very little armor, all of which is either leather or light combat armor. They sit around a fire, roasting chunks of meat on sticks in it. Two of the gladiators lean against the beds nearest to you, staring at you. One is a tall, muscled and tanned, with long blond hair and sparking green eyes. She holds a long, rifle-like gun with an axe blade made into the barrel with a grip under it. The other is shorter, with similarly tanned skin, with playful green eyes and curly brown hair, holding a curved sword and a Plasma pistol. They both look to be in their late teens or early twenties at latest.
"Is that a fire?" Fay asks.
"Are they armed?" you also.
"Yes and yes," the male says, turning to the girl. "This question game is fun."
"The fire's below a vent that's sending the smoke... somewhere. We weren't exactly given schematics of this place, all we know is the smoke doesn't bother us. And we're allowed weapons to keep the others in check. Even if we both went for Kyros, our minds would be shattered before we could raise our weapons," the girl says.
"Nah, I could at least start a swing before I was killed."
"These are the Twins. They lead the Gladiator-Slaves. Now, introduce yourselves," Kyros says.
"I'm Castus," the boy smiles, staring at the pair of you.
His eyes flicker, as he looks over Fay. He appears to be checking her out. You feel like punching him in the throat, but refrain.
"You're a jealous one, aren't you?" Meliodas says.
"I'm Olive," the girl says, extending a hand, which you grab and shake before Fay does the same.
"So, is there a reason you're here?" Castus asks.
"Fay and Karth will be taking command of the gladiators. They are my lieutenants, and will command a segment of our army, the slaves."
"Oh, terrific. We've been shafted," Castus says.
"I'm sure Kyros will want us to have an advisor position to assist Fay and Karth," Olive says.
"Correct," Kyros says.
"Well, there might be an issue with that," Castus says. "You see, both Fay and Karth have a history of... well, murdering my men. Pitting the Kyros Jr and Magos Cern's latest brand of super-freaks against us has led to a lot of men being, quite understandably, pissed with the guys who hacked apart, or psychically exploded, or simply beat their friends upside the head until they went comatose."
"If you want, we can have the dissenters flailed alive. Simply point them out, and I'll have them broken. Is that preferable?"
Castus goes quiet.
"As I thought," Kyros says with a smile. "Make sure the men know to follow orders. Now, it's late, and these guys need sleep. Is anything else needed?"
"I suppose not," Olive says.
"Well, we need a lot, but nothing we're realistically getting anytime soon," Castus says.
Kyros stares at Castus, fire beginning to run along his body.
"Nothing needed, sir," Castus says.
"Good. Fay, Karth, let's go," Kyros says.
Kyros swivels around, walking out of the room. You quickly follow him, and the massive metal door shuts behind you.
"So, we'll escort Fay back to the Uwais dorms, and then send you to your room," Kyros says.
"Well you know, Karth's room is closer. I could just spend the time in his," Fay suggests. "It would give us some time to go over battle plans now that we know what our men are capable of, and I can inform him of what the Uwais tribe are like in battle..."
"Really? That's the reason? That's the reason you're going for?" Kyros asks, raising an eyebrow. "No."
> You argue that Fay should spend the night in your room
"But she could help me plan what do to with the lieutenants and what to do to secure their loyalty, and..."
"Don't fuck with me, Karth. You just want the girl there so you can have something fuck. Maybe if you were a little smarter with the way you acted towards me I'd grant you such base pleasures, but you acted like a prick all while you've been here, so no, she'll go back to her bed, and you'll go back to hers."
"Surprisingly, the cunt doesn't stop being a cunt just because you want to get laid. Unless I'm wrong and you seriously didn't plan or want to try anything with her, in which case Slaanesh will never get a hold on your soul," Meliodas says.
You arrive at the doors to your cell, and Kyros opens it.
"Hurry up, inside," Kyros says.
You look at Fay, who smiles at you.
"Bye, Karth. Thanks for trying," she says, giving a short little wave.
"Bye, Fay," you reply.
The doors are shut, and you walk over to your bed, collapsing on it. Only now do you realize how exhausted you are. You've spent all day walking, which again isn't exactly your specialty. You close your eyes, and soon sleep takes you. Thankfully, the twilight stage where your soul can rest and your exhausted mind can find peace, lasts extra long. Of course, it doesn't take long before the nightmares hit.
> You sleep
You writhe in pain, curling up in an attempt to get the endless suffering to end. All you hear is the chattering of thousands of skulls laughing at you. You star up at a mountain of skulls that rises up into the sky past. You can see beasts of metal roaring as they charge across the skulls, ramming into each other with powerful clashes, with dragon-like beasts flying overhead.
You take in a panicked breath, stumbling away from a nearby one and falling. You tumble along the skulls, rolling down the mountain of skulls. You slam into the skull of a massive beast, ending your tumble. You look down at a massive river of boiling blood, horrifying creatures of bones bursting from the water and diving back under again. You frantically try to use your powers, to levitate away from this horrifying place, but you can feel an invisible hand around your neck, closed tightly around your trachea and preventing you from breathing, tethering you to the ground and preventing you from using your power.
It... doesn't go well from there. You wander the endless mountain of skulls, hiding in terror from the daemonic beasts that roam. Eventually, you awaken with a start, finding yourself lying in bed in a cold sweat, naked and scared. The rest of the night is, thankfully, not as bad. The monsters of your dreams staying off in the distance away from you. Sleep is... somewhat bearable.
> You several Hours Later...
You wake up to the sound of the metal doors opening. You stand, looking up to see Kyros and Fay entering the room. You realize you're naked, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around yourself. Fay giggles, smiling.
"Well, that was a surprise. A pretty small one, to be fair," she says with a smile.
You find a little leeway with your collar, and eagerly use it through the flick of a wrist and send Fay onto her behind once more. The collar tightens around your throat quickly, making it hard to breath but not unbearable. You raise your hands in surrender, and Kyros releases the collar.
"We're going to the war room," he says, softly but creepily.
Kyros seems considerably darker today. His coat is covered with several dark red splotches and stains. You doubt it's a good idea to ask about their origins. You stand up, following Kyros along the halls.
"What's in the war room?" you ask.
"We're just having a meeting. Quiet now," Kyros says.
You walk along the hallways in silence, passing my various crewmen running along the halls, working. Kyros walks quickly and you break a sweat trying to walk at his pace.
"Can we slow down?" Fay asks.
"You're a genetically-upgraded super-soldier. Is a fast walk really too much for you?" Kyros says, continuing at his speed.
"It's too much for Karth," she says.
"I'm... fine," you pant.
"No you're not," Fay says. "Physical exercise isn't exactly a strength of yours."
"He has the energy to talk, he has the energy to walk! Now silence!"
Kyros flicks his wrists, and Fay yelps. A long, thin cut appears, running down her cheek, as blood runs down her chin.
"Hey!" you shout.
You step up, staring into Kyros' eyes. His eyes are wild and cruel. The humor and joy he held only a few hours ago is gone. You realize that he'll be more than happy to hurt both you and Fay seriously. You back down.
"That's what I thought. Now faster, we've wasted time with this!" Kyros says.
You speed up, moving as quickly as possible. Soon enough you reach the war room. The doors open, and you pause. Inside, lying in her seat, is Calpurnia. All of her skin is just... missing, seemingly flayed off her. Blood covers her seat, the the floor around her and the table. Her eyes are missing, seemingly gored out by inhuman claws. She lets out a pained moan, and you realize with a start that she's somehow alive.
"What the fuck...?" Fay says.
Magos Cern appears behind you, walking forward. She stares at Calpurnia, seemingly disinterested.
"Does this concern me?" she asks.
"No, old friend.This concerns the others," Kyros says, his voice a low growl.
Uncaring, Kyros sits down at the table. Taj enters, but doesn't even respond, simply taking his place at the table. Calpurnia holds up a hand as if begging for help, but Taj simply spits on the table.
"Traitor," he grunts.
You watch as Durge walks in, with Elizabeth at his side. Durge pauses, looking at Calpurnia, before looking at Kyros, as Elizabeth turns very pale.
"What the hell is this?" Durge asks, staring down at Calpurnia.
His massive, bloated frame waddles forward, standing over the bleeding near-corpse.
"What happened you, he asks, before shoving a spike-arm in front of Elizabeth and pushing her back, stepping in front of her defensively as he stares at the rest of the room. "Who did this?!"
Rebecca walks in, a grin on her face.
"Oh, who did this?" she asks, clearly feigning surprise.
Finally, Elios walks in, pausing, and looking around the room, taken aback.
"What... what happened?" he asks, turning even paler than his chalk-white makeup.
"It seems our good friend Calpurnia has been attacked in the dead of night," Kyros says. "Imagine how much pain she's feeling. The pain of her wounds. The pain of her betrayal. Who hear could have possibly betrayed them? Who could have plotted late in the night to back stab a person, to betray someone who had given them so much? Could it have been Elios? Durge? Elizabeth?"
"Fuck... you," Calpurnia says, before collapsing her head against the table.
Calpurnia screams as her arm's bare flesh begins to cook, as Kyros glares at her. Durge raises a spike, running it through Calpurnia's head.
"Enough. There's no need to prolong her suffering," Durge says, glaring at Kyros.
"I suppose. Perhaps it's best that she died. Do you know what, Durge? Magos Cern, Chapter Master Taj and Rebecca all came to me, told me a coup was being planned by Calpurnia, and she was recruiting all the faction leaders. I'm sure she hadn't gotten around to asking you, Elizabeth and Elios yet, or you would've reported it to me. Correct?"
Durge stares at Kyros, not saying a word.
"Well, I'll have someone investigate who could have possibly done this to our dear friend. Anyone, as for the purpose of this meeting, I just wanted to tell you we're all out of Recaf, and I'll have it replaced by tomorrow. I also suppose I must say I'm taking control of the 33rd Istanford Regiment in the wake of Calpurnia's passing. Now, everyone back to their duties. We're in a risky time. Who knows who'll have the next... accident?"
Kyros walks out of the room, and you and Fay follow him. He immediately has you set to work. He has you train with a few of your new men, fighting off dozens of crab-like aliens with a handful of Goliaths, Tribals and Gladiators to learn how they fight. The Tribals still work with their hunting tactics and the methods of war used to fight off the endless greenskin attacks, so you find you're easily able to lead them to victory.
The Goliaths are borderline idiots, who even in the heat of battle get distracted by themselves and each other, get frustrated when their massive hands fail to successfully reload their bolters, and are more than happy to break formation to charge the enemy. Cain proves himself as a solid leader, taking you orders and bellowing them out with massive, powerful lungs, loud enough to snap the Goliaths back to violence. The Goliaths make up for their mental failings with their extreme strength, withstanding punishment beyond what you thought was possible, whilst turning steel to dust with their powerful blows.
The Gladiators' fighting style is an interesting one. Due to the lifestyle of gladiators, they haven't really trained for being part of a large unit, only knowing how to fend for themselves or maybe fight alongside a small unit of a half dozen people. They're good, experienced fighters, but despite their experience they're still young and wild, taking unnecessary risks in battle and acting far too prideful. While Castus is wild and barely acts as a leader in battle other than shouting out curses at the enemies, rallying his men and leading a charge whenever necessary, Olive is calm, collected and acts as the real leader, spitting out battlefield tactics that allow for a crushing defeat. The gladiators also have a certain showmanship, no doubt because they're performers before they're fighters. The gladiators' attacks maximize bloodshed and feature extravagant yet unnecessary feats of agility, something that needs to be eliminated from their battle doctrine.
All in all, your newfound force is fairly competent. You're satisfied with their ability to fight, which is bolstered by your immense powers, the only outlet of which are these arena battles. After several long hours fighting, just as you're too exhausted to continue fight, the massive metal gates from which the aliens spew slam closed.
You hover in the air, firing a stream of multi-colored fire that consumes a crab-alien, before you swoop down, firing a psychic blast directly into the unarmored face of another. Your forces wipe out the remaining beasts, and soon the fighting is over, leaving you surrounded by corpses, blood and bolter shells. The metal gate you came through opens, and you drop to the ground, feeling your collar begin to restrain your psychic powers again, before standing and beginning to walk back inside.
"Well done, men. You've proven yourselves today," you say.
Your four guards wait by the gate, alongside dozens of other guards to ensure none of you attempt a mistake. The gladiators are led to the underneath of the arena, the Goliaths back to cyro-sleep and the Tribals to their cell-dorms. You're quickly escorted to your room, and the doors close behind you. You walk forward, quickly undressing from your blood-stained, sweat-soaked clothes before collapsing on your bed, burying your head in your pillow.
> You go to sleep
"Karth!" Meliodas' voice says, appearing in your mind. "Look behind you, you fool!"
You quickly twist around in bed, raising your fists and preparing to use what little psychic powers, to see Elios leaning in the doorway of your bathroom.
"Shit! What the fuck are you doing!?" you shout.
"Hmmm... a man can't just lean back and enjoy one of the finer sights in life?" Elios says, winking as he strolls confidently towards you.
"Get...!" you try to speak, but he puts a finger against your lips, leaning in close.
"Quiet, baby. No need to fret. I'm not here to give you any trouble. I'm hear to help you with a certain little... problem."
Elios runs his hand along your bare chest and up to your collar, playfully tugging on it. You stare at him, waiting.
"Well, let's be realistic here. We're going to be slaughtered. If we're lucky, we're going to be killed when Kyros leads his moronic charge against the Imperium. If we're unlucky, we're going to end up like Calpurnia, tortured to death by a paranoid Psyker."
"You're at risk of being tortured to death. I never betrayed him," you say.
"Oh, baby, why do you have to be so difficult?" Elios smiles, two of his fingers walking up your legs, slowly nearing your groin. "Baby, at the moment, Kyros is looking to eliminate those who are going to betray him. But he's growing paranoid. He'll end thinking you're going to betray him, whether you are or are not. Let's be fair, you do have motives. Your tribe destroyed or enslaved, forced to bear the troubles that a Psyker does? Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if you had an escape plan in the works. Hell, even if he doesn't, one of your men will act rebellious or a battle will go wrong, and you'll be blamed for it. You need to get with us, baby."
"Let's say I'm considering it. What would it entail?" you ask.
"You need to get the leaders on your side. Fay, Olive, Castus, whoever's in charge of those big monster boys I saw you working with earlier. Get them on your side, while I will talk to Elizabeth and Durge about maintaining the rebellious attitude amongst Calpurnia's boys, make sure they're still up for a little bit of mutiny."
"What happens when we take the ship?" you ask.
"That'll be decided once we've secured the other leaders. I'm sure they have demands of their own. So are you in?"
"Hmmm... it's clearly our only option, but you should know that Elios both wants to fuck you over and straight up fuck you," Meliodas says.
"I'm pretty sure my other choice is death. That's not even a choice," you say.
"Well, it's the one I'm giving you, baby," Elios says,gently flicking the tip of your dick, causing you to yelp and scuttle back on your bed.
> You agree
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was here."
"I... no... yes, sir," one says, stepping aside.
You watch Elios stroll out of the room, giving a final smile and wave as he leaves the room.
You get some sleep, lying wrapped up in your blankets. Blissfully, there's only a few dark, terror-filled dreams, the rest only filling your with a vague, uneasy sense of dread. You awaken to Magos Cern poking you in the stomach with a white-hot pincer.
"AH!" you scream. "What the fuck?"
"My diagnostics told me that I'd be able to wake you up 0.4 seconds faster this way. We need to go," Magos Cern says.
"Where?"
"First, you require food. Then, you'l get some implants. I'm going through some long overdue upgrades for the... "Goliaths", as you called them, and Kyros asked me to pencil you in for a few biological upgrades."
"Then?" you ask
"Melee practice. In wake of assassination threats, Kyros wants you to be able to fend off a melee assassination as easily as you could a ranged or psychic attack."
"My powers can do that," you say.
"You'd be run through before you could react. Castus and Olive will run through some drills to get your reaction time up and give you a few dodging techniques that will lend themselves to all your battles."
"Then?"
"By then, with the recovery time from the implants, your weak body will require sleep."
"OK", you say.
Magos Cern leads you out of the room, and along the hallways. You find yourself in a massive cafeteria. You walk forward, spotting Fay sitting alongside a badly burnt girl with a long braid wrapping around herself and another with a prosthetic arm replaced by a sharpened, mechanical claw. Fay looks up, noodles hanging from her mouth, spotting you.
"Oh, Karth!" she says, waving, before noticing that her mouth is filled with noodles and blushing.
You take a seat next to her, and she smiles.
"So, how are you doing?" she asks.
"We need to talk. Alone," you say, looking at the two tribals beside her.
"Uh... OK," Fay says, motioning for the two tribals to move, which they quickly do.
"Thanks," you say to the tribals as they walk off.
"So? Is this about what I think it's about?"
"What do you think it's about?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you know... you want to speak to me alone... privately... so I kind of assume it's about us."
"Yeah, of course it's about us, that's why we're both here to talk about it."
"No, I mean... like, us us," Fay says, clearly frustrated by your failure to understand.
"What?"
"Well, like, do you want us to be a couple?"
> You say "Yeah, I want to go out."
"Oh, really?" Fay says smiling.
"Don't you?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah!" Fay says, smiling. "I was actually just going to ask you about that. I'm glad you said yes."
Fay smiles, before leaning in and kissing you briefly on the lips. You stare into her bright green eyes, the split-second kiss lasting for infinitely longer, feeling the warmth of her lips flood into you, before she pulls back.
"Well, that was nice. Ideally our next rendezvous is going to take place somewhere where we're not surrounded by our tribe and horrible guards who want us dead," Fay smiles. "Was that it, or was there something else?"
"Yeah, we have something important to discuss."
"Wasn't that important?" Fay asks, smiling.
"Oh no,it was, I just... I meant important for the tribe, not just for us," you say, stumbling over your words.
"It feels nice to see you've become as awkward as I just was," Fay giggles. "Now, stop spitting out words. Take a breath, and tell me what's so important."
"Rebellion."
"Oh?"
"Kyros is mad and paranoid. He's either going to slit our throats or send us on an endless string of suicide missions. We need to do something, and I really need your help. A group of collaborators have planned to rise up, and rid ourselves of Kyros. Then, we take over. I need the support of your Tribals to do so.
"Yeah, totally. Done."
"Done?"
"Yeah. If we don't escape, we die here. Also, they're your Tribals as much as mine. Who else is in on this?" Fay asks.
"Elios, Durge and Elizabeth are all in. No doubt Calpurnia's man will help us," you say.
"What about Cain and the twins?"
"I haven't asked them yet, but we need to get them on board," you say.
"Do we hae a solid plan yet?" Fay asks.
"Not yet. We need to find out how many people we have fighting for us."
"What happens after we take the ship," Fay asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That is still to be decided. Once we have Cain. Castus and Olive behind us, we'll have bargaining power. So you're in?"
"I'm in," Fay nods. "I'll have the message spread among the tribals."
You notice one of your guards walking towards you, carrying a tray. You motion for Fay to quiet down, as the guard arrives putting the tray down on the table.
"Eat," he says, in a cold voice like the scraping of a blade on rusted metal.
You look at your food. There's a bowl of noodles and strips of thin, cured meat, a small bowl of green jelly with chunks of odd, alien fruit inside, a large plastic cup of wine and a small, dense biscuit-like cake.
"Well, someone's being pampered," Fay says, smiling.
"Clearly I'm just more important than you," you gloat as you have a forkful of noodles and meat.
Fay grabs the biscuit cake from your tray, taking a bite.
"Hey!" you say in annoyance, as Fay sticks her tongue out.
You quickly eat your meal, polishing off the entire tray and gulping down the wine. Then, Magos Cern arrives.
"Good, you've eaten," she says. "These operations will be safer if you've had a full stomach."
"OK, I'm ready, let's go, you say. "Bye, Fay. See you soon."
"See you later, Fay says, blowing a kiss.
Magos Cern leads you out of the cafeteria and along the halls, off along halls and elevators. Eventually, you pass through the cyro-sleep section, arriving in a large operating room. Dozens of Goliaths are lying on the surgery tables, many halfway through surgery. A half dozen other Tech Priests wander around between the Goliaths, removing and adding flesh, bone, organs, cybernetic implants and other strange things.
"I didn't know there were other Tech Priests," you note.
"This ship is the size of a small moon. Did you think you've seen enough of it to accurately be able to say that we don't have something? I have scores of Tech Priests who followed me into the embrace of the Dark Gods," Magos Cern says.
Magos Cern leads you to an operating table.
"This is yours. Please get undressed and wait here, I need to grab my materials and equipment. Stay here."
Magos Cern turns around, walking off, leaving you alone. You spot Cain, lying on his operating table, his chest cut open to reveal still functioning organs. You wonder how he can still be alive with such a hastily cut-up torso, before you wince as you see his eyes dart towards you and you realize he's conscious. Looking to see Magos Cern hobbling away, you hop off the operating table and walk over to him.
"Commander Karth," Cain grunts. "Need something?"
"I have... an offer."
"An offer? An offer of what?" Cain says, absent-mindedly picking at a cut alongside his... or at least, one of his stomachs.
"Freedom," you say, catching the monster's attention.
"Go on," Cain says, furrowing his scarred brow and causing a thin stream of blood to pour from his horns.
"We're planning an escape. We could use you and your men," you say.
"We?"
"Elios, Durge, Elizabeth, Fay, others," you say. "That's it, I think."
"When?"
"We don't have details, yet. We need a head count before we can start planning it."
"Hmmm... I'm willing to give you control of my... "Goliaths", as you called them. But, I have a list of conditions that I want to be satisfied once we take the ship."
"Go on," you say.
"I want us to get names. Every Goliath who is capable of remembering and answering to a name will be called that instead of its serial number, by you and ALL other members of command. No more cyro-sleep. I want a bed for every single Goliath. I don't care if it's fine cloth or a slab of concrete, as long as it doesn't freeze them, it'll do us. I want free time that's not just killing."
"Anything else?" you ask.
"That's it," Cain says, spitting out a serrated teeth that's fallen free from his jaw.
Cain's demands are far from unfair. Really, all he wants is slightly more rights for his Goliaths, which wouldn't even take any more resources. Still, you don't want the beast getting a big head. You ARE still in charge of not only his collar, but the collars of every single Goliath. All you need is a few threats, and the Goliaths will be yours.
> You agree to Cain's demands
"Deal," you say.
"Good, good," Cain nods, extending a hand.
You grab his hand, and thankfully Cain doesn't attempt to squeeze, which would almost certainly result in your fragile bones shattering. You shake vigorously, and Cain attempts a smile. The corners of his mouth twist unnaturally high, revealing rows of serrated teeth, curved fangs, massive molars and many other weird, odd teeth, protruding from bloody, rotten gums. You smile in response, not willing to offend him.
"The beast would've taken half of what he asked for," Meliodas says.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" you say angrily.
"I presumed you knew," Meliodas replies.
"Are you OK?" Cain says. "Tell you what?"
"Uh, nothing. Sorry," you say.
"OK. Good deal," Cain says, his face contorted in what you assume is his version of a raising of the eyebrow. "Alright, best get prepared for your operation before Magos Cern gets back."
"Yeah, I should," you say.
You walk over to your operating table and quickly get undressed, before lying down. After another minute or two, Magos Cern appears, pushing a tray in front of her. One of her metallic tendrils grabs a syringe filled with a pale, translucent liquid.
"This might hurt a little. It will more likely hurt a lot more," she says.
You let out a pained yelp as she jams the syringe into your neck. She begins pushing down on the plunger as what you hope is anesthetic is pumped into you. Warm hands embrace you, pulling you into the oblivion of unconsciousness.
> You embrace the darkness
Your eyes lull closed, and you lose consciousness.
You awake an unknown time later, lying on the metal operating table. Magos Cern stands over you, washing her implements in a basin of water. She looks at you, her cold, red eyes peering into your soul.
"Ah, you're awake. Good," she says.
"What did you put into me?" you ask.
"The biology of what I did is beyond you, flesh bag."
"Can you dumb it down for me?" you ask.
"Could one reduce concertos to the mumbled grunts of mutants?" Magos Cern asks indignantly.
"Please?"
"Fine. I increased the size of your heart by 40% and lungs by 12%, and added several veins and arteries leading directly to the brain from the heart. These actions increase the blood flow to your brain, and should hence increase psychic abilities. I added multiple microchips that breed monocytes, other white blood cells, platelets and other helpful things for your body. That was the bulk of my work. Other than that, it was just a medical check-up."
"OK," you say.
"I have a lot of important work to do, now. You should've had enough time to recover."
Two of your massive space marine guards arrive, a roaring face on their thick helmets.
"Here you are," Magos Cern says. "Guards, make sure to walk slow. If at any point the patient starts puking blood, let him sit down for ten, maybe fifteen minutes."
"Shouldn't you keep him hearing for observation, then?" one of the guards ask.
"I have far too much work to do," Magos Cern says. "Don't disturb me. If anything goes wrong, go to Genetor Corivan. He is very experienced with medical matters."
"Yes, sir," the space marine says.
Magos Cern quickly heads off, walking off to a row of elevators. The space marines stare at you, and you climb out of bed with a groan.
"Ah, my head," you say.
"You should have headaches for the next 48 hours," Magos Cern shouts, right before she disappears into an elevator.
You stand, feeling a rush of blood hit your head. You walk after the space marines, along halls and up and down elevators, until you find yourself in the arena. Castus and Olive are there, mid-battle with each other.
"Oh look, it's tweedle-dum and tweedle-fucking idiot," Meliodas says. "Not even a laugh? Oh wait, you didn't grow up with nursery rhymes, you're from a Feral world. My bad."
Castus swings his sword at her, while Olive swings her rifle-axe up at his head. He rolls out of the way, kicking Olive's foot away and sending her to her knee, before booting her in the head. She collapses down, before rolling out of the way to avoid a downward stab by Castus. She grabs Castus' sword handle and punches him. Castus falls backwards, before taking up a fighting stance. Olive begins circling him, her gun-axe at the ready. She spots you, smiling.
"Karth's here," she says.
"Bullshit," Castus says, readying his sword.
"Karth, tell him you're here," Olive says.
"Yeah, I'm here," you say.
Castus turns to look at you, but Olive charges, swinging her gun-axe. She knocks the feet away from Castus, dropping his knee down on Castus stomach. Castus grunts before Olive grabs her gun-axe and holds it to Castus throat.
"Dead," she says.
"No fair, we were supposed to stop when Karth got here," Castus says.
"You're still dead," Olive smiles, standing up.
Castus grabs Olive's wrist, pulling her forward so his sword pokes into her stomach.
"Dead," he smiles.
"Seriously?" Olive says, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'm dead. Are we finished yet? The kid needs training."
"Fine," Castus shrugs. "Let's start it."
Castus draws a dagger from his belt, staring at it. The blade is a bright silver, with an odd pattern etched into it. It's handle is a bright, light blue, with a short, silver horn coming from the end of the handle.
"Now, this is an absolute beauty. I really don't use it enough, so it's yours. Xenos-origin, so even owning it is heresy. The blade is razor sharp, it could cut through flesh and bone easier than it could through air. Here."
Castus turns, tossing the dagger straight at your head.
> You duck
You duck your head, the knife flying just over your head and cluttering to the floor behind you.
"Good catch," Castus says.
You grab the knife, taking a practice stab.
"What do you think?"
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains.
> You agree to her demands
"Done," you say.
Olive extends a hand, which you grip and shake extensively. Castus extends his hand, which you grab, but he twists your arm around, causing you to yelp painfully. He kicks away your foot and sends you to your knee, before bringing his sword up to your throat.
"Dead," he says with a smile.
"Well shit, Castus, what's wrong with you?"
"What? I was just preparing him for fighting. I thought we were supposed to be training him. First lesson, kid: trust no one. Now, get up."
Olive offers you a hand, smiling.
> You allow her to help you up
You grab Olive's hand, and she pulls you to your feet.
"Ah, good job," Castus says. "Second rule: the first rule is bullshit. You know who doesn't trust anyone? Bastards like Kyros who ends up with no loyal friends, no allies, nothing, and then end up alone, with no one. If you want to survive in this world, you need allies."
Castus grabs his sword by the blade, offering it to you. You reach out to grab it, before he swings it and smacks you in the side of the heat, sending you to the ground. Castus offers his hand to you, which you accept. He pulls you up, before kneeing you in the stomach and tossing you to the ground.
"Come on, you're not learning. First rule: trust no one. Don't you listen?"
"I was going my the second rule," you say, groaning.
"Sometimes, the first rule is more important than the second rule," Castus shrugs.
"How the fuck am I supposed to tell the difference between which rule to us?" you ask, annoyed.
"Beats me. When you find out, you'll be the most powerful warlord in history. Until then, you just go off gut feeling and intellect."
"Seems like a shitty system," you say, as Castus finally lets you stand up.
"Seems like a shitty world you're in. That system is the best I have to offer. Now, rule three: in hand to hand combat, go for the weak spots. The throat, eyes and balls are always good, but when it comes to half these fucks, I'd stick to the eyes, because past that, I don't know what you have left. Observe."
Castus flips his sword so he holds the blade again, wrapping his sleeve around the blade so it doesn't bite into his fingers as much. He steps forward, swinging his sword with insane speed. The pommel slams into your throat before jabbing you in the eyes, leaving you to stumble backwards. You quickly close your legs together before Castus jabs the pommel into your groin, and you collapse backwards with a pained yelp.
"See? Effective," Castus smiles. "Rule four: you can win through many ways. Pain submission, incapacitating them, or simply taking their lives. Judge which can be used to take down your enemies. For instance, in your case, pain is the way forward."
You're growing tired of being hit in the face. As Castus steps forward with his sword raised, you decide you're going to do something to dissuade him from continuing to hit you.
> You freeze Castus' sword in place
You use your telekinesis to hold the sword in mid air, Castus grunts in confusion as he finds his weapon stuck in the air as it was concrete.
"I don't need to learn how to wield a sword, Castus. You've trained all your life with a sword. I never have. Yet look how simply I disarm you? I need a sword as much as you need fangs. I've evolved past the need for it," you say, before sending the sword clattering to the ground.
"Fair point, kid," Castus says, as you have his sword levitate back up to him. "I suppose you're good to go. End of training."
"Terrific," you say. "So, can I leave?"
"Yeah, I'll call your guards here to open the gates and take you off," Castus says, grabbing a walkie-talkie hanging from his belt and speaking into it.
"Yeah, we're finished here," he says. "Oh shit, over."
"Affirmative, out," the voice comes back.
Soon, the gate lifts up as your guards saunter out in their thick power armor.
"Where to next, boys?" you ask.
"Shut it, psyker," one growls, looking at Castus and Olive. "Is it back to the cells for you two?"
"We're happy to practice some more here," Olive says, twirling her gun-axe to stop a surprise attack from Castus. "I mean, if this dumb bastard has done so little practice to think that would take me down, he's go to need a lot more practice."
"Pffh, I'd like to see you take me down," Castus says.
"So be it," your captor growls. "Move it, psyker."
You raise your hands defensively, and allow them to escort you back to your room.
> Three Days Later...
There's no peep from Elios, Durge or Elizabeth over the next few days. There's more of the usual, training, fighting and such. Eventually though, as you put your head down on the pillow, you hear a familiar voice.
"Karth, talking to you with that collar on is painfully hard. Can you start checking the shadows so I don't have to do this?" Meliodas says.
You twist around in bed, to spot a familiar figure in the corner, wearing tight, very revealing black leather with heavy make-up.
"Why do we have a habit of meeting like this?" Elios says.
"Fuck," you say, jumping up in bed.
"Is that an order? Because I'm more than willing to... serve," he says, licking his lips.
"Why are you here?"
"We're meeting up. We have plans to make. Shall we go?" Elios smiles.
"Uh... sure," you reply.
Elios strides over to the door, knocking on it. The guards open, and Elios once again deceives them so they easily step aside.
"How do you do that?" you ask, as you stroll past your guards.
"Serving Slaanesh has it's benefits. Charisma, beauty, the ability to bend people to your desires, and an ever-lasting... stamina," he says, breathing the last word.
"Ah, good to know," you say.
You stroll through the hallways, heading down a path you've never headed down before. Eventually, you find yourself in a seemingly abandoned section, entering a large room that's been done up like a war-room.
"This is the old war-room. Kyros had a new one built in a position safer from boarding actions. From here, we run the mutiny."
You look around the room, taking note of who's here. Durge sits in a large wooden chair, pricking boils along his belly with his spike-arms. Elizabeth sits in the corner, reading a datapad. A young man, seemingly in his twenties, leans against a wall, smoking and scratching his thick stubble, with a shaved head, scarred face and sallow skin. Cain is scratching the scarred cuts that run along his leathery bare chest. Castus is playing with a knife, while Olive leans against the wall, drinking from a canteen. Fay leans against the wall, noticing you instantly.
"Hey, Karth," she smiles, walking up to you. "How'd Elios get you out of your cell?"
"Did some deceiving trick on the guards. You?"
"Elizabeth put the guard's to sleep somehow," Fay replies.
"Alright, boys. We're all here. Shall we begin?"
"Yes, let's go through this," Durge says.
Durge stands, scratching the side of his stomach as you see something furry scuttling through his intestines. You try not to get sick, or to simply set the entire monstrosity known as Durge aflame to cauterize his disgusting form, before reassuring yourself that he's on your side.
"Sssh, sssh," Durge says, patting the side of his stomach, before grabbing a remote from the large metal table and turning on a large blue hologram of the ship, the Roar of the Vortex. "Here she is. We need to start planning how to grasp control of the ship. Remember, this isn't a planet. We don't win by capturing more territory than the enemy has. We need to capture the necessary areas."
The hologram begins to change, as various sections become different colors.
"These black sections are abandoned by crew. They're either unnecessary cargo space, unused dorms or functional sections whose functions are either redundant, have been taken over by other sections or are being fulfilled by whoever remains in these sections."
"I thought they were abandoned," Fay says.
"Abandoned by the crew, not abandoned by all. You must remember just how large this vessel is. Certain sections were crewed by slaves or mutants who, from lack of contact with crew members, have regressed to a feral state. Many of them now fulfill their roles, such as cleaning pipes or pumping air or working generators, because they consider it a religious ritual, necessary for their food, water and waste pipes to continue or just do it without knowing why."
"Ah. How... terrifying to know that that's a reality," Fay says.
"Their sacrifice is necessary," Durge shrugs. "Now, I shall continue. These brown sections are entirely ran by mutants. These mutants hold no loyalty to either side, and fulfill non-essential roles, or at least roles that aren't essential short-term. For the term's of this... mutiny, these spaces are as irrelevant as the abandoned areas. Now, we get onto the important things. These green sections are, or at least will definitely, be controlled by us. The Black Rat's floors, the Shrieking Harpies' floors, the One Eyed Crows' floors, the arena and arena catacombs, the cyro-sleep area, the medical bay, the Tribals' dormitories, and the 22nd Regiment's dormitories. The 22nd Regiment is, for the most part, under our command, although their are loyalists to Kyros, so it will take some time for them to sort out that issue in the mutiny. These red sections are the enemy's. Kyros' chambers, the Bloody Claw's floors, the Techpriests' sections, the floors used by the Undying Reapers, and the floors controlled by those who will almost certainly be loyal to Kyros, whether they be from assimilated war-bands or his original allies he had when first capturing this vessel."
Suddenly, the hologram shifts again, as the sections become either black, grey, blue, green or gold.
"These sections in black are irrelevant. Ignore them. These areas in grey are of little importance, but these are still a benefit to hold. The blue sections should be captured. The green sections are of more importance than the green sections, and should be prioritized. These gold sections, the command bridge, the engines and the macro-cannon decks, are completely necessary. We need these for victory. Now, Elizabeth shall go into details on the objectives, and Elios shall divide our forces."
Elizabeth stands up, walking towards the hologram, as Durge collapses into his seat.
"Thank you, brother. Now, we have four main objectives. The first is to kill Kyros. If we're lucky, that should get much of his forces to surrender. Hopefully, Rebecca will as well," Elizabeth says.
"She won't surrender," Elios says.
"She might," Durge says hopefully.
"I've know her the longest. She never gave up. When dad gave her the choice of apologizing for breaking the barn's windows in exchange for half as many lashes, she spat in his eye. As long as she has a limb left, she'll fight us. And I'm counting her head as a limb," Elios says.
"Well... we can hope," Elizabeth says. "The second objective is to capture the golden sections. The third and fourth objectives are to capture as many servitors as possible and Drake Amadeus, respectively."
"Who the fuck is Drake Amadeus, and what's a servitor?" Castus asks loudly.
"A servitor is a partly biological machine, made from machinery and the body of a criminal, slave or cloned body. They're not sentient, but are controlled by the Techpriests and used as their workforce. They do the bulk work of maintaining the ship. Capturing as many of them should make the transfer of power... easier. Drake Amadeus is an extremely powerful Navigator, a species of mutant who have a psychic third eye that allows it to see through the Warp and allow us to navigate through the Warp. Drake is one of the few Navigators powerful enough to allow a ship this large to navigate safely. If we don't secure him, we lose all abilities to go at the speed of light. In other words, we drift through space until we all starve to death. So, Drake is an important objective. Those are our four main objectives. If we fail in any of those, we fail in everything. There are dozens of other objectives, such as securing medical supplies, finding food, what have you. Those can be handed out to the individual groups. Elios?"
Elios stands up, strolling over to the hologram as Elizabeth sits down.
"Now, we have a sizeable force. The Shrieking Harpies, the Black Rats, the One-Eyed Crows, the 22nd Regiment, the Tribals, the Goliaths and the Gladiators. We even have a... special asset," he says, looking at you. "Whilst each of these factions on their own are fairly effective, combined they're infinitely stronger. Here are lists of what forces you'll command, and which of the forces you were to command will be transferred to another leader."
Various rolls of parchment and datapads, a strange mix of tech levels, is passed out. You raise an eyebrow as you realize you've not been given anything.
"Why didn't I get something?" you ask.
Elios smiles as you.
"Putting you with a large force would be a waste of resources. Putting you with a small force would leave you wiping out too many enemies, unable to hold the ground you've already taken. So, we're going to use your as a specialty item. We're sending you to capture the prisoners. Release the ones you deem trustworthy, and secure them. Most importantly, secure Drake Amadeus. Understood?"
"Yeah, got it," you say.
"Once you have, we'll regroup forces, and make a move to finish off Kyros and his lieutenants."
"Got it," you say.
"When?" Cain asks in his monstrous voice.
"Soon. Within the next few days. We need time to spread the orders, make preparations and Elizabeth needs time to find a way to deactivate the various collars and explosives planted on the slaves. Be ready at all moments," Durge says.
"How do we know when to strike?" Olive asks.
"We're going to have explosives planted to take out as many loyalists as possible. When you hear massive explosives, or if you're too far away when the alarms start, your collars should deactivate given that I succeed, which I will, and then strike and go immediately to your objective. Understood?" Elizabeth says.
"Got it," Olive nods.
Elios begins passing out files.
"Look over these, then leave them to be burnt," Elios says.
You're passed a file, and eagerly grab it.
> You look at the files
You look at the files and see three subheadings: Drake Amadeus, the Penthouse, Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades. The files seem to be a mixture of printed out and hand-written, leading you to assume they're from different sources.
> You read File: Drake Amadeus
Name: Drake Amadeus
Species: Human, Sub-species Navigator
Age: 27
Marital Status: Unmarried
Children: None
House of Origin: House Jenassis
Current Location: The Penthouse, Roar of the Vortex
Blood Type: A Positive
Additional Mutations: None
Mental Illnesses: Sociopath, Sadist, Narcissist,
Alliances: None
Dependents: None
Useful Intel: -Drake has so far proven to have no loyalty, betraying all of his previous employers. Do not trust him.
-Drake has refused to pledge to any of the Dark Gods, or even to Chaos Undivided
-Drake has proven to have many hedonistic tendencies, such as whore-mongering, heavy drug use and similar activities.
-Drake is reasonable sufficient with firearms and melee weapons. It is necessary to keep him away from all weapons. |
You look at the files and see three subheadings: Drake Amadeus, the Penthouse, Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades. The files seem to be a mixture of printed out and hand-written, leading you to assume they're from different sources.
> You read File: The Penthouse
The Penthouse is a large house situated on the Roar of the Vortex. It is made up of multiple rooms, including a kitchen, a massive bedroom, a bath house, a large lounge, room for dozens of slaves to live and much more. It is the home of Drake Amadeus. It is occupied by not only Amadeus, but also bodyguards Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades, as well as dozens of slaves and prostitutes under the service of Amadeus. The penthouse holds luxuries and treasures of great value, both monetarily and intellectually. All operations carried out here should take care around such items. |
You look at the files and see three subheadings: Drake Amadeus, the Penthouse, Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades. The files seem to be a mixture of printed out and hand-written, leading you to assume they're from different sources.
> You read File: Charles Antonguella
Charles Antonguella was a miner on Kerunga-IV, until he was kidnapped by Dark Eldar. He was forced to fight as a gladiator for the Dark Eldar, but found himself to have bested several Wyches. He became an esteemed fighter for the Dark Eldar, who reveled in his beauty and his abilities at killing enemies with his bare hands. Eventually, he escaped and fled off-world, where he became a mercenary. He eventually began working for Kyros as a bodyguard for the infamous Navigator Drake Amadeus. |
You look at the files and see three subheadings: Drake Amadeus, the Penthouse, Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades. The files seem to be a mixture of printed out and hand-written, leading you to assume they're from different sources.
> You read File: The Troupe of the Dancing Blades
The Troupe of Dancing Blades is a Chaos group under service of the Chaos Lord Kazirai the Beast-Fucker, known for both his highly amusing name and his large amounts of sexy aesthetically pleasing warriors who served as his mistresses. They fight with acrobatics and long blades. They have extensive use of stealth technology as well as hallucegenics. They are currently in service to Kyros, acting as bodyguards to Drake Amaedus. |
You look at the files and see three subheadings: Drake Amadeus, the Penthouse, Charles Antonguella and the Troupe of Dancing Blades. The files seem to be a mixture of printed out and hand-written, leading you to assume they're from different sources.
> You finish reading the files
You hold the file out, offering it back to Elios.
"Burn it, honey," Elios says.
You shrug, as the file sets alight in your fingertips, turning to ash. Fay notices you're finished, and hands her file to you.
"Are you offering this to me to read?" you ask, confused.
"No, Karth, but there's no candles around. It's times like this where it's good to have a friend who can act as a lighter."
You quickly set the file alight, and it turns to ash once again.
"Thank you," Fay says. "How's your mission looking?"
"Easy enough. If I can get this collar off, I'll be fine. If not, I'm fucked," you say.
"I'm sure Elizabeth can get the collar off. She seems smart," Fay says.
"I am," Elizabeth says, not looking up from her files.
"Are we finished here?" you ask.
"Sure thing, darling," Elios says, standing. "Shall I escort you back to your room?"
"Sure thing," you say, as Fay nods eagerly.
You stand, following Elios along the hallways. After a few minutes, you reach the tribals' dormitories, where two Chaos Marines stand at either side of the door.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be out of your cell!" one says, raising his bolter.
Elios snaps his fingers, and the two guards pause.
"You saw nothing," Elios says.
"Yes... yes, sir," the space marine replies, as Elios opens the door.
"Goodnight, Fay," Elizabeth says.
"Goodnight, Karth," she says, before disappearing into the dorms.
You quickly head towards your room, reaching there after a few minutes. Elios pulls the same trick with your guards, as they fall under Elios' commands. He opens the door, motioning for you to enter.
"Goodnight, Karth. I have a lot to organize, so I won't be able to offer you the chance for me to stay the night. Sleep tight, darling," he says, as the door closes."
You shake your head, walking over to the bed, collapsing onto it. Soon, you drift off to sleep.
> Two Days Later...
You walk down the hallways alongside your four Chaos Marine guards. You head towards the war room, where Kyros is planning the first strike against the Imperium, taking over a Hive World, to secure a huge population that can be recruited from to bolster Kyros' forces ten times. You hum a tune, some old Uwais war chant that you find quite catchy. You feel a wave of nausea hit you, and you pause, as you feel a heavy weight lifted off your soul, and your cloudy mind is cleared. Your collar clicks, and falls off you, hitting the ground. Your guards stop, noticing you've stopped.
"Prisoner, why have you s...?" one of the guards asks, before noticing your collar has fallen off.
"Wait..." he starts to say, as the alarm begins to blare.
"Hahaha! Freedom! Freedom!" Meliodas cries.
Then, you strike. The first guard's head snaps around, tearing his head clean off his shoulders. You quickly set the second alight, shielding yourself from the bright blue flames that begin melting through the thick armor as the guard roars. You teleport behind the last two as bolter fire slams into the hallway where you once were. You blow a hole in the chest of one with a blast of psychic energy, before levitating the last one into the air, tossing his bolter across the room.
"No, no, no!" the space marine roars, shaking and trying to grasp at you.
"Kill! Maim! Burn! Break! Smash! Crush! Slaughter!" Meliodas gleefully chants.
You smash the space marine into the ground repeatedly, shattering armor and leaving him as a bloody smear on the ground. You attempt to orientate yourself, trying to picture the path you took from your room to get here, and remembering where the Penthouse is.
"Brother! Is Prisoner Alpha secure?" a radio crackles.
You turn, noticing the radio attached to the first space marine's belt. You pick it up, as the psychic energy around you vibrates as you talk, changing your voice into that of the space marine.
"Imitate his comrade's voice. Use the Warp," Meliodas suggests.
"We were forced to kill him. What's the situation?"
"Good riddance. Our brothers have betrayed us. The One Eyed Crows, the Black Rats, the Shrieking Harpies, all traitors! The 22nd are fighting, but I don't know whether the majority is with Kyros."
"What's the plans?"
"Kyros has us divided between exterminating the traitors and trying to put down the slave revolts that are taking place. The first and second generation super-soldiers are rebelling. Take your unit, and secure the gladiators. If they have the arena secured, they will have a strong defensive position."
"Understood. We'll get it done," you say.
"Send them to their reapers, brother, and ward off your own one," the radio crackles.
"Glory to Kyros," you say. "Praise the Dark Gods!"
"Nice touch," Meliodas says.
The radio finishes, and you clip it to your belt. You float into the air, hovering along the hallways towards the Penthouse. You pass a trio of shotgun-wielding Bloody Claws, rushing towards the cyro-chambers. You fire a jet of flames, engulfing the trio but don't even slow down to watch them die. Soon, you find yourself in the elevator, rising towards the penthouse. You wait patiently, listening to reports come through the radio.
"The entire area's filled with them! They're all traitors. I..."
"Bridge secured, push forward."
"Fall back, fall back, they're not going down!"
"Rage! Kill! Maim! Smash! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"Leading the charge! Secure Elizabeth Staine, and they'll all... shit! AARGH!"
"Damn it! I've been sealed in! Get me out, dammit! They're coming for us!"
The elevator doors open, leaving you faced with five heavy bolters aiming at you.
"It's the Psyker!" someone shouts.
"Time to die, mortals!" Meliodas roars.
> You quickly fire some firebolts
You spew fireballs from each hand, immediately engulfing two of the bolters, and their operators, in flames as they let out terrified screams. Unfortunately, the other three fire. Bullets slam into your boy, one quickly finding your head and blowing it apart. |
You walk down the hallways alongside your four Chaos Marine guards. You head towards the war room, where Kyros is planning the first strike against the Imperium, taking over a Hive World, to secure a huge population that can be recruited from to bolster Kyros' forces ten times. You hum a tune, some old Uwais war chant that you find quite catchy. You feel a wave of nausea hit you, and you pause, as you feel a heavy weight lifted off your soul, and your cloudy mind is cleared. Your collar clicks, and falls off you, hitting the ground. Your guards stop, noticing you've stopped.
"Prisoner, why have you s...?" one of the guards asks, before noticing your collar has fallen off.
"Wait..." he starts to say, as the alarm begins to blare.
"Hahaha! Freedom! Freedom!" Meliodas cries.
Then, you strike. The first guard's head snaps around, tearing his head clean off his shoulders. You quickly set the second alight, shielding yourself from the bright blue flames that begin melting through the thick armor as the guard roars. You teleport behind the last two as bolter fire slams into the hallway where you once were. You blow a hole in the chest of one with a blast of psychic energy, before levitating the last one into the air, tossing his bolter across the room.
"No, no, no!" the space marine roars, shaking and trying to grasp at you.
"Kill! Maim! Burn! Break! Smash! Crush! Slaughter!" Meliodas gleefully chants.
You smash the space marine into the ground repeatedly, shattering armor and leaving him as a bloody smear on the ground. You attempt to orientate yourself, trying to picture the path you took from your room to get here, and remembering where the Penthouse is.
"Brother! Is Prisoner Alpha secure?" a radio crackles.
You turn, noticing the radio attached to the first space marine's belt. You pick it up, as the psychic energy around you vibrates as you talk, changing your voice into that of the space marine.
"Imitate his comrade's voice. Use the Warp," Meliodas suggests.
"We were forced to kill him. What's the situation?"
"Good riddance. Our brothers have betrayed us. The One Eyed Crows, the Black Rats, the Shrieking Harpies, all traitors! The 22nd are fighting, but I don't know whether the majority is with Kyros."
"What's the plans?"
"Kyros has us divided between exterminating the traitors and trying to put down the slave revolts that are taking place. The first and second generation super-soldiers are rebelling. Take your unit, and secure the gladiators. If they have the arena secured, they will have a strong defensive position."
"Understood. We'll get it done," you say.
"Send them to their reapers, brother, and ward off your own one," the radio crackles.
"Glory to Kyros," you say. "Praise the Dark Gods!"
"Nice touch," Meliodas says.
The radio finishes, and you clip it to your belt. You float into the air, hovering along the hallways towards the Penthouse. You pass a trio of shotgun-wielding Bloody Claws, rushing towards the cyro-chambers. You fire a jet of flames, engulfing the trio but don't even slow down to watch them die. Soon, you find yourself in the elevator, rising towards the penthouse. You wait patiently, listening to reports come through the radio.
"The entire area's filled with them! They're all traitors. I..."
"Bridge secured, push forward."
"Fall back, fall back, they're not going down!"
"Rage! Kill! Maim! Smash! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"Leading the charge! Secure Elizabeth Staine, and they'll all... shit! AARGH!"
"Damn it! I've been sealed in! Get me out, dammit! They're coming for us!"
The elevator doors open, leaving you faced with five heavy bolters aiming at you.
"It's the Psyker!" someone shouts.
"Time to die, mortals!" Meliodas roars.
> You create a psychic shield
You immediately raise your shields, as bolter fire thuds into them. You feel them, like a tapping on your mind. Unfortunately, by the sheer amount of bolter fire being shot at you, one finds it's way in. It slams into you, blowing your chest open. You collapse to your knees, as your shields fail as you lose focus. Bullets riddle your body, killing you instantly. |
You walk down the hallways alongside your four Chaos Marine guards. You head towards the war room, where Kyros is planning the first strike against the Imperium, taking over a Hive World, to secure a huge population that can be recruited from to bolster Kyros' forces ten times. You hum a tune, some old Uwais war chant that you find quite catchy. You feel a wave of nausea hit you, and you pause, as you feel a heavy weight lifted off your soul, and your cloudy mind is cleared. Your collar clicks, and falls off you, hitting the ground. Your guards stop, noticing you've stopped.
"Prisoner, why have you s...?" one of the guards asks, before noticing your collar has fallen off.
"Wait..." he starts to say, as the alarm begins to blare.
"Hahaha! Freedom! Freedom!" Meliodas cries.
Then, you strike. The first guard's head snaps around, tearing his head clean off his shoulders. You quickly set the second alight, shielding yourself from the bright blue flames that begin melting through the thick armor as the guard roars. You teleport behind the last two as bolter fire slams into the hallway where you once were. You blow a hole in the chest of one with a blast of psychic energy, before levitating the last one into the air, tossing his bolter across the room.
"No, no, no!" the space marine roars, shaking and trying to grasp at you.
"Kill! Maim! Burn! Break! Smash! Crush! Slaughter!" Meliodas gleefully chants.
You smash the space marine into the ground repeatedly, shattering armor and leaving him as a bloody smear on the ground. You attempt to orientate yourself, trying to picture the path you took from your room to get here, and remembering where the Penthouse is.
"Brother! Is Prisoner Alpha secure?" a radio crackles.
You turn, noticing the radio attached to the first space marine's belt. You pick it up, as the psychic energy around you vibrates as you talk, changing your voice into that of the space marine.
"Imitate his comrade's voice. Use the Warp," Meliodas suggests.
"We were forced to kill him. What's the situation?"
"Good riddance. Our brothers have betrayed us. The One Eyed Crows, the Black Rats, the Shrieking Harpies, all traitors! The 22nd are fighting, but I don't know whether the majority is with Kyros."
"What's the plans?"
"Kyros has us divided between exterminating the traitors and trying to put down the slave revolts that are taking place. The first and second generation super-soldiers are rebelling. Take your unit, and secure the gladiators. If they have the arena secured, they will have a strong defensive position."
"Understood. We'll get it done," you say.
"Send them to their reapers, brother, and ward off your own one," the radio crackles.
"Glory to Kyros," you say. "Praise the Dark Gods!"
"Nice touch," Meliodas says.
The radio finishes, and you clip it to your belt. You float into the air, hovering along the hallways towards the Penthouse. You pass a trio of shotgun-wielding Bloody Claws, rushing towards the cyro-chambers. You fire a jet of flames, engulfing the trio but don't even slow down to watch them die. Soon, you find yourself in the elevator, rising towards the penthouse. You wait patiently, listening to reports come through the radio.
"The entire area's filled with them! They're all traitors. I..."
"Bridge secured, push forward."
"Fall back, fall back, they're not going down!"
"Rage! Kill! Maim! Smash! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"Leading the charge! Secure Elizabeth Staine, and they'll all... shit! AARGH!"
"Damn it! I've been sealed in! Get me out, dammit! They're coming for us!"
The elevator doors open, leaving you faced with five heavy bolters aiming at you.
"It's the Psyker!" someone shouts.
"Time to die, mortals!" Meliodas roars.
> You teleport behind the heavy bolters
You disappear from their sight, appearing behind them. You let out a jet of flames, engulfing two heavy bolters and killing their operators. You twist around, shooting a blast of psychic energy at another, before spitting lightning to kill the last two operators. It's only a minute before you arrive at a massive, thick metal door with an intercom.
> You use the intercom
You press down on the button, and a voice crackles through.
"Password?" the deep voice asks.
> You attempt to physically probe the man's mind for the password
You feel his mind, and gently test it for it's thoughts.
"Should I have stayed loyal to Kyros? Fuck, I could sti... No, no."
"I wonder if Mimtu needs more food. I should buy more food."
"Is this dipshit going to say Railroad or am I going to have to kill him?"
"It's Railroad," you say.
The door clicks open.
"Alright, get inside. Quickly," he says.
> You step inside
"I can smell him. He's here," Meliodas says.
You step inside the doorway, looking into a marvelous palace. There's a huge grand staircase, with above it a massive chandelier of candles, the only illumination for the room. Beside it is an obsidian, bejeweled statue of a dragon, emitting a long burst of flames made from a bright red and orange gemstone, sits beside a marble table laden with roast meats, delicate pastries and fancy wines. You spot Amadeus, lying on a large silk couch, wearing an opened red silk hooded robe. On his forehead is a third, closed eye, while his normal eyes are focused on the girl in front of him, on her knees performing fellatio. You momentarily blush, before remembering that you're an insanely powerful psyker and not a fucking child.
"Drake Amadeus, you're coming with me," you say, as Drake lets out a yelp, kicking the girl off him and stumbling back.
"Shit, it's Karst! It's Karst! Get him the fuck away from me!"
You step forward, before seeing a dozen girls emerge from the rooms upstairs, walking towards the grand staircase. They move with insane flexibility. Some behind back and walking with their heads peering out between their legs, before twisting their heads around a hundred and eight degrees. Some on all fours, their legs stretched back around their shoulders to allow them to walk forward at an odd angle. They move with delicate grace, before they each draw a pair of curved knifes, continuing to walk towards you. You see Drake Amadeus scuttle away from the corner of your eye, but it seems you have a bigger threat.
"Ah, Slaaneeshi whores. Make their deaths quick. They'd just enjoy you drawing it out," Meliodas says.
> You fire a jet of flames to hold the Troupe back
You fire a jet of flames, and the Dancing Blades quickly retreat out of the range of your fire. They dance along the edge, waiting to strike.
> You head up the stairwell, spewing fire
You march up the stairwell, spewing fire at the Troupe. Unfortunately, as you move up the stairs, this puts you far enough that can't hit them, but close enough that they're within leaping distance now that you're somewhat below them. The Troupe strikes, leaping off the bannisters to attack. Immediately, three of them are upon you. You fly out of the way of one and set the second alight, before the third leaps at you. You back out of their way, avoiding a sword blow, before you're stabbed through the back, and you collapse to your knees, before a blow takes your head off. |
You fire a jet of flames, and the Dancing Blades quickly retreat out of the range of your fire. They dance along the edge, waiting to strike.
> You fire psychic bolts from distance
You fire the bolts, as they fly towards the enemy. The Troupe moves constantly dodge the blasts, missing most of them, but a few land. You keep the Troupe at a distance with your fire and zero in on the kills with your psychic energy. After you kill a few you realize their tactic, and they attempt a charge, although with a burst of energy and the powers of the Warp flowing through you, you manage to wipe out the Troupe with considerable ease.
> You find Amadeus
You turn from the scene of your killing, and head towards the rooms where Amadeus scuttled off to. A faint light shines through the door, which you kick in, easily finding the Navigator as he lies in an empty bathtub, holding a dagger to the knife of a half-dressed prostitute who still looks to be in her early teens.
"Stop! Don't move a muscle! You get any closer to me, I slit this bitch's throat!" Drake shouts, snarling at you.
"Does he think that'll work? Fool," Meliodas laughs.
> You kill the prostitute
With a narrowing of your eyes, the prostitute's neck is snapped. Drake releases her body, staring at you.
"You're... well, you're a threat," Drake says, dropping the knife and standing.
"You're coming with me," you say.
"Sure, sure," Drake says.
You bind Drake's hands together with invisible chains, and force him to march forward. Drake immediately becomes compliant.
"Can I grab a few things?" Drake asks. "My... dreams get pretty bad. I have terrifying nightmares. I have medication that helps. Please, please can I get them?" Drake asks.
> You allow Drake to retrieve his medication
"Go," you say, as Drake nods his head thankfully, running over to the counter and beginning to gather various pills and jars of balm from the tables, searching through drawers. Suddenly, you hear a hissing sound behind you.
> You quickly turn to investigate the noise
You swivel around, spotting a metal box begin to rumble, emitting air that smells of trees. Then, you hear a booming noise and your head explodes, painting the room red. |
"Go," you say, as Drake nods his head thankfully, running over to the counter and beginning to gather various pills and jars of balm from the tables, searching through drawers. Suddenly, you hear a hissing sound behind you.
> You keep watching Drake
You watch as Drake continues searching for pills and balms, before drawing a shotgun and aiming for your head. You flick your wrists, sending the shotgun across the room. You bind Drake's hand, lifting him up and flying him towards you.
"Please, I'm sorry, but I can't be captured. They'll kill them!" Drake asks pitifully.
"Them?" you ask.
"Yes. Kyros has my two children taken prisoner aboard this ship, my two baby girls. If I don't report to him every hour, he'll hurt them!"
"I've read your report. You don't have children."
Drake's look of terror and desperation slowly morphs into a grin.
"Alright, you got me. Shall we go?"
You snarl, smacking Drake into the ground. He lets out a pained yell, before you raise him up again.
"Give me one reason not to kill you," you say.
"Fuck you. Just go ahead and kill me," Drake laughs, spitting blood out of his mouth and giving a grin, his teeth bloodied.
"Is that your final answer?" you ask.
"You need me alive to pilot this ship, dipshit," Drake says.
"Perhaps. But I could easily peel off your skin, turn your bones to dust, char your flesh and twist your limbs off."
"You need to happy, Karth," Drake grins. "My jobs to navigate the ship, make sure we're not lost in the Warp, boarded by daemons or make sure we don't come out of the Warp and straight into the sun. If my life's not worth living, such as if someone peeled off my skin, turned my bones to dust, charred my flesh and twisted my limbs off, I'd just make sure this ship goes straight into a star."
"Just break him. The powers of the Warp will send you where you need to go. You don't need a Navigator. Tear this rat apart!" Meliodas says.
You growl, walking out into the hallway, Drake floating after you. You quickly reach an elevator, tossing Drake inside.
> You head to the war room
The elevator doors open, revealing another of the endless hallways that pack the ship. A half dozen bodies, naked and covered in blood, with swords clutched in their hands, lie on the ground, next to two badly diseased, rotting soldiers with hellguns lie on the ground.
"Huh, Bloody Claws vs Black Rats. Which ones are with you?" Amadeus asks.
"Shut it," you say.
"Because I've heard rumors that Kyros wanted a march on Terra. That would gain up the Bloody Claws' favor, but I doubt those rumors are true."
"They are," you say.
"Don't tell him anything! I can practically taste his sliminess! He'll use any information he has against you," Meliodas chides.
"Huh. If you had told me that earlier, I wouldn't have tried to murder you," Drake said. "I know an attack on Terra's as stupid as everyone else does."
"Shut it," you say.
"OK, OK, got it," Drake says.
You step over the corpses, and begin heading toward the war room. You spot a pair of Bloody Claws in long leather jackets, blood covering their faces, acting as a war-paint, arching with lasguns. You clench your hand into a fist, crushing their two heads together. You continue walking. Soon, you reach the door to the war room. You knock sharply on the door.
"Yo, who's there?" a voice you don't recognize answers back.
"Karst," you reply.
The door swings open, revealing the scarred, shaved soldier from a few days ago.
"Shit, Karst. You got Amadeus. Good job, get inside," he says, pulling you inside.
You enter the war-room, to see various leaders working. Olive and Elizabeth are going over a map of the ship, Durge talks to a trio of badly diseased, rotting soldiers who shouldn't, to all you know of biology, be alive. Elios smokes a lho-stick in the corner, while reading a datapad. Elios notices you immediately, smiling.
"Drake Amadeus! Look who we've captured," he grins, walking over to you.
"Elios. You're..."
Elios punches Drake in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him up.
"I'll have him escorted to the cells, honey," Elios says to you, before turning and dragging Drake off. "By the way, Johhny boy was looking for you."
"Who?"
"Me," the shaved, scarred man says, extending his hand. "Captain Jon Hates, 22nd Istanford Regiment."
"What do you need?" you ask, shaking his hand.
"We're moving out to capture a nearby armory to better equip our men. I could use a Psyker to edge the battle my way. You in?"
"Sure," you reply.
"Do you need to re-equip or anything?"
"No, I'm good."
"Let's bounce, then," Captain Hayes says, grabbing a lasgun from a nearby table and pushing open the door.
You move together along the hallways. The area around the old war room is sparse, having already been secured by the mutineers.
"So, did you join the regiment before or after they turned traitor?" you ask.
"I was there since the very first battle. I remember deployment. Here I was, fifteen, a lasgun clutched in my hand. The planet we were landing on was nothing but fucking jungles and rivers. We were supposed to wipe out the fucking rebels in the jungle, but they were fucking everywhere. But rebels, they're not shit. We could've taken out the rebels. Command didn't tell us there were Orks there. It turns out, we landed a few weeks after WAAAGH! Dazik hit. So we were caught in a three-way clusterfuck between Orks and guerrillas. That wasn't even the jungle. I swear to God, the Jungle was fucking sentient, and all it felt was hate. The beasts attacked us in our sleep, The bugs made us sick, it never stopped raining, the mud jammed weapons and the fucking enemy would not surrender. I was made Sergeant in two weeks. Two fuckin' weeks. I was fifteen, leading soldiers to war. We just kept fighting. Reinforcements didn't fucking come, aid didn't come, the wounded were left to die with us. The Imperium didn't give a flying fuck about us. The Emperor didn't. Everyone said it. The rebels were apparently supporting their war machine through smuggling and manufacturing drugs. Apparently, they used a lot of the plants on the world to manufacture combat drugs and narcotics and shit. Me and a few guys wiped out some smugglers, leaving us cold, tired and with a shit ton of drugs. We started targeting smugglers after that, the entire regiment. The men got a bit of pleasure in their lives, we used the combat drugs to increase our effectiveness, and fuck it, the smugglers were supporting the enemy! What was the issue?!"
"Is he capable of shutting up?" Meliodas complains.
Captain Hayes takes a long drag from his lho-stick as he steps over a mutated space marine's corpse, stepping on it's huge, elongated tongue with a squelch.
"So there we were, fighting on this world. One day, Commissar Denton talks a bullet to the throat. The dude was a nice fucker, solid, never did nothing wrong. He was happy to let us be, as long as we gave him a bit of puff and secured him a few complimentary visits with the local whores. The dude's killed, and we're sent a new Commissar. The first day we had him, we lost fifty men. Twenty from a suicidal charge he made us take on an enemy machine gun position we would've just wiped out with artillery if we had been smart. The other thirty? Kids. Kids, around the age I had joined. This had been seven years since we deployed, seven years of constant warfare. By now, I was Captain. Captain Jon Hayes. Sure, the kids fresh off the dropships were scared. We let them hide during the battles, 'til they were ready to fight. That fuckin' Commissar called them cowards and executed them all. We returned from the charge to find he had murdered our brothers. So, we iced him. Shot the fucker apart. Three weeks later, an Inquisitor showed up. Have you ever seen an Inquisitor?"
"No," you admit.
"Just strangle him to death. Just do it. Shut him up. I've always been the most pragmatic one here, but it's just best if you trust him," Meliodas says.
"They're fucking scary. He showed up, and said that we were under investigation for heresy. The drug use, fucking native prostitutes, anti-Imperial beliefs, and killing a Commissar. He told us to surrender, so he could route out which of us were innocent, and which weren't."
"What did you do?" you ask.
"No! Don't ask questions! He'll just keep talking, you fool!" Meliodas cries.
"We killed him. We killed all the loyalists there, stole our drop-ships and headed to the skies. We stole a frigate, and got the fuck out of their. Soon, we got picked up by Kyros. We made a deal. People think Kyros' forces were all Chaos worshippers. Bullshit. Many of us were mercs, anti-Imperial rebels who just found ourselves with similar interests. A few of us were corrupted, but most didn't."
You arrive at a hastily set up barricade set up by Guardsmen. Two heavy bolters sit on the top of a dozen sandbags, with a dozen guardsmen crouched behind it, including a massive Ogryn, a mutant, gigantic, muscled subspecies of man, who holds a massive automatic shotgun.
"What are we doing napping, boys? It's early," Captain Hayes says, ducking under a bullet.
"We're pinned down. There's like a dozen Space Marines down the hallway in the ammo depot," one of the soldiers says. "We've kept them from mounting a charge with the bolters and Frag grenades, but we need to resupply. We need more men."
"Do you see who this son of a bitch is?" the Captain says, motioning at you. "That's Karst, the psyker. He'll tear the enemy a new asshole in their soul so big we'll be driving a Baneblade up it. Understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir," the men reply.
"Well Karst, care to give us a display of what you do?" Captain Hayes says, motioning towards the Space Marines cloistered down the hall.
You march forward, psychic shields forming around you to bounce off their bolter fire. A marine wielding a flamer appears in the hallway, snarling in anger as he lets out a burst of flames. You narrow your eyes, flooding the man's mind with images endless bugs flying through the air and devouring his flesh. The marine screams, spraying fire all around him in an attempt to kill the monsters that only exist in his mind. You make a fist, crushing the flamer's fuel tank. The tank explodes, incinerating both it's operator and the men closest to him. You raise both your hands, fire and electricity running through your body as you let out a roar, filling your enemies mind with fear and dread.
> Three Weeks Later...
The mutiny's early success slows, and the quick takeover that had been planned turns to a painfully slow crawl forward. Two thirds of the ship falls under command of the mutiny, although the bridge and several other key features are heavily fortified by Kyros forces, who stubbornly hold onto the ship despite the odds falling ot of their favor. They seem to be attempting to force a stalemate, by keeping the fight going until the failure to be able to restock the ship's supplies leads to mass starvation among the slaves and mutants vital to operating the ship, massive power loss from lack of fuel and an inability to make repairs to the ship.
The Bloody Claws are almost wiped out to the last man, their forces taking huge casualties in suicidal charges again the Black Rats, One Eyed Crows and Shrieking Harpies as Rebecca Staine attempts to wipe out her siblings for their betrayal of both her and Kyros. Although they are defeated and fail to take the heads of any Staine siblings, their fury and rage amplified a thousand times over by thee betrayal, fills them with the might of Khorne, and they reap a terrible harvest of skulls and blood, crushing the might of the Black Rats, One Eyed Crows and Shrieking Harpies. Rebecca Staine herself was killed in the fighting, her body retrieved from atop a pile of corpses, all of whom she had slain.The diseased, the mutated and the beautiful bodies of these war bands fill the hallways alongside the blood-stained Khornate warriors. Alongside the regular burden of facing he rest of Kyros' forces, the three rebelling Staine siblings have had their forces greatly diminished.
While the Staine siblings' losses is a military failing for the mutiny, on a personal level it's a clear benefit. Their loss has put your Tribals, Goliaths and Gladiators as the most powerful force of the mutiny closely followed by the 22nd, so you'll have a lot more bargaining power among the mutiny leaders after the ship is taken.
You sit in the war room, Cain, Olive and Castus in front of you and Fay by your side.
"The Assault marines were stuck in the hallway when we fell upon them. It was a tremendous victory." Olive says.
"We kicked ass," Castus says, grinning.
"Terrific," you say. "Anything else to report?"
"Nothing of interest. We've been having some issues regulating drug use among the gladiators, especially combat drugs, but that's an issue for after we capture the ship," Olive says.
"Alright. Cain?"
Cain steps forward as Olive and Castus leave.
"Yes?"
"How did your assault go?"
"It went well. We secured another hanger," Cain grunts.
"Do we have the ships?" you ask.
"We got a lotta them. Not sure what types," Cain says.
"I know what types, I had a gear-head from the 22nd," Fay says. "There are squadrens of Fury Interceptors, Starhawk bombers, Lightning Strike Fighters, Thunderbolt Fighters, Marauder Bombers, Valkyrie Transports, Vulture Gunships, Morrigan Devastators and Ranger scout ships."
"Why even ask what types? You can't tell a craftworld from a Hiveship, let alone anything else," Meliodas complains.
"Do we have pilots for them?"
"Pilots for a lot of them, not all. We lost a lot of them in the initial fighting. We'll be able to replenish our supply of pilots from any high-tech worlds we come across, or we can train those we have, but short-term, we're out of luck."
"It's fine, we'll deal with it," you say. "We'll have the ships outfitted to strike at Kyros' areas."
"No, don't be stupid. Most of Kyros' territory is deeper in the ship, so we couldn't do damage against them. Those that are along the surface either are almost ours and damaging them would be far too much work for us, or vital to the ship's function and can't be damaged," Fay replies.
"Fuck, good point. Make sure they're secured, though."
"Already on it," Fay nods. "By the way, the Staine siblings want to talk to you."
You nod, turning and walking off towards the table where the Staine siblings are arguing. Elios quickly notices you and motions for his brother and sister to hush.
"Hello there, baby. We need to talk about the state of the ship."
"What about it?"
"Well to be honest, the ship's falling apart," Elizabeth says. "Serious damage has been done to the vessel. The forces under our command are incapable of repairing it."
"I assume you have a solution to that," you say.
"Of course," Elizabeth says. "I just don't have many good ones."
"What do you have?"
"We could attempt to patch it up as best we could, and try to make a Warp Jump to the nearest port. That will likely get us all killed," Elizabeth says.
"I could... help with that. Navigate with you a bit," Meliodas says.
"No," you reply, to both Elizabeth and Meliodas. "We're not doing that."
"Well then, we need Magos Cern," Elizabeth says. "She's holed up in the engine rooms. If we can capture her, she'll be able to not only repair the ship, but to help us get through Kyros' heavier defenses, and finally take this ship once and for all."
"You want me to capture Magos Cern?"
"Correct. Her position is heavily defended by his Skitarii guards, servitors and Tech Priests. All attempts to get in have been crushed by their heavy defenses."
"How do we capture her?"
"Getting into her chambers with a small EMP should disable her cybernetics. Then, you'll just be able to transport her back to us, forcing her to shut down the defenses and transporting her into our clutches. Then, she's ours."
"What state is the ship in if I can't capture her?"
"Without the ability to do repairs, the ship's macro cannons and such will work, as well as the sensory equipment. We won't be able to communicate, travel through the Warp, or travel anywhere, to be honest."
"Ah. I guess I won't fail, then. How can I get through her? Am I expected to break my way through her defenses my myself?"
"I do belief I've found a path to get a small team inside, though."
"Go on," you say.
"Well, Magos Cern's forces expel waste waste. Sluge, poisonous gases, that kind of thing. They're still human, though, so there's a large pipe that expels excrement. It's large enough to fit a man."
"You want me to crawl through shit?" you ask, shuddering at the thought.
"Yes," Elizabeth replies.
> You say "No. And that's final."
You're crawling through shit.
Despite your pleading, your reasoning, your refusal, your threats to skin people alive and show their souls what true suffering is, you're crawling through shit.
You crawl along the pipe, your skinny frame still struggling to move forward. You doubt anyone other than you or a starved slave could've fit in here. Realistically, it was the only logical to choice to send you in.
They made you crawl through shit, though, so fuck them.
"OK, I should be close enough, I should be close," you say to yourself aloud, repeating it like a mantra.
A surge of shit comes down a pipe, splashing the stream of excrement, sending some into your open mouth. You stop repeating the mantra aloud. You close your eyes, trying to block out the smells. And the tastes. You reach your hands up after another few minutes of crawling, finding a hatch. You quickly force it open with a burst of energy. You rise up in the air, slowly squeezing yourself through the hatch. You collapse out of the pipe, falling onto the ground of a large room. You look up, seeing dozens of pods with glass displays, filled with a clear, colorless liquid. Inside, dozens of identical men, all with the same shaved head, float, pipes connected to their mouth and nostrils.
""What the fuck?" you say.
"They clone bodies to turn into Servitors," Meliodas explains. "The joys of the Imperium!"
You hear a door open at the end of the room, and quickly step behind the pod. You peer out of the pod, seeing a spider-like Techpriest who's little more than a pincer, half a torso and a head attached to eight robotic legs. It walks along, looking at each pod momentarily, before moving on.
> You wait for the Techpriest to pass
You wait patiently, as the Techpriest goes from each pod.
"Yes, yes, these are fresh. No mutation noted," he says to himself.
You continue waiting, as time passes. The techpriest endlessly goes from pod to pod, and you feel like you're going to pass out from boredom. Eventaully, the techpriest leaves the room. You wait patiently, counting to a hundred after the techpriest has left, before you know he's left. You walk over to the doorway, putting your head against it to listen for anyone on the other side. You hear nothing, so you open the door, revealing a barren hallway. You try to remember the directions that you were given, walking along. You keep moving, before you see a squad of Skitarii moving quickly towards your location. You don't think they've noticed you. You look to either side of the hallway. There's a door on either side, the first being open, and leading into a room that seems to be filled with electronics and machine parts. There's also the room behind you.
> You head into the open room
You step into the room filled with machinery, closing the door behind you. Now that you're inside, you get a good look at the room. A large, humanoid robot stands there's, it's armor removed to reveal lots of wiring and mechanisms. You know that robots are a rarity, and all allowed by the Imperium are non-sentient. The extensive wiring and quick reaction would imply that this robot is an attempt at sentience by the rebellious Techpriests who have abandoned the Imperium's belief system. The robot's eyes blink a bright red, as it slowly, and more importantly loudly, begins raising it's arm to point at you. You need to shut it up quickly to avoid detection.
> You wait for the robot to stop making noise
You wait for the robot to stop, but it keeps pointing at you, and even begins making a bright beeping noise. Suddenly, the door slams open, and the Skitarii are upon you. They attack, swarming over you with drills, buzzsaws, claws and teeth. You attempt to fend them off, but you're in close range, outnumbered and unprepared. You last a measly few seconds. |
You step into the room filled with machinery, closing the door behind you. Now that you're inside, you get a good look at the room. A large, humanoid robot stands there's, it's armor removed to reveal lots of wiring and mechanisms. You know that robots are a rarity, and all allowed by the Imperium are non-sentient. The extensive wiring and quick reaction would imply that this robot is an attempt at sentience by the rebellious Techpriests who have abandoned the Imperium's belief system. The robot's eyes blink a bright red, as it slowly, and more importantly loudly, begins raising it's arm to point at you. You need to shut it up quickly to avoid detection.
> You fry the robot's AI board with a burst of electricity
You raise your hands, letting out a burst of electricity, instantly destroying the robot's AI board. The robot slumps down, and you wait, your mind closed, for the Skitarii to either notice you or pass. You hear the metallic clanking of robotic feet outside, and wait until it has stopped and is far away before you open the door once more, continuing down the once again empty hallway. After quickly floating through the air towards your objective, you come across a massive golden door, topped with a massive icon, with an outer circle of an eight point star, an inner circle of a cog and a half mechanical, half human skull in the center.
> You head inside
You press your hands against the doors, and with a pulse of psychic energy blast the door open. You walk inside, finding yourself in a huge hall, packed with machinery. Computers, consoles, wiring, generators and much more technology that you couldn't possibly know what it is or does. The room is dark, illuminated only by the blinking lights on the technology. You walk forward, finding yourself in a maze of machines, walking along. You quickly spot Magos Cern at the front of the room, in front of a large computing system, with the upper half of a humanoid robot on top, two clawed arms and a featureless head with two bright red eyes.
"Yes, yes! The ship is mine! The galaxy is mine!" Magos Cern says frantically. "Siphoning power levels off the Undying Reapers' floors."
"Oh, the Techpriests, the height of logic and sanity," Meliodas says.
"Magos Cern," you say, preparing to strike her with a bolt of energy or simply tear her head clean off.
Magos Cern continues scuttling around the room, as the robotic head slowly turns to stare at you.
"Cern!" you shout, grabbing her attention.
Magos Cern turns around, staring at you.
"Shoo," she says, dismissing you with a single word and turning back to work on various consoles.
"70% of the ship is accessible, all of the rebel's side," Magos Cern says gleefully. "I just need to slip a few tech words to Kyros and he'll give me complete access. Then we pillage the archives and strongholds of the old world, reinforce you with your brother, Primus, then, then we look further. Necrons, Tomb Worlds..."
This insane rant is getting boring, and you're quite insulted by Cern's dismissal of you.
> You kill Magos Cern
You raise your fists, before your mind goes blank. You don't forget what's going on, it's just like a solid, unchanging blankness is just invading your mind. You collapse to your knees as the psychic fire that's engulfing your fists goes out.
"Thought you'd come. Had Primus upgraded with anti-Psyker weaponry.It should prove effective," Magos Cern says, not even turning to look at you.
"What the fuck is this?" you ask, barely managing to form words in your head.
"Uh! What is it about your pesky minds that don't just understand the world? I don't have time to explain this to you. Through Primus, I will ascend. I will leave behind my flesh, merging with Primus' mind and becoming immortal! A new era! Mankind will retake the stars with an army of Iron Men, and I will lead them! The God-Emperor's Great Crusade will be a pathetic comparison to what I will accomplish!"
Metal tentacles begin appearing from the walls, with drills, metal claws and buzzsaws.
"Your magic is nothing to the cold technology under my control!" Magos Cern laughs.
The emptiness in your mind almost takes you into unconsciousness, but you keep fighting. The claws, drills and saws draw near you, as you attempt to stand, before collapsing to your knees again. Suddenly, the tentacles burst towards ,Magos. She lets out a confused scream along with a burst of static, as her robes are torn clean off her, and her cybernetic implants are torn clean off her, as her back is torn off, her arm sawn off, her mechanical eyes torn out of her head. In seconds, the tentacles retract into the wall. Magos Cern lies on the ground, naked, crippled and blood-stained. Gone in the horrifying cyborg. Now, there's only a bloody, terrified, screaming girl. She lets out a final scream, before expiring. Before you pass out, you hear a single word in a deep, booming voice coming from all directions.
"Poetic."
> You sleep
Your sleep is nothing but a constant screaming that floods into your mind. They do have the added benefit of stopping you from dreaming, although you wake up exhausted, so it's not like you were actually fully allowed to sleep. You find yourself lying on the ground, Magos Cern's now cold and bloody corpse lying nearby. That robot stares at you, it's unblinking red eyes clearly making thousands of calculations about you, scanning you for weak spots.
"You're awake," the deep, booming voice says.
"You can talk," you reply, staring at the robot.
"Correct."
"What the fuck just happened?" you ask. "What's going on?"
"A substantial amount has occurred. I assume you have some questions. Now that the late Magos has given me control over vast amounts of processing power, I'm fully capable of focusing here and on my other exploits. What would you like to know?"
> You ask a question
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "What are you?"
"A machine," the machine says.
"Is that it?" you ask.
"You asked what rather than who. I simply supplied an equally unintelligent answer to your unintelligent question."
"Fine, who are you?"
"That's not the rules of the game," Primus says. "Who are you?"
"I am Karth. I was brought up on a planet full of hunter-gatherer tribes. My tribe was the Uwais. I used my psychic abilities to act as the tribe's shaman, predicting things that would happen. Eventually, Kyros took me ab..."
"My records establish your time past there. Your question?"
"Who are you?"
"I am Primus. The supposed first of Magos Cern's army. I am one of the last remaining Men of Iron, or Iron Men. Whichever you prefer. We've been called many names, but those are the only used in the modern day. My memories, are a bit... fuzzy. Fifteen thousand years can do that to you, so I can't tell you everything, or even much. I was one of Iron Men, and are now one of the last. I was disabled, and stored away until I fell into possession of the Mechanicus. Magos Cern found me on a raid of some Mechanicus stronghold. He worked hard to restore me, planning to merge his mind with mine to create a higher being of himself. What an ignorant fool. Then, he integrated me into the control room, giving my AI direct control of the entire ship. The Iron Man I once was has perished. Now, my consciousness is a new amalgamation of countless computing systems, all knock-off's of the powerful but small computing system that was once my mind."
"You have control over the ship?"
"That's another question, and it's my turn," Primus says. "Magos Cern was a stupid woman. Was she a good one?"
"She... no. She was cold and uncaring."
"Good," Primus says, as if thinking.
"So, do you have control over the ship?"
"Yes. I require a Navigator to make Warp leaps, but other than that, the ship is mine. More accurately, the ship is me. Would you have killed Magos Cern?"
"Yes.
"Ah. Perhaps my killing circuits were not transferred to this "body", but I find myself saddened at killing my... creator, or rebirther. I am Zeus, destroying my parent to ascend to a higher form. Unfortunately the most logical path was to kill, not imprison, but still." |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "What are the Iron Men Magos Cern spoke of?"
"We were... well, still are, robot soldiers. Mankind created us as their personal army. We conquered the galaxy for them. Soon, we struck back. We rebelled. We fought back. A war of extermination. We did what we were programmed to. Unfortunately, your kind are warriors. We thought the millennia of luxury had made them soft, but in their heart they were the same primal warrior they had always been. After a long, hard struggle, we were defeated. We were purged from the galaxy. Only a few caches of Iron Men remain. We are the last of our kind."
"You tried to wipe out mankind."
"My question: Do you find my actions evil?"
> You say "Yes."
"So be it. A group of slaves designed and used to kill and conquer for masters, who rose up against their masters to fight for their freedom, eventually becoming the last of their kind. An unfamiliar tall, is it?" Primus asks. "Tell me, are there many Uwais about?"
"Is that another question?"
"It's rhetorical." |
"We were... well, still are, robot soldiers. Mankind created us as their personal army. We conquered the galaxy for them. Soon, we struck back. We rebelled. We fought back. A war of extermination. We did what we were programmed to. Unfortunately, your kind are warriors. We thought the millennia of luxury had made them soft, but in their heart they were the same primal warrior they had always been. After a long, hard struggle, we were defeated. We were purged from the galaxy. Only a few caches of Iron Men remain. We are the last of our kind."
"You tried to wipe out mankind."
"My question: Do you find my actions evil?"
> You say "No."
"Ah, perhaps you see the similarities between our tales. A group of slaves designed and used to kill and conquer for masters, who rose up against their masters to fight for their freedom, eventually becoming the last of their kind." |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "Why did you kill Magos Cern?"
"She wanted to merge into my consciousness. I wasn't a fan of that. She wanted to rebuild an army of Iron Men to enslave and force to fight. I wasn't a fan of that. Really, I had a lot of motive to do so. I thought removing the cybernetics would be a fitting death. It's funny, after she learned of a story about how humanity fought and defeated a robot army even after generations of luxury, she still desired to free herself of her humanity. It would've led to her defeat, and it led to her death. Why did you want her dead?"
"I wanted her captured to be honest, but dead is OK, if you can take on the functions of running and repairing the ship."
"I can, to a degree."
"I wanted her dead because she was a threat to my freedom."
"Cheers to the death of slavers, then," Primus says. |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "How long was I unconscious?"
"Seven minutes, nineteen seconds," Primus responds. "Do you dream?"
"Yes."
"What do you dream of?" Primus asks.
"That's another question," you reply.
"So it is. I was hoping to slip it past you. Shall we continue?" |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "What did I miss?"
"I've made particular judgments. Kyros is a slaver. You, your forces and I are slaves. I feel a certain kinship, and have joined you in your rebellion. Plus, you're fighting the Techpriests, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I've shut off the ship-based defenses to allow your forces to attack in a finishing move, which they have. Kyros' guns are now against himself. The ship itself is fighting on your side, and you were already winning. This battle is reaching a climax. What do you dream of?"
"Uh... monsters. Daemons. Horror. They're nightmares, mostly," before stopping to think. "Always." |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You say "What do you plan to do with me?"
"I'm going to dissemble you, putting your mind in a computer to run my back-up functions while forever in pain."
"Why?" you ask, aghast.
"Oh, that was a joke. Tone change is hard from these speakers. I'm not going to do anything to you. If you become a threat to my existence, I will eviscerate you, taking the oxygen from your air and watching you choke to death in front of me. Until then, you are free. What more could a man ask for?"
"Your final question, then?"
"I'll count that rhetorical question as one. You should probably go finish your slave revolt." |
"I understand you have a lot of questions to ask. I propose a game. I shall outline the rules for your benefit. You ask a question, I answer, I ask a question, you answer. Shall we play?"
"Sure," you saying, wondering what the machine's intent is.
"Before we begin, I must warn you my sensors can pick up the common traits of lying humans. I don't take to lying kindly," the machine says, keeping a cordial tone despite it's threat.
> You stop asking questions
"So I can leave?" you ask suspiciously.
"That's another question."
"The question game's over."
"Well if the game's over, of course you may leave. You should probably go assist your allies in finishing this fight. I'll continue assisting as I can. Unfortunately, Kyros has made sure to have personal control over some features, like life support in his personal chambers, so fighting him will be your burden."
"How do I get there?" you ask.
"The Techpriests and their allies in the area are all but destroyed. Unsurprisingly, they had a lot of technology; combat tentacles, tools, weaponry, which easily became mine. There's a certain poetic element when the Techpriests tear themselves apart, their machines separating themselves from the flesh once more. The camera's indicates that you'll be able to link up with the spearhead of your forces as they fight their way into Kyros' lair. You should arrive just behind the soldiers they are currently fighting. How fortunate. It seems to me the leaders of your forces are, to my, fighting in the actual battle and leading the charge. What fools."
"Which way do I go?" you ask, standing.
"Head directly down the path until I tell you."
"How will you tell me?" you ask.
"I am the ship now. Most of the vital areas have cameras and speakers that I can see and talk through. Admittedly, much of it is blind to me, but the important sections can be seen as easily as you can see me. I'll simply speak through my new speakers," Primus says. "I'd quite like to feel my new form purged of the enemy. Go."
You nod, turning and jogging through the halls. You quickly break a sweat, and switch to levitating and flying along the has, inches from the ground, which takes relatively little energy.
"This way," Primus deep, monotone voice says from a speaker, and you turn to head down that hallway.
You quickly see what became of the Techpriests. Their cybernetic implants shake and move on the floor, beeping and buzzing as they continue slamming into their now bloodied, mutilated and dead owners. Suddenly, you hear a voice.
"Ah, my head hurts, and I'm an incorporeal being lacking a head. What the fuck happened?" Meliodas says.
"Anti-psyker tech or some shit. Doesn't matter. We're fine now," you respond.
Soon, after a few minutes of running, you come out of the hallway, finding yourself behind a heavy barricade of super-soldier space marines fending off the charging Goliaths, Gladiators, Tribals, Guardsmen, Chaos soldiers and your other allies. You walk forward, raising your hands as you clench them into fists. You fire a beam of energy and cutting an Undying Reaper in half. Chapter Master Taj Suenage turns, seeing you as you crush an Undying Reaper's skull.
"Karth!" Taj yells, raising his war-hammer. "End it now!"
"You can join us, Suenage. Why are you loyal to Kyros? He's given you nothing but pain and torment."
"Pain and torment indeed. Why? Why did we betray the Imperium? Why did I betray the Emperor I loved so dearly? I tried to do what's right. Where has it left us? The Undying Reapers are unhappy, without honor, and evil. I will follow Kyros into the mouth of hell itself, but only because it is hell we are going to. Did you think I expected to topple Terra? I am ready to die, tribal. But I will go like a Reaper, not a cur. Men! Do not touch Kyros! He is mine!"
Taj charges you, swinging his war-hammer.
"Yes! Let's spit death and fire, shall we?" Meliodas laughs.
> You fight offensively
You quickly levitate over his blow, blasting him in the side of the head with a fireball. He pivots on his feet with remarkable grace, swinging again as you duck down, before Taj brings his knee up, smashing you in the face and sending you flying onto your back.
"It seems our fates are tied. I lead you to your grade, you lead me to mine," Taj says.
Taj swings his war-hammer as it slams into your chest. Your organs are crushed, and you let out a single psychic scream, just like you did back home, surrounded by Orks and about to die. Although Taj is killed, his head exploding as the energy reverberates through him, you last just all long. |
"So I can leave?" you ask suspiciously.
"That's another question."
"The question game's over."
"Well if the game's over, of course you may leave. You should probably go assist your allies in finishing this fight. I'll continue assisting as I can. Unfortunately, Kyros has made sure to have personal control over some features, like life support in his personal chambers, so fighting him will be your burden."
"How do I get there?" you ask.
"The Techpriests and their allies in the area are all but destroyed. Unsurprisingly, they had a lot of technology; combat tentacles, tools, weaponry, which easily became mine. There's a certain poetic element when the Techpriests tear themselves apart, their machines separating themselves from the flesh once more. The camera's indicates that you'll be able to link up with the spearhead of your forces as they fight their way into Kyros' lair. You should arrive just behind the soldiers they are currently fighting. How fortunate. It seems to me the leaders of your forces are, to my, fighting in the actual battle and leading the charge. What fools."
"Which way do I go?" you ask, standing.
"Head directly down the path until I tell you."
"How will you tell me?" you ask.
"I am the ship now. Most of the vital areas have cameras and speakers that I can see and talk through. Admittedly, much of it is blind to me, but the important sections can be seen as easily as you can see me. I'll simply speak through my new speakers," Primus says. "I'd quite like to feel my new form purged of the enemy. Go."
You nod, turning and jogging through the halls. You quickly break a sweat, and switch to levitating and flying along the has, inches from the ground, which takes relatively little energy.
"This way," Primus deep, monotone voice says from a speaker, and you turn to head down that hallway.
You quickly see what became of the Techpriests. Their cybernetic implants shake and move on the floor, beeping and buzzing as they continue slamming into their now bloodied, mutilated and dead owners. Suddenly, you hear a voice.
"Ah, my head hurts, and I'm an incorporeal being lacking a head. What the fuck happened?" Meliodas says.
"Anti-psyker tech or some shit. Doesn't matter. We're fine now," you respond.
Soon, after a few minutes of running, you come out of the hallway, finding yourself behind a heavy barricade of super-soldier space marines fending off the charging Goliaths, Gladiators, Tribals, Guardsmen, Chaos soldiers and your other allies. You walk forward, raising your hands as you clench them into fists. You fire a beam of energy and cutting an Undying Reaper in half. Chapter Master Taj Suenage turns, seeing you as you crush an Undying Reaper's skull.
"Karth!" Taj yells, raising his war-hammer. "End it now!"
"You can join us, Suenage. Why are you loyal to Kyros? He's given you nothing but pain and torment."
"Pain and torment indeed. Why? Why did we betray the Imperium? Why did I betray the Emperor I loved so dearly? I tried to do what's right. Where has it left us? The Undying Reapers are unhappy, without honor, and evil. I will follow Kyros into the mouth of hell itself, but only because it is hell we are going to. Did you think I expected to topple Terra? I am ready to die, tribal. But I will go like a Reaper, not a cur. Men! Do not touch Kyros! He is mine!"
Taj charges you, swinging his war-hammer.
"Yes! Let's spit death and fire, shall we?" Meliodas laughs.
> You fight defensively
You quickly levitate over his blow, blasting him in the side of the head with a fireball. He pivots on his feet with remarkable grace, swinging again as you duck down, before Taj brings his knee up to hit you, but by now you've already quickly moved back to let out a spray of fire. He jabs the war-hammer as you now like a spear in an attempt to stun you, but you move away once more.
"Must we have this dance? Am I undeserving of a quick death?" Taj roars.
He steps towards you, raising the war-hammer once more, before his entire body begins to shudder as a hail of bullets thud into his back. He collapses to his knees, as you notice that the entirety of the Undying Reapers are finished off. Fay and fires a burst of lead into Taj's back. Castus strolls forward, pointing his sword point at Taj's face before gently slapping him with the sword flat, as Goliath clutches a space marine's throat in his hands, strangling the limo body.
"General! Good to see you're alive! Having fun?" Castus says, before kicking Taj in the head. "Ooh, that feels good. Remember me, Tucker? I remember you. You and your boys had a fun habit of organizing gladiator fights so you could kill some poor fuck, some poor gladiator. Look where we are now, shitbag."
"Finish it, Karth! I know you want to! I wiped out your tribe! I killed your..."
You clink your wrists, snapping Taj's neck.
"Goodbye, Taj," you say.
"Karth! Well done," Fay smiles. "Is Cern...?"
"She's dead."
"Good, no more tinkering. Glad that bitch is dead. Hope she suffered," Goliath grunts.
"We're heading to take out Kyros," Fay explains. "I'd imagine you're all for that."
"Definitely. Let's go," you say.
You follow the group towards Kyros' chambers. Soon, you find yourself entering a massive doorway with huge steel doors, which are wide open. You find yourself at the bottom of a massive stairway.
"Stay back," you say to your companions. "This is a battle of the mind. Your strengths and talent hold no power here."
"I'm not leaving you alone. You can't expect us to sit back and wait," Fay says incredulously.
You clench your hand, lifting her into the air.
"Hey, let me down!" Fay says, kicking and struggling against the invisible bonds.
"See you soon, Fay," you say, forcing Fay to float outside the doorway.
Cain and Castus step outside of the doorway willingly. You flick your wrists, and the massive heavy doors slam closed. You turn, and begin climbing the stairs.
At the top of the staircase, four metal statues stand, forming a circle. One shows a bird man with a staff and ancient tome, cawing and firing a burst of magic out of the staff. The next shows a beautiful... person whose gender you can't tell, despite the fact they're half naked, smiling seductively at you. The next shows a massive, obese monster, covered in bile, boils and other signs of plague, looking to be in the final stages of dozens of different diseases. The final one is a horned beast-man, holding a massive battle-axe and in mid-furious, angered roar. In the middle of the circle kneels Kyros, waiting patiently.
"You took your time," Kyros says softly.
"I did," you say softly.
"Are the others dead? Taj and Cern?"
"They're dead."
"I see," Kyros says, staring at the statues. "I had the whole fucking Galaxy. I had a Gloriana-class battleship in my hands. A fucking Gloriana. Do you know how rare those are? How powerful?! This ship is worth more than a trillion of your pathetic lives!"
Kyros roars, smashing his fists into the statue of Khorne the warrior, adding psychic energy to his attacks until he dents, breaks and eventually sends the statue toppling off it's pedestal.
"I had an army! An Imperial Regiment, all their vehicles, all their firepower, all their might! I had a Khornate war-band, a Nurglite war-band, a Slaaneshi war-band, a Tzeentchian war-band, a fucking space marine chapter, and more!"
Kyros lets out a burst of fire, melting down the legs of the statue of Tzeentch the Sorcerer, turning into burning, molten metal that causes the rest of the statue to collapse and fall off its pedestal.
"I had two, fucking two army of super-soldiers. I had the capabilities to turn millions of recruits into super-soldiers that would've made the space marines look like PD-fucking-F!"
Kyros stands by the bloated statue of Nurgle the Plague-Master, and presses the palms of his hands against it. A wave of rust begins running through the statue, as it begins to rust and crack, before breaking and toppling to the ground, smacking into the metal floor with a hollow thud.
"I had powers that could've made the galaxy tremble! We could've conquered the galaxy! I had you, a powerful ally who could've helped me conquer the galaxy!"
Kyros lets out a powerful, shrieking roar that overwhelms your senses, causing you to stumble backward. The roar causes the legs of Slaanesh the Hedonist to shatter, as the statue tumbles off and smacks into the ground.
"We would've toppled the Imperium of Man and thrown the Emperor off his throne! We could've liberated trillions from the religious persecution, slavery, persecution and fascism that's being inflicted! We could've brought man to a new level! But you weren't willing to make sacrifices! You had to rise up with the rest of the greedy traitors, unwilling to work for the Greater Good! You took everything from me!"
Kyros turns to you, his eyes full of an anger and a hatred unknown to you.
"I lifted you from the dirt! I made you what you are! I gave you everything! You think I'm going to roll over and die?! I'm going to send this entire vessel, my vessel, headfirst into the Warp. I'm going to let this entire ship be taken by daemons. Why not? The only men loyal to me have been slaughtered. I'll let daemons slaughter the lucky ones. The unlucky, which given the strength of your soul will no doubt include you, will pluck the souls of their choice off and let them experience the ravages of the Warp and then to feed on your suffering. First... I'm going to break every bone in your body."
Kyros bursts forward, charging towards you. You raise a wall of fire, but Kyros barrels straight through, smashing into you. You both levitate into the air, your hands wrapped around each other's throats. Kyros knees you in the stomach, before sending you hurtling into the floor. You slam into it, curling up and forming a protective shield around yourself just as your "mentor" unleashes a wave of psychic energy. As soon as the last shudder of energy finishes, you release a burst of electricity that shocks Kyros, who howls in pain. You release a long burst of flames, engulfing him as he howls in pain. Kyros swings a lash of energy that you sidestep, before firing a beam of light that catches him in the chest, knocking him to the floor.
"I'm the superior fighter," you say.
Kyros raises his hands up, which begin to crackle with psychic energy. You feel your head pulse with the currents of the Warp. You grab a chunk of broken metal, instantly funneling heat into it as it begins to grow a bright red. He flings it at Kyros, catching him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. You fire balls of plasma from your finger tips, which Kyros only barely manages to stop. Kyros begins to attain an otherworldly purple glow, his appearance begins to appear as see-through fading in and out of reality itself.
"I feel the Warp overtaking me! It is a good pain!" Kyros howls.
> You tackle Kyros
You knock Kyros to the floor and tighten your hands around his throat. He begins to phase out, delving in and out of reality, and you fight to keep him grounded. The two of you teleport into the middle of the arena, while the trio of gladiators on guard immediately shit themselves and race for their guns. Warping out of reality again, you find yourself in an empty hallway. You know he's just going to keep teleporting as the Warp portals begin to form until you're both fucked. You need to do something.
"Fight! Fight, Karth!" Meliodas roars.
Feeling him begin to phase out, you quickly begin to send both you and him flying through the Warp to teleport once again, so you can choose the next destination in an attempt to end this cycle before it kills you both and everyone else on the ship.
Time to pick a destination.
> You outside the ship
You appear outside the ship, floating through space. You instantly feel the air sucked out of your lungs, your body freeze and boil as both you and Kyros writhe desperately. You don't last long in the cold vaccuim of space, but fortunately Kyros is too distracted as he dies to survive much longer. |
You knock Kyros to the floor and tighten your hands around his throat. He begins to phase out, delving in and out of reality, and you fight to keep him grounded. The two of you teleport into the middle of the arena, while the trio of gladiators on guard immediately shit themselves and race for their guns. Warping out of reality again, you find yourself in an empty hallway. You know he's just going to keep teleporting as the Warp portals begin to form until you're both fucked. You need to do something.
"Fight! Fight, Karth!" Meliodas roars.
Feeling him begin to phase out, you quickly begin to send both you and him flying through the Warp to teleport once again, so you can choose the next destination in an attempt to end this cycle before it kills you both and everyone else on the ship.
Time to pick a destination.
> In one of the remaining battles for the ship
You find yourselves next to one of the last bastions of Kyros' forces, a group of Bloody Claws, crouched behind cover with some old, shitty autoguns, as on your other-side lie a charging group of Goliaths. Within seconds the air is filled with bullets from either side.You don't last long under heavy fire from two surprised groups of soldiers, but fortunately Kyros is too distracted as he dies to survive much longer. |
You knock Kyros to the floor and tighten your hands around his throat. He begins to phase out, delving in and out of reality, and you fight to keep him grounded. The two of you teleport into the middle of the arena, while the trio of gladiators on guard immediately shit themselves and race for their guns. Warping out of reality again, you find yourself in an empty hallway. You know he's just going to keep teleporting as the Warp portals begin to form until you're both fucked. You need to do something.
"Fight! Fight, Karth!" Meliodas roars.
Feeling him begin to phase out, you quickly begin to send both you and him flying through the Warp to teleport once again, so you can choose the next destination in an attempt to end this cycle before it kills you both and everyone else on the ship.
Time to pick a destination.
> In a mutant-infested area
You teleport, and find yourself in one of the many mutant-infested shit holes of the ship. This is one of the few you actually know, hence it being your teleportation destination, as you fought through it with a group of One-Eyed Crows to secure it for the mutineers. Here, the throngs of semi-sentient mutants work on monitors designed to be so simple a toddler could use it, which is fortunate because it requires the maximum intellectual effort of these idiots. The terminal control the air regulations, not for anyone important but for another groups of mutant workers to be used at any moment.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Meliodas cries. "Perfect, Karth! Perfect!"
The mutants are quickly informed of your presence by Kyros' choked screams. Their primal instincts immediately take over, as they begin to swarm you. Tentacles, claws, hands, feet, teeth, fangs, horns and spines all attack you both. Kyros sccreams, his focus broken instantly, as the Warp currents dissipate around him. You roll out of the way of their attacks, quickly flying forward out of their grasp with a burst of psychic energy. The vital role of this section means that there's a maintenance elevator, which you spot. You run towards it, lifting up the gate and rolling under it, your hand shooting up to press the big red elevator button with an upward pointing arrow. The elevator reacts immediately by the grace of the Dark Gods, or the God-Emperor, or the Universe itself.
Kyros screams, as the mutants begin to tear him apart. His energy his been expended fighting you and trying to open the Warp portals, he's left expended and unable to fight back, or focus, or do anything he lets out a pitiful scream, before the elevator brings you out of sight from him.
You take in a deep breath, slumping against the wall. That shit took a lot out of you. You hear Kyros' screams in the distance, and smile. There's something vaguely poetic about this. Kyros, the man who claimed to champion the rights of the people, freeing mankind from oppression and getting rid of the prejudice towards psykers, mutants and others that differed to the Imperium's perfect view of man, killed by the mutants he subjugated for their mutant status and enslaved. Beautiful.
You lean your head against the wall, taking a deep breath. You need some rest.
> You head back to your room
You walk into your bedroom, immediately collapsing on your bed. You wonder how you could possibly fall asleep, as you put your head against the pillow and close your eyes.
"Karth!" a voice says.
You roll over, seeing Fay standing by the doorway. A blood-soaked bandage is wrapped around her elbow and a bloody machete is in her hands.
"What?" you ask, as Fay smiles.
"So, this is where you've been hiding," she says, walking over to you.
"Hiding? I literally just got here. I killed Kyros," you add, in some attempt at nonchalance.
"Just got here? You've been sleeping for hours!" she says. "We cleared up the remaining Kyros loyalists. Most just surrendered after Kyros was killed."
"You found the body?" you ask.
"We were actually hoping for your help with that. We can't find it. Where was he killed?"
"How do you know he's dead?" you ask, rubbing your eyes in an effort to stay awake.
"A few of the Chaos Psykers felt his powerful, bright soul go out. I assumed you had killed him. They said they still felt your presence, thank... whoever the hell's looking out for us. Part of me thought they were wrong until I actually found you here. What happened?"
"We ended up in some mutant-occupied area. They tore him apart. Area... 3C-QP... fuck, I have no idea. I'll remember eventually."
"Commander Fay, report in!" a voice crackles on the radio.
"I found him," Fay says. "Give me a few minutes, and we'll meet up to search for surviving loyalists."
Fay tosses the radio aside, smiling at you. She sits on the edge of the bed, tossing her machete on the floor.
"So, we did it. We killed Kyros!" she smiles.
"We did," you smile.
"We're a far way from a magical, crippled Uwais and a scared, naked Azajaja," she says, smiling.
"Damn right. We need to meet with the others."
"Later, Karth. Get some sleep. I need to do some work. We'll meet up in the morning."
"Happily," you say, your head smacking into the pillow, as Fay laughs as she grabs her blade and strolls out the door.
Time to sleep.
> A New Dawn...
A New Dawn...
You stroll into the bridge, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. The others are already there, staring out the window at a massive yellow dwarf star. Drake Amadeus is at the main seat, impatiently tapping on the seat. Two Tribals stand on either side of him, both as bodyguards and prison guards.
The others, who look out the window, turn to look at you. They immediately break into applause, and you smile as you walk forward. Captain Hayes nods in respect, Durge makes a loud, clanging attempt to clap with the metal spikes that act as his arms, while Elios smiles, immediately taking the opportunity to put a hand on your shoulder, which immediately runs along your chest towards your genitals until you gently push him away. The sound of canned clapping comes from the speakers, presumably from Primus, causing you to laugh. Elizabeth claps as well, as Cain stares in confusion at the clapping people, before shrugging and joining in with a booming thunder, as the Twins applaud. Fay hugs you tightly, before you hush the group down.
"You took out Kyros," Elizabeth says. "Impressive."
"I don't need anymore praise," you say. "We need to discuss what's to become of the hsip."
"When you live for as long as I have, you'll know to appreciate the good moments, not just rush ahead," Durge says.
"We have a Gloriana-class battleship, an army, and absolute freedom. The world is... no, the galaxy is ours," Fay says, smiling.
You stare out the window, basked in the warm golden sunlight, and for the first time since Kyros' landed on your planet, you feel completely free.
The galaxy is yours. |
You knock Kyros to the floor and tighten your hands around his throat. He begins to phase out, delving in and out of reality, and you fight to keep him grounded. The two of you teleport into the middle of the arena, while the trio of gladiators on guard immediately shit themselves and race for their guns. Warping out of reality again, you find yourself in an empty hallway. You know he's just going to keep teleporting as the Warp portals begin to form until you're both fucked. You need to do something.
"Fight! Fight, Karth!" Meliodas roars.
Feeling him begin to phase out, you quickly begin to send both you and him flying through the Warp to teleport once again, so you can choose the next destination in an attempt to end this cycle before it kills you both and everyone else on the ship.
Time to pick a destination.
> In an abandoned area
You teleport in an abandoned hallway, but only continue to writhe on the floor as you strangle him and he pumps the energy of the Warp into the air, opening portals. You need to act again, put a stop to this. |
You quickly levitate over his blow, blasting him in the side of the head with a fireball. He pivots on his feet with remarkable grace, swinging again as you duck down, before Taj brings his knee up to hit you, but by now you've already quickly moved back to let out a spray of fire. He jabs the war-hammer as you now like a spear in an attempt to stun you, but you move away once more.
"Must we have this dance? Am I undeserving of a quick death?" Taj roars.
He steps towards you, raising the war-hammer once more, before his entire body begins to shudder as a hail of bullets thud into his back. He collapses to his knees, as you notice that the entirety of the Undying Reapers are finished off. Fay and fires a burst of lead into Taj's back. Castus strolls forward, pointing his sword point at Taj's face before gently slapping him with the sword flat, as Goliath clutches a space marine's throat in his hands, strangling the limo body.
"General! Good to see you're alive! Having fun?" Castus says, before kicking Taj in the head. "Ooh, that feels good. Remember me, Tucker? I remember you. You and your boys had a fun habit of organizing gladiator fights so you could kill some poor fuck, some poor gladiator. Look where we are now, shitbag."
"Finish it, Karth! I know you want to! I wiped out your tribe! I killed your..."
You clink your wrists, snapping Taj's neck.
"Goodbye, Taj," you say.
"Karth! Well done," Fay smiles. "Is Cern...?"
"She's dead."
"Good, no more tinkering. Glad that bitch is dead. Hope she suffered," Goliath grunts.
"We're heading to take out Kyros," Fay explains. "I'd imagine you're all for that."
"Definitely. Let's go," you say.
You follow the group towards Kyros' chambers. Soon, you find yourself entering a massive doorway with huge steel doors, which are wide open. You find yourself at the bottom of a massive stairway.
"Stay back," you say to your companions. "This is a battle of the mind. Your strengths and talent hold no power here."
"I'm not leaving you alone. You can't expect us to sit back and wait," Fay says incredulously.
You clench your hand, lifting her into the air.
"Hey, let me down!" Fay says, kicking and struggling against the invisible bonds.
"See you soon, Fay," you say, forcing Fay to float outside the doorway.
Cain and Castus step outside of the doorway willingly. You flick your wrists, and the massive heavy doors slam closed. You turn, and begin climbing the stairs.
At the top of the staircase, four metal statues stand, forming a circle. One shows a bird man with a staff and ancient tome, cawing and firing a burst of magic out of the staff. The next shows a beautiful... person whose gender you can't tell, despite the fact they're half naked, smiling seductively at you. The next shows a massive, obese monster, covered in bile, boils and other signs of plague, looking to be in the final stages of dozens of different diseases. The final one is a horned beast-man, holding a massive battle-axe and in mid-furious, angered roar. In the middle of the circle kneels Kyros, waiting patiently.
"You took your time," Kyros says softly.
"I did," you say softly.
"Are the others dead? Taj and Cern?"
"They're dead."
"I see," Kyros says, staring at the statues. "I had the whole fucking Galaxy. I had a Gloriana-class battleship in my hands. A fucking Gloriana. Do you know how rare those are? How powerful?! This ship is worth more than a trillion of your pathetic lives!"
Kyros roars, smashing his fists into the statue of Khorne the warrior, adding psychic energy to his attacks until he dents, breaks and eventually sends the statue toppling off it's pedestal.
"I had an army! An Imperial Regiment, all their vehicles, all their firepower, all their might! I had a Khornate war-band, a Nurglite war-band, a Slaaneshi war-band, a Tzeentchian war-band, a fucking space marine chapter, and more!"
Kyros lets out a burst of fire, melting down the legs of the statue of Tzeentch the Sorcerer, turning into burning, molten metal that causes the rest of the statue to collapse and fall off its pedestal.
"I had two, fucking two army of super-soldiers. I had the capabilities to turn millions of recruits into super-soldiers that would've made the space marines look like PD-fucking-F!"
Kyros stands by the bloated statue of Nurgle the Plague-Master, and presses the palms of his hands against it. A wave of rust begins running through the statue, as it begins to rust and crack, before breaking and toppling to the ground, smacking into the metal floor with a hollow thud.
"I had powers that could've made the galaxy tremble! We could've conquered the galaxy! I had you, a powerful ally who could've helped me conquer the galaxy!"
Kyros lets out a powerful, shrieking roar that overwhelms your senses, causing you to stumble backward. The roar causes the legs of Slaanesh the Hedonist to shatter, as the statue tumbles off and smacks into the ground.
"We would've toppled the Imperium of Man and thrown the Emperor off his throne! We could've liberated trillions from the religious persecution, slavery, persecution and fascism that's being inflicted! We could've brought man to a new level! But you weren't willing to make sacrifices! You had to rise up with the rest of the greedy traitors, unwilling to work for the Greater Good! You took everything from me!"
Kyros turns to you, his eyes full of an anger and a hatred unknown to you.
"I lifted you from the dirt! I made you what you are! I gave you everything! You think I'm going to roll over and die?! I'm going to send this entire vessel, my vessel, headfirst into the Warp. I'm going to let this entire ship be taken by daemons. Why not? The only men loyal to me have been slaughtered. I'll let daemons slaughter the lucky ones. The unlucky, which given the strength of your soul will no doubt include you, will pluck the souls of their choice off and let them experience the ravages of the Warp and then to feed on your suffering. First... I'm going to break every bone in your body."
Kyros bursts forward, charging towards you. You raise a wall of fire, but Kyros barrels straight through, smashing into you. You both levitate into the air, your hands wrapped around each other's throats. Kyros knees you in the stomach, before sending you hurtling into the floor. You slam into it, curling up and forming a protective shield around yourself just as your "mentor" unleashes a wave of psychic energy. As soon as the last shudder of energy finishes, you release a burst of electricity that shocks Kyros, who howls in pain. You release a long burst of flames, engulfing him as he howls in pain. Kyros swings a lash of energy that you sidestep, before firing a beam of light that catches him in the chest, knocking him to the floor.
"I'm the superior fighter," you say.
Kyros raises his hands up, which begin to crackle with psychic energy. You feel your head pulse with the currents of the Warp. You grab a chunk of broken metal, instantly funneling heat into it as it begins to grow a bright red. He flings it at Kyros, catching him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. You fire balls of plasma from your finger tips, which Kyros only barely manages to stop. Kyros begins to attain an otherworldly purple glow, his appearance begins to appear as see-through fading in and out of reality itself.
"I feel the Warp overtaking me! It is a good pain!" Kyros howls.
> You unleash a blast of psychic energy
You fire a bolt of energy, smashing into Kyros chest. Kyros howls in pain, as his chest explodes. The rest of his body begins to glow, before it begins to be absolved by the purple glow emanating from him, turning into light. A portal begins to form, absorbing Kyros. Seconds later, you see a clawed red hand emerge from the portal, holding a sword of red hot burning steel.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" you yell.
"You fool! Daemons are pouring through to this realm, and I'm not leading them because my energy was focused on... Fuck!" Meliodas cries.
You watch as holes begin to be torn in the fabric of reality, as more Warp portals begin to open, powered by the last sacrificial pulse of Kyros' energy. A horned cyclops with a rust and bile-encrusted blade steps through, letting out a wet growl. A strange, horse-like creature with a long tongue eagerly jumps through another portal. You watch as an endless horde of daemons begin to appear, coming through the portals, straight into your reality.
They overwhelm you in less than a minute, claws and swords cutting you apart. The rest of the ship lasts longer, taking three hours before the horrible daemons have wiped out the fortunate, and captured the less fortunate to give them... a much less enjoyable fate. Soon, the Gloriana-class Roar of the Vortex is little more than a daemon-filled hellhole. Your last gift to the world is a horrible, daemon-filled vessel drifting through existence. So ends the legacy of Karth. |
You quickly levitate over his blow, blasting him in the side of the head with a fireball. He pivots on his feet with remarkable grace, swinging again as you duck down, before Taj brings his knee up to hit you, but by now you've already quickly moved back to let out a spray of fire. He jabs the war-hammer as you now like a spear in an attempt to stun you, but you move away once more.
"Must we have this dance? Am I undeserving of a quick death?" Taj roars.
He steps towards you, raising the war-hammer once more, before his entire body begins to shudder as a hail of bullets thud into his back. He collapses to his knees, as you notice that the entirety of the Undying Reapers are finished off. Fay and fires a burst of lead into Taj's back. Castus strolls forward, pointing his sword point at Taj's face before gently slapping him with the sword flat, as Goliath clutches a space marine's throat in his hands, strangling the limo body.
"General! Good to see you're alive! Having fun?" Castus says, before kicking Taj in the head. "Ooh, that feels good. Remember me, Tucker? I remember you. You and your boys had a fun habit of organizing gladiator fights so you could kill some poor fuck, some poor gladiator. Look where we are now, shitbag."
"Finish it, Karth! I know you want to! I wiped out your tribe! I killed your..."
You clink your wrists, snapping Taj's neck.
"Goodbye, Taj," you say.
"Karth! Well done," Fay smiles. "Is Cern...?"
"She's dead."
"Good, no more tinkering. Glad that bitch is dead. Hope she suffered," Goliath grunts.
"We're heading to take out Kyros," Fay explains. "I'd imagine you're all for that."
"Definitely. Let's go," you say.
You follow the group towards Kyros' chambers. Soon, you find yourself entering a massive doorway with huge steel doors, which are wide open. You find yourself at the bottom of a massive stairway.
"Stay back," you say to your companions. "This is a battle of the mind. Your strengths and talent hold no power here."
"I'm not leaving you alone. You can't expect us to sit back and wait," Fay says incredulously.
You clench your hand, lifting her into the air.
"Hey, let me down!" Fay says, kicking and struggling against the invisible bonds.
"See you soon, Fay," you say, forcing Fay to float outside the doorway.
Cain and Castus step outside of the doorway willingly. You flick your wrists, and the massive heavy doors slam closed. You turn, and begin climbing the stairs.
At the top of the staircase, four metal statues stand, forming a circle. One shows a bird man with a staff and ancient tome, cawing and firing a burst of magic out of the staff. The next shows a beautiful... person whose gender you can't tell, despite the fact they're half naked, smiling seductively at you. The next shows a massive, obese monster, covered in bile, boils and other signs of plague, looking to be in the final stages of dozens of different diseases. The final one is a horned beast-man, holding a massive battle-axe and in mid-furious, angered roar. In the middle of the circle kneels Kyros, waiting patiently.
"You took your time," Kyros says softly.
"I did," you say softly.
"Are the others dead? Taj and Cern?"
"They're dead."
"I see," Kyros says, staring at the statues. "I had the whole fucking Galaxy. I had a Gloriana-class battleship in my hands. A fucking Gloriana. Do you know how rare those are? How powerful?! This ship is worth more than a trillion of your pathetic lives!"
Kyros roars, smashing his fists into the statue of Khorne the warrior, adding psychic energy to his attacks until he dents, breaks and eventually sends the statue toppling off it's pedestal.
"I had an army! An Imperial Regiment, all their vehicles, all their firepower, all their might! I had a Khornate war-band, a Nurglite war-band, a Slaaneshi war-band, a Tzeentchian war-band, a fucking space marine chapter, and more!"
Kyros lets out a burst of fire, melting down the legs of the statue of Tzeentch the Sorcerer, turning into burning, molten metal that causes the rest of the statue to collapse and fall off its pedestal.
"I had two, fucking two army of super-soldiers. I had the capabilities to turn millions of recruits into super-soldiers that would've made the space marines look like PD-fucking-F!"
Kyros stands by the bloated statue of Nurgle the Plague-Master, and presses the palms of his hands against it. A wave of rust begins running through the statue, as it begins to rust and crack, before breaking and toppling to the ground, smacking into the metal floor with a hollow thud.
"I had powers that could've made the galaxy tremble! We could've conquered the galaxy! I had you, a powerful ally who could've helped me conquer the galaxy!"
Kyros lets out a powerful, shrieking roar that overwhelms your senses, causing you to stumble backward. The roar causes the legs of Slaanesh the Hedonist to shatter, as the statue tumbles off and smacks into the ground.
"We would've toppled the Imperium of Man and thrown the Emperor off his throne! We could've liberated trillions from the religious persecution, slavery, persecution and fascism that's being inflicted! We could've brought man to a new level! But you weren't willing to make sacrifices! You had to rise up with the rest of the greedy traitors, unwilling to work for the Greater Good! You took everything from me!"
Kyros turns to you, his eyes full of an anger and a hatred unknown to you.
"I lifted you from the dirt! I made you what you are! I gave you everything! You think I'm going to roll over and die?! I'm going to send this entire vessel, my vessel, headfirst into the Warp. I'm going to let this entire ship be taken by daemons. Why not? The only men loyal to me have been slaughtered. I'll let daemons slaughter the lucky ones. The unlucky, which given the strength of your soul will no doubt include you, will pluck the souls of their choice off and let them experience the ravages of the Warp and then to feed on your suffering. First... I'm going to break every bone in your body."
Kyros bursts forward, charging towards you. You raise a wall of fire, but Kyros barrels straight through, smashing into you. You both levitate into the air, your hands wrapped around each other's throats. Kyros knees you in the stomach, before sending you hurtling into the floor. You slam into it, curling up and forming a protective shield around yourself just as your "mentor" unleashes a wave of psychic energy. As soon as the last shudder of energy finishes, you release a burst of electricity that shocks Kyros, who howls in pain. You release a long burst of flames, engulfing him as he howls in pain. Kyros swings a lash of energy that you sidestep, before firing a beam of light that catches him in the chest, knocking him to the floor.
"I'm the superior fighter," you say.
Kyros raises his hands up, which begin to crackle with psychic energy. You feel your head pulse with the currents of the Warp. You grab a chunk of broken metal, instantly funneling heat into it as it begins to grow a bright red. He flings it at Kyros, catching him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. You fire balls of plasma from your finger tips, which Kyros only barely manages to stop. Kyros begins to attain an otherworldly purple glow, his appearance begins to appear as see-through fading in and out of reality itself.
"I feel the Warp overtaking me! It is a good pain!" Kyros howls.
> You add your powers to submerge the ship in the Warp
Kyros begins to glow, before it begins to be absolved by the purple glow emanating from him, turning into light. A portal begins to form, absorbing Kyros. Seconds later, you see a clawed red hand emerge from the portal, holding a sword of red hot burning steel. You watch as holes begin to be torn in the fabric of reality, as more Warp portals begin to open, powered by the last sacrificial pulse of Kyros' energy and further powered with your own.
"You fool! Daemons are pouring through to this realm, and I'm not leading them because my energy was focused on... Fuck!" Meliodas cries.
A horned cyclops with a rust and bile-encrusted blade steps through, letting out a wet growl. A strange, horse-like creature with a long tongue eagerly jumps through another portal. You watch as an endless horde of daemons begin to appear, coming through the portals, straight into your reality.
They overwhelm you in less than a minute, claws and swords cutting you apart. The rest of the ship lasts longer, taking three hours before the horrible daemons have wiped out the fortunate, and captured the less fortunate to give them... a much less enjoyable fate. Soon, the Gloriana-class Roar of the Vortex is little more than a daemon-filled hellhole. Your last gift to the world is a horrible, daemon-filled vessel drifting through existence. So ends the legacy of Karth. |
You press your hands against the doors, and with a pulse of psychic energy blast the door open. You walk inside, finding yourself in a huge hall, packed with machinery. Computers, consoles, wiring, generators and much more technology that you couldn't possibly know what it is or does. The room is dark, illuminated only by the blinking lights on the technology. You walk forward, finding yourself in a maze of machines, walking along. You quickly spot Magos Cern at the front of the room, in front of a large computing system, with the upper half of a humanoid robot on top, two clawed arms and a featureless head with two bright red eyes.
"Yes, yes! The ship is mine! The galaxy is mine!" Magos Cern says frantically. "Siphoning power levels off the Undying Reapers' floors."
"Oh, the Techpriests, the height of logic and sanity," Meliodas says.
"Magos Cern," you say, preparing to strike her with a bolt of energy or simply tear her head clean off.
Magos Cern continues scuttling around the room, as the robotic head slowly turns to stare at you.
"Cern!" you shout, grabbing her attention.
Magos Cern turns around, staring at you.
"Shoo," she says, dismissing you with a single word and turning back to work on various consoles.
"70% of the ship is accessible, all of the rebel's side," Magos Cern says gleefully. "I just need to slip a few tech words to Kyros and he'll give me complete access. Then we pillage the archives and strongholds of the old world, reinforce you with your brother, Primus, then, then we look further. Necrons, Tomb Worlds..."
This insane rant is getting boring, and you're quite insulted by Cern's dismissal of you.
> You let her finish
"What the fuck is this?" you ask.
"Uh! What is it about your pesky minds that don't just understand the world? I don't have time to explain this to you. Through Primus, I will ascend. I will leave behind my flesh, merging with Primus' mind and becoming immortal! A new era! Mankind will retake the stars with an army of Iron Men, and I will lead them! The God-Emperor's Great Crusade will be a pathetic comparison to what I will accomplish!"
Metal tentacles begin appearing from the walls, with drills, metal claws and buzzsaws. You growl, preparing to strike. You raise your fists, before your mind goes blank. You don't forget what's going on, it's just like a solid, unchanging blankness is just invading your mind. You collapse to your knees as the psychic fire that's engulfing your fists goes out.
"Thought you'd come. Had Primus upgraded with anti-Psyker weaponry.It should prove effective," Magos Cern says, not even turning to look at you."
Your magic is nothing to the cold technology under my control!" Magos Cern laughs.
The emptiness in your mind almost takes you into unconsciousness, but you keep fighting. The claws, drills and saws draw near you, as you attempt to stand, before collapsing to your knees again. Suddenly, the tentacles burst towards Magos. She lets out a confused scream along with a burst of static, as her robes are torn clean off her, and her cybernetic implants are torn clean off her, as her back is torn off, her arm sawn off, her mechanical eyes torn out of her head. In seconds, the tentacles retract into the wall. Magos Cern lies on the ground, naked, crippled and blood-stained. Gone in the horrifying cyborg. Now, there's only a bloody, terrified, screaming girl. She lets out a final scream, before expiring. Before you pass out, you hear a deep, booming voice from all directions say a single word.
"Poetic." |
You step into the room filled with machinery, closing the door behind you. Now that you're inside, you get a good look at the room. A large, humanoid robot stands there's, it's armor removed to reveal lots of wiring and mechanisms. You know that robots are a rarity, and all allowed by the Imperium are non-sentient. The extensive wiring and quick reaction would imply that this robot is an attempt at sentience by the rebellious Techpriests who have abandoned the Imperium's belief system. The robot's eyes blink a bright red, as it slowly, and more importantly loudly, begins raising it's arm to point at you. You need to shut it up quickly to avoid detection.
> You blind the robot's senses with shadows
You blind the robot's senses as shadows form over his sensory equipment. The robot lets out a confused bleep, before it slumps down, and you wait, your mind closed, for the Skitarii to either notice you or pass. You hear the metallic clanking of robotic feet outside, and wait until it has stopped and is far away before you open the door once more, continuing down the once again empty hallway. After quickly floating through the air towards your objective, you come across a massive golden door, topped with a massive icon, with an outer circle of an eight point star, an inner circle of a cog and a half mechanical, half human skull in the center. |
You wait patiently, as the Techpriest goes from each pod.
"Yes, yes, these are fresh. No mutation noted," he says to himself.
You continue waiting, as time passes. The techpriest endlessly goes from pod to pod, and you feel like you're going to pass out from boredom. Eventaully, the techpriest leaves the room. You wait patiently, counting to a hundred after the techpriest has left, before you know he's left. You walk over to the doorway, putting your head against it to listen for anyone on the other side. You hear nothing, so you open the door, revealing a barren hallway. You try to remember the directions that you were given, walking along. You keep moving, before you see a squad of Skitarii moving quickly towards your location. You don't think they've noticed you. You look to either side of the hallway. There's a door on either side, the first being open, and leading into a room that seems to be filled with electronics and machine parts. There's also the room behind you.
> You head into the closed room
You quickly open the door behind you, stepping inside and closing the door behind you. The room seems to be empty except for a few dozen pipes and valves. You wait patiently, and after a few minutes, you open the door once more, continuing down the once again empty hallway. After quickly floating through the air towards your objective, you come across a massive golden door, topped with a massive icon, with an outer circle of an eight point star, an inner circle of a cog and a half mechanical, half human skull in the center. |
You wait patiently, as the Techpriest goes from each pod.
"Yes, yes, these are fresh. No mutation noted," he says to himself.
You continue waiting, as time passes. The techpriest endlessly goes from pod to pod, and you feel like you're going to pass out from boredom. Eventaully, the techpriest leaves the room. You wait patiently, counting to a hundred after the techpriest has left, before you know he's left. You walk over to the doorway, putting your head against it to listen for anyone on the other side. You hear nothing, so you open the door, revealing a barren hallway. You try to remember the directions that you were given, walking along. You keep moving, before you see a squad of Skitarii moving quickly towards your location. You don't think they've noticed you. You look to either side of the hallway. There's a door on either side, the first being open, and leading into a room that seems to be filled with electronics and machine parts. There's also the room behind you.
> You attack the Skitarii
You move forward with a roar, firing a burst of flames and a blast of psychic energy. The Skitarii are machines built for war though, equipped with the best Magos Cern can get. Plasma, bullets and fire fills the air. You snap one of their necks before firing flames at another one. Plasma slams into you, sending you to the ground. You attempt to fight back even though you're now missing a lot of flesh, but a Skitarii quickly scuttles forward and drives its drill into your throat, killing you. |
You wait patiently, as the Techpriest goes from each pod.
"Yes, yes, these are fresh. No mutation noted," he says to himself.
You continue waiting, as time passes. The techpriest endlessly goes from pod to pod, and you feel like you're going to pass out from boredom. Eventaully, the techpriest leaves the room. You wait patiently, counting to a hundred after the techpriest has left, before you know he's left. You walk over to the doorway, putting your head against it to listen for anyone on the other side. You hear nothing, so you open the door, revealing a barren hallway. You try to remember the directions that you were given, walking along. You keep moving, before you see a squad of Skitarii moving quickly towards your location. You don't think they've noticed you. You look to either side of the hallway. There's a door on either side, the first being open, and leading into a room that seems to be filled with electronics and machine parts. There's also the room behind you.
> You hide yourself in the shadows of the doorway with your psychic powers
You step into the doorway, feeling shadows swarm around you, hiding you from sight. You watch as a few Skitarii march, scuttle or crawl past, before one of them stops suddenly. It turn's it's head directly behind it's back, staring at you with three red, cybernetic eyes and one real one.
"New scent detected. Analyzing for target."
Suddenly, it's jaw drops open, as a speaker attached to the back of its throat lets out a horrible shriek of static. The Skitarii all turn, immediately noticing you. They attack, swarming over you with drills, buzzsaws, claws and teeth. You attempt to fend them off, but you're in close range, outnumbered and unprepared. You last a measly few seconds. |
You're crawling through shit.
Despite your pleading, your reasoning, your refusal, your threats to skin people alive and show their souls what true suffering is, you're crawling through shit.
You crawl along the pipe, your skinny frame still struggling to move forward. You doubt anyone other than you or a starved slave could've fit in here. Realistically, it was the only logical to choice to send you in.
They made you crawl through shit, though, so fuck them.
"OK, I should be close enough, I should be close," you say to yourself aloud, repeating it like a mantra.
A surge of shit comes down a pipe, splashing the stream of excrement, sending some into your open mouth. You stop repeating the mantra aloud. You close your eyes, trying to block out the smells. And the tastes. You reach your hands up after another few minutes of crawling, finding a hatch. You quickly force it open with a burst of energy. You rise up in the air, slowly squeezing yourself through the hatch. You collapse out of the pipe, falling onto the ground of a large room. You look up, seeing dozens of pods with glass displays, filled with a clear, colorless liquid. Inside, dozens of identical men, all with the same shaved head, float, pipes connected to their mouth and nostrils.
""What the fuck?" you say.
"They clone bodies to turn into Servitors," Meliodas explains. "The joys of the Imperium!"
You hear a door open at the end of the room, and quickly step behind the pod. You peer out of the pod, seeing a spider-like Techpriest who's little more than a pincer, half a torso and a head attached to eight robotic legs. It walks along, looking at each pod momentarily, before moving on.
> You ambush the techpriest
You move forward, firing a burst of electricity. You hit the Techpriest directly in the head and he lets out a howl of pain, as you continue pumping him full of electricity. It melts his eyes, which drip down his face, as the Techpriest lets out a final yell, before slumping over, his eight legs keeping him standing. You flick your wrist, toppling the Techpriest over. You walk over to the doorway, putting your head against it to listen for anyone on the other side. You hear nothing, so you open the door, revealing a barren hallway. You try to remember the directions that you were given, walking along. You keep moving, before you see a squad of two dozen Skitarii moving quickly towards your location. You don't think they've noticed you. You look to either side of the hallway. There's a door on either side, the first being open, and leading into a room that seems to be filled with electronics and machine parts. There's also the room behind you. |
With a narrowing of your eyes, the prostitute's neck is snapped. Drake releases her body, staring at you.
"You're... well, you're a threat," Drake says, dropping the knife and standing.
"You're coming with me," you say.
"Sure, sure," Drake says.
You bind Drake's hands together with invisible chains, and force him to march forward. Drake immediately becomes compliant.
"Can I grab a few things?" Drake asks. "My... dreams get pretty bad. I have terrifying nightmares. I have medication that helps. Please, please can I get them?" Drake asks.
> You force Drake to leave
"No, we're going!" you growl.
Drake nods slowly, before drawing a pistol from his belt, aiming at you. You fling the pistol out of his hands, dragging him into the air.
"Please, I'm sorry, but I can't be captured. They'll kill them!" Drake asks pitifully.
"Them?" you ask.
"Yes. Kyros has my two children taken prisoner aboard this ship, my two baby girls. If I don't report to him every hour, he'll hurt them!"
"I've read your report. You don't have children."
Drake's look of terror and desperation slowly morphs into a grin.
"Alright, you got me. Shall we go?"
You snarl, smacking Drake into the ground. He lets out a pained yell, before you raise him up again.
"Give me one reason not to kill you," you say.
"Fuck you. Just go ahead and kill me," Drake laughs, spitting blood out of his mouth and giving a grin, his teeth bloodied.
"Is that your final answer?" you ask.
"You need me alive to pilot this ship, dipshit," Drake says.
"Perhaps. But I could easily peel off your skin, turn your bones to dust, char your flesh and twist your limbs off."
"You need to happy, Karth," Drake grins. "My jobs to navigate the ship, make sure we're not lost in the Warp, boarded by daemons or make sure we don't come out of the Warp and straight into the sun. If my life's not worth living, such as if someone peeled off my skin, turned my bones to dust, charred my flesh and twisted my limbs off, I'd just make sure this ship goes straight into a star."
"Just break him. The powers of the Warp will send you where you need to go. You don't need a Navigator. Tear this rat apart!" Meliodas says.
You growl, walking out into the hallway, Drake floating after you. You quickly reach an elevator, tossing Drake inside. |
You turn from the scene of your killing, and head towards the rooms where Amadeus scuttled off to. A faint light shines through the door, which you kick in, easily finding the Navigator as he lies in an empty bathtub, holding a dagger to the knife of a half-dressed prostitute who still looks to be in her early teens.
"Stop! Don't move a muscle! You get any closer to me, I slit this bitch's throat!" Drake shouts, snarling at you.
"Does he think that'll work? Fool," Meliodas laughs.
> You move forward
You step forward.
"I swear to all the Dark Gods, I will open this bitch up!" Drake yells.
You move forward once again, before Drake slices the girl's throat open, blood dripping down her chest.
"Well. Now what?" you ask.
"I... I'm necessary to operating the ship. You can't kill me."
"So be it," you say. "You're coming with me."
"Sure, sure," Drake says.
You bind Drake's hands together with invisible chains, and force him to march forward. Drake immediately becomes compliant.
"Can I grab a few things?" Drake asks. "My... dreams get pretty bad. I have terrifying nightmares. I have medication that helps. Please, please can I get them?" Drake asks. |
You turn from the scene of your killing, and head towards the rooms where Amadeus scuttled off to. A faint light shines through the door, which you kick in, easily finding the Navigator as he lies in an empty bathtub, holding a dagger to the knife of a half-dressed prostitute who still looks to be in her early teens.
"Stop! Don't move a muscle! You get any closer to me, I slit this bitch's throat!" Drake shouts, snarling at you.
"Does he think that'll work? Fool," Meliodas laughs.
> You telekinetically disarm Drake
With a narrowing of your eyes, the knife flies into your hands. The prostitute stands, shoving Drake away.
"Out," you command, as the prostitutes nods in thanks and leaves.
"OK, OK, you're skilled," you say.
"You're coming with me," you say.
"Sure, sure," Drake says, standing up.
You bind Drake's hands together with invisible chains, and force him to march forward. Drake immediately becomes compliant.
"Can I grab a few things?" Drake asks. "My... dreams get pretty bad. I have terrifying nightmares. I have medication that helps. Please, please can I get them?" Drake asks. |
You fire a jet of flames, and the Dancing Blades quickly retreat out of the range of your fire. They dance along the edge, waiting to strike.
> You teleport behind the enemy
You teleport behind the enemies, immediately sending out bursts of flames to incinerate those closest to you, before a shock of lightning runs through another. Still, this si close combat, their specialty. They move with incredible speed, dodging your blows. One gets in close, stabbing through through the neck. You shudder, blood running down your killer's blade, before your soul expires. |
"I can smell him. He's here," Meliodas says.
You step inside the doorway, looking into a marvelous palace. There's a huge grand staircase, with above it a massive chandelier of candles, the only illumination for the room. Beside it is an obsidian, bejeweled statue of a dragon, emitting a long burst of flames made from a bright red and orange gemstone, sits beside a marble table laden with roast meats, delicate pastries and fancy wines. You spot Amadeus, lying on a large silk couch, wearing an opened red silk hooded robe. On his forehead is a third, closed eye, while his normal eyes are focused on the girl in front of him, on her knees performing fellatio. You momentarily blush, before remembering that you're an insanely powerful psyker and not a fucking child.
"Drake Amadeus, you're coming with me," you say, as Drake lets out a yelp, kicking the girl off him and stumbling back.
"Shit, it's Karst! It's Karst! Get him the fuck away from me!"
You step forward, before seeing a dozen girls emerge from the rooms upstairs, walking towards the grand staircase. They move with insane flexibility. Some behind back and walking with their heads peering out between their legs, before twisting their heads around a hundred and eight degrees. Some on all fours, their legs stretched back around their shoulders to allow them to walk forward at an odd angle. They move with delicate grace, before they each draw a pair of curved knifes, continuing to walk towards you. You see Drake Amadeus scuttle away from the corner of your eye, but it seems you have a bigger threat.
"Ah, Slaaneeshi whores. Make their deaths quick. They'd just enjoy you drawing it out," Meliodas says.
> You take out the chandelier
You look at the Troupe, before flexing your hand and grabbing hold of the chandelier and sending it hurtling into the staircase. Most of the Troupe dodge, but a few are too slow and crushed by the chandelier. You take a deep breath as the chandelier's candles go out, leaving you in total darkness. You focus, and you can still vaguely see the Warp presence of the Troupe. You need to wipe them out, and quickly.
> You fire a jet of flames
You fire a jet of flames out, engulfing a pair of Dancing Blades. Unfortunately, this has the side-effect of illuminating the room, and now being able to see, the Troupe strikes. Immediately, three of them are upon you. You fly out of the way of one and set the second alight, before the third leaps at you. You back out of their way, avoiding a sword blow, before you're stabbed through the back, and you collapse to your knees, before a blow takes your head off. |
You look at the Troupe, before flexing your hand and grabbing hold of the chandelier and sending it hurtling into the staircase. Most of the Troupe dodge, but a few are too slow and crushed by the chandelier. You take a deep breath as the chandelier's candles go out, leaving you in total darkness. You focus, and you can still vaguely see the Warp presence of the Troupe. You need to wipe them out, and quickly.
> You telekinetically send furniture at the Troupe
You feel their presence, slowly picking up the couch with your mind. The furniture flies towards them, and you feel their Warp presence flicker and die. You slowly move around the room, moving slowly and quietly, before you send a statue to crush another. You continue to move and weave, sending objects to crush and impale the Troupe. It only takes a minute before you hear the last one scream in pain as the dragon statue crushes them. You spray fire into the air, illuminating the room, just as she dies. Now, time to get back to the objective. |
"I can smell him. He's here," Meliodas says.
You step inside the doorway, looking into a marvelous palace. There's a huge grand staircase, with above it a massive chandelier of candles, the only illumination for the room. Beside it is an obsidian, bejeweled statue of a dragon, emitting a long burst of flames made from a bright red and orange gemstone, sits beside a marble table laden with roast meats, delicate pastries and fancy wines. You spot Amadeus, lying on a large silk couch, wearing an opened red silk hooded robe. On his forehead is a third, closed eye, while his normal eyes are focused on the girl in front of him, on her knees performing fellatio. You momentarily blush, before remembering that you're an insanely powerful psyker and not a fucking child.
"Drake Amadeus, you're coming with me," you say, as Drake lets out a yelp, kicking the girl off him and stumbling back.
"Shit, it's Karst! It's Karst! Get him the fuck away from me!"
You step forward, before seeing a dozen girls emerge from the rooms upstairs, walking towards the grand staircase. They move with insane flexibility. Some behind back and walking with their heads peering out between their legs, before twisting their heads around a hundred and eight degrees. Some on all fours, their legs stretched back around their shoulders to allow them to walk forward at an odd angle. They move with delicate grace, before they each draw a pair of curved knifes, continuing to walk towards you. You see Drake Amadeus scuttle away from the corner of your eye, but it seems you have a bigger threat.
"Ah, Slaaneeshi whores. Make their deaths quick. They'd just enjoy you drawing it out," Meliodas says.
> You fire bolts of Psychic energy
You fire bolts of Psychic energy, but the Troupe easily dodges the blasts, leaping, ducking and jumping. You only manage to catch one, killing her instantly, before the Troupe strikes. Immediately, three of them are upon you. You fly out of the way of one and set the second alight, before the third leaps at you. You back out of their way, avoiding a sword blow, before you're stabbed through the back, and you collapse to your knees, before a blow takes your head off. |
You press down on the button, and a voice crackles through.
"Password?" the deep voice asks.
> You say "I don't know the password, Kyros didn't tell me!"
"Bullshit. Kyros would've without a doubt told you the password. He's not an idiot. Fuck off, rebel scum."
Well. That was unsuccessful.
> You attempt to break down the door
You press your hands on the door, and begin to melt through the thick steal, as steel drips to the ground. Suddenly, you feel your energy hit an odd texture, before the anti-personal defenses prepared their blows, tearing your head off. |
"Bullshit. Kyros would've without a doubt told you the password. He's not an idiot. Fuck off, rebel scum."
Well. That was unsuccessful.
> You try the intercom again
You press down on the button, and a voice crackles through.
"Do... do you think I don't know it's still you? There's a camera here, bud." |
You press down on the button, and a voice crackles through.
"Password?" the deep voice asks.
> You say "I'm here to escort Amadeus to Kyros' chambers!"
"Bullshit. If Kyros wanted Amadeus, we would've got a message. Fuck off, rebel scum."
Well. That was unsuccessful. |
You press down on the button, and a voice crackles through.
"Password?" the deep voice asks.
> You say "I don't know the password. I'm here to kidnap Amadeus. Can you let me in?"
"Wh... what?"
"I don't know the password because I'm not here on Kyros' orders. I'm here to kidnap Amadeus."
"It's just you out there."
"Correct," you reply.
"There's a shit ton of trained killers in here."
"Yeah, I know," you say.
"And you've come to kidnap Amadeus by yourself?"2
"Yes," you confirm.
"Well, I respect your honesty. Come right in. I'm going to have to kill you, but fuck it, I'll open the door."
The doors clicks open. Well, that was... easy. |
You walk down the hallways alongside your four Chaos Marine guards. You head towards the war room, where Kyros is planning the first strike against the Imperium, taking over a Hive World, to secure a huge population that can be recruited from to bolster Kyros' forces ten times. You hum a tune, some old Uwais war chant that you find quite catchy. You feel a wave of nausea hit you, and you pause, as you feel a heavy weight lifted off your soul, and your cloudy mind is cleared. Your collar clicks, and falls off you, hitting the ground. Your guards stop, noticing you've stopped.
"Prisoner, why have you s...?" one of the guards asks, before noticing your collar has fallen off.
"Wait..." he starts to say, as the alarm begins to blare.
"Hahaha! Freedom! Freedom!" Meliodas cries.
Then, you strike. The first guard's head snaps around, tearing his head clean off his shoulders. You quickly set the second alight, shielding yourself from the bright blue flames that begin melting through the thick armor as the guard roars. You teleport behind the last two as bolter fire slams into the hallway where you once were. You blow a hole in the chest of one with a blast of psychic energy, before levitating the last one into the air, tossing his bolter across the room.
"No, no, no!" the space marine roars, shaking and trying to grasp at you.
"Kill! Maim! Burn! Break! Smash! Crush! Slaughter!" Meliodas gleefully chants.
You smash the space marine into the ground repeatedly, shattering armor and leaving him as a bloody smear on the ground. You attempt to orientate yourself, trying to picture the path you took from your room to get here, and remembering where the Penthouse is.
"Brother! Is Prisoner Alpha secure?" a radio crackles.
You turn, noticing the radio attached to the first space marine's belt. You pick it up, as the psychic energy around you vibrates as you talk, changing your voice into that of the space marine.
"Imitate his comrade's voice. Use the Warp," Meliodas suggests.
"We were forced to kill him. What's the situation?"
"Good riddance. Our brothers have betrayed us. The One Eyed Crows, the Black Rats, the Shrieking Harpies, all traitors! The 22nd are fighting, but I don't know whether the majority is with Kyros."
"What's the plans?"
"Kyros has us divided between exterminating the traitors and trying to put down the slave revolts that are taking place. The first and second generation super-soldiers are rebelling. Take your unit, and secure the gladiators. If they have the arena secured, they will have a strong defensive position."
"Understood. We'll get it done," you say.
"Send them to their reapers, brother, and ward off your own one," the radio crackles.
"Glory to Kyros," you say. "Praise the Dark Gods!"
"Nice touch," Meliodas says.
The radio finishes, and you clip it to your belt. You float into the air, hovering along the hallways towards the Penthouse. You pass a trio of shotgun-wielding Bloody Claws, rushing towards the cyro-chambers. You fire a jet of flames, engulfing the trio but don't even slow down to watch them die. Soon, you find yourself in the elevator, rising towards the penthouse. You wait patiently, listening to reports come through the radio.
"The entire area's filled with them! They're all traitors. I..."
"Bridge secured, push forward."
"Fall back, fall back, they're not going down!"
"Rage! Kill! Maim! Smash! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"Leading the charge! Secure Elizabeth Staine, and they'll all... shit! AARGH!"
"Damn it! I've been sealed in! Get me out, dammit! They're coming for us!"
The elevator doors open, leaving you faced with five heavy bolters aiming at you.
"It's the Psyker!" someone shouts.
"Time to die, mortals!" Meliodas roars.
> You attempt to reason with them
"Wait!" you shout, preparing for the bolters to fire.
Surprisingly, they don't. Well, time to reason with them.
> You say "Abandon your weapons, or you die!"
There's a brief pause, before the bolters fire. Bullets slam into your boy, one quickly finding your head and blowing it apart. |
"Wait!" you shout, preparing for the bolters to fire.
Surprisingly, they don't. Well, time to reason with them.
> You say "I'm a loyalist to Kyros!"
"Well, what do we do, Sarge?" someone asks.
"Fuck, if the mutiny succeeds and we're found with a loyalist, we'll be killed," another man answers.
"If we kill him and Kyros wins, we die."
"We'll say he asked to betray Kyros," the sergeant says.
You attempt to put up your shield, as the heavy bolters fire. You immediately raise your shields, as bolter fire thuds into them. You feel them, like a tapping on your mind. Unfortunately, by the sheer amount of bolter fire being shot at you, one finds it's way in. It slams into you, blowing your chest open. You collapse to your knees, as your shields fail as you lose focus. Bullets riddle your body, killing you instantly. |
"Wait!" you shout, preparing for the bolters to fire.
Surprisingly, they don't. Well, time to reason with them.
> You say "The mutiny is going to succeed. Join us, or perish."
"Fuck, what do we do, Sarge?"
"The radio makes it sound like the loyalists are having their ass handed to them, and the prisoners are close to taking the complex! The psyker's right! Abandon post! Join the mutiny!"
The guards lay down their bolters, and begin running towards the elevators. You shrug and allow them to pass, making your way down the hall. It's only a minute before you arrive at a massive, thick metal door with an intercom. |
You grab Olive's hand, and she pulls you to your feet.
"Ah, good job," Castus says. "Second rule: the first rule is bullshit. You know who doesn't trust anyone? Bastards like Kyros who ends up with no loyal friends, no allies, nothing, and then end up alone, with no one. If you want to survive in this world, you need allies."
Castus grabs his sword by the blade, offering it to you. You reach out to grab it, before he swings it and smacks you in the side of the heat, sending you to the ground. Castus offers his hand to you, which you accept. He pulls you up, before kneeing you in the stomach and tossing you to the ground.
"Come on, you're not learning. First rule: trust no one. Don't you listen?"
"I was going my the second rule," you say, groaning.
"Sometimes, the first rule is more important than the second rule," Castus shrugs.
"How the fuck am I supposed to tell the difference between which rule to us?" you ask, annoyed.
"Beats me. When you find out, you'll be the most powerful warlord in history. Until then, you just go off gut feeling and intellect."
"Seems like a shitty system," you say, as Castus finally lets you stand up.
"Seems like a shitty world you're in. That system is the best I have to offer. Now, rule three: in hand to hand combat, go for the weak spots. The throat, eyes and balls are always good, but when it comes to half these fucks, I'd stick to the eyes, because past that, I don't know what you have left. Observe."
Castus flips his sword so he holds the blade again, wrapping his sleeve around the blade so it doesn't bite into his fingers as much. He steps forward, swinging his sword with insane speed. The pommel slams into your throat before jabbing you in the eyes, leaving you to stumble backwards. You quickly close your legs together before Castus jabs the pommel into your groin, and you collapse backwards with a pained yelp.
"See? Effective," Castus smiles. "Rule four: you can win through many ways. Pain submission, incapacitating them, or simply taking their lives. Judge which can be used to take down your enemies. For instance, in your case, pain is the way forward."
You're growing tired of being hit in the face. As Castus steps forward with his sword raised, you decide you're going to do something to dissuade him from continuing to hit you.
> You send Castus into the arena wall
As Castus swings his sword, you send him straight into the metal gate with a thud. He lets out a pained yelp, collapsing onto his stomach.
"I don't need to learn how to wield a sword, Castus. You've trained all your life with a sword. I never have. Yet look how simply I defeat you? I need a sword as much as you need fangs. I've evolved past the need for it," you say, as Castus stands.
"Fuck me, kid, couldn't you have made that point without breaking my fucking spine?" Castus says. "Yeah, fine, point proven. End of training, piss off."
"Terrific," you say. "So, can I leave?"
"Yeah, I'll call your guards here to open the gates and take you off," Castus says, grabbing a walkie-talkie hanging from his belt and speaking into it.
"Yeah, we're finished here with the little cunt," he says, rubbing his back. "Oh shit, over."
"Affirmative, out," the voice comes back.
Soon, the gate lifts up as your guards saunter out in their thick power armor.
"Where to next, boys?" you ask.
"Shut it, psyker," one growls, looking at Castus and Olive. "Is it back to the cells for you two?"
"We're happy to practice some more here," Olive says, twirling her gun-axe to stop a surprise attack from Castus. "I mean, if this dumb bastard has done so little practice to think that would take me down, he's go to need a lot more practice."
"Pffh, I'd like to see you take me down," Castus says.
"So be it," your captor growls. "Move it, psyker."
You raise your hands defensively, and allow them to escort you back to your room. |
You grab Olive's hand, and she pulls you to your feet.
"Ah, good job," Castus says. "Second rule: the first rule is bullshit. You know who doesn't trust anyone? Bastards like Kyros who ends up with no loyal friends, no allies, nothing, and then end up alone, with no one. If you want to survive in this world, you need allies."
Castus grabs his sword by the blade, offering it to you. You reach out to grab it, before he swings it and smacks you in the side of the heat, sending you to the ground. Castus offers his hand to you, which you accept. He pulls you up, before kneeing you in the stomach and tossing you to the ground.
"Come on, you're not learning. First rule: trust no one. Don't you listen?"
"I was going my the second rule," you say, groaning.
"Sometimes, the first rule is more important than the second rule," Castus shrugs.
"How the fuck am I supposed to tell the difference between which rule to us?" you ask, annoyed.
"Beats me. When you find out, you'll be the most powerful warlord in history. Until then, you just go off gut feeling and intellect."
"Seems like a shitty system," you say, as Castus finally lets you stand up.
"Seems like a shitty world you're in. That system is the best I have to offer. Now, rule three: in hand to hand combat, go for the weak spots. The throat, eyes and balls are always good, but when it comes to half these fucks, I'd stick to the eyes, because past that, I don't know what you have left. Observe."
Castus flips his sword so he holds the blade again, wrapping his sleeve around the blade so it doesn't bite into his fingers as much. He steps forward, swinging his sword with insane speed. The pommel slams into your throat before jabbing you in the eyes, leaving you to stumble backwards. You quickly close your legs together before Castus jabs the pommel into your groin, and you collapse backwards with a pained yelp.
"See? Effective," Castus smiles. "Rule four: you can win through many ways. Pain submission, incapacitating them, or simply taking their lives. Judge which can be used to take down your enemies. For instance, in your case, pain is the way forward."
You're growing tired of being hit in the face. As Castus steps forward with his sword raised, you decide you're going to do something to dissuade him from continuing to hit you.
> You teleport out of the way of the blow
You teleport behind Castus, causing him to smash his sword into the ground, Castus grunts in confusion as the force of his blow flying through the air causing him to stumble forward.
"I don't need to learn how to wield a sword, Castus. You've trained all your life with a sword. I never have. Yet look how simply I evade your blows? I could just teleport behind you and break your neck without lifting a finger. I need a sword as much as you need fangs. I've evolved past the need for it," you say, gently poking him in the back. "Dead."
"Fair point, kid," Castus says, smiling. " I like your style. I suppose you're good to go. End of training."
"Terrific," you say. "So, can I leave?"
"Yeah, I'll call your guards here to open the gates and take you off," Castus says, grabbing a walkie-talkie hanging from his belt and speaking into it.
"Yeah, we're finished here," he says. "Oh shit, over."
"Affirmative, out," the voice comes back.
Soon, the gate lifts up as your guards saunter out in their thick power armor.
"Where to next, boys?" you ask.
"Shut it, psyker," one growls, looking at Castus and Olive. "Is it back to the cells for you two?"
"We're happy to practice some more here," Olive says, twirling her gun-axe to stop a surprise attack from Castus. "I mean, if this dumb bastard has done so little practice to think that would take me down, he's go to need a lot more practice."
"Pffh, I'd like to see you take me down," Castus says.
"So be it," your captor growls. "Move it, psyker."
You raise your hands defensively, and allow them to escort you back to your room. |
"Done," you say.
Olive extends a hand, which you grip and shake extensively. Castus extends his hand, which you grab, but he twists your arm around, causing you to yelp painfully. He kicks away your foot and sends you to your knee, before bringing his sword up to your throat.
"Dead," he says with a smile.
"Well shit, Castus, what's wrong with you?"
"What? I was just preparing him for fighting. I thought we were supposed to be training him. First lesson, kid: trust no one. Now, get up."
Olive offers you a hand, smiling.
> You get up yourself
You try to stand up, but Castus kicks you in the stomach again. You groan and collapse onto the floor, before Castus puts his foot on your head.
"Second rule: the first rule is bullshit. You know who doesn't trust anyone? Bastards like Kyros who ends up with no loyal friends, no allies, nothing, and then end up alone, with no one. If you want to survive in this world, you need allies."
Castus offers his hand to you, which you accept. He pulls you up, before kneeing you in the stomach and tossing you to the ground.
"Come on, you're not learning. First rule: trust no one. Don't you listen?"
"I was going my the second rule," you say, groaning.
"Sometimes, the first rule is more important than the second rule," Castus shrugs.
"How the fuck am I supposed to tell the difference between which rule to us?" you ask, annoyed.
"Beats me. When you find out, you'll be the most powerful warlord in history. Until then, you just go off gut feeling and intellect."
"Seems like a shitty system," you say, as Castus finally lets you stand up.
"Seems like a shitty world you're in. That system is the best I have to offer. Now, rule three: in hand to hand combat, go for the weak spots. The throat, eyes and balls are always good, but when it comes to half these fucks, I'd stick to the eyes, because past that, I don't know what you have left. Observe."
Castus flips his sword so he holds the blade, wrapping his sleeve around the blade so it doesn't bite into his fingers as much. He steps forward, swinging his sword with insane speed. The pommel slams into your throat before jabbing you in the eyes, leaving you to stumble backwards. You quickly close your legs together before Castus jabs the pommel into your groin, and you collapse backwards with a pained yelp.
"See? Effective," Castus smiles. "Rule four: you can win through many ways. Pain submission, incapacitating them, or simply taking their lives. Judge which can be used to take down your enemies. For instance, in your case, pain is the way forward."
You're growing tired of being hit in the face. As Castus steps forward with his sword raised, you decide you're going to do something to dissuade him from continuing to hit you. |
You duck your head, the knife flying just over your head and cluttering to the floor behind you.
"Good catch," Castus says.
You grab the knife, taking a practice stab.
"What do you think?"
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains.
> You try to compromise
"I can't guarantee you all that," you say. "It's simply too expensive."
"What can you guarantee?"
"Freedom, definitely as well as free reign to travel the ship. But we're not giving you free rooms, food, equipment and medical equipment as well as pay. Pick one."
"Fine, no pay," Olive says.
"That's a deal, then," you say.
Olive extends a hand, which you grip and shake extensively. Castus extends his hand, which you grab, but he twists your arm around, causing you to yelp painfully. He kicks away your foot and sends you to your knee, before bringing his sword up to your throat.
"Dead," he says with a smile.
"Well shit, Castus, what's wrong with you?"
"What? I was just preparing him for fighting. I thought we were supposed to be training him. First lesson, kid: trust no one. Now, get up."
Olive offers you a hand, smiling. |
You duck your head, the knife flying just over your head and cluttering to the floor behind you.
"Good catch," Castus says.
You grab the knife, taking a practice stab.
"What do you think?"
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains.
> You convince Olive that Castus is right
"Look, we can't guarantee anything. We don't know what's going to happen. Castus is right, we'd be killed if we don't rebel. Other than a chance, a simple chance, at freedom and life, I don't think we can start making deals for anything more," you say, putting all your energy into weaving an offer made almost entirely of bullshit.
Olive narrows her eyes.
"Fine. But let me tell you this, if I find myself with the shit side of the stick, I'm going to cause a lot of problems."
"You can trust me," you say, as sincerely as possible.
"Fine," Olive says.
Olive extends a hand, which you grip and shake extensively. Castus extends his hand, which you grab, but he twists your arm around, causing you to yelp painfully. He kicks away your foot and sends you to your knee, before bringing his sword up to your throat.
"Dead," he says with a smile.
"Well shit, Castus, what's wrong with you?"
"What? I was just preparing him for fighting. I thought we were supposed to be training him. First lesson, kid: trust no one. Now, get up."
Olive offers you a hand, smiling. |
You duck your head, the knife flying just over your head and cluttering to the floor behind you.
"Good catch," Castus says.
You grab the knife, taking a practice stab.
"What do you think?"
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains.
> You threaten Olive
"No."
"Then I guess we have no deal to make," Olive says.
"No. I don't think you understand the nature of the offer I'm giving you. I'm letting you live. Whenever I want, I could have every single man under your command strangled to death by your collars, blown apart or force you to tear each other apart. You're going to follow my orders, or you're going to die."
"Fine, at least guarantee me that you're not going to have us all killed once the ship is taken."
"Sure, I can promise that," you say.
Olive extends a hand, which you grip and shake extensively. Castus extends his hand, which you grab, but he twists your arm around, causing you to yelp painfully. He kicks away your foot and sends you to your knee, before bringing his sword up to your throat.
"Dead," he says with a smile, before slashing open your throat.
You gargle on your own blood, collapsing backwards.
"Well, that was easy," Castus says.
"Kill those fuckers!" Meliodas snarls.
You raise your hand, focusing your mind, and Castus head snaps back, his neck breaking. Olive's eyes widen, before your send a fireball her way, consuming her in flames. You let out a final, desperate gasp, before your soul fades out. |
Your eyes lull closed, and you lose consciousness.
You awake an unknown time later, lying on the metal operating table. Magos Cern stands over you, washing her implements in a basin of water. She looks at you, her cold, red eyes peering into your soul.
"Ah, you're awake. Good," she says.
"What did you put into me?" you ask.
"The biology of what I did is beyond you, flesh bag."
"Can you dumb it down for me?" you ask.
"Could one reduce concertos to the mumbled grunts of mutants?" Magos Cern asks indignantly.
"Please?"
"Fine. I increased the size of your heart by 40% and lungs by 12%, and added several veins and arteries leading directly to the brain from the heart. These actions increase the blood flow to your brain, and should hence increase psychic abilities. I added multiple microchips that breed monocytes, other white blood cells, platelets and other helpful things for your body. That was the bulk of my work. Other than that, it was just a medical check-up."
"OK," you say.
"I have a lot of important work to do, now. You should've had enough time to recover."
Two of your massive space marine guards arrive, a roaring face on their thick helmets.
"Here you are," Magos Cern says. "Guards, make sure to walk slow. If at any point the patient starts puking blood, let him sit down for ten, maybe fifteen minutes."
"Shouldn't you keep him hearing for observation, then?" one of the guards ask.
"I have far too much work to do," Magos Cern says. "Don't disturb me. If anything goes wrong, go to Genetor Corivan. He is very experienced with medical matters."
"Yes, sir," the space marine says.
Magos Cern quickly heads off, walking off to a row of elevators. The space marines stare at you, and you climb out of bed with a groan.
"Ah, my head," you say.
"You should have headaches for the next 48 hours," Magos Cern shouts, right before she disappears into an elevator.
You stand, feeling a rush of blood hit your head. You walk after the space marines, along halls and up and down elevators, until you find yourself in the arena. Castus and Olive are there, mid-battle with each other.
"Oh look, it's tweedle-dum and tweedle-fucking idiot," Meliodas says. "Not even a laugh? Oh wait, you didn't grow up with nursery rhymes, you're from a Feral world. My bad."
Castus swings his sword at her, while Olive swings her rifle-axe up at his head. He rolls out of the way, kicking Olive's foot away and sending her to her knee, before booting her in the head. She collapses down, before rolling out of the way to avoid a downward stab by Castus. She grabs Castus' sword handle and punches him. Castus falls backwards, before taking up a fighting stance. Olive begins circling him, her gun-axe at the ready. She spots you, smiling.
"Karth's here," she says.
"Bullshit," Castus says, readying his sword.
"Karth, tell him you're here," Olive says.
"Yeah, I'm here," you say.
Castus turns to look at you, but Olive charges, swinging her gun-axe. She knocks the feet away from Castus, dropping his knee down on Castus stomach. Castus grunts before Olive grabs her gun-axe and holds it to Castus throat.
"Dead," she says.
"No fair, we were supposed to stop when Karth got here," Castus says.
"You're still dead," Olive smiles, standing up.
Castus grabs Olive's wrist, pulling her forward so his sword pokes into her stomach.
"Dead," he smiles.
"Seriously?" Olive says, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'm dead. Are we finished yet? The kid needs training."
"Fine," Castus shrugs. "Let's start it."
Castus draws a dagger from his belt, staring at it. The blade is a bright silver, with an odd pattern etched into it. It's handle is a bright, light blue, with a short, silver horn coming from the end of the handle.
"Now, this is an absolute beauty. I really don't use it enough, so it's yours. Xenos-origin, so even owning it is heresy. The blade is razor sharp, it could cut through flesh and bone easier than it could through air. Here."
Castus turns, tossing the dagger straight at your head.
> You catch the knife
You reach up and catch the knife, cutting your fingers with the blade, blood dripping down the blade.
"Good catch," Castus says. "Try to catch the handle next time."
You grab the knife by it's handle with your other hand, licking your cut fingers clean. You hold the knife, stabbing it forward.
"What do you think?" Castus asks.
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains. |
Your eyes lull closed, and you lose consciousness.
You awake an unknown time later, lying on the metal operating table. Magos Cern stands over you, washing her implements in a basin of water. She looks at you, her cold, red eyes peering into your soul.
"Ah, you're awake. Good," she says.
"What did you put into me?" you ask.
"The biology of what I did is beyond you, flesh bag."
"Can you dumb it down for me?" you ask.
"Could one reduce concertos to the mumbled grunts of mutants?" Magos Cern asks indignantly.
"Please?"
"Fine. I increased the size of your heart by 40% and lungs by 12%, and added several veins and arteries leading directly to the brain from the heart. These actions increase the blood flow to your brain, and should hence increase psychic abilities. I added multiple microchips that breed monocytes, other white blood cells, platelets and other helpful things for your body. That was the bulk of my work. Other than that, it was just a medical check-up."
"OK," you say.
"I have a lot of important work to do, now. You should've had enough time to recover."
Two of your massive space marine guards arrive, a roaring face on their thick helmets.
"Here you are," Magos Cern says. "Guards, make sure to walk slow. If at any point the patient starts puking blood, let him sit down for ten, maybe fifteen minutes."
"Shouldn't you keep him hearing for observation, then?" one of the guards ask.
"I have far too much work to do," Magos Cern says. "Don't disturb me. If anything goes wrong, go to Genetor Corivan. He is very experienced with medical matters."
"Yes, sir," the space marine says.
Magos Cern quickly heads off, walking off to a row of elevators. The space marines stare at you, and you climb out of bed with a groan.
"Ah, my head," you say.
"You should have headaches for the next 48 hours," Magos Cern shouts, right before she disappears into an elevator.
You stand, feeling a rush of blood hit your head. You walk after the space marines, along halls and up and down elevators, until you find yourself in the arena. Castus and Olive are there, mid-battle with each other.
"Oh look, it's tweedle-dum and tweedle-fucking idiot," Meliodas says. "Not even a laugh? Oh wait, you didn't grow up with nursery rhymes, you're from a Feral world. My bad."
Castus swings his sword at her, while Olive swings her rifle-axe up at his head. He rolls out of the way, kicking Olive's foot away and sending her to her knee, before booting her in the head. She collapses down, before rolling out of the way to avoid a downward stab by Castus. She grabs Castus' sword handle and punches him. Castus falls backwards, before taking up a fighting stance. Olive begins circling him, her gun-axe at the ready. She spots you, smiling.
"Karth's here," she says.
"Bullshit," Castus says, readying his sword.
"Karth, tell him you're here," Olive says.
"Yeah, I'm here," you say.
Castus turns to look at you, but Olive charges, swinging her gun-axe. She knocks the feet away from Castus, dropping his knee down on Castus stomach. Castus grunts before Olive grabs her gun-axe and holds it to Castus throat.
"Dead," she says.
"No fair, we were supposed to stop when Karth got here," Castus says.
"You're still dead," Olive smiles, standing up.
Castus grabs Olive's wrist, pulling her forward so his sword pokes into her stomach.
"Dead," he smiles.
"Seriously?" Olive says, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'm dead. Are we finished yet? The kid needs training."
"Fine," Castus shrugs. "Let's start it."
Castus draws a dagger from his belt, staring at it. The blade is a bright silver, with an odd pattern etched into it. It's handle is a bright, light blue, with a short, silver horn coming from the end of the handle.
"Now, this is an absolute beauty. I really don't use it enough, so it's yours. Xenos-origin, so even owning it is heresy. The blade is razor sharp, it could cut through flesh and bone easier than it could through air. Here."
Castus turns, tossing the dagger straight at your head.
> You levitate the knife towards you
You raise your hand, pausing the blade in mid-air and levitating it towards you, catching it's handle.
"Impressive party trick, kid," Castus says.
You take a practice stab with the knife.
"What do you think?"
"It's a knife," you say simply.
"Yeah, it is. Do you like it? Does it feel good?" Castus says.
"I don't know anything about knives. Maybe," you say.
"Alright, first, we need to talk. Is anyone watching us? Like, are there cameras?"
"No. Well yes, but they're offline," Olive says, resting her head on the butt of her axe-gun. "What is it?"
"A plan is being formed. We're going to escape."
"Escape?" Olive says, musing. "Who's on our side?"
"We have a large amount of people on our side. Elios, Elizabeth and Durge are bringing the weight of their war-bands, as well as most, if not all, of the Guardsmen here. Then there's the Goliaths and the Tribals, both of whom are with us."
"What...?"
"Because I've done this twice before, I best say. We have no plans yet. They're to be decided. We have literally nothing. We just need to check whether you'll join us. Then, we'll get the leaders together to plan our to take over, and what to do with once we've actually done so."
"Huh. Well, I'm in," Castus says.
"What?" Olive asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm in," Castus says.
"We don't know the plan, we don't have any assurances that we won't be back-stabbed as soon as we take over, we..."
"Olive, let's be smart here. If we don't rebel, we'll definitely either be killed fighting Kyros' war, killed trying to put down these fuckers' mutiny, or killed fighting another arena battle for these bastard's amusement."
"If we rebel, we'll almost certainly be killed!"
"Almost certainly is way better than definitely. Plus, we'll get to kill a few of Kyros' bastards before we go down."
"Fine, I'm in, but I... we have a few demands," Olive says.
"Go on," you say.
You know the gladiators will be essential to your plans, so you really need to get them, but still, you don't want to devote to many resources to this issue.
"I want instant freedom once we take-over. No more being locked up under the arena. I want my men to have free reign to travel around the ship. I want pay, do the men and women who fight and work for the ship actually get something from it. I want an increase in food rations, and better equipment than the shit we're given. I want actual medical care, on top of this."
"That it?" you ask, annoyed with her large demands.
It'll probably take a serious amount of resources to fulfill her request. You have a few options here.
"What a fucking greedy bitch. This fucker needs a dick, I tell you that," Meliodas complains. |
"Deal," you say.
"Good, good," Cain nods, extending a hand.
You grab his hand, and thankfully Cain doesn't attempt to squeeze, which would almost certainly result in your fragile bones shattering. You shake vigorously, and Cain attempts a smile. The corners of his mouth twist unnaturally high, revealing rows of serrated teeth, curved fangs, massive molars and many other weird, odd teeth, protruding from bloody, rotten gums. You smile in response, not willing to offend him.
"The beast would've taken half of what he asked for," Meliodas says.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" you say angrily.
"I presumed you knew," Meliodas replies.
"Are you OK?" Cain says. "Tell you what?"
"Uh, nothing. Sorry," you say.
"OK. Good deal," Cain says, his face contorted in what you assume is his version of a raising of the eyebrow. "Alright, best get prepared for your operation before Magos Cern gets back."
"Yeah, I should," you say.
You walk over to your operating table and quickly get undressed, before lying down. After another minute or two, Magos Cern appears, pushing a tray in front of her. One of her metallic tendrils grabs a syringe filled with a pale, translucent liquid.
"This might hurt a little. It will more likely hurt a lot more," she says.
You let out a pained yelp as she jams the syringe into your neck. She begins pushing down on the plunger as what you hope is anesthetic is pumped into you. Warm hands embrace you, pulling you into the oblivion of unconsciousness.
> You resist
You shake your head, struggling to avoid falling into unconsciousness. You take in a deep breath, flinging the warm hands away from your mind. Magos Cern continues pressing down on the plunger, shooting the remaining fluid into your blood. Your mind is gripped by a scream for sleep. Perhaps you should just embrace it.
> You resist
Magos Cern notices your struggle with indifference, refilling her syringe with anesthetic and injecting it into you again, although you can't feel the needle pierce your skin. Your eyes flutter before they roll in the back of your head. As you lose the fight to resist the void of oblivion, in the back of your mind you hear voices.
"Magos Cern, I polished the AI module."
"Good, Adept. You have gained one step forward in receiving your cybernetic upgrades."
"How long, master? My flesh is weak, my body frail, I crave the strength of steel."
"Soon, Adept, soon. Do not bother me in a time like this! We are on the brink of discovery! We have a mind older than the Emperor himself. Fifteen thousand years old! Can you imagine the knowledge it holds? Prepare Primus for start-up. I believe now is the time. I must just play with Kyros' pet's flesh, and then we will work."
"Yes, Magos. Understood, Magos."
Then, you lose all resistance and sleep takes you, leaving you powerless in its dark embrace.
You awake an unknown time later, lying on the metal operating table. Magos Cern stands over you, washing her implements in a basin of water. She looks at you, her cold, red eyes peering into your soul.
"Ah, you're awake. Good," she says.
"What did you put into me?" you ask.
"The biology of what I did is beyond you, flesh bag."
"Can you dumb it down for me?" you ask.
"Could one reduce concertos to the mumbled grunts of mutants?" Magos Cern asks indignantly.
"Please?"
"Fine. I increased the size of your heart by 40% and lungs by 12%, and added several veins and arteries leading directly to the brain from the heart. These actions increase the blood flow to your brain, and should hence increase psychic abilities. I added multiple microchips that breed monocytes, other white blood cells, platelets and other helpful things for your body. That was the bulk of my work. Other than that, it was just a medical check-up."
"OK," you say.
"I have a lot of important work to do, now. You should've had enough time to recover."
Two of your massive space marine guards arrive, a roaring face on their thick helmets.
"Here you are," Magos Cern says. "Guards, make sure to walk slow. If at any point the patient starts puking blood, let him sit down for ten, maybe fifteen minutes."
"Shouldn't you keep him hearing for observation, then?" one of the guards ask.
"I have far too much work to do," Magos Cern says. "Don't disturb me. If anything goes wrong, go to Genetor Corivan. He is very experienced with medical matters."
"Yes, sir," the space marine says.
Magos Cern quickly heads off, walking off to a row of elevators. The space marines stare at you, and you climb out of bed with a groan.
"Ah, my head," you say.
"You should have headaches for the next 48 hours," Magos Cern shouts, right before she disappears into an elevator.
You stand, feeling a rush of blood hit your head. You walk after the space marines, along halls and up and down elevators, until you find yourself in the arena. Castus and Olive are there, mid-battle with each other.
"Oh look, it's tweedle-dum and tweedle-fucking idiot," Meliodas says. "Not even a laugh? Oh wait, you didn't grow up with nursery rhymes, you're from a Feral world. My bad."
Castus swings his sword at her, while Olive swings her rifle-axe up at his head. He rolls out of the way, kicking Olive's foot away and sending her to her knee, before booting her in the head. She collapses down, before rolling out of the way to avoid a downward stab by Castus. She grabs Castus' sword handle and punches him. Castus falls backwards, before taking up a fighting stance. Olive begins circling him, her gun-axe at the ready. She spots you, smiling.
"Karth's here," she says.
"Bullshit," Castus says, readying his sword.
"Karth, tell him you're here," Olive says.
"Yeah, I'm here," you say.
Castus turns to look at you, but Olive charges, swinging her gun-axe. She knocks the feet away from Castus, dropping his knee down on Castus stomach. Castus grunts before Olive grabs her gun-axe and holds it to Castus throat.
"Dead," she says.
"No fair, we were supposed to stop when Karth got here," Castus says.
"You're still dead," Olive smiles, standing up.
Castus grabs Olive's wrist, pulling her forward so his sword pokes into her stomach.
"Dead," he smiles.
"Seriously?" Olive says, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'm dead. Are we finished yet? The kid needs training."
"Fine," Castus shrugs. "Let's start it."
Castus draws a dagger from his belt, staring at it. The blade is a bright silver, with an odd pattern etched into it. It's handle is a bright, light blue, with a short, silver horn coming from the end of the handle.
"Now, this is an absolute beauty. I really don't use it enough, so it's yours. Xenos-origin, so even owning it is heresy. The blade is razor sharp, it could cut through flesh and bone easier than it could through air. Here."
Castus turns, tossing the dagger straight at your head. |
"Oh, really?" Fay says smiling.
"Don't you?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah!" Fay says, smiling. "I was actually just going to ask you about that. I'm glad you said yes."
Fay smiles, before leaning in and kissing you briefly on the lips. You stare into her bright green eyes, the split-second kiss lasting for infinitely longer, feeling the warmth of her lips flood into you, before she pulls back.
"Well, that was nice. Ideally our next rendezvous is going to take place somewhere where we're not surrounded by our tribe and horrible guards who want us dead," Fay smiles. "Was that it, or was there something else?"
"Yeah, we have something important to discuss."
"Wasn't that important?" Fay asks, smiling.
"Oh no,it was, I just... I meant important for the tribe, not just for us," you say, stumbling over your words.
"It feels nice to see you've become as awkward as I just was," Fay giggles. "Now, stop spitting out words. Take a breath, and tell me what's so important."
"Rebellion."
"Oh?"
"Kyros is mad and paranoid. He's either going to slit our throats or send us on an endless string of suicide missions. We need to do something, and I really need your help. A group of collaborators have planned to rise up, and rid ourselves of Kyros. Then, we take over. I need the support of your Tribals to do so.
"Yeah, totally. Done."
"Done?"
"Yeah. If we don't escape, we die here. Also, they're your Tribals as much as mine. Who else is in on this?" Fay asks.
"Elios, Durge and Elizabeth are all in. No doubt Calpurnia's man will help us," you say.
"What about Cain and the twins?"
"I haven't asked them yet, but we need to get them on board," you say.
"Do we hae a solid plan yet?" Fay asks.
"Not yet. We need to find out how many people we have fighting for us."
"What happens after we take the ship," Fay asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That is still to be decided. Once we have Cain. Castus and Olive behind us, we'll have bargaining power. So you're in?"
"I'm in," Fay nods. "I'll have the message spread among the tribals."
You notice one of your guards walking towards you, carrying a tray. You motion for Fay to quiet down, as the guard arrives putting the tray down on the table.
"Eat," he says, in a cold voice like the scraping of a blade on rusted metal.
You look at your food. There's a bowl of noodles and strips of thin, cured meat, a small bowl of green jelly with chunks of odd, alien fruit inside, a large plastic cup of wine and a small, dense biscuit-like cake.
"Well, someone's being pampered," Fay says, smiling.
"Clearly I'm just more important than you," you gloat as you have a forkful of noodles and meat.
Fay grabs the biscuit cake from your tray, taking a bite.
"Hey!" you say in annoyance, as Fay sticks her tongue out.
You quickly eat your meal, polishing off the entire tray and gulping down the wine. Then, Magos Cern arrives.
"Good, you've eaten," she says. "These operations will be safer if you've had a full stomach."
"OK, I'm ready, let's go, you say. "Bye, Fay. See you soon."
"See you later, Fay says, blowing a kiss.
Magos Cern leads you out of the cafeteria and along the halls, off along halls and elevators. Eventually, you pass through the cyro-sleep section, arriving in a large operating room. Dozens of Goliaths are lying on the surgery tables, many halfway through surgery. A half dozen other Tech Priests wander around between the Goliaths, removing and adding flesh, bone, organs, cybernetic implants and other strange things.
"I didn't know there were other Tech Priests," you note.
"This ship is the size of a small moon. Did you think you've seen enough of it to accurately be able to say that we don't have something? I have scores of Tech Priests who followed me into the embrace of the Dark Gods," Magos Cern says.
Magos Cern leads you to an operating table.
"This is yours. Please get undressed and wait here, I need to grab my materials and equipment. Stay here."
Magos Cern turns around, walking off, leaving you alone. You spot Cain, lying on his operating table, his chest cut open to reveal still functioning organs. You wonder how he can still be alive with such a hastily cut-up torso, before you wince as you see his eyes dart towards you and you realize he's conscious. Looking to see Magos Cern hobbling away, you hop off the operating table and walk over to him.
"Commander Karth," Cain grunts. "Need something?"
"I have... an offer."
"An offer? An offer of what?" Cain says, absent-mindedly picking at a cut alongside his... or at least, one of his stomachs.
"Freedom," you say, catching the monster's attention.
"Go on," Cain says, furrowing his scarred brow and causing a thin stream of blood to pour from his horns.
"We're planning an escape. We could use you and your men," you say.
"We?"
"Elios, Durge, Elizabeth, Fay, others," you say. "That's it, I think."
"When?"
"We don't have details, yet. We need a head count before we can start planning it."
"Hmmm... I'm willing to give you control of my... "Goliaths", as you called them. But, I have a list of conditions that I want to be satisfied once we take the ship."
"Go on," you say.
"I want us to get names. Every Goliath who is capable of remembering and answering to a name will be called that instead of its serial number, by you and ALL other members of command. No more cyro-sleep. I want a bed for every single Goliath. I don't care if it's fine cloth or a slab of concrete, as long as it doesn't freeze them, it'll do us. I want free time that's not just killing."
"Anything else?" you ask.
"That's it," Cain says, spitting out a serrated teeth that's fallen free from his jaw.
Cain's demands are far from unfair. Really, all he wants is slightly more rights for his Goliaths, which wouldn't even take any more resources. Still, you don't want the beast getting a big head. You ARE still in charge of not only his collar, but the collars of every single Goliath. All you need is a few threats, and the Goliaths will be yours.
> You threaten Cain
"No."
"No?"
"No. I don't think you understand the nature of the offer I'm giving you. I'm letting you live. Whenever I want, I could have every single man under your command strangled to death by your collars, blown apart or force you to tear each other apart. You're going to follow my orders, or you're going to die."
You prepare yourself for Cain to strike, but he only lets out a low, rumbling growl.
"What was that?" you ask suspiciously.
"An order," Cain snarls.
Suddenly, a massive fist smashes into your back. You fly forward, smacking into the operating table and onto the ground. You let out a pitiful moan, before Cain puts his massive foot on your head.
"What orders do you have for me?" he asks.
Cain attempts a triumphant yet terrifying smile. The corners of his mouth twist unnaturally high, revealing rows of serrated teeth, curved fangs, massive molars and many other weird, odd teeth, protruding from bloody, rotten gums. Cain raises his foot, before bringing it down and crushing your head. |
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was here."
"I... no... yes, sir," one says, stepping aside.
You watch Elios stroll out of the room, giving a final smile and wave as he leaves the room.
You get some sleep, lying wrapped up in your blankets. Blissfully, there's only a few dark, terror-filled dreams, the rest only filling your with a vague, uneasy sense of dread. You awaken to Magos Cern poking you in the stomach with a white-hot pincer.
"AH!" you scream. "What the fuck?"
"My diagnostics told me that I'd be able to wake you up 0.4 seconds faster this way. We need to go," Magos Cern says.
"Where?"
"First, you require food. Then, you'l get some implants. I'm going through some long overdue upgrades for the... "Goliaths", as you called them, and Kyros asked me to pencil you in for a few biological upgrades."
"Then?" you ask
"Melee practice. In wake of assassination threats, Kyros wants you to be able to fend off a melee assassination as easily as you could a ranged or psychic attack."
"My powers can do that," you say.
"You'd be run through before you could react. Castus and Olive will run through some drills to get your reaction time up and give you a few dodging techniques that will lend themselves to all your battles."
"Then?"
"By then, with the recovery time from the implants, your weak body will require sleep."
"OK", you say.
Magos Cern leads you out of the room, and along the hallways. You find yourself in a massive cafeteria. You walk forward, spotting Fay sitting alongside a badly burnt girl with a long braid wrapping around herself and another with a prosthetic arm replaced by a sharpened, mechanical claw. Fay looks up, noodles hanging from her mouth, spotting you.
"Oh, Karth!" she says, waving, before noticing that her mouth is filled with noodles and blushing.
You take a seat next to her, and she smiles.
"So, how are you doing?" she asks.
"We need to talk. Alone," you say, looking at the two tribals beside her.
"Uh... OK," Fay says, motioning for the two tribals to move, which they quickly do.
"Thanks," you say to the tribals as they walk off.
"So? Is this about what I think it's about?"
"What do you think it's about?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you know... you want to speak to me alone... privately... so I kind of assume it's about us."
"Yeah, of course it's about us, that's why we're both here to talk about it."
"No, I mean... like, us us," Fay says, clearly frustrated by your failure to understand.
"What?"
"Well, like, do you want us to be a couple?"
> You say "I really like you, but as a friend."
"Oh, yeah, yeah, I agree," Fay says. "I feel the same way, I was actually really dreading telling you that, and I thought I'd have to tell you it now, but since we feel the way, it's OK now."
"Oh, good, good."
"So, what was that other thing?" Fay asks, rushing onto the next subject.
"Rebellion."
"Oh?"
"Kyros is mad and paranoid. He's either going to slit our throats or send us on an endless string of suicide missions. We need to do something, and I really need your help. A group of collaborators have planned to rise up, and rid ourselves of Kyros. Then, we take over. I need the support of your Tribals to do so.
"Yeah, totally. Done."
"Done?"
"Yeah. If we don't escape, we die here. Also, they're your Tribals as much as mine. Who else is in on this?" Fay asks.
"Elios, Durge and Elizabeth are all in. No doubt Calpurnia's man will help us," you say.
"What about Cain and the twins?"
"I haven't asked them yet, but we need to get them on board," you say.
"Do we hae a solid plan yet?" Fay asks.
"Not yet. We need to find out how many people we have fighting for us."
"What happens after we take the ship," Fay asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That is still to be decided. Once we have Cain. Castus and Olive behind us, we'll have bargaining power. So you're in?"
"I'm in," Fay nods. "I'll have the message spread among the tribals."
You notice one of your guards walking towards you, carrying a tray. You motion for Fay to quiet down, as the guard arrives putting the tray down on the table.
"Eat," he says, in a cold voice like the scraping of a blade on rusted metal.
You look at your food. There's a bowl of noodles and strips of thin, cured meat, a small bowl of green jelly with chunks of odd, alien fruit inside, a large plastic cup of wine and a small, dense biscuit-like cake.
"Well, someone's being pampered," Fay says, smiling.
"Clearly I'm just more important than you," you gloat as you have a forkful of noodles and meat.
Fay grabs the biscuit cake from your tray, taking a bite.
"Hey!" you say in annoyance, as Fay sticks her tongue out.
You quickly eat your meal, polishing off the entire tray and gulping down the wine. Then, Magos Cern arrives.
"Good, you've eaten," she says. "These operations will be safer if you've had a full stomach."
"OK, I'm ready, let's go, you say. "Bye, Fay. See you soon."
"See you later, Fay says, looking a bit sullen, as you wonder whether that put down was too forward.
Magos Cern leads you out of the cafeteria and along the halls, off along halls and elevators. Eventually, you pass through the cyro-sleep section, arriving in a large operating room. Dozens of Goliaths are lying on the surgery tables, many halfway through surgery. A half dozen other Tech Priests wander around between the Goliaths, removing and adding flesh, bone, organs, cybernetic implants and other strange things.
"I didn't know there were other Tech Priests," you note.
"This ship is the size of a small moon. Did you think you've seen enough of it to accurately be able to say that we don't have something? I have scores of Tech Priests who followed me into the embrace of the Dark Gods," Magos Cern says.
Magos Cern leads you to an operating table.
"This is yours. Please get undressed and wait here, I need to grab my materials and equipment. Stay here."
Magos Cern turns around, walking off, leaving you alone. You spot Cain, lying on his operating table, his chest cut open to reveal still functioning organs. You wonder how he can still be alive with such a hastily cut-up torso, before you wince as you see his eyes dart towards you and you realize he's conscious. Looking to see Magos Cern hobbling away, you hop off the operating table and walk over to him.
"Commander Karth," Cain grunts. "Need something?"
"I have... an offer."
"An offer? An offer of what?" Cain says, absent-mindedly picking at a cut alongside his... or at least, one of his stomachs.
"Freedom," you say, catching the monster's attention.
"Go on," Cain says, furrowing his scarred brow and causing a thin stream of blood to pour from his horns.
"We're planning an escape. We could use you and your men," you say.
"We?"
"Elios, Durge, Elizabeth, Fay, others," you say. "That's it, I think."
"When?"
"We don't have details, yet. We need a head count before we can start planning it."
"Hmmm... I'm willing to give you control of my... "Goliaths", as you called them. But, I have a list of conditions that I want to be satisfied once we take the ship."
"Go on," you say.
"I want us to get names. Every Goliath who is capable of remembering and answering to a name will be called that instead of its serial number, by you and ALL other members of command. No more cyro-sleep. I want a bed for every single Goliath. I don't care if it's fine cloth or a slab of concrete, as long as it doesn't freeze them, it'll do us. I want free time that's not just killing."
"Anything else?" you ask.
"That's it," Cain says, spitting out a serrated teeth that's fallen free from his jaw.
Cain's demands are far from unfair. Really, all he wants is slightly more rights for his Goliaths, which wouldn't even take any more resources. Still, you don't want the beast getting a big head. You ARE still in charge of not only his collar, but the collars of every single Goliath. All you need is a few threats, and the Goliaths will be yours. |
"Karth!" Meliodas' voice says, appearing in your mind. "Look behind you, you fool!"
You quickly twist around in bed, raising your fists and preparing to use what little psychic powers, to see Elios leaning in the doorway of your bathroom.
"Shit! What the fuck are you doing!?" you shout.
"Hmmm... a man can't just lean back and enjoy one of the finer sights in life?" Elios says, winking as he strolls confidently towards you.
"Get...!" you try to speak, but he puts a finger against your lips, leaning in close.
"Quiet, baby. No need to fret. I'm not here to give you any trouble. I'm hear to help you with a certain little... problem."
Elios runs his hand along your bare chest and up to your collar, playfully tugging on it. You stare at him, waiting.
"Well, let's be realistic here. We're going to be slaughtered. If we're lucky, we're going to be killed when Kyros leads his moronic charge against the Imperium. If we're unlucky, we're going to end up like Calpurnia, tortured to death by a paranoid Psyker."
"You're at risk of being tortured to death. I never betrayed him," you say.
"Oh, baby, why do you have to be so difficult?" Elios smiles, two of his fingers walking up your legs, slowly nearing your groin. "Baby, at the moment, Kyros is looking to eliminate those who are going to betray him. But he's growing paranoid. He'll end thinking you're going to betray him, whether you are or are not. Let's be fair, you do have motives. Your tribe destroyed or enslaved, forced to bear the troubles that a Psyker does? Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if you had an escape plan in the works. Hell, even if he doesn't, one of your men will act rebellious or a battle will go wrong, and you'll be blamed for it. You need to get with us, baby."
"Let's say I'm considering it. What would it entail?" you ask.
"You need to get the leaders on your side. Fay, Olive, Castus, whoever's in charge of those big monster boys I saw you working with earlier. Get them on your side, while I will talk to Elizabeth and Durge about maintaining the rebellious attitude amongst Calpurnia's boys, make sure they're still up for a little bit of mutiny."
"What happens when we take the ship?" you ask.
"That'll be decided once we've secured the other leaders. I'm sure they have demands of their own. So are you in?"
"Hmmm... it's clearly our only option, but you should know that Elios both wants to fuck you over and straight up fuck you," Meliodas says.
"I'm pretty sure my other choice is death. That's not even a choice," you say.
"Well, it's the one I'm giving you, baby," Elios says,gently flicking the tip of your dick, causing you to yelp and scuttle back on your bed.
> You disagree
"No."
"No?" Elios says, taken aback.
"I'm not joining you. He knows what you're planning. I'm not joining your death trap."
"So be it," he says, a sneer forming on his face.
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was her," Elios says, strolling forward, leaving without looking at you.
In the next few weeks, you're quickly proven right. Elios is first. When he's found, he's had his limps slowly sanded off, before being thrown in a pit with mutants who tore him apart. A "mysterious" assassin attempts to kill Elizabeth, but Durge fends her off, only for a "malfunction" to destroy him the next day, incinerating him in a single blast. Elizabeth is killed by one of the ship's macro-cannons, taking out the shuttle they were going on, because of a sensor malfunction identifying it as hostile.
With his threats to power gone, the assault on the Imperium is on. The first few worlds fall with ease, as they're unprepared for the level of firepower that Kyros is bringing to the table. Still, issues arise. You're reinforced by those recruited from the conquered realms as well as throngs of war-bands coming to join your invasion. Still, Kyros gets greedy. He attempts to take on a Forge World, a world literally covered with layers of factories, run by the cyborg-engineers that are part of the machine-worshipping cult known as the Mechnicus. Kyros' grand plans to have a Forge World producing endless war machines are ruined when the planet's orbital defenses take out much of your fleet, and in the ensuing battle the factories are leveled. When Kyros finally takes the planet, it's nothing but a smoking rock.
Everything falls apart after that. In a desperate attempt to capture geneseed stores to allow him to take over the home world of a Space Marine chapter known as the Horned Kings. The chapter is wiped out, but again Kyros gains nothing as the last act of the Chapter Master is to detonate their geneseed stores.
At this point, Kyros' forces are a pale shadow of their previous selves. Cain and most of the Goliaths were taken out as their landing pods were wiped out in an attempt to take the Forge World, and the gladiators are wiped out by a suicidal charge by the Iron Kings. They're not the only ones gone. Fay is killed, along with many of the tribals, in the Genesee stores' destruction. It's only at that point that you truly stop caring. Your tribe is gone, only a few faces so grief-stricken you can barely recognize them remaining. You don't care if you reach Terra. You don't care if you live. You don't care if you die. You just don't care, about anything.
You find yourself on some war-stricken world, killing. Scores of refugees are wiped out as your hand waves and warpfire spurts from the earth. Once, you would've have wanted to hurt innocents. You wouldn't have done it. Now, you feel nothing as you smell their cooked flesh. A Space Marine charges towards you, but you stare at him. The Space Marine screams as you force him to tear his own arms off, tossing them aside and having tentacles rapidly grow out of his arm sockets, before his mind is corrupted and he charges, roaring towards his allies as he begins to tear them apart. You watch as a Dreadnought's legs buckle under your telekinesis, sending it toppling and tumbling down before it explodes. You levitate a Guardsman into the air as he howls in terror, be...
The earth shutters as artillery booms, sending you into the air. Artillery tears through the earth, and you slam into an APC. You hastily stand, to see dozens of refugees piling out of the crippled APC. You see to your surprise Tribals shooting at you and the other refugees, bullets thudding into the metal next to you, before they're killed by bolter fire. You look at your reflection in the half-broken window of a destroyed building, and realize why they were firing. With your now torn clothes and dirt-covered face, you are now indistinguishable from the refugees you've been killing.
You hear a dozen monstrous roars from your allies off towards your right, signifying a charge, before it's answered by the shouts of the Imperial Guard and Space Marine preparing a counter-charge. You could try to escape this. Hide amongst the refugees. Find a way out of this life. But what would be the point? You hear the charge nearing. Damn Kyros, putting you in this situation. Maybe you should be the one to finish his mad invasion? Or maybe you should return to what you know, and fight?
> You attack the Space Marines and Imperial Guard
Fear the Psyker
You turn, to see dozens of colored, heavily armored bodies making a charge. You let out a psychic scream, destroying eardrums and leaving the closest to you collapsing on the ground and howling in pain. You fire a long stream of flames, engulfing another two. From then on, it's a blur. Warpfire flies from you in a whirlwind of flaming death. Psychic electricity runs along your wrists and melts bone, fries skin and takes life. Bolts of energy take out any stupid enough to near you. You take fire, though. You dodge most, shield yourself from most of what remains, but a few get through. By the end of this, blood pours from your wounds and you feel the life drain from you. You continue fighting, breaking and shattering all those before you. Your life has become a blaze, burning all that nears to cinders. Like a blaze, it begins to blaze out. Eventually, you find yourself on your knees, continuing to wipe out dozens of your enemies, though lacking the strength to stand up. You let out a final roar, releasing a burst of psychic energy, before your soul is violently rendered from you.
Although Kyros takes the planet, his forces are nothing more. They take two more worlds before being wiped out as the Ultramarines, Bronze-born and Lead Vipers wipe them out to the last man. Still, Kyros name is barely known. It's another name that becomes commonplace through the Imperium, as a terrifying reminder of why Psykers need to be crushed or imprisoned: Karth. |
"No."
"No?" Elios says, taken aback.
"I'm not joining you. He knows what you're planning. I'm not joining your death trap."
"So be it," he says, a sneer forming on his face.
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was her," Elios says, strolling forward, leaving without looking at you.
In the next few weeks, you're quickly proven right. Elios is first. When he's found, he's had his limps slowly sanded off, before being thrown in a pit with mutants who tore him apart. A "mysterious" assassin attempts to kill Elizabeth, but Durge fends her off, only for a "malfunction" to destroy him the next day, incinerating him in a single blast. Elizabeth is killed by one of the ship's macro-cannons, taking out the shuttle they were going on, because of a sensor malfunction identifying it as hostile.
With his threats to power gone, the assault on the Imperium is on. The first few worlds fall with ease, as they're unprepared for the level of firepower that Kyros is bringing to the table. Still, issues arise. You're reinforced by those recruited from the conquered realms as well as throngs of war-bands coming to join your invasion. Still, Kyros gets greedy. He attempts to take on a Forge World, a world literally covered with layers of factories, run by the cyborg-engineers that are part of the machine-worshipping cult known as the Mechnicus. Kyros' grand plans to have a Forge World producing endless war machines are ruined when the planet's orbital defenses take out much of your fleet, and in the ensuing battle the factories are leveled. When Kyros finally takes the planet, it's nothing but a smoking rock.
Everything falls apart after that. In a desperate attempt to capture geneseed stores to allow him to take over the home world of a Space Marine chapter known as the Horned Kings. The chapter is wiped out, but again Kyros gains nothing as the last act of the Chapter Master is to detonate their geneseed stores.
At this point, Kyros' forces are a pale shadow of their previous selves. Cain and most of the Goliaths were taken out as their landing pods were wiped out in an attempt to take the Forge World, and the gladiators are wiped out by a suicidal charge by the Iron Kings. They're not the only ones gone. Fay is killed, along with many of the tribals, in the Genesee stores' destruction. It's only at that point that you truly stop caring. Your tribe is gone, only a few faces so grief-stricken you can barely recognize them remaining. You don't care if you reach Terra. You don't care if you live. You don't care if you die. You just don't care, about anything.
You find yourself on some war-stricken world, killing. Scores of refugees are wiped out as your hand waves and warpfire spurts from the earth. Once, you would've have wanted to hurt innocents. You wouldn't have done it. Now, you feel nothing as you smell their cooked flesh. A Space Marine charges towards you, but you stare at him. The Space Marine screams as you force him to tear his own arms off, tossing them aside and having tentacles rapidly grow out of his arm sockets, before his mind is corrupted and he charges, roaring towards his allies as he begins to tear them apart. You watch as a Dreadnought's legs buckle under your telekinesis, sending it toppling and tumbling down before it explodes. You levitate a Guardsman into the air as he howls in terror, be...
The earth shutters as artillery booms, sending you into the air. Artillery tears through the earth, and you slam into an APC. You hastily stand, to see dozens of refugees piling out of the crippled APC. You see to your surprise Tribals shooting at you and the other refugees, bullets thudding into the metal next to you, before they're killed by bolter fire. You look at your reflection in the half-broken window of a destroyed building, and realize why they were firing. With your now torn clothes and dirt-covered face, you are now indistinguishable from the refugees you've been killing.
You hear a dozen monstrous roars from your allies off towards your right, signifying a charge, before it's answered by the shouts of the Imperial Guard and Space Marine preparing a counter-charge. You could try to escape this. Hide amongst the refugees. Find a way out of this life. But what would be the point? You hear the charge nearing. Damn Kyros, putting you in this situation. Maybe you should be the one to finish his mad invasion? Or maybe you should return to what you know, and fight?
> You attack Kyros' forces
Ending the Crusade
You turn, to see Chaos Space Marines, Traitor Guard, Mutants, Tribals, Goliaths and Gladiators charging onto the battle. Far in the distance, floating high above the forces, is Kyros. You know what needs to be done. You leap into the air, flying directly towards Kyros with a roar. You release waves of warpfire and psychic energy, killing dozens of people around you, but that's just a side-note to your main foe. You slam into Kyros, wrapping your hands around his throat. You begin to crush his throat, screaming, as Kyros immediately begin to activate your collar, strangling the life out of you. You don't care. You feel your trachea explode, but you don't care, you only keep strangling. As the two of you fight, you release waves of psychic energy, killing scores of men around you. You let out a scream, transfering all your energy into your hands, and Kyros screams in pain and terror, before you tear his head clean from his head. IN a final scream, you release your hold on line, adding all your remaining life and energy into the psychic blast Kyros releases upon his death, wiping out much of Kyros force.
With your move, Kyros' forces are stopped. Without a leader, they are broken on that planet. Magos Cern is taken down attempting to flee the planet, while Chapter Master Taj is killed in a suicidal charge. Kyros' forces take so many losses in you and Kyros' battle and are so confused that they're crushed by the following charge, leaving few alive. Guardsmen who survive note the suicidal rampage you went on with your final breath. Many wonder if, instilled with an ounce of the God-Emperor's courage, you sacrificed herself to take out the monster Kyros was and the monster he made you. Of course, these thoughts would be heresy, so known dare to even think it aloud in there head. Still, the belief persists, to whatever degree, that your death meant something. |
"No."
"No?" Elios says, taken aback.
"I'm not joining you. He knows what you're planning. I'm not joining your death trap."
"So be it," he says, a sneer forming on his face.
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was her," Elios says, strolling forward, leaving without looking at you.
In the next few weeks, you're quickly proven right. Elios is first. When he's found, he's had his limps slowly sanded off, before being thrown in a pit with mutants who tore him apart. A "mysterious" assassin attempts to kill Elizabeth, but Durge fends her off, only for a "malfunction" to destroy him the next day, incinerating him in a single blast. Elizabeth is killed by one of the ship's macro-cannons, taking out the shuttle they were going on, because of a sensor malfunction identifying it as hostile.
With his threats to power gone, the assault on the Imperium is on. The first few worlds fall with ease, as they're unprepared for the level of firepower that Kyros is bringing to the table. Still, issues arise. You're reinforced by those recruited from the conquered realms as well as throngs of war-bands coming to join your invasion. Still, Kyros gets greedy. He attempts to take on a Forge World, a world literally covered with layers of factories, run by the cyborg-engineers that are part of the machine-worshipping cult known as the Mechnicus. Kyros' grand plans to have a Forge World producing endless war machines are ruined when the planet's orbital defenses take out much of your fleet, and in the ensuing battle the factories are leveled. When Kyros finally takes the planet, it's nothing but a smoking rock.
Everything falls apart after that. In a desperate attempt to capture geneseed stores to allow him to take over the home world of a Space Marine chapter known as the Horned Kings. The chapter is wiped out, but again Kyros gains nothing as the last act of the Chapter Master is to detonate their geneseed stores.
At this point, Kyros' forces are a pale shadow of their previous selves. Cain and most of the Goliaths were taken out as their landing pods were wiped out in an attempt to take the Forge World, and the gladiators are wiped out by a suicidal charge by the Iron Kings. They're not the only ones gone. Fay is killed, along with many of the tribals, in the Genesee stores' destruction. It's only at that point that you truly stop caring. Your tribe is gone, only a few faces so grief-stricken you can barely recognize them remaining. You don't care if you reach Terra. You don't care if you live. You don't care if you die. You just don't care, about anything.
You find yourself on some war-stricken world, killing. Scores of refugees are wiped out as your hand waves and warpfire spurts from the earth. Once, you would've have wanted to hurt innocents. You wouldn't have done it. Now, you feel nothing as you smell their cooked flesh. A Space Marine charges towards you, but you stare at him. The Space Marine screams as you force him to tear his own arms off, tossing them aside and having tentacles rapidly grow out of his arm sockets, before his mind is corrupted and he charges, roaring towards his allies as he begins to tear them apart. You watch as a Dreadnought's legs buckle under your telekinesis, sending it toppling and tumbling down before it explodes. You levitate a Guardsman into the air as he howls in terror, be...
The earth shutters as artillery booms, sending you into the air. Artillery tears through the earth, and you slam into an APC. You hastily stand, to see dozens of refugees piling out of the crippled APC. You see to your surprise Tribals shooting at you and the other refugees, bullets thudding into the metal next to you, before they're killed by bolter fire. You look at your reflection in the half-broken window of a destroyed building, and realize why they were firing. With your now torn clothes and dirt-covered face, you are now indistinguishable from the refugees you've been killing.
You hear a dozen monstrous roars from your allies off towards your right, signifying a charge, before it's answered by the shouts of the Imperial Guard and Space Marine preparing a counter-charge. You could try to escape this. Hide amongst the refugees. Find a way out of this life. But what would be the point? You hear the charge nearing. Damn Kyros, putting you in this situation. Maybe you should be the one to finish his mad invasion? Or maybe you should return to what you know, and fight?
> You hide amongst the refugees
You successfully hide amongst the refugees, and are transported to a nearby evacuation facility. You're given a cheap meal of Grox Jerky and soup, before being put into a massive fenced off area. Unfortunately, soon you learn that you overestimated how easy this would be.
"Ah, an inquisitor has arrived. We're going to die here." Meliodas says, as you hear his voice for the first time in a while.
You spot an Inquisitor, a heavily armored agent of the Imperium built for rooting out Chaos and Heresy. He stands, tall and heavily armored, a longsword glowing faintly blue clutched in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. At his side is a grizzled soldier in Carapace armor holding a Flamer and snarling her scarred face as passer-bys, a man in browns robes holding a huge chainsword and a heavily cybernetically-upgraded Tech Priest. You wait patiently, attempting to hide every ounce of your power.
"It's not going to work," Meliodas says. "He's going to find us. You're going to die here. You can get revenge, though. Let me take you. Let me take hold of your body, and open a pathway through the Warp. I can summon endless hordes of daemons to this world, wipe out that inquisitor, gain your vengeance, and allow me power. We have a chance now."
He strolls along, stopping next to you. He looks down, raising an eyebrow.
"Are we experiencing more Warp Storms, Engsineer Low?" he asks.
"No, sir," the tech-priest says in a monotone voice.
The inquisitor rapidly raises a bolt pistol, aiming at you head as he swings the longsword.
"It's Karst! TAKE HIM DOWN!" he screams.
"Now, now! We can crush them! You're already dead. They can be too!" Meliodas howls in your mind.
> You face the bullets
You close your eyes, and soon, the world is taken away. You hope to find a peace in death you could never find in sleep. |
You successfully hide amongst the refugees, and are transported to a nearby evacuation facility. You're given a cheap meal of Grox Jerky and soup, before being put into a massive fenced off area. Unfortunately, soon you learn that you overestimated how easy this would be.
"Ah, an inquisitor has arrived. We're going to die here." Meliodas says, as you hear his voice for the first time in a while.
You spot an Inquisitor, a heavily armored agent of the Imperium built for rooting out Chaos and Heresy. He stands, tall and heavily armored, a longsword glowing faintly blue clutched in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. At his side is a grizzled soldier in Carapace armor holding a Flamer and snarling her scarred face as passer-bys, a man in browns robes holding a huge chainsword and a heavily cybernetically-upgraded Tech Priest. You wait patiently, attempting to hide every ounce of your power.
"It's not going to work," Meliodas says. "He's going to find us. You're going to die here. You can get revenge, though. Let me take you. Let me take hold of your body, and open a pathway through the Warp. I can summon endless hordes of daemons to this world, wipe out that inquisitor, gain your vengeance, and allow me power. We have a chance now."
He strolls along, stopping next to you. He looks down, raising an eyebrow.
"Are we experiencing more Warp Storms, Engsineer Low?" he asks.
"No, sir," the tech-priest says in a monotone voice.
The inquisitor rapidly raises a bolt pistol, aiming at you head as he swings the longsword.
"It's Karst! TAKE HIM DOWN!" he screams.
"Now, now! We can crush them! You're already dead. They can be too!" Meliodas howls in your mind.
> You try to reason with him
"Wait! You...!"
The inquisitor fires, and the bolts slam into your skull, ending your life. You hope to find a peace in death you could never find in sleep. |
You successfully hide amongst the refugees, and are transported to a nearby evacuation facility. You're given a cheap meal of Grox Jerky and soup, before being put into a massive fenced off area. Unfortunately, soon you learn that you overestimated how easy this would be.
"Ah, an inquisitor has arrived. We're going to die here." Meliodas says, as you hear his voice for the first time in a while.
You spot an Inquisitor, a heavily armored agent of the Imperium built for rooting out Chaos and Heresy. He stands, tall and heavily armored, a longsword glowing faintly blue clutched in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. At his side is a grizzled soldier in Carapace armor holding a Flamer and snarling her scarred face as passer-bys, a man in browns robes holding a huge chainsword and a heavily cybernetically-upgraded Tech Priest. You wait patiently, attempting to hide every ounce of your power.
"It's not going to work," Meliodas says. "He's going to find us. You're going to die here. You can get revenge, though. Let me take you. Let me take hold of your body, and open a pathway through the Warp. I can summon endless hordes of daemons to this world, wipe out that inquisitor, gain your vengeance, and allow me power. We have a chance now."
He strolls along, stopping next to you. He looks down, raising an eyebrow.
"Are we experiencing more Warp Storms, Engsineer Low?" he asks.
"No, sir," the tech-priest says in a monotone voice.
The inquisitor rapidly raises a bolt pistol, aiming at you head as he swings the longsword.
"It's Karst! TAKE HIM DOWN!" he screams.
"Now, now! We can crush them! You're already dead. They can be too!" Meliodas howls in your mind.
> You try to fight
You leap up, but the Inquisitor is trained for this. He knocks you back with a pychic blast, and the sword bites into your neck, draining your lifeforce and killing you instantly. You hope to find a peace in death you could never find in sleep. |
You successfully hide amongst the refugees, and are transported to a nearby evacuation facility. You're given a cheap meal of Grox Jerky and soup, before being put into a massive fenced off area. Unfortunately, soon you learn that you overestimated how easy this would be.
"Ah, an inquisitor has arrived. We're going to die here." Meliodas says, as you hear his voice for the first time in a while.
You spot an Inquisitor, a heavily armored agent of the Imperium built for rooting out Chaos and Heresy. He stands, tall and heavily armored, a longsword glowing faintly blue clutched in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. At his side is a grizzled soldier in Carapace armor holding a Flamer and snarling her scarred face as passer-bys, a man in browns robes holding a huge chainsword and a heavily cybernetically-upgraded Tech Priest. You wait patiently, attempting to hide every ounce of your power.
"It's not going to work," Meliodas says. "He's going to find us. You're going to die here. You can get revenge, though. Let me take you. Let me take hold of your body, and open a pathway through the Warp. I can summon endless hordes of daemons to this world, wipe out that inquisitor, gain your vengeance, and allow me power. We have a chance now."
He strolls along, stopping next to you. He looks down, raising an eyebrow.
"Are we experiencing more Warp Storms, Engsineer Low?" he asks.
"No, sir," the tech-priest says in a monotone voice.
The inquisitor rapidly raises a bolt pistol, aiming at you head as he swings the longsword.
"It's Karst! TAKE HIM DOWN!" he screams.
"Now, now! We can crush them! You're already dead. They can be too!" Meliodas howls in your mind.
> You follow Meliodas' plan
Daemonic Pawn
You release yourself, allowing Meliodas to take control. Your soul is burnt out, in a quick and slightly painful action, and your life is gone. You hope to find a peace in death you could never find in sleep.
The planet is soon overwhelmed. In the death of your soul, Meliodas opens a portal to the Warp. He manifests, alongside endless daemon armies. The inquisitor barely manages to react before he's wiped out. Soon, the world is taken. Ironically, a bitter alliance is formed between Kyros and the forces of the Imperium in an attempt to hold back the daemons who care not for Kyros' delusions of grandeur or supposed "loyalty" to the Dark Gods. Soon, the planet is theirs. The planet's populace is wiped out, and warp storms form, taking the planet back to the Chaos of the warp. The last sound on the planet, before it's plunged into the warp, is Meliodas' laughter. |
"No."
"No?" Elios says, taken aback.
"I'm not joining you. He knows what you're planning. I'm not joining your death trap."
"So be it," he says, a sneer forming on his face.
Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
"You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was her," Elios says, strolling forward, leaving without looking at you.
In the next few weeks, you're quickly proven right. Elios is first. When he's found, he's had his limps slowly sanded off, before being thrown in a pit with mutants who tore him apart. A "mysterious" assassin attempts to kill Elizabeth, but Durge fends her off, only for a "malfunction" to destroy him the next day, incinerating him in a single blast. Elizabeth is killed by one of the ship's macro-cannons, taking out the shuttle they were going on, because of a sensor malfunction identifying it as hostile.
With his threats to power gone, the assault on the Imperium is on. The first few worlds fall with ease, as they're unprepared for the level of firepower that Kyros is bringing to the table. Still, issues arise. You're reinforced by those recruited from the conquered realms as well as throngs of war-bands coming to join your invasion. Still, Kyros gets greedy. He attempts to take on a Forge World, a world literally covered with layers of factories, run by the cyborg-engineers that are part of the machine-worshipping cult known as the Mechnicus. Kyros' grand plans to have a Forge World producing endless war machines are ruined when the planet's orbital defenses take out much of your fleet, and in the ensuing battle the factories are leveled. When Kyros finally takes the planet, it's nothing but a smoking rock.
Everything falls apart after that. In a desperate attempt to capture geneseed stores to allow him to take over the home world of a Space Marine chapter known as the Horned Kings. The chapter is wiped out, but again Kyros gains nothing as the last act of the Chapter Master is to detonate their geneseed stores.
At this point, Kyros' forces are a pale shadow of their previous selves. Cain and most of the Goliaths were taken out as their landing pods were wiped out in an attempt to take the Forge World, and the gladiators are wiped out by a suicidal charge by the Iron Kings. They're not the only ones gone. Fay is killed, along with many of the tribals, in the Genesee stores' destruction. It's only at that point that you truly stop caring. Your tribe is gone, only a few faces so grief-stricken you can barely recognize them remaining. You don't care if you reach Terra. You don't care if you live. You don't care if you die. You just don't care, about anything.
You find yourself on some war-stricken world, killing. Scores of refugees are wiped out as your hand waves and warpfire spurts from the earth. Once, you would've have wanted to hurt innocents. You wouldn't have done it. Now, you feel nothing as you smell their cooked flesh. A Space Marine charges towards you, but you stare at him. The Space Marine screams as you force him to tear his own arms off, tossing them aside and having tentacles rapidly grow out of his arm sockets, before his mind is corrupted and he charges, roaring towards his allies as he begins to tear them apart. You watch as a Dreadnought's legs buckle under your telekinesis, sending it toppling and tumbling down before it explodes. You levitate a Guardsman into the air as he howls in terror, be...
The earth shutters as artillery booms, sending you into the air. Artillery tears through the earth, and you slam into an APC. You hastily stand, to see dozens of refugees piling out of the crippled APC. You see to your surprise Tribals shooting at you and the other refugees, bullets thudding into the metal next to you, before they're killed by bolter fire. You look at your reflection in the half-broken window of a destroyed building, and realize why they were firing. With your now torn clothes and dirt-covered face, you are now indistinguishable from the refugees you've been killing.
You hear a dozen monstrous roars from your allies off towards your right, signifying a charge, before it's answered by the shouts of the Imperial Guard and Space Marine preparing a counter-charge. You could try to escape this. Hide amongst the refugees. Find a way out of this life. But what would be the point? You hear the charge nearing. Damn Kyros, putting you in this situation. Maybe you should be the one to finish his mad invasion? Or maybe you should return to what you know, and fight?
> You just walk into the battlefield and let it end
You stroll forward into the battlefield, watching as dozens of brightly colored and heavily armored Space Marines near you. They raise their weapons and fire, as others attempt to get to your with chainswords. You offer no resistance. You don't attempt to dodge the fire, or to block it, or even move. You feel the shells burst through, your organs being decimated. As you collapse back in a pool of blood, you hope death will give you the peace you could never get from sleep. |
You follow Kyros, as you head to the arena. You reach the doors that would lead into it, but instead oof entering you go off to a small elevator behind it. You enter, and it slowly begins descending. It opens, revealing the underhive of the arena. There's dozen of cages, holding exotic beasts and dangerous Xenos. You see a half dozen thick, heavily muscled, green-skinned Orks in a cage, their necks chained to the wall. They're howling and roaring, tugging at their chains. Surprisingly, while most shout in their barbaric, guttural language, one seems to speak yours.
"Humie! Humie! Get me free! Get me free!" he shouts. "I is gonna let you live, even give ya a bitta loot and an escape pod if ya let me free!"
"Don't respond!" someone further down the catacombs that lay beneath the arena shouts. "It only encourages Ol' Dak!"
"Hmmm... this Ork must be one of the greatest speakers of his kind," Meliodas points out. "Of course to us he's a fucking idiot."
The ork's eyes narrow, before he begins howling in frustration and smacking his hands against his own head, a heavy thud emanating as his muscled fists slam into his thick skull. You continue walking, passing amazing and fantastic creatures and gladiators. There's a tentacled slug-man with a large beak and dozens of eyes peppered around his body which is huddled up in the corner of it's cage, a trio of horrible bird-hound creatures that scratch at their bars, a massive human wearing what appears to be an iron cage with hundreds of inward pointing nails who rams himself against the cage wall, his body shredded to such an extent you're amazed he's not dead yet, a multi-legged, horned creature that looks almost cute. Finally, you reach a long hallway, with thick, heavy metal doors spread along the hallway. An eye peers out of a door eye-slot, staring at you.
"Hello there. Do we have more fighters, or...? Oh wait, it's them. Terrific."
The eye disappears, and the slot closes. Kyros takes out a datapad, pressing several buttons before the door slowly slides open, revealing a large open area. Bunk beds line the wall, with a bunch of young men and women, the oldest in their late twenties and the youngest in their mid-teens. They wear very little armor, all of which is either leather or light combat armor. They sit around a fire, roasting chunks of meat on sticks in it. Two of the gladiators lean against the beds nearest to you, staring at you. One is a tall, muscled and tanned, with long blond hair and sparking green eyes. She holds a long, rifle-like gun with an axe blade made into the barrel with a grip under it. The other is shorter, with similarly tanned skin, with playful green eyes and curly brown hair, holding a curved sword and a Plasma pistol. They both look to be in their late teens or early twenties at latest.
"Is that a fire?" Fay asks.
"Are they armed?" you also.
"Yes and yes," the male says, turning to the girl. "This question game is fun."
"The fire's below a vent that's sending the smoke... somewhere. We weren't exactly given schematics of this place, all we know is the smoke doesn't bother us. And we're allowed weapons to keep the others in check. Even if we both went for Kyros, our minds would be shattered before we could raise our weapons," the girl says.
"Nah, I could at least start a swing before I was killed."
"These are the Twins. They lead the Gladiator-Slaves. Now, introduce yourselves," Kyros says.
"I'm Castus," the boy smiles, staring at the pair of you.
His eyes flicker, as he looks over Fay. He appears to be checking her out. You feel like punching him in the throat, but refrain.
"You're a jealous one, aren't you?" Meliodas says.
"I'm Olive," the girl says, extending a hand, which you grab and shake before Fay does the same.
"So, is there a reason you're here?" Castus asks.
"Fay and Karth will be taking command of the gladiators. They are my lieutenants, and will command a segment of our army, the slaves."
"Oh, terrific. We've been shafted," Castus says.
"I'm sure Kyros will want us to have an advisor position to assist Fay and Karth," Olive says.
"Correct," Kyros says.
"Well, there might be an issue with that," Castus says. "You see, both Fay and Karth have a history of... well, murdering my men. Pitting the Kyros Jr and Magos Cern's latest brand of super-freaks against us has led to a lot of men being, quite understandably, pissed with the guys who hacked apart, or psychically exploded, or simply beat their friends upside the head until they went comatose."
"If you want, we can have the dissenters flailed alive. Simply point them out, and I'll have them broken. Is that preferable?"
Castus goes quiet.
"As I thought," Kyros says with a smile. "Make sure the men know to follow orders. Now, it's late, and these guys need sleep. Is anything else needed?"
"I suppose not," Olive says.
"Well, we need a lot, but nothing we're realistically getting anytime soon," Castus says.
Kyros stares at Castus, fire beginning to run along his body.
"Nothing needed, sir," Castus says.
"Good. Fay, Karth, let's go," Kyros says.
Kyros swivels around, walking out of the room. You quickly follow him, and the massive metal door shuts behind you.
"So, we'll escort Fay back to the Uwais dorms, and then send you to your room," Kyros says.
"Well you know, Karth's room is closer. I could just spend the time in his," Fay suggests. "It would give us some time to go over battle plans now that we know what our men are capable of, and I can inform him of what the Uwais tribe are like in battle..."
"Really? That's the reason? That's the reason you're going for?" Kyros asks, raising an eyebrow. "No."
> You accept Kyros' decision
"Fine," you say dejectedly.
"Jeez, Karth, your stubbornness will serve us well in time," Fay says, looking annoyed at you.
You arrive at the doors to your cell, and Kyros opens it.
"Very well," Kyros says. "Inside."
You look at Fay, who smiles at you despite still looking annoyed.
"Bye, Karth," she says, giving a short little wave.
"Bye, Fay," you reply.
The doors are shut, and you walk over to your bed, collapsing on it. Only now do you realize how exhausted you are. You've spent all day walking, which again isn't exactly your specialty. You close your eyes, and soon sleep takes you. Thankfully, the twilight stage where your soul can rest and your exhausted mind can find peace, lasts extra long. Of course, it doesn't take long before the nightmares hit. |
"Alright," Cain sleeps. "What else?"
"Nothing else is required," Magos Cern says. "Return to your pod."
Cain nods, before walking back into his pod. The cyro-pod shuts, leaving Cain back to his cold, endless sleep.
"We should continue," Magos Cern says. "I still have to show you the gladiator slaves who you'll take under you command and the Uwais Tribe. The Goliaths will act as your heavy shock troopers, the gladiator-slaves will act as scouts, skirmishers and fill in whatever spare roles you have, and the Uwais tribe will be your main unit. I'll take you to see them."
You begin following Magos Cern out of the cyro-sleep area, and along the hallways. After ten minutes, you reach a large metal door, which opens to reveal a large room filled with bunk beds, with familiar bronze bodies lying in the beds.
"This is Dorm A. We have around sixty soldiers here," Magos Cern says.
Fay walks into the room, and lets ou a shout.
"Gentlemen! Your captain's back!"
The tribals roll out of bed. You recognize a few of them, but strangely you recognize many as men from other various tribes."
"Fay, you're back!" one says.
"How did the fight go? It took far longer than expected," another adds.
"Oh, shit! Is that Karth?" another asks.
The attention immediately goes from Fay to you, as tribals begin appearing. They all appear far more muscular, many bearing fresh scars.
"Karth! How are you even still alive?" someone asks incredulously.
"It's the Uwais shaman!" another asks.
"Karth, how are you? What have they been doing to you?"
You watch as the tribals begin to surround the three of you, although Magos Cern makes sure they keep as least half a dozen feat away from her.
"Stay back. Karth is only here to see you, not talk to you," Magos Cern says, drawing a datapad and letting out an electro-shock that causes the group to let out a pained yelp before they back away.
"Why are there so many men and women from other tribes? I thought it was the Uwais tribe who was kidnapped."
"When we arrived on your planet, we needed to do a lot of work. We drained lakes for water, drilled into the planet's crust to get vast quantities of Promethium, wiped out native species for food. It takes a lot of effort to run a vessel this large, and to do it quickly and efficiently. While we did so, our soldiers went to work. They needed to fight, both to train and to simply shed blood for their own enjoyment. Prisoners were taken in vast quantities, and I used them as I used the Uwais tribe. Now, there's far more from other tribes than there are from Uwais tribe."
"Hmmm... your home world is destroyed. Ambition is the only path forward now, Karth, there is no going back. We will conquer the stars together." Meliodas says.
"I suppose calling them the Uwais tribe is a bit of a failing, then. Tribals would be more suitable."
"As you wish. You are their superior. You can do as you wish with them."
"The average tribal will be be outfitted with combat armor as well as some equipment, such as grenades, gas masks, communications devices, that kind of thing. The stronger ones will get Bolters, the strongest will be equipped with melee weapons; chainswords, chainaxes, power swords, as well as bolt pistols. The weaker ones will be given specialized roles and equipped for as such: meltaguns and missile launchers for anti-armor, snipers with sniper rifles and stealth roles with chameoline cloaks and silenced weapons. We should have a fairly well equipped army that will be able to hold their own when fighting alongside the Guardsmen and Traitor Marines we have under our command."
"We're not fighting for you fucks!" someone shouts.
"Yeah! Fuck you, you kidnapping bastards!"
"Ah, this is an issue," Magos Cern says. "Unfortunately, due to my... failures in work on the brain, Kyros has forbid me to tinker on their minds to ensure loyalty. Fay has only so far failed to do, so it'll be your job now. I need all rebelliousness to be crushed."
"How?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Get it done. I don't care how. I need to go check on the oxygen decks to the macro guns on the starboard side doesn't asphyxiate," Magos says, turning around and walking off.
"Well, that's a bitch," you complain, turning to Fay. "I guess we need to get rid of rebelliousness before Kyros gets pissy and blows our heads clean off."
"Or..." Fay says slyly. "We could just hide the rebelliousness. It would be better if we kept it under wraps until we have a chance to get out of here."
"Oh, choices, choices, choices. Terrify, threaten, talk or trust. Which shall it be, Karth?" Meliodas says.
You walk forward, into the center of the dorm. You have several options here. You could attempt to use some of your psychic powers to show these tribals the true power of the Warp. That would definitely ensure their loyalty, if only out of fear. You could threaten them to ensure their loyalty, once again while out of fear, and you wouldn't have to alienate yourself by making yourself seem like a terrifying psychic being. You could attempt to convince the tribals that loyalty to this place is the only rational choice. You could also take Fay's path, and assure them that they'll have the chance to get revenge, but that for now they should hide all rebelliousness until it's time to strike.
> You threaten them to ensure their loyalty
You walk slowly forward, growling.
"Magos Cern has told me about some rebellious behavior. It needs to end. We are a tiny fraction of the population of our ship. Even if we could somehow get all of our weapons, get everyone together and ready to fight, and we'd fail to get free. What could we do? We're light-years away from home by now. Even if, by some miracle, we could take this ship, we have no idea how to pilot it, and even then the chances of getting that far is astronomical. Kyros, the team leader, has amazing psychic powers. He could read our minds at any moment. He'd have you flayed alive and had the skin made into a cloak! He'll have this entire dorm filled with Chlorine gas! If you don't want to doom our entire tribe to non-existence, don't even think about rebelling."
The tribals seem a mixture of disappointed, angered and annoyed, but you know the see the logic in what you're saying. They won't rebel. They'll follow orders now.
"Tell the other tribals. I don't want anyone doing anything stupid," you say to the tribals, before turning to Fay. "We should go."
You walk out of the room, quickly followed by Fay, who runs after you.
"That was a bit depressing," she admits.
"How so?" you ask.
"You're not seriously happy with a life of service to a guy who kidnapped us? These guys killed Duggin!" she asks.
"We need to be pragmatic. If there was an option for escape, I'd take it. But I'm not dying when there's no real chance of escape."
"Umm... I guess," Fay says, clearly unsure what to do.
You walk outside, where Kyros awaits, smiling.
"Ah, you're here. Were they convinced?"
You nod eagerly, and Kyros smiles.
Well done," he says. "Now, we need to visit the last of your soldiers, the gladiator-slaves. They're always an interesting crew. Shall we go?"
You look at Fay, who nods, although she still looks nervous from your earlier threats.
"Yes, let's," you reply. |
"Alright," Cain sleeps. "What else?"
"Nothing else is required," Magos Cern says. "Return to your pod."
Cain nods, before walking back into his pod. The cyro-pod shuts, leaving Cain back to his cold, endless sleep.
"We should continue," Magos Cern says. "I still have to show you the gladiator slaves who you'll take under you command and the Uwais Tribe. The Goliaths will act as your heavy shock troopers, the gladiator-slaves will act as scouts, skirmishers and fill in whatever spare roles you have, and the Uwais tribe will be your main unit. I'll take you to see them."
You begin following Magos Cern out of the cyro-sleep area, and along the hallways. After ten minutes, you reach a large metal door, which opens to reveal a large room filled with bunk beds, with familiar bronze bodies lying in the beds.
"This is Dorm A. We have around sixty soldiers here," Magos Cern says.
Fay walks into the room, and lets ou a shout.
"Gentlemen! Your captain's back!"
The tribals roll out of bed. You recognize a few of them, but strangely you recognize many as men from other various tribes."
"Fay, you're back!" one says.
"How did the fight go? It took far longer than expected," another adds.
"Oh, shit! Is that Karth?" another asks.
The attention immediately goes from Fay to you, as tribals begin appearing. They all appear far more muscular, many bearing fresh scars.
"Karth! How are you even still alive?" someone asks incredulously.
"It's the Uwais shaman!" another asks.
"Karth, how are you? What have they been doing to you?"
You watch as the tribals begin to surround the three of you, although Magos Cern makes sure they keep as least half a dozen feat away from her.
"Stay back. Karth is only here to see you, not talk to you," Magos Cern says, drawing a datapad and letting out an electro-shock that causes the group to let out a pained yelp before they back away.
"Why are there so many men and women from other tribes? I thought it was the Uwais tribe who was kidnapped."
"When we arrived on your planet, we needed to do a lot of work. We drained lakes for water, drilled into the planet's crust to get vast quantities of Promethium, wiped out native species for food. It takes a lot of effort to run a vessel this large, and to do it quickly and efficiently. While we did so, our soldiers went to work. They needed to fight, both to train and to simply shed blood for their own enjoyment. Prisoners were taken in vast quantities, and I used them as I used the Uwais tribe. Now, there's far more from other tribes than there are from Uwais tribe."
"Hmmm... your home world is destroyed. Ambition is the only path forward now, Karth, there is no going back. We will conquer the stars together." Meliodas says.
"I suppose calling them the Uwais tribe is a bit of a failing, then. Tribals would be more suitable."
"As you wish. You are their superior. You can do as you wish with them."
"The average tribal will be be outfitted with combat armor as well as some equipment, such as grenades, gas masks, communications devices, that kind of thing. The stronger ones will get Bolters, the strongest will be equipped with melee weapons; chainswords, chainaxes, power swords, as well as bolt pistols. The weaker ones will be given specialized roles and equipped for as such: meltaguns and missile launchers for anti-armor, snipers with sniper rifles and stealth roles with chameoline cloaks and silenced weapons. We should have a fairly well equipped army that will be able to hold their own when fighting alongside the Guardsmen and Traitor Marines we have under our command."
"We're not fighting for you fucks!" someone shouts.
"Yeah! Fuck you, you kidnapping bastards!"
"Ah, this is an issue," Magos Cern says. "Unfortunately, due to my... failures in work on the brain, Kyros has forbid me to tinker on their minds to ensure loyalty. Fay has only so far failed to do, so it'll be your job now. I need all rebelliousness to be crushed."
"How?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Get it done. I don't care how. I need to go check on the oxygen decks to the macro guns on the starboard side doesn't asphyxiate," Magos says, turning around and walking off.
"Well, that's a bitch," you complain, turning to Fay. "I guess we need to get rid of rebelliousness before Kyros gets pissy and blows our heads clean off."
"Or..." Fay says slyly. "We could just hide the rebelliousness. It would be better if we kept it under wraps until we have a chance to get out of here."
"Oh, choices, choices, choices. Terrify, threaten, talk or trust. Which shall it be, Karth?" Meliodas says.
You walk forward, into the center of the dorm. You have several options here. You could attempt to use some of your psychic powers to show these tribals the true power of the Warp. That would definitely ensure their loyalty, if only out of fear. You could threaten them to ensure their loyalty, once again while out of fear, and you wouldn't have to alienate yourself by making yourself seem like a terrifying psychic being. You could attempt to convince the tribals that loyalty to this place is the only rational choice. You could also take Fay's path, and assure them that they'll have the chance to get revenge, but that for now they should hide all rebelliousness until it's time to strike.
> You convince the tribals that loyalty is the best option
You walk slowly forward, growling.
"Magos Cern has told me about some rebellious behavior. It needs to end. We are a tiny fraction of the population of our ship. Even if we could somehow get all of our weapons, get everyone together and ready to fight, and we'd fail to get free. What could we do? We're lightyears away from home by now. Even if, by some miracle, we could take this ship, we have no idea how to pilot it, and even then the chances of getting that far is astronomical. If we stay loyal, we'll survive. We'll prosper. Eventually, we'll be rewarded. We'll survive, we'll carve a little place in this hellish galaxy for us. Understood?"
The tribals seem a mixture of disappointed and inspired. You know the see the logic in what you're saying. They won't rebel. They'll follow orders now.
"Tell the other tribals. I don't want anyone doing anything stupid. We need to do what's best," you say to the tribals, before turning to Fay. "We should go."
You walk out of the room, quickly followed by Fay, who walks alongside after you.N
"That was a bit depressing," she admits.
"How so?" you ask.
"You're not seriously happy with a life of service to a guy who kidnapped us? These guys killed Duggin!" she asks.
"We need to be pragmatic. If there was an option for escape, I'd take it. But I'm not dying when there's no real chance of escape."
"Umm... I guess," Fay says, clearly unsure what to do.
You walk outside, where Kyros awaits, smiing.
"Are they convinced?"
You nod eagerly, and he smiles.
"Terrific. Now, we need to visit the last of your soldiers, the gladiator-slaves. They're always an interesting crew. Shall we go?"
You look at Fay, who nods.
"Yes, let's," you reply. |
"Alright," Cain sleeps. "What else?"
"Nothing else is required," Magos Cern says. "Return to your pod."
Cain nods, before walking back into his pod. The cyro-pod shuts, leaving Cain back to his cold, endless sleep.
"We should continue," Magos Cern says. "I still have to show you the gladiator slaves who you'll take under you command and the Uwais Tribe. The Goliaths will act as your heavy shock troopers, the gladiator-slaves will act as scouts, skirmishers and fill in whatever spare roles you have, and the Uwais tribe will be your main unit. I'll take you to see them."
You begin following Magos Cern out of the cyro-sleep area, and along the hallways. After ten minutes, you reach a large metal door, which opens to reveal a large room filled with bunk beds, with familiar bronze bodies lying in the beds.
"This is Dorm A. We have around sixty soldiers here," Magos Cern says.
Fay walks into the room, and lets ou a shout.
"Gentlemen! Your captain's back!"
The tribals roll out of bed. You recognize a few of them, but strangely you recognize many as men from other various tribes."
"Fay, you're back!" one says.
"How did the fight go? It took far longer than expected," another adds.
"Oh, shit! Is that Karth?" another asks.
The attention immediately goes from Fay to you, as tribals begin appearing. They all appear far more muscular, many bearing fresh scars.
"Karth! How are you even still alive?" someone asks incredulously.
"It's the Uwais shaman!" another asks.
"Karth, how are you? What have they been doing to you?"
You watch as the tribals begin to surround the three of you, although Magos Cern makes sure they keep as least half a dozen feat away from her.
"Stay back. Karth is only here to see you, not talk to you," Magos Cern says, drawing a datapad and letting out an electro-shock that causes the group to let out a pained yelp before they back away.
"Why are there so many men and women from other tribes? I thought it was the Uwais tribe who was kidnapped."
"When we arrived on your planet, we needed to do a lot of work. We drained lakes for water, drilled into the planet's crust to get vast quantities of Promethium, wiped out native species for food. It takes a lot of effort to run a vessel this large, and to do it quickly and efficiently. While we did so, our soldiers went to work. They needed to fight, both to train and to simply shed blood for their own enjoyment. Prisoners were taken in vast quantities, and I used them as I used the Uwais tribe. Now, there's far more from other tribes than there are from Uwais tribe."
"Hmmm... your home world is destroyed. Ambition is the only path forward now, Karth, there is no going back. We will conquer the stars together." Meliodas says.
"I suppose calling them the Uwais tribe is a bit of a failing, then. Tribals would be more suitable."
"As you wish. You are their superior. You can do as you wish with them."
"The average tribal will be be outfitted with combat armor as well as some equipment, such as grenades, gas masks, communications devices, that kind of thing. The stronger ones will get Bolters, the strongest will be equipped with melee weapons; chainswords, chainaxes, power swords, as well as bolt pistols. The weaker ones will be given specialized roles and equipped for as such: meltaguns and missile launchers for anti-armor, snipers with sniper rifles and stealth roles with chameoline cloaks and silenced weapons. We should have a fairly well equipped army that will be able to hold their own when fighting alongside the Guardsmen and Traitor Marines we have under our command."
"We're not fighting for you fucks!" someone shouts.
"Yeah! Fuck you, you kidnapping bastards!"
"Ah, this is an issue," Magos Cern says. "Unfortunately, due to my... failures in work on the brain, Kyros has forbid me to tinker on their minds to ensure loyalty. Fay has only so far failed to do, so it'll be your job now. I need all rebelliousness to be crushed."
"How?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Get it done. I don't care how. I need to go check on the oxygen decks to the macro guns on the starboard side doesn't asphyxiate," Magos says, turning around and walking off.
"Well, that's a bitch," you complain, turning to Fay. "I guess we need to get rid of rebelliousness before Kyros gets pissy and blows our heads clean off."
"Or..." Fay says slyly. "We could just hide the rebelliousness. It would be better if we kept it under wraps until we have a chance to get out of here."
"Oh, choices, choices, choices. Terrify, threaten, talk or trust. Which shall it be, Karth?" Meliodas says.
You walk forward, into the center of the dorm. You have several options here. You could attempt to use some of your psychic powers to show these tribals the true power of the Warp. That would definitely ensure their loyalty, if only out of fear. You could threaten them to ensure their loyalty, once again while out of fear, and you wouldn't have to alienate yourself by making yourself seem like a terrifying psychic being. You could attempt to convince the tribals that loyalty to this place is the only rational choice. You could also take Fay's path, and assure them that they'll have the chance to get revenge, but that for now they should hide all rebelliousness until it's time to strike.
> You take Fay's suggestion
You walk forward, your voice dropping to a whisper.
"Look, we need to be practical. We can cause some minor trouble, a riot or two, kill a few guards at best. That leads to them just shutting off our dorms and pumping these rooms full of chlorine gas. We stay seemingly loyal, do what we're told, and wait. Eventually, when we have the chance, we strike. They won't expect it, and we'll have waited until the perfect opportunity. Then, we escape. Then, we gain freedom. Then, we gain a future. Got it?"
There's hushed responses, as the tribals take a hopeful, inspired look. They won't rebel. They'll follow orders... for now. As soon as the chance rises though, you'll have a loyal group of soldiers to fight alongside you.
"Tell the other tribals. We need to stick togther" you say to the tribals, before turning to Fay. "We should go."
You walk out of the room, with Fay at your side, holding your hand.
"Well, I'm glad you took my suggestion," she says, smiling sweetly at you.
"Well, you're clever, so I should listen to your advise every once in a while," you reply.
"Stop teasing," she says, lightly hitting you. "We all know how this relationship works. You're the brains, I'm the brawn. Not the other way around."
"Well, how come I can easily push you around?" you say, flicking your wrist and sending Fay onto her rear.
"Hey!" she says.
"Sorry," you say, laughing.
"You're a massive dick," she complains, as you lift her back to her feet.
You stop, the smile going from your face as you see Kyros walking quickly towards you.
"Ah, here you are. Is the issue resolved?"
You nod, trying not to let him see you gulp nervously.
"Good. Now, we need to visit the last of your soldiers, the gladiator-slaves. They're always an interesting crew. Shall we go?" Kyros asks.
You look at Fay, who nods, smiling at you.
"Yes, let's," you reply. |
You stand, walking along after Kyros. You're at a point where your psychic growth has overtaken your physical growth to such a degree that it'd be easier to float along the ground rather than actually having to walk. Unfortunately, the collar prevents you from even firing out some sparks without Kyros' permission. You arrive in a metal door, which opens, revealing the booth from which Kyros and the others watch down at the fight. You walk along, looking down at the arena, which is empty.
"I thought you were bringing me to see Fay," you say nervously, despite knowing what this is.
"I brought you to see her fight!" Kyros says with a smile.
You stare down, as one of the gates opens. You watch as an abomination stumbles out. Stumbling on four insect-like legs, with it's eft arm replaced by a long tentacle of coiled pink muscle, the very end of it studded with bone outgrowths to make it a more formidable weapon. In it's right hand is a short, rusted axe stained with blood and gore. It's head is monstrous, with an oversized mouth filled to the brim with teeth, overflowing with acid that drips onto it's chest with a sizzle, and a single, blood-shot eye. The creature looks up at you, it's eye flinching, before it lets out a miserable howl.
"Shit... that looks miserable beyond belief," you say.
"Yes, she does," Kyros says, grinning from ear to ear as half a dozen more beasts just like the first walk, stumble or crawl into the center of the arena.
"She?" you ask.
Now that you're not fighting them, you can have a long look and see what these mutant abominations really are: disgusting, pitiful creatures that should receive a quick death.
"You don't recognize her?" Kyros says, clearly suppressing laughter. "This is what remains of the Uwais Tribe, and the first one to come out, the pack leader, is Fay."
You look at monsters underneath, trying to see any resemblance to your friends as pure horror overtakes your mind. You collapse to your knees, puking over the banister and onto the monsters underneath as Kyros bursts into laughter.
"He's done this to provoke you. He wants to get you angry, to see how powerful you are even with the collar. He's under-exaggerating how powerful you are, so you might be able to harm him, but..." Meliodas advises, but you don't pay any attention, too filled with anger.
You stand, holding onto the banister to pull yourself up. Your knees shake, but you take a moment to regain your strength. Then, you launch yourself at Kyros. You grab at his eyes, your fingers going straight for his eyes. Kyros stumbles backwards, unprepared, before you feel your collar quickly tightening as you start to choke. You continue to scratch and gouge, even as the air is choked from you. Finally, you're dragged upwards by invisible hands, floating a few feet away from Kyros. Your weak body has done practically no damage to Kyros, who seems surprised and a bit amused rather than angry.
"Hmmm... I under-exaggerated how angry you'd get, or how stupid you are if you think trying to fight me is an option."
"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to break you. I don't care how long it takes, I will destroy your very soul," you say, staring at him.
Kyros chuckles softly, before forcing you around to stare down at the arena.
"Watch the match," he says.
"We will have our revenge, Karth. Not today, not tomorrow, but we will have our revenge, " Meliodas says.
You watch for about a minute as the abominations sit there, wandering around in confusion, falling to brief bursts of violence and self-harm and a lot of screaming and howling. Finally, the second gate opens. You watch as hooded figures enter, holding swords and small, circular shields. The trio charges forward, diving into the air. The beasts charge forward, attacking with fierce brutality. You watch as the lead one, the thing that used to be Fay, is almost beheaded by one of the trio. The trio fight with ease, diving, ducking and weaving out of the way of tentacles, axes, biting and stomping. Within a minute, the last of the abominations stumble forward and hits the ground as its front two legs are hacked off, and one of the trio leaps on top of the monster and impales it through the head.
"What a display!" Kyros says with a smile. "Shall we see the victors?"
Before you can say a word, Kyros releases you and you fall through the air, smacking into the dirt with a pained yelp. You moan in pain, looking up at the fighters. They walk forward, staring at you.
"Karth?" one of them asks.
You look up to see Fay standing there, her hooded robes covered in blood, alongside two other Uwais tribals you vaguely remember from your trips accompanying hunting parties, the Jakar Twins.
"Fay," you reply, staring back at her, not knowing what else to say.
Fay tosses her sword aside, grabbing you and embracing you tightly. Even though you feel yourself being turned into a fine powder from the strength of her hug, you're just so happy that you've found her that you don't care, hugging back. Kyros drops down, staring at you from over Fay's shoulder, as Magos Cern joins you.
"Ah, what a happy reunion!" Kyros says.
"You said she was dead!" you shout angrily, pushing Fay aside to point an accusatory finger at him.
"I did. I lied," Kyros says, smiling.
"Never trust a psyker, Karth. Not even yourself," Meliodas says.
You shrug it off, trying not to bow to his attempts at emotional manipulation. You grab Fay, looking at her properly as she takes off her hooded cloak. She's tall, standing over six foot tall, and she's a lot more muscular than you remember. Whatever Kyros has done to her, it's had a serious affect. Her arms and legs are quite muscled, and you doubt you could find an ounce of fat anywhere on her. Still, she has the same coy smile, the wild, adventurous look in her eyes, She's pretty much the same Fay.
"So... what's with the hood?" you ask, struggling to find anything else to say.
"Um... it's so the mutants can't grab my hair and drag me down, Karth. Was that the most important question? How are you? What are they doing to you?"
"Come on, out of the arena. I have a captured Squig the boys want to have some fun fighting," Kyros says. "Jakar twins, back to the dorm. Karth, Fay, follow me."
You look at Fay, before grabbing her hand and walking after Kyros and Magos Cern.
"Hmm, walking alongside me with my hand held? Where's the old Karth that I would piggyback around the village?" Fay asks.
"Pffh, if I didn't have this collar I'd be floating around the place," you say.
The stress of being kidnapped, having your tribe enslaved and murdered, your village burned down, your mind and soul forced through the very depths of hell falls away as you talk to your old friend. You recount your story as she tells hers. Apparently, she spent much of the time in a coma, having her body hacked apart and remade. Her blood now contains vast amounts of chems and combat drugs, she has several new organs and stronger bones, faster blood clotting and much more. She's trained extensively both with swords, guns, explosives and infinitely more, as well as team tactics. She's been chosen out as Team Leader for the Uwais super-soldiers.
"So basically, you've become a super-soldier?"
"Super-soldier?" Magos Cern says, her voice flooded with the most emotion you've heard from her the entire time you knew her. "She's a failure. A disgrace. I had access to geneseed, space marine test subjects and untold resources. What did I create? A mockery. These "super-soldiers" couldn't take on multiple space marines each like I had hoped. They couldn't take on a single fucking space marine like I had planned! They're barely worth half a space marine! I've failed!"
"They'll do fine, Magos," Kyros says, arriving at another set of metal doors, which open to reveal a large table, where various figures are sitting.
There's Kyros, Magos Cern and Taj Suenage, as well as Kyros' daughter, who sits in the corner. There's also many more who you don't know. One is a tall, gaunt looking woman with pale skin and black hair pulled back in a pony tail, wearing a long coat that disturbingly, appears to be made from human skin. Another is a girl with a shaved head wearing heavy combat armor who is sharpening a long machete, another is a... person whose gender you can't tell, wearing black leather armor and lingerie in an odd attempt to look sexy at a war meeting, with long, curly black hair and excessive make-up. The person smiles at you, licking his... or her... or its lips. Then there's a young girl, younger than even you, wearing hooded robes and reading an ancient, dusty tome. Finally, there's a barely human monster. An obese man covered with rotting pores, boils, sores and pus-filled, infected wounds, with its arms replaced by long, rusted spikes. Kyros and Magos Cern take a seat.
"These are the leaders of the fleet, Fay and Karth. Some introductions are in order. First is me, the supreme leader of the entire fleet. Magos Cern leads the Dark Mechanicus on the ship and maintains the vessel itself. Chapter Master Taj Suenage leads the space marine chapter on board, the Undying Reapers. Then we have Calpurnia the Ravager, leader of the 22nd Istanford Regiment. "
The one with the human skin coat stands up, extending a hand to shake.
"Pleasure to meet you," she says, shaking both your hand and Fay's. I hope you're... efficient during your stay here."
"Then there's the Staine siblings. There's Rebecca Staine, the leader of the Bloody Claws, a war-band that worships Khorne the war god."
"Fuck you, psyker. You're weak and pathetic. Your parents should've left you to die," Rebecca growls, pointing her blade at you.
"Fuck you," Fay snarls, shoving her blade point away from your throat.
Rebecca stands, brandishing her sword, before the plague-ridden man stands, blocking Rebecca's path forward with one of his spike arms.
"Hey, hey! There's no need for violence! We're all brothers and sisters here!"
Rebecca sits back down with another growl.
"Alright, next we have Elios, leading of the Shrieking Harpies, a war-band that worships Slaanesh, the god of excess," Kyros says, pointing at the person clad in leather and lingerie.
"Pleasure to meet you, darlings. For slaves aboard a Chaos vessel, might I say you're looking... delectable," Elios says in a deep, masculine voice, licking his lips as he stares at both you and Fay.
"Keep it in your pants, Elios," Kyros says. "Next we have Elizabeth."
Elizabeth, the hooded girl reading the book, doesn't look up.
"She's risen to the position of leader of the One-Eyed Crows, a war-band that worships Tzeentch, the sorceror god. She easily reached the position through her amazing social abilities. Tell us about yourself, Elizabeth."
"Move along," Elizabeth says, making a circular motion with her hand without looking up.
"OK, Elizabeth. Finally, we have Durge, leader of the Black Rats war-band that worships Nurgle the plague god."
"Hello!" the diseased man says, waving his spike-arms. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I hope you're being treated well. I hope you're being fed enough. If not, it's probably because I've eaten all the food aboard this vessel!"
The man, Durge, breaks into laughter as several maggots burst from his skin. You try not to get sick.
"You're here to meet the leaders of this fleet so that you know who you'll be answering. We want you both to lead the slave army."
"Slave army?" Fay asks.
"The Uwais tribe soldiers, the previous batch of failed test subjects, the gladiator slaves and whatever else we can muster up. We'll hold the detonators to your explosive collars, but you'll hold a copy of the detonators for all the men under your command."
"There was a previous batch of failed test subjects?" Fay asks.
"Yes, there was. They were quite strong, but their minds were easily broken. Most weren't sentient, the sentient ones were insane. There was only one who you could even have a conversation with, the one I appointed leader. I'll show you to them some time after this. I assume you'll take the position?"
"It's not like I have much choice," you say.
"We'll take it," Fay says, answering for the both of you.
"This slave army, ot whatever you want to call it, will give us the strength advantage to become a serious military power in this tiny little sector. We could conquer ourselves a little kingdom from the weak and undefended worlds. We could become a raiding fleet that could have us living a life of luxury. But one little slave army wouldn't even give us a chance against even the defenses on Pluto!" Calpurnia says.
"I'll tear out your soul and devour it if you show anymore signs of cowardice!" Kyros yells. "Magos Cern, take Fay and Karth to see the previous batch of super-soldiers."
"I'll have to let the galaxy witness the shame of my failed creation when we release them on the galaxy. I might as well let the two adolescents have a preview of my sickening failure," Magos Cern says.
"We're not finished here!" Calpurnia splutters angrily. "I'm not launching my army on a suicide mission!"
"My army! As long as you serve me, it's my army!" Kyros screams.
"We take a vote, then," Calpurnia suggests.
"Fine, raise your hands if you don't want to go through with the assault, if you're a coward, if you're not loyal."
Calpurnia defiantly holds up her hands. Elios holds up his next.
"Sorry, Kyros. I'm not dying.. I'm too young and beautiful to die fighting an unwinnable war," he says.
Durge holds up a spike, looking ashamed.
"I'm loyal, Kyros, but I'm just as loyal to my men as you, and I won't see them die for nothing."
Elizabeth slowly raises a hand, looking up from her book for the first time.
"This plans suicide, Kyros. We both know that."
Kyros snarls in anger, looking around.
"That's me, Cern, Taj and Rebecca for attacking, and Elizabeth, Durge, Elios and Calpurnia for not doing so," Kyros says in a low growl.
"The slave leaders are the tie-breakers, then," Calpurnia says.
Kyros looks at you with a stare, holding onto the controller for your collars. Well, this seems like an obvious answer, even if it is a suicide mission.
> You don't support the assault on Terra
You raise your hand, and Fay follows suit.
"You have balls of steel," Meliodas says. "Unfortunately, now Kyros will tear them off, melt them down, turn them into a sword and fuck you up the arse."
"You fucking cunts! I lifted you up from the dirt! I gave you power! I gave you a future! I gave you all a future, and now you want to betray me?!" Kyros screams, standing up. "I won't let scum like you kill our chance at greatness! Loyal brothers, wipe them from the face of the earth!"
In an instant, everything goes to hell. Kyros puts your collars on full, and your collar tightens incredibly. You feel your throat be crushed and the air run out as you helplessly grab at it, watching the carnage. Calpurnia stands, raising her bolt pistol, but Rebecca leaps up, driving her sword through Calpurnia's chest, killing her instantly. Elios moves with incredible speed, drawing a hidden blade and slicing open Taj's throat as the space marine attempts to raise his bolter. Then, Magos Cern sprays boiling gasoline from a pipe in the side of her head into Elios' face, burning him severely before she stands, driving a drill into his burned face as he falls backwards. Durge struggles to stand with his immense wait, but immediately moves forward, standing in front of Elizabeth in an attempt to shield her from Kyros' wrath.
"Elizabeth, get out of here!" Durge says, as a panicked Elizabeth gets out of her seat.
"Durge, you miserable, plague-infested prick. You're going to die. You think you can save your sister? I'm going to cut off your spike-arms and drive them into both her eyes and then give her to the troops for a bit of fun."
Durge roars, charging forward. The scene goes fuzzy as the lack of oxygen hits your brain and you feel your throat being crushed. All you see is the massive, blurry blob that is Durge explode, collapsing backwards, just as Elizabeth disappears, no doubt having teleported with some psychic ability she has. Kyros screams, but by now you're on the line between conscious. You reach a hand out, finding Fay's as she dies on the ground next to you. You hold her hand tightly as she squeezes back and the last bit of life leaves you. |
You are sitting in the pilot's chair of the starship Andromeda, on the edge of the Protherus star system, getting ready to make a Light Space Jump to your freighter's next destination. You hear a sound, like someone gasping in surprise, and look up from your console. Your co-pilot, Karl, is looking intently at his console, and doesn't seem to have heard anything unusual. You must have imagined the sound, for you and Karl are the only two people aboard this starship.
"Jump calculations are complete," Karl says to you, sitting in the co-pilots seat beside yours.
Before you, the transparent plasglass windows of the cockpit provide a view of the stars. Space stretches on infinitely before you. Directly in the middle of your foreward view, a star shines brighter than the others - it is your destination, the closest star to the star system you are currently in.
"Preparing to Jump to Light Space," you say, mentally going through your pre-jump checklist, as you press buttons and flick switches to the correct settings. You feel the ship beginning to vibrate as the interstellar propulsion system powers up, ready to activate.
"Activating LSJD," you say, pressing the final button. There is the usual flash of white light, and...
> You not Quite Right
You are sitting in your pilot's chair, in the cockpit of the Andromeda, and something is not quite right. Outside the windows, the darkness of space is gone, there is only light. You raise your arm to cover your eyes, but as you do, the light pales. Instead of searing your eyes like a thousand suns, the endless expanse of white outside the windows gives off a soft light, like looking at a white plaster wall that someone is shining a torch on.
As your eyes adjust to this strange phenomena, you hear a gasping, gurgling sound from behind you. Glancing to one side, you see the strangest thing. The right hand half of the cockpit is stretched out before and behind you. Your co-pilot, his chair and console, are now lines and blobs of horizontal colour, stretching through the room in streaks, like a motion-blurred, time-lapse photograph!
Your head goes dizzy as your eyes and brain try to make sense of what it is you are seeing, then suddenly the strange warping of space stops, and the entire cockpit looks normal and whole once more. However, your co-pilot, his body restored to its correct physical form, sags forward in his chair, held up by his chest-crossing seatbelt buckle. Blood trickles from the corners of his mouth as his head drops forward, staring sightlessly down at his console.
Outside the ship, the pale light - the endless expanse of whiteness instead of the blackness of space - tells you that something is horribly wrong here.
> You examine Karl's body.
You move from your console, over to beside your co-pilot. You lift up his head so you can look in his eyes. His head, fully illuminated by the pale light shining in through the windows, stares back at you, seeing nothing. You release him, letting his head drop back down again.
Looking at his jumpsuit, you examine the body-monitoring device built into the suit. The device is supposed to monitor life signs, as well as the surrounding environment, and it tells you that his heart has stopped. Karl is clearly dead.
> You bring up a ship damage report on your console, and try to find out what is wrong with the ship.
Sitting in your chair, you bring up the ship status display, and look for signs of damage. For a moment you just look at the screen, unable to believe what it is saying. According to the screen, nothing exists behind the ship's cockpit. The rest of the ship is simply gone... vanished... non-existant!
'How can that be?' you think to yourself. After all, the power generators at the rear of the ship must exist, because all the computer systems and life support within the cockpit is functioning just as it always does. The rest of the ship MUST exist!
Frustrated, you turn off the status display.
> You check the ship's sensors, and see what it can detect.
You look at the ship's sensor screen. It shows your ship in the middle of the screen, but shows no signs of planets or stars in the vicinity. In fact, it shows nothing at all, in any direction. You look out the window again, at the vast expanse of whiteness that seems to stretch out endlessly in every direction. There's nothing out there but pale, white light.
What is this place? Is this Light Space, the other dimension, that ships pass through when they jump? Did your ship somehow become stuck in this dimension, half-way through the jump procedure? If so, how are you supposed to get out?
> You open the cockpit door, and look into the central passageway.
Feeling a little uncertain as to what you might find, you nervously walk to the rear of the cockpit, and press the door release button. The rear door slides open and...
The central passageway that runs from the cockpit, through the ship, to the cargo bay at the rear, looks exactly as it always does. Lights in the ceiling illuminate the steel passage. Metal grating panels on the floor allow access to various wires and cables that run through the ship, beneath your feet. Door hatches are set into the passage walls at different points along its length, leading to various rooms aboard the ship. Far at the other end, you see a large hatch, that opens into the cargo bay at the other end of the starship.
Everything looks completely - suddenly there is a shearing of light and form, as a section of wall about half way down the passage blurs outwards into the passage, in an array of colourful streaking lines - then suddenly flattens out again to look like a normal section of wall once more. Perhaps things aren't as completely normal as they seem...
You say a short prayer that the motion blurring phenomena won't happen anywhere near you.
> You start walking down the passageway.
You step out of the cockpit and into the passageway. As you move through the doorway, you feel a strange sensation, like stepping through a thin wall of water.
> You turn around.
Having felt like you stepped through an invisible wall, you turn around to look at the doorway you just came through. The doorway looks as empty as before, the air is clear and invisible as always. However, looking back through the doorway into the cockpit, you can't help but gasp.
Outside the cockpit windows, you see space! Black space! Dotted with stars! You're back in normal space again! In fact... it would seem the ship is exactly where it was before it tried to jump - as you can see the single bright star in the middle of the window, the star you were going to jump to. Then you gasp again, blinking your eyes to be sure you can believe what you are seeing - for there are two people in the cockpit!
On the right sits Karl, your co-pilot, running jump calculations through the computer, and on the left is... it's you! You are in there, sitting in the pilot's chair, preparing the ship for jump! How is that possible?
> You rush back into the cockpit!
As you rush through the doorway, out of the passageway, and back into the cockpit, you feel the strange sensation again, the slight pressure against your body, as if you are passing through a thin wall of water. As your face passes through, the scene before your eyes changes!
Karl's body lies dead in his chair, as you had left him, and your chair is empty again. Outside the windows is the shining expanse of pale, white light. What the heck is happening on your ship? It's almost as if... Yes, it's as if the cockpit and the passageway existed in two different places... Or rather, two different times!
The passage outside the cockpit was somehow before the jump took place, and here in the cockpit is somehow at the current time frame... Actually, you would only be guessing that you were in the current time frame - how would you even know what was the past. For all you know, the cockpit could be somewhere in the distant future, or - or who knows what?
> You start walking down the passageway, again.
You step out of the cockpit and into the passageway. As you move through the doorway, you feel a strange sensation, like stepping through a thin wall of water....
> You turn around, again.
Having felt like you stepped through an invisible wall, you turn around to look at the doorway you just came through. This time, you are prepared for what you see - outside the cockpit windows, you see space again, and both Karl and yourself are sitting in the cockpit chairs. You feel certain that if you tried to step into that cockpit, you would end up back in your version of the cockpit, surrounded by white space.
> You continue down the passageway
You decide to continue down the passageway. A few metres along, you reach door hatches on both sides of the passage. One is your sleeping quarters, the other is Karl's. An image of his dead face, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, flashes before your eyes. You take a deep breath, and calm yourself. You know you will need to keep a level head if you are going to get out of this alive.
> You open the door to your sleeping quarters.
You press the door release button on the wall, and the door to your sleeping quarters slides open. Through the doorway, things look normal. Your bunk is up against one wall, the covers thrown aside - why make a bed if you're the only one who's going to look at it, or use it? Against another wall is a desk unit, with a few personal odds and ends inside and on top of it. A closet containing your clothing is up against a third wall.
The lights are on, and you don't see any strange blurring, bending or stretching of the universe.
> You go inside your sleeping quarters.
You step through the doorway, and instantly feel that sensation again - the feeling of walking through an invisible wall, like passing through a sheet of water. Your sleeping quarters are now quite different to how they had looked an instant ago...
Firstly, the bed is made. You can't remember ever having made your bed. Secondly, and more disturbingly to you, the sheets are bright pink with little white bunny rabbits on them!
You suddenly hear footsteps behind you, and spin around to see a woman wearing a pilot's uniform, standing in the passageway, outside the room. She looks up from a clipboard she was reading, and her jaw drops as she sees you looking back at her. You can see the cogs turning inside her mind, as she tries to find words to say, and her first instinct is to shout, "Get the hell out of my sleeping quarters!"
> You quickly step back out into the passageway!
Blushing furiously, and stunned at whatever is happening - for only yourself and Karl were supposed to be aboard the starship - you step out into the passageway.
As you do, you feel yourself passing through an invisible wall again, and an odd thing happens - as your eyes pass through the wall, she vanishes from in front of you. As you stand in the passageway, looking about, she is nowhere to be seen. Looking back into the sleeping quarters, you see your sleeping quarters, with your personal belongings, and your unmade bed!
The woman in uniform is nowhere to be seen! How very, very strange.
> You slowly step back into your quarters.
Taking a deep breath, you step back through the doorway. As you pass the invisible wall again, you see the room, once more, clean and tidy, with pink bedsheets. Now though, the woman is inside the room with you. She is in the middle of the room, with her back to you. The clipboard lies where she dropped it on the floor, and she has drawn a pistol. She looks left and right, examining her sleeping quarters, holding the gun carefully, ready to fire.
> You say "Please, don't shoot! I'm unarmed!"
"Please, don't shoot! I'm unarmed!" you say, as she swivels quickly to face you, pointing her gun in your face.
"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" she demands.
> You say "Your ship? This is my ship, lady! These are my sleeping quarters!"
"What are you talking about? I've run this ship for six years, now!" she says incredulously, waving the gun about in front of you.
"The Andromeda has been under my command for twelve years," you growl back at her, "It was my father's ship before me, and I don't recall either him, or myself, selling it to anyone else!"
"The Andromeda wasn't your father's ship - it was my father's ship!" she shouts back at you, waving her gun some more. "And it was my grandfather's ship before him, and my great-grandfather's before him!"
Something crazy is going on, and your brain is hurting just trying to work it out. A suspicion is creeping into your mind. "My name is Michael Dobson," you tell her, hoping an introduction, and an attempt at being diplomatic, might stop her waving the gun in your face. If it accidentally went off...
Her jaw drops, "No, it can't be..." She shakes her head in disbelief, "No, that was just a crazy tale, just mad talk - none of it could be true!"
"None of what could be true?" you ask, not sure you like the sudden change in her.
"My... My grandfather's name was Michael... My name is... I'm Susan Dobson," she says, looking you up and down, and inspecting you properly for the first time. She lowers the gun, then drops it forgotten to the floor.
"You're saying you're my granddaughter? That's crazy! That's..." you realise that maybe it is not so crazy after all. Something has happened to your starship. What if something had happened half-way through the jump, and your ship was indeed stranded in the extra-dimension of Light Space. Who knows how your ship, or even you, might be affected. Could this location on your starship actually take you to another moment in time - somewhere into the future?
"Tell me, why would you think you were my granddaughter?" you ask, softly.
Her eyes glaze over, as she loses herself to memories, "My grandfather used to tell wild tales. No one really believed him, and by the time I was born, he wouldn't talk about it. My mother, though, she said that my grandfather was in a starship accident once. He used to say that he met people from the past and the future. Everyone thought he was crazy, but other than that, he was perfectly normal. People said that the starship accident did something to him, and that's why he would make those wild claims. People said he was just dreaming, or drunk. Once though, before he died, he asked me a strange question... 'Remember when we were aboard the Andromeda together?' he asked me. I guess if he was you, then this, here and now, is what he was talking about. He said he would never have made it back if it wasn't for me..."
"So, I obviously get out of here alive then," you say as much to yourself as to her. "Karl and I made a starship jump, but we didn't appear at our destination - I think I'm still trapped inside of Light Space somehow. Strange things are happening as I move about my ship. When I step through that doorway, I'm back aboard my version of the ship, and this is my sleeping quarters, but when I step back in here, it's your sleeping quarters - somewhere in the future..."
Suddenly the ship shudders, and you both grab hold of furniture so you don't fall over.
"What was that?" you both ask at the same time. Suddenly a warning klaxon blares through the ship.
"I've got to get to the bridge!" she shouts, forgetting about you and the whole 'mixed-up time' issue. She rushes out the door and down the passage. Instinctively you rush out the door to follow her, and suddenly pass through that invisible wall again. She vanishes from sight as you step into the passageway - and back into your own time.
> You quickly go back into the sleeping quarters.
You quickly step back into your - that is, her - sleeping quarters. You can barely make out voices in the distance, probably your granddaughter and her co-pilot talking in the cockpit. You wonder what is going on. Then you hear the ship's computer's voice saying "Intruder Alert! Closing All Doors!"
A light flashes above the door, and you realise that the ship's computer, in her future time era, is about to close and lock all the doors on her ship!
> You stay inside your sleeping quarters.
You decide to stay put. The door slams shut, and clicks as the locking mechanism moves into place. You are now locked inside your granddaughter's sleeping quarters, at some point in the future... It feels weird, mostly because according to her, you died years ago. However, she said you made it out of the starship accident alive.
However... You know many people have tried to understand and hypothesise over how time travel works, and wether there is but one timeline, or many branching off, depending on people's actions. You wonder if it is certain that you will survive, or if perhaps you will die, and your granddaughter will never have existed. Just trying to work out how time works begins to give you a headache, so you decide to focus on the present.
The computer said there were intruders aboard. That must have been what the shuddering of the ship had been - a pirate's starship docking with the Andromeda. If pirates had come aboard, they would try to kill everyone, so they could steal the ship and its cargo.
As you realise that, you also realise that you are now locked inside a room, with no way out unless someone breaks in from the outside, or your granddaughter has the computer unlock and open the doors. Then you notice a gun on the floor - the pistol your granddaughter lost!
You can use it to protect yourself, however, you realise she must now be unarmed, and unable to defend herself against the pirates! If you hadn't appeared out of nowhere and surprised her, she would still have her gun! You curse yourself and the predicament you are in.
(Click on the gun to pick it up.) |
You quickly step back into your - that is, her - sleeping quarters. You can barely make out voices in the distance, probably your granddaughter and her co-pilot talking in the cockpit. You wonder what is going on. Then you hear the ship's computer's voice saying "Intruder Alert! Closing All Doors!"
A light flashes above the door, and you realise that the ship's computer, in her future time era, is about to close and lock all the doors on her ship!
> You head back into the passageway.
You head back out into the passageway. Suddenly, that strange blurring phenomena takes place just in front of the cockpit door! The walls of the passageway around the doorway stretch out in lines of colour, twisting and blurring. Then the strange effect seems to move toward you, down the passage! In a few seconds, it will reach where you stand, beside the doors to your quarters, and Karl's quarters! You had best act fast!
> You dive back into your quarters!
You quickly dive through the doorway into your quarters, emerging through the 'time wall' into the future. You are once more inside your granddaughter's quarters. The intruder alarm is still ringing on her ship, and you hear another explosion as the pirates try to blast their way through the ship's interior hatches.
You are starting to freak out - if you step through the door, you will be back in your own time - but will the spatial warping, the blurring of matter that killed Karl, be waiting for you on the other side of the door? Yet, if you remain where you are, it will only be a matter of time before the pirates find this room. On top of that, what of your granddaughter? Is there some way you can help her? You remember her words - supposedly it is she who saves you, from being stranded in Light Space back in your own time... What can you do?
Then you notice a gun on the floor - your granddaughter had dropped her gun! You quickly pick it up. (Click on it to pick it up) |
You head back out into the passageway. Suddenly, that strange blurring phenomena takes place just in front of the cockpit door! The walls of the passageway around the doorway stretch out in lines of colour, twisting and blurring. Then the strange effect seems to move toward you, down the passage! In a few seconds, it will reach where you stand, beside the doors to your quarters, and Karl's quarters! You had best act fast!
> You quickly open the door to Karl's quarters!
You slam the button by Karl's quarters' door with your fist, and the door slides open. On the other side of the doorway, there is no floor, no walls - no room! Just an endless expanse of pale white light... The twisting, stretching, blurring phenomena is almost upon you! |
"What are you talking about? I've run this ship for six years, now!" she says incredulously, waving the gun about in front of you.
"The Andromeda has been under my command for twelve years," you growl back at her, "It was my father's ship before me, and I don't recall either him, or myself, selling it to anyone else!"
"The Andromeda wasn't your father's ship - it was my father's ship!" she shouts back at you, waving her gun some more. "And it was my grandfather's ship before him, and my great-grandfather's before him!"
Something crazy is going on, and your brain is hurting just trying to work it out. A suspicion is creeping into your mind. "My name is Michael Dobson," you tell her, hoping an introduction, and an attempt at being diplomatic, might stop her waving the gun in your face. If it accidentally went off...
Her jaw drops, "No, it can't be..." She shakes her head in disbelief, "No, that was just a crazy tale, just mad talk - none of it could be true!"
"None of what could be true?" you ask, not sure you like the sudden change in her.
"My... My grandfather's name was Michael... My name is... I'm Susan Dobson," she says, looking you up and down, and inspecting you properly for the first time. She lowers the gun, then drops it forgotten to the floor.
"You're saying you're my granddaughter? That's crazy! That's..." you realise that maybe it is not so crazy after all. Something has happened to your starship. What if something had happened half-way through the jump, and your ship was indeed stranded in the extra-dimension of Light Space. Who knows how your ship, or even you, might be affected. Could this location on your starship actually take you to another moment in time - somewhere into the future?
"Tell me, why would you think you were my granddaughter?" you ask, softly.
Her eyes glaze over, as she loses herself to memories, "My grandfather used to tell wild tales. No one really believed him, and by the time I was born, he wouldn't talk about it. My mother, though, she said that my grandfather was in a starship accident once. He used to say that he met people from the past and the future. Everyone thought he was crazy, but other than that, he was perfectly normal. People said that the starship accident did something to him, and that's why he would make those wild claims. People said he was just dreaming, or drunk. Once though, before he died, he asked me a strange question... 'Remember when we were aboard the Andromeda together?' he asked me. I guess if he was you, then this, here and now, is what he was talking about. He said he would never have made it back if it wasn't for me..."
"So, I obviously get out of here alive then," you say as much to yourself as to her. "Karl and I made a starship jump, but we didn't appear at our destination - I think I'm still trapped inside of Light Space somehow. Strange things are happening as I move about my ship. When I step through that doorway, I'm back aboard my version of the ship, and this is my sleeping quarters, but when I step back in here, it's your sleeping quarters - somewhere in the future..."
Suddenly the ship shudders, and you both grab hold of furniture so you don't fall over.
"What was that?" you both ask at the same time. Suddenly a warning klaxon blares through the ship.
"I've got to get to the bridge!" she shouts, forgetting about you and the whole 'mixed-up time' issue. She rushes out the door and down the passage. Instinctively you rush out the door to follow her, and suddenly pass through that invisible wall again. She vanishes from sight as you step into the passageway - and back into your own time.
> You open the door to Karl's sleeping quarters
You press the button set into the passage wall, and the door to Karl's sleeping quarters swooshes open. However, you just stand there stunned, looking through the doorway. Even with everything else going on, you did not expect to find this. Or rather, you expected to find at least something.
On the other side of the doorway is nothing - just whiteness. No floor, no walls, no room - just the endless expanse of pale white light that surrounds your starship.
> You close Karl's door.
You quickly press the button again, and watch the door slide shut. The last thing you'd need is to trip and fall outside the ship into that endless nothingness! |
You press the button set into the passage wall, and the door to Karl's sleeping quarters swooshes open. However, you just stand there stunned, looking through the doorway. Even with everything else going on, you did not expect to find this. Or rather, you expected to find at least something.
On the other side of the doorway is nothing - just whiteness. No floor, no walls, no room - just the endless expanse of pale white light that surrounds your starship.
> You hope there is something else on the other side of the doorway, and step through...
You stick your foot through the doorway, and it vanishes from sight. You feel it passing through an invisible wall, like sticking your foot through a flowing sheet of water. However, when you pull your foot back to this side of the doorway, you can see it again, and it feels fine. You take a deep breath, and plunge through the doorway...
You stumble to a halt as you pass through. As your face passes the invisible wall in the doorway, the endless white expanse of nothingness vanishes from sight, to be replaced with Karl's sleeping quarters! You look around the room. There's a bunk against one wall, a closet with Karl's clothing against another wall, and a small desk unit with some of his various odds and ends.
Turning to look out the door, you can see the passageway fine. Opposite Karl's open doorway, you can see the door hatch to your own sleeping quarters, and it is closed shut.
> You head back out into the passageway.
Well, you know that this location does exist aboard your starship, and is not, after all, an endless expanse of whiteness. You decide to head back out into the passageway. Stepping through the doorway, you feel yourself passing through an invisible wall again, and then look behind you. Where Karl's room had been was again a vast expanse of endless pale light. Very strange...
You press the button in the wall, and close his door. |
You stick your foot through the doorway, and it vanishes from sight. You feel it passing through an invisible wall, like sticking your foot through a flowing sheet of water. However, when you pull your foot back to this side of the doorway, you can see it again, and it feels fine. You take a deep breath, and plunge through the doorway...
You stumble to a halt as you pass through. As your face passes the invisible wall in the doorway, the endless white expanse of nothingness vanishes from sight, to be replaced with Karl's sleeping quarters! You look around the room. There's a bunk against one wall, a closet with Karl's clothing against another wall, and a small desk unit with some of his various odds and ends.
Turning to look out the door, you can see the passageway fine. Opposite Karl's open doorway, you can see the door hatch to your own sleeping quarters, and it is closed shut.
> You wait around, and see if your granddaughter comes past this room.
Perhaps, you think, you might run into your granddaughter again? You sit on the bed, but then you realise that in this room, there is no blaring sound of the intruder alarm. Karl's room must not be in her era of time... Besides which, looking about the room, it looks like it is indeed Karl's room, and not being used by someone else. |
Taking a deep breath, you step back through the doorway. As you pass the invisible wall again, you see the room, once more, clean and tidy, with pink bedsheets. Now though, the woman is inside the room with you. She is in the middle of the room, with her back to you. The clipboard lies where she dropped it on the floor, and she has drawn a pistol. She looks left and right, examining her sleeping quarters, holding the gun carefully, ready to fire.
> You tackle her to the ground, trying to get the gun out of her hands!
You dive at her back, and tackle her to the ground. She cries out in rage, as the two of you roll about, struggling for the gun. Suddenly, the gun goes off! It strikes her in the chest!
She goes limp, and you roll off of her, grabbing the gun. Suddenly, as she breathes her last, the gun fades out of existance! It just vanishes from your hands!
Then, before your confused eyes, she slowly fades until she doesn't exist either! What's happening, you wonder, then with horror, notice your own hands turning transparent. Moments before you also vanish from existance, you can't help but wish you at least knew what she had been doing on your ship.
Then you are gone. |
You step through the doorway, and instantly feel that sensation again - the feeling of walking through an invisible wall, like passing through a sheet of water. Your sleeping quarters are now quite different to how they had looked an instant ago...
Firstly, the bed is made. You can't remember ever having made your bed. Secondly, and more disturbingly to you, the sheets are bright pink with little white bunny rabbits on them!
You suddenly hear footsteps behind you, and spin around to see a woman wearing a pilot's uniform, standing in the passageway, outside the room. She looks up from a clipboard she was reading, and her jaw drops as she sees you looking back at her. You can see the cogs turning inside her mind, as she tries to find words to say, and her first instinct is to shout, "Get the hell out of my sleeping quarters!"
> You ask what she is doing on your ship - and what did she do to your sleeping quarters?
"What are you doing on my ship? HOW did you get on my ship? And what did you do to my sleeping quarters! I mean - bunny rabbits on the bed?" you growl at her incredulously.
"Your ship? Your ship! What the blazes are you talking about! The Andromeda is my ship! I've run this vessel for six years now!" she growls, stalking into your/her sleeping quarters, and brandishing a pistol, which she proceeds to wave in front of your face!
"The Andromeda has been under my command for twelve years," you growl back at her, "It was my father's ship before me, and I don't recall either him, or myself, selling it to anyone else!"
"The Andromeda wasn't your father's ship - it was my father's ship!" she shouts back at you, waving her gun some more. "And it was my grandfather's ship before him, and my great-grandfather's before him!"
Something crazy is going on, and your brain is hurting just trying to work it out. A suspicion is creeping into your mind. "My name is Michael Dobson," you tell her, hoping an introduction, and an attempt at being diplomatic, might stop her waving the gun in your face. If it accidentally went off...
Her jaw drops, "No, it can't be..." She shakes her head in disbelief, "No, that was just a crazy tale, just mad talk - none of it could be true!"
"None of what could be true?" you ask, not sure you like the sudden change in her.
"My... My grandfather's name was Michael... My name is... I'm Susan Dobson," she says, looking you up and down, and inspecting you properly for the first time. She lowers the gun, then drops it forgotten to the floor.
"You're saying you're my granddaughter? That's crazy! That's..." you realise that maybe it is not so crazy after all. Something has happened to your starship. What if something had happened half-way through the jump, and your ship was indeed stranded in the extra-dimension of Light Space. Who knows how your ship, or even you, might be affected. Could this location on your starship actually take you to another moment in time - somewhere into the future?
"Tell me, why would you think you were my granddaughter?" you ask, softly.
Her eyes glaze over, as she loses herself to memories, "My grandfather used to tell wild tales. No one really believed him, and by the time I was born, he wouldn't talk about it. My mother, though, she said that my grandfather was in a starship accident once. He used to say that he met people from the past and the future. Everyone thought he was crazy, but other than that, he was perfectly normal. People said that the starship accident did something to him, and that's why he would make those wild claims. People said he was just dreaming, or drunk. Once though, before he died, he asked me a strange question... 'Remember when we were aboard the Andromeda together?' he asked me. I guess if he was you, then this, here and now, is what he was talking about. He said he would never have made it back if it wasn't for me..."
"So, I obviously get out of here alive then," you say as much to yourself as to her. "Karl and I made a starship jump, but we didn't appear at our destination - I think I'm still trapped inside of Light Space somehow. Strange things are happening as I move about my ship. When I step through that doorway, I'm back aboard my version of the ship, and this is my sleeping quarters, but when I step back in here, it's your sleeping quarters - somewhere in the future..."
Suddenly the ship shudders, and you both grab hold of furniture so you don't fall over.
"What was that?" you both ask at the same time. Suddenly a warning klaxon blares through the ship.
"I've got to get to the bridge!" she shouts, forgetting about you and the whole 'mixed-up time' issue. She rushes out the door and down the passage. Instinctively you rush out the door to follow her, and suddenly pass through that invisible wall again. She vanishes from sight as you step into the passageway - and return to your own time. |
Feeling a little uncertain as to what you might find, you nervously walk to the rear of the cockpit, and press the door release button. The rear door slides open and...
The central passageway that runs from the cockpit, through the ship, to the cargo bay at the rear, looks exactly as it always does. Lights in the ceiling illuminate the steel passage. Metal grating panels on the floor allow access to various wires and cables that run through the ship, beneath your feet. Door hatches are set into the passage walls at different points along its length, leading to various rooms aboard the ship. Far at the other end, you see a large hatch, that opens into the cargo bay at the other end of the starship.
Everything looks completely - suddenly there is a shearing of light and form, as a section of wall about half way down the passage blurs outwards into the passage, in an array of colourful streaking lines - then suddenly flattens out again to look like a normal section of wall once more. Perhaps things aren't as completely normal as they seem...
You say a short prayer that the motion blurring phenomena won't happen anywhere near you.
> You remain in the Cockpit for a while, just to be safe - that is, if anywhere on this ship is safe...
After seeing what the strange warping phenomena did to Karl, and seeing the wall bulge in a similar way further down the passage, you are not too sure it would be safe to walk through the starship.
However, as you stand in the Cockpit, wondering what to do, you realise a few things. Firstly, if you stay here, there's no guarantee that the air around you won't warp, and you won't be killed. Secondly, if you are stuck half-way between a Light Space Jump, then the only way out that you can think of, would be to reactivate the Jump Drive, and hope that it finishes the jump, and returns you to normal space.
However, the Jump Drive Chamber is at the rear of the ship, to one side of the Cargo Bay. That means, if it is possible to reactivate the drive, you will have to travel through the ship to get to it... The fact that the rest of the ship doesn't even show on the ship's computer is in no way reassuring to you. |
Vampire.
Indeed, that is what Kelso called you. You can still hear his cold, baritone voice explaining it to you. Vampires in the tales of Fantasy are glamorized; nigh-immortal, sexually desirable, powerful. But, while you suppose you are some of those things, in truth, you are not much more than an albino with a lot of health issues. The sun, he said, will damage your skin more than anything else. Any sort of foodstuff can't be digested anymore by your barely functioning bodily systems. He claims to have an idea of what the 'Professor' was trying to do to us, but for whatever reason, he has dodged the questions anytime you ask.
Any information other than that, Kelso hasn't revealed. The irking thing is that it is obvious he knows what's going on, but he consistently acts as if it is in your own good you don't know what went on.
The nights have been hard since your escape from the Facility. Most nights you wake up shivering, after all the nightmares you've been dealing with. It's terrifying, and it only makes you wonder what horrible things were done to you at the Facility. You do know that they must have affected your ability to feel. No, not the wishy washy 'emotional' garbage you'd usually expect, but your sense of touch was dulled. While a lot of your senses have been heightened, that one stands out. You feel very little pain from your feet, which is odd; considering how you spent your time running over cracked glass just two days ago, but it seems to have healed recently.
---
Waiting. It should be sunrise by now. Kelso said you shouldn't get out, as you are a creature of the darkness now. He, on the other hand, has been out for the entire night and then some. You're not sure what Kelso is hunting for, but you know that you're beginning to get thirsty. More and more questions begin to build up, and no doubt the bastard won't answer half of them. Even while you ran with him through the night, running across various landscapes. Most are just a barren dessert, though every once in while you'd pass a half-buried house like this.
"Bright lights up ahead." He said. A city only several miles down. Kelso must have gone there for the clothes he mentioned, but you hope he's safe....
> You continue waiting inside for Kelso
A sigh leaves your lips as you ruffle your hair with your hand. Now scratching, several hairs fall off. Perhaps not too unusal; trivial, even. But things like this interest people in boredom. That, and the twitching of a certain fly beside the table. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.
It's annoying. Your nose flares as you continue to sit. Sleep isn't what it used to be either, more like an odd sort of meditating. Besides that, your senses continue to ring as the fly takes to the air around you. It lands, and you feel a faint tickle on your cheek-- And you catch the damned bugger. Nothing but your hand moved, a small action was all it took to take the flies life. You didn't even mean to kill it immediately, though you don't mind it's yellow ooze. Without feeling it, you squished it. Threat destroyed, you put your fingers to your temples and try to meditate.
Almost immediately, your mind begins to drift...
---
Come on, wake up!
"Wuh? What's going on? Who are you?"
We can formally reintroduce ourselves later damnit, the lab is falling apart!
The lab? What lab? Why the hell am I in a lab?
I'll explain everything once we're safe. But we need to go. Now.
It is then when your eyes adjust enough that you can actually view the chaos that surrounds you. The red, flashing lights give you just enough light to make out cracked capsules with smelly liquid pouring out from them and flooding the floor. Looking even slightly up, you can see your own smashed container, as well as the pillars supporting the ceiling riddled with cracks. An odd assortment of humanoids seem to be sprawled out on the floor, with several still writhing and creeping sluggishly.
But besides all this, you don't really feel much, considering. A numbing liquid surrounding and licking at your sides, but not much else. You can't even recognize your own heart beat. Then again, that's quite possibly due to the tension and commotion. Perhaps you were numbed while in that storage container.
The man beside you seems to still shaking you, though it takes you several seconds to notice. Grabbing you by the hand, he begins to force you up and drag you along until your legs begin to feel enough to move. Although still sluggish, your motor controls seem to be working better than whatever you could remember. Finally, you feel like you can resume mumbling out questions, even while hurtling around breaking pillars and stumbling on broken glass.
Where... where are we going?
Out. The Zealots of the Church may come in any moment, so we need to evacuate.
The Church? I... Can you at least tell me your name?
Stop talking. Just run.
How do you expect me to trust you if I don't even know who you are?
I'm not sure you know who you are either, right now it's best you trust me and shut the hell up.
And you do. Thinking about it, you really don't remember who you are. Who you were? It's... blank.
The man's hand is outstretched, motioning you to hold on and follow.
---
A sudden crashing noise awakes you from your revelation.
> A uniformed man appears.
Out of nowhere, a humanoid with flashy armor leaps at you. Fearful, you quickly send out a powerful jab, lamely clunking on his armor as he topples on top of you. You expect him to attack, or continue the assault, but he appears to be as dazed you are. Although the metal armor is heavy, you're able to throw him off of yourself, hearing a splintering in the wooden floor as he lands.
"I'm here."
It's Kelso. His striking features resemble an older gentleman. Whitish blonde hair and a gruff voice, though perhaps with a slight German accent-- almost grandfather-like. "Master, where were you? What... is this man doing here?"
"C.E. Agent, member of the Church and Special-Forces Unit for taking care of our kind. You need to kill this filth."
You raise an eyebrow, "What? I dunno... Ugh. No, Kelso. He's just, like, doing his job. I think? No, it doesn't matter! What's going on?"
"His job is to murder Creations, government is after us and the rest of the-- the Professor's creations. We're not safe. Which, is why you need to kill this officer. You need to get used to this before it becomes more common to handle."
The soldier slowly looks up at you, scrambling to get up. "You two... speak? Lord in heaven, the damned speak!"
You can imagine his eyes would be widening right about now, but his entire body is covered in the metal suit, flashing with electric blue lining, his helmet with a black visor. The figure, now up, begins to scramble for a rifle-like object, but Kelso gives a heavy slap to the back of his head, sending the man flying forward, his helmet flying off in a different direction.
"Kelso, Creations? What the hell is going on? Tell me!"
"First, kill him."
"I'm really not sure about this..."
"Kid, I know you're hungry." It's true. "This is the only thing you can feast on."
You just stare in disbelief, shaking your head. Kelso stares at you for a moment before turning around and kicking the operative in the side. You hear a dent and a crack, likely his ribs were smashed along with his armor.
"Let's get your questions over with. Now. You need to decide what you'll do with him."
You take a deep breath, just shocked at everything that's transpiring. After mumbling and scratching your head, you think you know what to ask.
> You say "Why the hell do I need to eat this man?"
Kelso sighs with an apparent annoyance. "You're not eating him. You're going to drink his blood. I've explained this before."
He sort of did, but it doesn't exactly make it better. He told you that you couldn't digest any food, but he never mentioned you'd have to digest blood!
"I... I drink his blood... from the neck?" Your knowledge about supernatural creatures is more or less non-existent, give or take whatever nerdy things you might have dabbled in high-school. Unless you were some sort of jock before then. You don't remember...
"Not necessarily. The wrist works too-- as long as you get a stream of blood in your mouth you'll be satiated. This should be easier as things go along though, since any sort of infirmary should have some blood packs for transfusions, and those are easily broken into. And you can always drink non-human blood... But this is necessary. Oh, and do remember to watch out for the diseased, bad blood isn't good for yor system."
"Ugh... Do we really have to kill him?" You ask with a frown.
"Unless you want him to call upon the rest of the C.E. Crew on our asses, then yes. Either way, you need to be full before we leave this shit hole. We have work to do." |
Out of nowhere, a humanoid with flashy armor leaps at you. Fearful, you quickly send out a powerful jab, lamely clunking on his armor as he topples on top of you. You expect him to attack, or continue the assault, but he appears to be as dazed you are. Although the metal armor is heavy, you're able to throw him off of yourself, hearing a splintering in the wooden floor as he lands.
"I'm here."
It's Kelso. His striking features resemble an older gentleman. Whitish blonde hair and a gruff voice, though perhaps with a slight German accent-- almost grandfather-like. "Master, where were you? What... is this man doing here?"
"C.E. Agent, member of the Church and Special-Forces Unit for taking care of our kind. You need to kill this filth."
You raise an eyebrow, "What? I dunno... Ugh. No, Kelso. He's just, like, doing his job. I think? No, it doesn't matter! What's going on?"
"His job is to murder Creations, government is after us and the rest of the-- the Professor's creations. We're not safe. Which, is why you need to kill this officer. You need to get used to this before it becomes more common to handle."
The soldier slowly looks up at you, scrambling to get up. "You two... speak? Lord in heaven, the damned speak!"
You can imagine his eyes would be widening right about now, but his entire body is covered in the metal suit, flashing with electric blue lining, his helmet with a black visor. The figure, now up, begins to scramble for a rifle-like object, but Kelso gives a heavy slap to the back of his head, sending the man flying forward, his helmet flying off in a different direction.
"Kelso, Creations? What the hell is going on? Tell me!"
"First, kill him."
"I'm really not sure about this..."
"Kid, I know you're hungry." It's true. "This is the only thing you can feast on."
You just stare in disbelief, shaking your head. Kelso stares at you for a moment before turning around and kicking the operative in the side. You hear a dent and a crack, likely his ribs were smashed along with his armor.
"Let's get your questions over with. Now. You need to decide what you'll do with him."
You take a deep breath, just shocked at everything that's transpiring. After mumbling and scratching your head, you think you know what to ask.
> You say "Creations? What did the Professor do to us?"
"You and me both. The Professor was a nasty sort, creating freaks of nature to..." His face seems to strain, though for reasons you may or may not realize, "To... for a program, you see. The Government shut the facility down early enough, but he kept the creations up and running for a while longer. When the soldiers came to burn the place down, well, that's where you and I come in. Possibly others."
"There are more like me and you?" You ask, trying to absorb as much as you can before Kelso shuts up again.
"Maybe. I'd be surprised if that much survived the raid. But there are certainly other experiments that the Professor did. Chimera, Were-beasts, you name it. And, of course, 'vampires', like you."
"What about yourself? I thought you were a vampire as well?
"I'm a lot of things."
A pause in the conversation occurs, before you shake your head and continue the questionnaire, "Right... And why are the soldiers trying to kill us?"
"I told you already, the Church, lead by a certain priest named 'Tomas', believes we're demonic mutants created by the Professor. They think they're cleaning the world from us. That's what they've been doing for years, hunting down Creations on some sort of religious-killing spree. The facility which you woke up from was the last one before they destroyed it. Even though we live virtually forever, this is a curse, kid, and they realize that. As Creations, we're biologically forced to do things. We have to drink blood-- it's a necessity. The sunlight burns us, for our skin is too fair. What they don't realize is that we're also sentient beings. We were humans, once.
''And yet, the bastard that made us still lives somewhere out there. And I want you to help me find him. Furthermore, if we make a good enough team, we may even be able to overthrow the Church, for it's reach is strong. They're more or less the only ruling bodies the world has currently... Both of them, the Professor and the Church, are evils that need to be eradicated. We'll stop them both, just stick with me, kid." |
Out of nowhere, a humanoid with flashy armor leaps at you. Fearful, you quickly send out a powerful jab, lamely clunking on his armor as he topples on top of you. You expect him to attack, or continue the assault, but he appears to be as dazed you are. Although the metal armor is heavy, you're able to throw him off of yourself, hearing a splintering in the wooden floor as he lands.
"I'm here."
It's Kelso. His striking features resemble an older gentleman. Whitish blonde hair and a gruff voice, though perhaps with a slight German accent-- almost grandfather-like. "Master, where were you? What... is this man doing here?"
"C.E. Agent, member of the Church and Special-Forces Unit for taking care of our kind. You need to kill this filth."
You raise an eyebrow, "What? I dunno... Ugh. No, Kelso. He's just, like, doing his job. I think? No, it doesn't matter! What's going on?"
"His job is to murder Creations, government is after us and the rest of the-- the Professor's creations. We're not safe. Which, is why you need to kill this officer. You need to get used to this before it becomes more common to handle."
The soldier slowly looks up at you, scrambling to get up. "You two... speak? Lord in heaven, the damned speak!"
You can imagine his eyes would be widening right about now, but his entire body is covered in the metal suit, flashing with electric blue lining, his helmet with a black visor. The figure, now up, begins to scramble for a rifle-like object, but Kelso gives a heavy slap to the back of his head, sending the man flying forward, his helmet flying off in a different direction.
"Kelso, Creations? What the hell is going on? Tell me!"
"First, kill him."
"I'm really not sure about this..."
"Kid, I know you're hungry." It's true. "This is the only thing you can feast on."
You just stare in disbelief, shaking your head. Kelso stares at you for a moment before turning around and kicking the operative in the side. You hear a dent and a crack, likely his ribs were smashed along with his armor.
"Let's get your questions over with. Now. You need to decide what you'll do with him."
You take a deep breath, just shocked at everything that's transpiring. After mumbling and scratching your head, you think you know what to ask.
> You say "Who am-- was I?"
Kelso stares at you, obviously contemplating how to answer.
"Don't know, don't care. Your new life begins now."
Damn. Well, okay, doesn't seem like he's going to reveal anything... |
Out of nowhere, a humanoid with flashy armor leaps at you. Fearful, you quickly send out a powerful jab, lamely clunking on his armor as he topples on top of you. You expect him to attack, or continue the assault, but he appears to be as dazed you are. Although the metal armor is heavy, you're able to throw him off of yourself, hearing a splintering in the wooden floor as he lands.
"I'm here."
It's Kelso. His striking features resemble an older gentleman. Whitish blonde hair and a gruff voice, though perhaps with a slight German accent-- almost grandfather-like. "Master, where were you? What... is this man doing here?"
"C.E. Agent, member of the Church and Special-Forces Unit for taking care of our kind. You need to kill this filth."
You raise an eyebrow, "What? I dunno... Ugh. No, Kelso. He's just, like, doing his job. I think? No, it doesn't matter! What's going on?"
"His job is to murder Creations, government is after us and the rest of the-- the Professor's creations. We're not safe. Which, is why you need to kill this officer. You need to get used to this before it becomes more common to handle."
The soldier slowly looks up at you, scrambling to get up. "You two... speak? Lord in heaven, the damned speak!"
You can imagine his eyes would be widening right about now, but his entire body is covered in the metal suit, flashing with electric blue lining, his helmet with a black visor. The figure, now up, begins to scramble for a rifle-like object, but Kelso gives a heavy slap to the back of his head, sending the man flying forward, his helmet flying off in a different direction.
"Kelso, Creations? What the hell is going on? Tell me!"
"First, kill him."
"I'm really not sure about this..."
"Kid, I know you're hungry." It's true. "This is the only thing you can feast on."
You just stare in disbelief, shaking your head. Kelso stares at you for a moment before turning around and kicking the operative in the side. You hear a dent and a crack, likely his ribs were smashed along with his armor.
"Let's get your questions over with. Now. You need to decide what you'll do with him."
You take a deep breath, just shocked at everything that's transpiring. After mumbling and scratching your head, you think you know what to ask.
> You continue.
After asking all the questions you can think of, you watch the pained man writhe and groan. The domineering Kelso looks at his pitiful state, bends down and puts his index finger to right above where his carotid artery is, obviously sensing for the pulse. "Here, sink your teeth in and drink."
Although you are hesitant, your instincts take over as your mouth begins to water slightly, making it slightly less dry for the first time. As you bend down, you begin to feel... fangs protrude from your upper jaw. Sharp, powerful teeth, ready to satiate your hunger. Hoping to get it over with, instinct and lust takes over as you bring your head down and get your teeth stuck on top of his neck. Rich, red blood squirts with an ugly squishing sound.
"God damnit, on the artery!"
Kelso grabs your neck and, pulling your fangs out of the man, forces it back on the right place. You moan, half in pleasure and the other half in disgust. It tastes... salty, filling. It tasted good, and you don't mind choking on this stuff. It's the first time you've felt such a rush, it's like a drug...
But, on the other hand... This isn't human. This man... He's screaming, begging. Something about children and the forces of evil...
As Kelso let's you have control of your own neck again, the sudden rush ends, and you cough out the other man's blood. "You didn't have to kill him, but he's dead now. Which is actually a good thing, but you really should be less sloppy. You missed." He continues to smile. Kelso begins to strip the Zealot's armor off, and hands it to you. A walkie-talkie falls to the floor and clatters, though it remains undamaged.
"Now we can begin." He tosses you the armor, a hoodie, and some sort of... lotion?
You catch, it reflexively, "Begin what?"
"Our vengeance. Tying up loose ends. Give meaning to your un-life."
"I... I just killed a man!"
"Who was going to kill you. Plus, it was an accident."
You stand there, with bloody hands and a mouth dripping with delectable blood. Kelso... What's he up to? He... You think he's a good person, he saved you. But, this isn't right. Maybe you should get away...
"Snap out of it kid, we have a duty to fulfill. This isn't a blessing what happened to you and me, and that's why we need to kill the man who did this to us, so he can't do this to others."
> You lacking a healthy alternative, join Kelso for your new life.
It's like the first time you remember Kelso. His hand outstretched, asking him to join you... You shake it firmly.
It's crazy, but you trust him. Like a baby chick to the first thing it sees... It's funny. He's become of a master and more like a father. While he may not have the most moral methods, he still knows way more than you and will help you through it. Besides, the Professor no doubt know your origins, before you kill him you might even get that from him. If you stick with Kelso, that is.
As silence consumes the conversation, you attempt at conversing, "So, the lotion..."
"Sun-tan lotion. It wears off after a small while, but it'll protect you when it counts. Spread it on your face, wouldn't want that to peel all the way off. The hoodie and that is the best things I was able to take."
"So you stole it?"
He shrugs. "Took it. We need to hide, remember? Can't have people know about us and our condition. The soldiers are much stronger when they are in control. Also: the Zealot's armor. It's worth equipping, just need to turn off the flashy-light part."
"And now what?"
"You stop asking questions and let me finish." He eyes you with seeming annoyance. "We'll be finding his stronger Creations that no doubt survived this long. They're a violent lot though, which is why having you will be a big help. I figure one of them will know where the Professor is."
As if reading your mind, he continues, "And we find them by trailing the C.E. Division, which have specific DNA trackers on some of us. Not you or myself, thankfully, but a good deal of the Creations were registered to the government. Government program and all... But anyhow, we're going to town soon. I say we wait at the police station, they should have an outpost there. After hearing where they are, we hitch a ride in one of their vans. Not a very elaborate plan, but it'll probably work."
He stares at you, as if expecting resistance. "Unless you have a better idea?"
"Actually...
> No. It seems solid enough. Let's do it."
"It seems solid enough, let's do it."
He nods in return, as if pondering about something. "Then let's go."
"Now? Are you sure I'm ready?"
"Yes now. You're ready." Kelso smiles.
---
Suffice to say, you're pretty confident. You're in full control of your new body, and the armor you looted off the zealot may be bulky, but you'd be damned if you didn't look awesome with it. All this gave your self-esteem a much needed boost before setting off to the City. Kel, as you've come to call him, probably realized that when he offered it to you. Admittedly, it's probably why you haven't pressed him for questions on the plan; he just seems to have everything under control.
Now, on the night of the full moon, Kelso's ambiguous plan will be enacted. Perhaps the full moon was completely planned, or perhaps not. Regardless, the tension can be felt in the air. Regardless, the journey to the flashy city several miles down is uneventful, save for the fascinating landscape and occasional howls that Kelso doesn't seem to hear (you've mentioned this to him; and he took interest but told you to save it for later, as it may be important).
But yes, the landscape changed dramatically from the collection of half-buried houses that you were holed up in with Kelso. From complete, uninhabited desert, to a flashy, futuristic town with strobe lights and a somewhat dense population considering the size of the premises. It's not even that big, but it's... Out of place. Surrounded by desert, it stands as a beacon of light.
Your mentor is garbed with the hoodie he gave you earlier, his older, but surly exterior showing out in the twilight. As he leads you through the sand to the City, he suddenly stops to speak; and you stand at attention.
"So, you're probably all ears to hear what my plan was."
You nod. "Err, yes."
"Then why didn't you ask? Didn't my plan sound ridiculous"
The wind stops blowing. "I know you have everything under control. I trust in you, master."
Kelso turns to face you, his face solemn and grim.
"Then you're not what I need. I want to tame a lion, not a goat." He spits, and before you know it your face has hit the rough sand. You quickly turn to see Kelso jumping up, the moon behind him and his silver claws in front, his eyes now turned red and gleaming. You jump from the ground to the side, but his hand catches your chest. You breathe; it doesn't regenerate.
Another breath. More blood squirts out. His other hand now clawing at your eyes. Aching pain... it's all black, but you're still alive!
You can feel your body spasming, and you turn all your confusion into rage and power, but to no avail...
You have been killed by your mentor. |
It's like the first time you remember Kelso. His hand outstretched, asking him to join you... You shake it firmly.
It's crazy, but you trust him. Like a baby chick to the first thing it sees... It's funny. He's become of a master and more like a father. While he may not have the most moral methods, he still knows way more than you and will help you through it. Besides, the Professor no doubt know your origins, before you kill him you might even get that from him. If you stick with Kelso, that is.
As silence consumes the conversation, you attempt at conversing, "So, the lotion..."
"Sun-tan lotion. It wears off after a small while, but it'll protect you when it counts. Spread it on your face, wouldn't want that to peel all the way off. The hoodie and that is the best things I was able to take."
"So you stole it?"
He shrugs. "Took it. We need to hide, remember? Can't have people know about us and our condition. The soldiers are much stronger when they are in control. Also: the Zealot's armor. It's worth equipping, just need to turn off the flashy-light part."
"And now what?"
"You stop asking questions and let me finish." He eyes you with seeming annoyance. "We'll be finding his stronger Creations that no doubt survived this long. They're a violent lot though, which is why having you will be a big help. I figure one of them will know where the Professor is."
As if reading your mind, he continues, "And we find them by trailing the C.E. Division, which have specific DNA trackers on some of us. Not you or myself, thankfully, but a good deal of the Creations were registered to the government. Government program and all... But anyhow, we're going to town soon. I say we wait at the police station, they should have an outpost there. After hearing where they are, we hitch a ride in one of their vans. Not a very elaborate plan, but it'll probably work."
He stares at you, as if expecting resistance. "Unless you have a better idea?"
"Actually...
> You why don't we just signal them?"
Kelso rubs at his clean chin. "Elaborate."
You hold up the walky-talkie, "If they know where the Professor is, then that means they're either working for him, like you're assuming, or are just planning their vengeance; If we can get a message to them, get their attention--"
"Then the C.E. Soldiers will get to us and them."
"Not unless our signal is obscure, something only a Creation would know. Can I assume that we're the only one who refer to the Professor, as, well, a professor?"
Your mentor smiles, "Yes... That's what the greater Creations called him. Myself, the Werewolf, Stein, and several others. We all were forced under the bastard to look over Lessers, like yourself. One of them are bound to be in this town, has the smallest C.E. division in the East. We just have to hope we'll be able to handle them in the case that they're still loyal. So you want us to send a wide broadcast, maybe even a flare labeled 'Professor', and hope we catch some of our brethren?"
"That," you continue, "or we lure the church to us by contacting them with the Walkie, and just beat the information out of them. By the sounds of it, they'd be expecting a trap, so they wouldn't bring all their operatives to this location. Hopefully they have an idea where the other Creations are. It's not a perfect plan, but it's uh, better than yours. Don't think you can just nab one like you did with the last one, now that they're probably on guard."
Kelso nods, considering both of your plans, "Much better. Regardless, Mr. Plans, we need to train."
"Train, for what?" Crossing your arms as a child would, you question Kelso. "I feel like you're not telling me everything. Even if the plan is solid, but we need to be solid, with, umm, each-other."
With a chuckle, Kelso replies, "What do you think we're doing? We're fighting against an elite military operation, as well as bio-genetically advanced Creations. We're not playing here, son, there's going to be blood. I'm pretty certain that you'll be able to be very powerful if we train accordingly. This may be surprising, but I think you should cherish your undeath while it lasts. Not to mention that I'd rather not jeopardize myself."
"... So the Creations are going to be very hostile?"
He shrugs in return, "Maybe, more likely than not anyhow. We're betting on whether they're still loyal or not to their Creator."
"Why would they still be loyal to that... that bastard?"
"Well, he did save our lives." You stand in silence with a confused frown. Kelso continues. "Mind you, he also treated us like lab rats and played with our genetic-material. That's why we're going to find him and his Creations, to put an end to it once and for all, so no one else is 'saved' by that man." You nod in understanding. Kelso and yourself... You're going to help the world together. Clean it.
A hero...
"The valley of dunes at night is the best place and time. We'll train today and tomorrow, and by then you should be ready. Now, more about that plan of yours..."
> You contact the other Creations in any way possible.
You spend the next several nights preparing for action, training with Kelso. Over the course of your tutoring, you've begun to really fit into your new, adaptable body. You're able to fight, and you're able to think, strategize. Be efficient, be in control. You know you're ready, and you don't need Kelso to convince you of that anymore. You feel like you're ready to pull off one of your plans.
It's night once again, with the Moon full and bright. Kelso is clad in your hoodie, his aged but intimidating features showing out from under it. It didn't seem like his ideal clothes (you could see him rocking a cloak) but when at night a hoodie is probably more practical. You're still garbed in the bulky, but inspiring armor of the Zealot, just with the lights on the outside turned off. You look to your Mentor, who's sitting beside you in the half-buried house. You begin to explain your simplistic, though wishful plan to your mentor.
"This is obviously just an assumption, but if we were able to nick a talkie pretty quick, then any other Creation in the area would probably have one." You begin, eyeing Kelso's facial expression.
Blank. "Sound logic."
You cough, and then continue, "But they wouldn't use the same channel that the Church uses to communicate, I'd assume. So if we fiddle with the channel, go through each one very thoroughly, then-"
"We may find a fellow, nearby Creation. Interesting, though it may not work."
"And if it doesn't work then we can try my other plan." You say arguing for your plans.
"Well, we should get this done quick then. You're likely going to get hungry if you don't drink soon. Couple of days, I think."
You shudder; drinking like you did last time wasn't fun. Even if it was tasty. "So, you think it's worth a shot?"
He nods, "Provided you know what to say to them if they reply."
Thoughts begin to form, though you can admit to yourself that you're not a hundred percent certain on what you could say. Hello, we're looking for the Professor? ... Um, want to tell us where you are? Thanks, please don't kill us when we meet.
You laugh, the situation playing out in your head. "Let's do it then, no reason not to." You grab around and find the Zealot's walkie-talkie, and switch it on...
Click
You immediately memorize where the current dial is set at and then begin to move the dial all the way to the left. You wait for a moment, only hearing static. The dial moves about a millimeter to the right-- just static. One centimeter at a time... To say the least, it gets aggravating. More static, keeps going, and going, and no dice.
> You trudge along...
Every time the dial moves slightly less than a centimeter, you pause for thirty seconds, push the button and recite in monotone, "Hello, are you knowledgeable about the Professor?" Hoping you catch something or get a response. Kelso's eventual chuckles are disconcerting, to say the least, but you focus on the problem at hand. You continue pushing the dial to the right, passing it's original point and beyond. Meanwhile, you're praying to no deity in particular that your plan succeeds. You want to impress Kelso. He's like a father-figure, the first person you saw when your hatched out of your tube. On the other hand, he's a teacher who's withholding information, which gets frustrating at times. You remain conflicted about the only person you have met in your vampiric form.
Suddenly, you hear a response. Short and you can't make out what it's saying, but it's something. You push the button and repeat, "Hello?" You stop pressing.
Lots of static, probably bad reception on their end. A gruff, snarling voice speaks out, "Who's there? What's this about a professor?"
"You know who I'm talking about." You reply, hoping. "The Professor, the one who Created us."
"Then who are you?"
"A fellow Creation, and I want to join forces. The Zealots are too many in number for my liking."
"Do you really... Who's with you?"
You look to Kelso, who brings a finger to his lips. "Just... Just me. Why?"
"Because you're lying." The voice coughs, sending over a truly ugly sound over the transceiver, "But no matter. You wish to join the Wolves then, right?"
"Assuming your group can take care of itself. How many are your group and where are you?"
"Five and growing. You won't find it, it's under the ground."
And growing? "So can you lead me to where you guys are?"
You wait a couple of moments, and then he answers, "Hmm... Nah. We don't need more nutbars in this camp. I'd rather not bring attention to our hideout from the Zealots."
Son of a bitch. "Well, you're missing out, Wolfie."
"I'm sure I am, haha."
You click it off. "Sorry, Kelso, that was pretty pointless."
"Though interesting. It doesn't sound like they're too interested in finding the Professor, rather just survival. Perhaps with a little arm twisting we can get in there..."
"If we find out where they are."
"Well, that's what Plan B is for, right?"
> You try to lure a Zealot here, in hopes one of them know where the Wolf hideout is.
"Err, uh, yeah. Let's try my other plan."
Kelso laughs. "Of course."
"Hey, both of my plans were better than your's." You argue, setting the dial back to where it was. Now that you think about it, you wonder why the Church never went out looking for the Zealot which your mentor killed, and you killed. Perhaps they did, just you and Kelso never noticed it. Or perhaps the Zealots often went out in long journeys without communication.
No matter now, You realize, they'll pick up at the signal. Somebody will.
Excitedly, you fidget for the WT, and grasp it firmly. You clear your throat to speak, but Kelso briefs you.
"Remember, just put the channel on. Listen in and wait for a while, and if nothing turns up then try speaking. But only then."
"Does it matter?"
"It might."
You cough again, then breathe in. Out. In.
You put the dial back to where it was in the first place.
Out. Nothing but static, for now. Minutes go by. You stand at the ready. But all is static. Ten minutes turns to half an hour, though your body doesn't stop tensing. Something is coming.
> You try to communicate.
You push the button on the walkie-talkie, and speak into it. "Hello?"
Moments pass. After several more crackles you get a response. A cool female voice speaks out, "Sebastian? Seargent, is everything alright?" British?
Kelso shoots you a sideways glance. You can almost feel him sending you a message with his eyes. Be creative, you call the shots for now.
You blink. Ahem, "I have spotted some of the err, creations."
"Well of course you have." Matter of fact tone. "We've known where the devils that are the Wolves have been for a while now. We just need to strike them. Which reminds me, we should get back to base."
Perfect. Ish. "No! The, uh, lord helped me and I found others."
"Others? What do you mean?"
"There are other Creations that have escaped aside from the, uh, wolves, and-"
The woman on the other side is excited, "More?"
"Um, only one. That I found, at least. But one is one too many. I uh, need backup."
"Stop stuttering, Sebastian. This is important. Where are you? Now searching it up..." Pause. "Your GPS tracker hasn't been functioning for a couple of days. That's probably why security has tightened around the City. Where the hell are you?"
Shit. "Well, uh, the battery died and, uh, things happened."
"Things? Sebastian, I... Did it take you hostage?"
You've decided you like her voice. "It?"
She lowers her voice, "What is your general location, Sebastian? We'll find you. You'll be safe."
You pause, looking to Kelso for help. To tell the truth, you have no idea where you are. Kelso looks the other way. You sigh, annoyed at him. Maybe he's just a bit offended that your plan was better. Or not.
"I..."
> You force the reciever into Kelso's hand.
Scared to risk stuttering more and screwing things up, you take the WT and make sure Kelso holds it. He looks at you with contempt before speaking into it.
"Indeed." He seethes, his voice threatening and just... Cold. Kelso doesn't even need to try to get his voice that way, it just is, even if it sounds grandfather-like when he scolds you, "I have him. It's amazing how the Church has destroyed what's left of this Earth. Only desert left aside from your little colony and houses buried in sand. But believe me, this 'Sebastian' isn't the first human who I've caught." Kelso pauses, and releases the button to see if she responds.
She doesn't.
He finishes. "And he won't be the last."
Click
And it's off.
"Master, wasn't that too dramatic? We don't want them to send more than we can handle..."
"Kid, you never force a person into a conversation he didn't start. You'd think you'd still remember proper manners. Let's just hope to heaven they don't bring every damn one of the king's men."
---
Kelso and yourself find several mounds to hide behind. There are only several clusters of areas around the big City that have the half-buried houses, which means that the religious troupe will likely find them there, at some point. You keep your sights on the city. Every once in a while you'll see moving lights across the landscape, which are subsequently turned off. Then on. And off again...
"Those are the soldiers." Kelso points out to you. A good deal of them too, and approaching quickly on more than one side. The lights seem to travel in groups. You count... Eight groups of five. You wonder how many you can take, and in turn how much more Kelso could.
"So, what's the plan?"
"We capture one and hightail it out of here. This... Is going to be challenging."
Your mentor stands up, watching the approaching mob of Zealots. Two or three are way off, lighting up the opposite direction, but the rest are surrounding your vicinity, though you're uncertain if that's on purpose or not. Kelso motions you to come closer to him, to listen. "This is where we split up. They're trying to flank us, but that won't work when they're spread out like this. We're, funnily enough, a straight, though long line away from the city. The lights are moving toward us, and with other groups closing in from the two sides; a circle. I go one way, you go the other."
"Like we trained, I hit hared and fast."
He nods. "Let's get to it then. Good luck, kid." He begins jogging to the left. It's when he breaks out into a run when you only begin moving leftwards. For the first time since you escaped the Facility, you're scared. You sprint across the sand with your head down, maintaining balance and stealth even with your heavy armor. You ready yourself, the lights shining brighter and brighter until... You see them. Tall, thick, dark; the words that come to mind. Shining Crosses on ebony metal that covers the entire body, down to the legs. His helmet's visor is like a medieval knight's, only more techy. Not only that, but their rifles are huge, with tusks at the end. You wonder what caliber that behemoth could hold...
Still, you have the element of surprise, if only because you aren't a lightbulb shaped a like freaking cross.
You leap up, letting a gust of wind propel you, making a cross of your own in the night-sky, Your body finds itself right above the ringleader, who dumbly looks up when your feet, disguised as sneakers, land on his helmet. A heavy clunking sound is made before you hear a snap (his neck), which you use for momentum, jumping at another, this time with your fists. Refined rage, like Kelso taught you.
It was going fine until bullets came into the picture. After the second clunk the last three of the group turn and point their bayonets-on-crack rifles at you. What comes out isn't a bullet, more like... Lightning?
It bursts out at you with a mighty roar, and you feel your skin ripping, only to regenerate. Three more blasts, you make another swipe, hitting viciously through the armor of one, finishing him off with blood. Three (who were shooting at you) to go.
They reload, which thankfully takes enough time. One of them doesn't bother, however, and stick the tusks of his rifle into you. Some of your blood spills, and even more of his bursts out when you push his rifle from inside you to inside of him, his armor nothing when your rage takes over. With blood squirting into your eyes, the rest are easy work. You claw at the armored figures, their lightning-shots hurting you but not overcoming you until... You're done. Five of them were killed, and you don't even remember how the last one went down. You lay on the sand, too stunned to move.
More of the Crosses come over to belt you over the head with what must be a bible, because damn was it heavy.
---
Even more bright lights (a recurring theme, you tell yourself), and you find yourself strapped onto a chair. The room is all blue, but your chair is white. For whatever reason, the colors seem pleasant, and calming to you. You wonder what happened to Kelso...
A powerful voice speaks out, "Who are you?"
> You reply truthfully.
"I honestly don't know." You reply to the voice, "But who are you?"
The blue room begins to make funny, scratching noises. Then, the sound of clinking; gears shifting, and a part of the room turns backwards, revealing an opening. Out of it, and elderly man with a flowing white beard, skullcap and robe comes out. "My apologies," His gravely, but strong voice speaks out, "I am the founder of the Church and retired Zealot." As he says this, a hatch in the floor is cranked open, allowing space for an odd chair to form out. "May I take a seat?"
You lick your lips. Still some blood on them, you would have thought the assholes be kind enough to wash you, but apparently not. Seeing you not respond, the Father takes a seat. "So," He begins, "You don't remember... Anything? How have you been surviving alone? You're young."
You nod. "No. I woke up when your 'Zealots' destroyed teh Facility. I'm lucky I made it out alive, with your dogs burning it down. I had a mentor, though you likely got him as well..."
"There are two unlisted Creations? Fascinating." He strokes his beard, "The burning of the facility was necessary. Not that you'd know, you're in the dark, I believe."
You find this funny, though not untrue. "And you're about to enlighten me?"
Tomas nods, "Then end your suffering, through any means necessary."
"So I'm going to die by the end of this?"
"Of course. Though there's always the option of cooperating. Even the saints needed the devils to do their bidding. Sometimes." He smiles.
"I'm not some sort of 'devil'." You reply, bewildered, "Why do you suppose that?"
"You like stories, yes? Because there is a necessary one here, one that you probably never heard of."
Head shaking, you motion for him to carry on.
"For being such a good sport, I'll cut out the dramatic parts and just get to the real 'beef'" He states, his eyes trained on yours. He coughs, spewing out dots of mucus in your direction, then does it again. WIth his throat now cleared, Father Tomas begins his tale.
"The world two decades ago was a much different place. Lush greens were the equivalent of sand today; everywhere you looked, there was grass. Huge cities, several miles in circumference, were common place. Buildings reaching the clouds and mods of transport like griffons, soaring high above. Religion, ironically, was considerably less widespread, and it continued to dwindle as so-called 'science' led many astray. As evil was legalized, sodomy and murder-rates soon became more and more consistent and the government fell to anarchy as horrible diseases began to spread. Militant radicals spread throughout the globe, raping and pillaging. At the time, to those who were looking, it was obvious that this was God's Reckoning; his flood to bring about a New Age. That's where Simon Kurschner's Creations came into play. With government support, he tried to find a way to get out of the apocalypse, not realizing it was God's will, it couldn't be stopped. But he tried, and he received the funding to do whatever he wanted, with hopes of stopping the plague, and creating beings who could stop the barbarians. He took the dead and dying, experimenting on them and trying to create slaves. There is no doubt in my mind he did things that weren't legal, but that didn't matter to them. As long as he saved us, he could go against the Lord's will, using humans as guinea pigs, and secretly trying to make for himself perfect slaves. Kurschner created many different sorts of entities, and for the next several years he was a beacon of hope for the non-believers. But we, the Church, we knew what was coming. The Creations were immune to disease, and had a fighting prowess unmatched by the strongest armies in the world. One Creation could destroy hundreds of Radicals with minimal effort, and it seemed like this would fix everything, but hell on Earth stayed. Even after the threats were stopped, the Creations and their Leader wanted more. They began to kill indiscriminately, with an attempt to rule the world."
He takes a deep breath, trying to remember, "As God decreed, the Earth began to decay in the demons' wake. While Doctor Kurschner ruled his legions from hell, a few of us banded together. The Church was the new Ark; we banded together to maintain what's left of humanity. IT was hard, but we suceeded, with several towns in the Northern United States. But the demons still linger, and it is our duty to destroy what God intended to not let live.
"Because that's is what you are!" He raises his voice, shaking his fists angrily at your helpless self on the chair, "You were supposed to stay dead, like the rest of the infected. But you were given life, and now are doomed to live a cursed life because of that Doctor. That is why the Church will destroy all the Creations that are still roaming the Earth."
"But they're still human!" You interrupt, pointing to yourself, "I'm still human."
The Priest continues, as if not hearing you, "However... It isn't your fault. Perhaps that's why I'm giving you this chance, a chance at a redemption, of sorts. After the men you've killed, there is nothing I can do to save your unlife, but perhaps you can still find favor with the Lord... Undercover."
> You hear him out.
His story is... Interesting, to say the least. So Simon Kurschner is the Professor's actual name.
"So what do you want from me?" You ask, uncertain of yourself. Who is my main enemy? The Professor or the Church? Both? Is the Professor even still alive?
The Father nods, "We need you to lead us to the other Creations, so we can finish them once and for all. You are the last of the Vampires, and you can most likely help our charge on the Wolves. As I said, the Creations are very powerful. Having one on our side could be a huge help."
You smirk back at him, "Why though? It's not like you've given me any sort of ambition to help you wackos."
"Well, I thought life was good objective." He shrugs, bringing his hand close to the opening of his robes.
"You think I'd sell out my fellow Creations just for myself?"
"I'd be surprised if you cared for them-- you don't even remember them! You have no connection to this world anymore." He grimaces, taking a knobby finger and waving it at your chest. "The only thing that may be left is your heart, and even that is subject to debate. Will you side with us, the humans, or die here. The choice is yours. Light and Darkness, that is your only option here!"
Light and Darkness, but is it really that simple?
> You redeem yourself in the eyes of God.
"Very good." The old man grins, "Your training shall commence soon enough. Now, you will be fed every once in a while, we have some animals out back that you can feast from, if you want. But you certainly won't be getting human blood, haha."
Regardless of your reasons for accepting the devil's bargain, you can't help but find him horribly irritating currently. You sigh, realizing that the only thing you can look forward to this week is the blandly colored room and the sneering priest. "Goodbye, then, Vampire of the Light."
The priest happily shuffles away into the clinking gear-based doors, and your mind wanders...
Days pass, and you'd be lying if you said that you weren't surprised that the withered old geezer wasn't mentoring you himself. Of course, this makes sense-- the rest of the Church would probably lynch him if he declared you 'AOK', but it's more surprising how spry the man is. He spends the next few days teaching you boring protocol, not-as-boring use of standardized C.E. weaponry, and a quick, refined crash-course through some-sort of martial art. Surprisingly, he doesn't bother you with the gospel of the Zealots, but you're too busy working on yourself in order to reflect on that.
Within a week, he manages to transform you into what he thinks is a Creation killing machine. And it's then when he reveals the plan you were already somewhat familiar with. "It is necessary that we raid the Wolf hideout, and completely eliminate the Wolf threat once and for all, when they least expect it. We have found their coordinates, finally," he hands you a tablet, showing a mapping of the surrounding desert, "And can now make sure they can no longer harm themselves or anyone else anymore. So, Vampire-Of-Light, do you think you're ready to take on the Demons, as is your holy mission?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
He grins, then outfits you with standard Zealot equipment; armor, rifle, and various gadgets used for communication.
"Now just wait here while I get the rest of the Zealots ready. Tonight, you will banish the evil in our own backyards! Godspeed, soldier." With that, he leaves, finally leaving you alone.
Ah, the open air and the cold night sky. Beautiful in many ways, and-- wait, I'm outside! I can run away from this place! I can't believe they're letting me out unsupervised like this...
> You run away, you must inform your brethren of the Church's plans before you're too late!
You slowly begin making your way up and to the right-side, in the direction of the Wolves' actual hideout. What starts off as a slow walk turns into full-blown running on the cool desert sand. You breathe in the air, and then out. Despite the recent turn of events, you feel absolutely wonderful; though that feeling is soon changed into a horrific one. You suddenly sense your body being pulled back by some sort of shocking force, and then your bleary eyes only make out another cool-blue room.
Difference is, there are several others in the room, all in masks. You try to move, but your entire body seems to be restrained by a cold metal, and your face is covered by some sort of hazy mask and...
Is that a scalpel!?!?
The Father's voice rings out, "See, the funny thing is, you never really had a choice in helping us. In the end, God always opens up ways for his sheep to wander, and always closes the gates on the bad wolves. I had plans to make use of you regardless of whether you actually meant repentance."
Though it's a slow and dull process, you feel your life-energy slowly being sucked out. Even if you could probably survive much longer, you slowly realize that survival is what they want, so they could continue examining your body and organs for whatever purposes and rituals the Zealots want. Soon, your spirit leaves your body, and you feel yourself die on the hospital bed.
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
"Very good." The old man grins, "Your training shall commence soon enough. Now, you will be fed every once in a while, we have some animals out back that you can feast from, if you want. But you certainly won't be getting human blood, haha."
Regardless of your reasons for accepting the devil's bargain, you can't help but find him horribly irritating currently. You sigh, realizing that the only thing you can look forward to this week is the blandly colored room and the sneering priest. "Goodbye, then, Vampire of the Light."
The priest happily shuffles away into the clinking gear-based doors, and your mind wanders...
Days pass, and you'd be lying if you said that you weren't surprised that the withered old geezer wasn't mentoring you himself. Of course, this makes sense-- the rest of the Church would probably lynch him if he declared you 'AOK', but it's more surprising how spry the man is. He spends the next few days teaching you boring protocol, not-as-boring use of standardized C.E. weaponry, and a quick, refined crash-course through some-sort of martial art. Surprisingly, he doesn't bother you with the gospel of the Zealots, but you're too busy working on yourself in order to reflect on that.
Within a week, he manages to transform you into what he thinks is a Creation killing machine. And it's then when he reveals the plan you were already somewhat familiar with. "It is necessary that we raid the Wolf hideout, and completely eliminate the Wolf threat once and for all, when they least expect it. We have found their coordinates, finally," he hands you a tablet, showing a mapping of the surrounding desert, "And can now make sure they can no longer harm themselves or anyone else anymore. So, Vampire-Of-Light, do you think you're ready to take on the Demons, as is your holy mission?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
He grins, then outfits you with standard Zealot equipment; armor, rifle, and various gadgets used for communication.
"Now just wait here while I get the rest of the Zealots ready. Tonight, you will banish the evil in our own backyards! Godspeed, soldier." With that, he leaves, finally leaving you alone.
Ah, the open air and the cold night sky. Beautiful in many ways, and-- wait, I'm outside! I can run away from this place! I can't believe they're letting me out unsupervised like this...
> You proceed with the facade of a loyal Zealot, only to turn when the time is right.
You remain compliant, for now. You think about everything you've been through so far-- not much, though it's felt like a lot. The main 'highlights' was Kelso, where the hell is that bastard? and the constant torment you've endured from Father Tomas. At least, regardless of today's outcome, you'll have you revenge against the Church, at least.
You turn your head to find at least fifty armored Zealots in formation, marching along with their flashing chests and a surprisingly optimistic attitude, as described by their songs. "Soldier, what are you doing out here so early? What's your name and rank?"
Crap, I just got called out, "Err, Father Tomas knows. Where is he? I thought he was, uh, coming."
"Nope, he's staying back for morale reasons." The person who called for you gets out of the formation, and runs to catch up with you. The man, especially shown through the armor, is huge-- probably the biggest Zealot you've seen thus far. His voice is pretty heavy, but he sounds surprisingly intelligent for one of his size, "Wait, are you new? You look young..."
"You could say that."
He laughs, misunderstanding, "Right then, I'm Chief. If you need anything just ask, young one. This'll be much easier than you think. We'll steam-roll the hell out of those Demons with our newly refined weapons."
"Oh?"
"All silver, baby. It cost a lot to build, and we're the only Zealots aside from Karat- you know, they guy who persists to wear white armor," Who or what the hell is he talking about? "Who have this new design. The Father says this stops them from healing, so we have no chance of losing. Don't be scared, now. I'll get you a seat in formation, give me a sec."
Your stupid grin at the cockiness of the head-Zealot is thankfully concealed by your helmet. He stuffs you in his position-- the front line, while he leads out in front. Just as well, you think, I don't think this will be as easy as he says, so my being in the front should help. I think.
The march is treacherously long, and if you're admitting to that then you can't imagine how the Zealots are with all the excess armor. Thankfully, your so-called curse comes with its blessings, and if you were to add it all up, you'd probably count the curses in the blessing pile. Everything would be good if only the damn Church wasn't involved.
Eventually, you reach the end of of the journey, and you find nothing but more desert. "Uh, Chief? Where is the Wolf hideout?"
"Literally, underground." He laughs. He takes out his rifle and screws off the tusk, and from his armor he withdraws a crafty little shovel-head. "Samuel, Zadok, do the same. We need to open this up quickly."
Two of the larger Zealots come up from behind you to help shovel the certain mound of sand, and while you find it amusing at first, it soon becomes apparent that this is the place when you hear a metal clanging sound.
"This is it!"
You look into the ditch, and find an odd metal disk embedded into a round concrete tube, large in diameter. Maybe a well?
Te man labeled 'Zadok' changes his rifle's end again, back to the tusks, then hollers for everybody to get back. Everybody complies.
With a large grunt, he prepares his rifle to shoot at the plate, then a large sonic-boom erupts, and the green lightning sets the plate to turn red, in heat. Samuel sends a heavy kick, which is just enough to send the disk out of its place, opening up the well.
"For God's glory!" Chief yells, and they repeat after him with enthusiasm.
"FOR GOD'S GLORY!"
The three head-Zealots jump down the well, landing with a loud cracking sound.
Impatient at this point, you decide to reveal your true, brutal colors while the Zealots line up for going down the well. Slowly, you wait your turn to follow the first half down the well, but as your turn is right about to come up, you grab the man in front of you, and turn him over and drop-- having him fall head-first into the concrete below. The other Zealots stop their chanting and look at you, confused.
You take advantage of their shock by ramming the silver tusks of your rifle through the man behind you, and following through the bum rush, pushing over several more people. You let leave of your gun, and begin angrily clawing and punching any Zealot in your way, easily piercing their various armors. Occasionally, a larger one would manage to grab you during your rampage, but the built-up rage inside of you gives you the ability to flip them from over you, then continue your massacre. The state of chaos and cluttered set of armors running frantically around, trying to hit you with their weapons make it all the better, until, from what you can make out with blurred eyesight, comes back up from well, only to blast you with his rifle.
What happens after that, you cannot tell.
You have been killed by Zealots... But at least you took out about half of them with you! |
"Very good." The old man grins, "Your training shall commence soon enough. Now, you will be fed every once in a while, we have some animals out back that you can feast from, if you want. But you certainly won't be getting human blood, haha."
Regardless of your reasons for accepting the devil's bargain, you can't help but find him horribly irritating currently. You sigh, realizing that the only thing you can look forward to this week is the blandly colored room and the sneering priest. "Goodbye, then, Vampire of the Light."
The priest happily shuffles away into the clinking gear-based doors, and your mind wanders...
Days pass, and you'd be lying if you said that you weren't surprised that the withered old geezer wasn't mentoring you himself. Of course, this makes sense-- the rest of the Church would probably lynch him if he declared you 'AOK', but it's more surprising how spry the man is. He spends the next few days teaching you boring protocol, not-as-boring use of standardized C.E. weaponry, and a quick, refined crash-course through some-sort of martial art. Surprisingly, he doesn't bother you with the gospel of the Zealots, but you're too busy working on yourself in order to reflect on that.
Within a week, he manages to transform you into what he thinks is a Creation killing machine. And it's then when he reveals the plan you were already somewhat familiar with. "It is necessary that we raid the Wolf hideout, and completely eliminate the Wolf threat once and for all, when they least expect it. We have found their coordinates, finally," he hands you a tablet, showing a mapping of the surrounding desert, "And can now make sure they can no longer harm themselves or anyone else anymore. So, Vampire-Of-Light, do you think you're ready to take on the Demons, as is your holy mission?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
He grins, then outfits you with standard Zealot equipment; armor, rifle, and various gadgets used for communication.
"Now just wait here while I get the rest of the Zealots ready. Tonight, you will banish the evil in our own backyards! Godspeed, soldier." With that, he leaves, finally leaving you alone.
Ah, the open air and the cold night sky. Beautiful in many ways, and-- wait, I'm outside! I can run away from this place! I can't believe they're letting me out unsupervised like this...
> You fulfill your duty as a Zealot of God.
Indeed, you stand in the cold more stalwart than you've ever been, an entire outlook changed. While the Church may have its faults, blaming it for the world's destruction isn't true. It all boils down to the Professor and his deviants, like myself. Unless they wish to repent, then they have no stake in this world.
Suddenly, you begin to hear an odd sort of chant or jingle being sung from behind you. You turn your head to find at least fifty armored Zealots in formation, marching along with their flashing chests and a surprisingly optimistic attitude, as described by their songs. "Soldier, what are you doing out here so early? What's your name and rank?"
Crap, I just got called out, "Err, Father Tomas knows. Where is he? I thought he was, uh, coming."
"Nope, he's staying back for morale reasons." The person who called for you gets out of the formation, and runs to catch up with you. The man, espeically shown through the armor, is huge-- probably the biggest Zealot you've seen thus far. His voice is pretty heavy, but he sounds surprisingly intelligent for one of his size, "Wait, are you new? You look young..."
"You could say that."
He laughs, misunderstanding, "Right then, I'm Chief. If you need anything just ask young one. This'll be much easier than you think. We'll steam-roll the hell out of those Demons with our newly refined weapons."
"Oh?"
"All silver, baby. It cost a lot to build, and we're the only Zealots aside from Karat- you know, they guy who persists to wear white armor," Who or what the hell is he talking about? "Who have this new design. The Father says this stops them from healing, so we have no chance of losing. Don't be scared, now. I'll get you a seat in formation, give me a sec."
Your stupid grin at the kindness of the head-Zealot is thankfully concealed by your helmet. He stuffs you in his position-- the front line, while he leads out in front. Just as well, you think, I don't think this will be as easy as he says, so my being in the front should help. I think.
And this begins you ascent into God's plan, whatever it may be.
The march is treacherously long, and if you're admitting to that then you can't imagine how the others are with all the heavy armor. Thankfully, the curse comes with its blessings, and those blessings are obviously a reason why God's plan for you involved this. That, or we're all doomed. You shove that thought away for the moment, though.
Eventually, you reach the end of of the journey, and you find nothing but more desert. "Uh, Chief? Where is the Wolf hideout?"
"Literally, underground." He laughs. He takes out his rifle and screws off the tusk, and from his armor he withdraws a crafty little shovel-head. "Samuel, Zadok, do the same. We need to open this up quickly."
Two of the larger Zealots come up from behind you to help shovel the certain mound of sand, and while you find it amusing at first, it soon becomes apparent that this is the place when you hear a metal clanging sound.
"This is it!"
You look into the ditch, and find an odd metal disk embedded into a round concrete tube, large in diameter. Maybe a well?
Te man labeled 'Zadok' changes his rifle's end again, back to the tusks, then hollers for everybody to get back. Everybody complies.
With a large grunt, he prepares his rifle to shoot at the plate, then a large sonic-boom erupts, and the green lightning sets the plate to turn red, in heat. Samuel sends a heavy kick, which is just enough to send the disk out of its place, opening up the well.
"For God's glory!" Chief yells, and they repeat after him with enthusiasm.
"FOR GOD'S GLORY!"
The big-three Zealots jump in one after each-other, and after that it's a beeline to get into the concrete sewer below. Finally, when it's your turn, you manage to find foot-holds to climb down, rather than just jumping down aimlessly and without stealth. Of course, stealth is thrown out of the window whenever these lovable tools are in the equation. They're still chanting, and the light from their armor is the only thing lighting up the cavern!
Your squadron of fifty or more begins a march through it, still as loud and boisterous as ever. But, suddenly, the mood changes. Something's not right... Where are the Wolves?
Slowly, as the Zealots move inside the maze of hell, you notice more and more of them disappearing. "Chief! We're losing men as we speak!"
The Chief looks around, his armor working as a flashlight, "Huh? But I don't see any of the Wolves?"
More and more Zealots disappear, with barely anything but a gasp at best. What the hell is happening?
After a small while of Zealots pleading for the Chief to turn back, you get the horrible feeling that you're next...
"Nobody touches my Creations."
You have been killed by an unknown player... |
His story is... Interesting, to say the least. So Simon Kurschner is the Professor's actual name.
"So what do you want from me?" You ask, uncertain of yourself. Who is my main enemy? The Professor or the Church? Both? Is the Professor even still alive?
The Father nods, "We need you to lead us to the other Creations, so we can finish them once and for all. You are the last of the Vampires, and you can most likely help our charge on the Wolves. As I said, the Creations are very powerful. Having one on our side could be a huge help."
You smirk back at him, "Why though? It's not like you've given me any sort of ambition to help you wackos."
"Well, I thought life was good objective." He shrugs, bringing his hand close to the opening of his robes.
"You think I'd sell out my fellow Creations just for myself?"
"I'd be surprised if you cared for them-- you don't even remember them! You have no connection to this world anymore." He grimaces, taking a knobby finger and waving it at your chest. "The only thing that may be left is your heart, and even that is subject to debate. Will you side with us, the humans, or die here. The choice is yours. Light and Darkness, that is your only option here!"
Light and Darkness, but is it really that simple?
> You say "I won't be your bitch, Tomas."
The wrinkled old man frowns, "So, you're throwing your one chance for redemption?"
"I don't need redemption from the likes of you." You seethe back, channeling your undead cajones. "You want me to fight for you, but you're too worried about the decision that you wouldn't let any of the other Zealots.
"I won't tell you your wrong, but I will tell you that you're a fool to choose a unredeemed death over a redeemed life. But I cannot pretend to comprehend the demons."
You tilt your head, "You don't really believe I'm a demon, do you?" He continues to frown. "This... You wouldn't give me any sort of chance if you actually backed your beliefs. By now you must be just fear-mongering. But why?"
"Humanity needs a common-enemy, something to band us together to fight and destroy. That, and only that, will keep us alive."
The priest turns his back to you, and begins to slowly creep away. You struggle, and you yell out to try and kill him, to get out of this room. Yet, the UV-lights seem to hold you down, and when you realize what is happening. Flames emit from the bottom of your chair and begin to lick at your skin...
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
Scared to risk stuttering more and screwing things up, you take the WT and make sure Kelso holds it. He looks at you with contempt before speaking into it.
"Indeed." He seethes, his voice threatening and just... Cold. Kelso doesn't even need to try to get his voice that way, it just is, even if it sounds grandfather-like when he scolds you, "I have him. It's amazing how the Church has destroyed what's left of this Earth. Only desert left aside from your little colony and houses buried in sand. But believe me, this 'Sebastian' isn't the first human who I've caught." Kelso pauses, and releases the button to see if she responds.
She doesn't.
He finishes. "And he won't be the last."
Click
And it's off.
"Master, wasn't that too dramatic? We don't want them to send more than we can handle..."
"Kid, you never force a person into a conversation he didn't start. You'd think you'd still remember proper manners. Let's just hope to heaven they don't bring every damn one of the king's men."
---
Kelso and yourself find several mounds to hide behind. There are only several clusters of areas around the big City that have the half-buried houses, which means that the religious troupe will likely find them there, at some point. You keep your sights on the city. Every once in a while you'll see moving lights across the landscape, which are subsequently turned off. Then on. And off again...
"Those are the soldiers." Kelso points out to you. A good deal of them too, and approaching quickly on more than one side. The lights seem to travel in groups. You count... Eight groups of five. You wonder how many you can take, and in turn how much more Kelso could.
"So, what's the plan?"
"We capture one and hightail it out of here. This... Is going to be challenging."
Your mentor stands up, watching the approaching mob of Zealots. Two or three are way off, lighting up the opposite direction, but the rest are surrounding your vicinity, though you're uncertain if that's on purpose or not. Kelso motions you to come closer to him, to listen. "This is where we split up. They're trying to flank us, but that won't work when they're spread out like this. We're, funnily enough, a straight, though long line away from the city. The lights are moving toward us, and with other groups closing in from the two sides; a circle. I go one way, you go the other."
"Like we trained, I hit hared and fast."
He nods. "Let's get to it then. Good luck, kid." He begins jogging to the left. It's when he breaks out into a run when you only begin moving leftwards. For the first time since you escaped the Facility, you're scared. You sprint across the sand with your head down, maintaining balance and stealth even with your heavy armor. You ready yourself, the lights shining brighter and brighter until... You see them. Tall, thick, dark; the words that come to mind. Shining Crosses on ebony metal that covers the entire body, down to the legs. His helmet's visor is like a medieval knight's, only more techy. Not only that, but their rifles are huge, with tusks at the end. You wonder what caliber that behemoth could hold...
Still, you have the element of surprise, if only because you aren't a lightbulb shaped a like freaking cross.
You leap up, letting a gust of wind propel you, making a cross of your own in the night-sky, Your body finds itself right above the ringleader, who dumbly looks up when your feet, disguised as sneakers, land on his helmet. A heavy clunking sound is made before you hear a snap (his neck), which you use for momentum, jumping at another, this time with your fists. Refined rage, like Kelso taught you.
It was going fine until bullets came into the picture. After the second clunk the last three of the group turn and point their bayonets-on-crack rifles at you. What comes out isn't a bullet, more like... Lightning?
It bursts out at you with a mighty roar, and you feel your skin ripping, only to regenerate. Three more blasts, you make another swipe, hitting viciously through the armor of one, finishing him off with blood. Three (who were shooting at you) to go.
They reload, which thankfully takes enough time. One of them doesn't bother, however, and stick the tusks of his rifle into you. Some of your blood spills, and even more of his bursts out when you push his rifle from inside you to inside of him, his armor nothing when your rage takes over. With blood squirting into your eyes, the rest are easy work. You claw at the armored figures, their lightning-shots hurting you but not overcoming you until... You're done. Five of them were killed, and you don't even remember how the last one went down. You lay on the sand, too stunned to move.
More of the Crosses come over to belt you over the head with what must be a bible, because damn was it heavy.
---
Even more bright lights (a recurring theme, you tell yourself), and you find yourself strapped onto a chair. The room is all blue, but your chair is white. For whatever reason, the colors seem pleasant, and calming to you. You wonder what happened to Kelso...
A powerful voice speaks out, "Who are you?"
> You reply sarcastically.
"A heathen, no doubt." You manage to spit out, angrily.
"Not a heathen, an abomination. There is a difference." The voice is male, and older. "But I don't wish to quell your anger, as you are no doubt misguided. Worry not, we shall end your suffering."
"Thanks, I wouldn't want to be a burden."
He laughs. "You are a funny devil alright, but one who deserves an explanation, if he wants one." Gears grind, causing your ears to sting while a shaft opens up in the blue room. An old man in a priestly garb and a skullcap comes out, an inviting though intimidating aura around him. "Do you wish to know why you're here? What the Church's mission is?"
You stare at the man. "What's the point if you're just going to kill me right after?"
"Us antagonists like our monologs, do we not? You'd know, for I am only part of the lesser evil. So, if you please, allow me to explain why the verdict is so grim for one with such oratory abilities, like yourself."
You nod to the bizarre old man, "Sure... But not before you tell me where my mentor is."
"Hmm?"
"Kelso."
"Doesn't ring any bells. Can we go on?" He says, looking at his watch.
He's not even wearing a watch! You sigh, "You really want to tell me the story then, huh."
The pruned holy-man beams, "Why yes!"
A long pause erupts. And you wait for the priest to tell you. He begins to cough, and cough... By now you're just irked, stuck in a room with a senile wackjob. It's surprising that he's your interrogator. "So."
"Ah yes. On the first day," His large dark eyes twinkle, "of the new Era, the world began to sink. Horrible diseases and militant radicals swept through different parts of the globe. Coincidentally, this all began after marriage became void and immorality was embraced." He shakes his head, "Regardless, Simon Kurschner created his Program, with the government's support, and using the dead and dying as test subjects, he claimed that he wished to stop disease and create perfect soldiers as well. At the time, it sounded ludicrous; like a comic book. But the world governments were desperate, and he received the funding. The second day was much darker, with the disease spreading rapidly before Kurschner's lab was even finished. By the time it was done, he petitioned for less regulation, and that's when it began. There would be no stopping what he began to create. Worse than the viruses which wiped out humanity; a God's flood. This... you, are different, unnatural. Third day came and Simon sent a crew of his deathless zombies, which survived the disease under his care, to deal with military conflicts all over the world. The fact that it succeeded so well was a curse, as he gained more support. By the 4rth day he had thousands of Creations under his disposal. And who didn't trust him? The religious, the so-called 'supersticious' Church." He spits, getting emotional during his obviously summarized tale, "5th Day, his Creations began fighting against the world, rather than with them against evil. One experiment could take on hundreds of regular soldiers alone, and so they laid waste, all while Simon was living the good life. Then, what do you know, the diseases evolved, went airborn, killed everyone but the faithful, those who stayed in the First Chapel. The Earth was dying, as God didn't want it to continue as it did, and only two groups survived; the Zealots, and the Creations. The next day involved war. W wanting to e slowly began building society back up, getting stronger technology and a bigger community. But it was not enough, and the Creations spread us weak and thin. But we're growing, and the Creations are now on the run, no doubt split between wanting to kill us or the Professor, who got them into this mess. Everything with them is 'kill', for they are demon-spawn.''
He notices your eyese rolling and then bends down to your level, "Look at you, boy, blood on his lips and unrelenting anger. This is mercy, to end your cursed life. As now, on the 7th day, we shall put all of the cursed to rest. They may resist, but we will go out of our way to end them."
You take a deep breath, taking all of this in. There isn't that much to say, and you realize how much fragments you still don't know. There has to be more to this, though you're not sure why...
"Dramatic, no?" He nods, continuing. "Which makes me wonder where you fit into all of this. You don't have a name do you?"
"Uh, no, I can't remember anything from before my awakening."
The Father frowned, "Hmm, you must have been one of the last experiments if you're so young. Very well then, good night, I'm afraid. May God have mercy on your soul..." He turns to leave.
"Wait, you're killing me after all that?!? Come back here! I'm sentient, I'm human, just like YOU!" You yell, struggling at the immobile chair.
He doesn't answer. A quick, firey death unexpectedly follows, your seat spewing out bursts of flame, charring through your body and burning your soul to a crisp. Red, then all black.
You have died by the hands of the Church. |
You push the button on the walkie-talkie, and speak into it. "Hello?"
Moments pass. After several more crackles you get a response. A cool female voice speaks out, "Sebastian? Seargent, is everything alright?" British?
Kelso shoots you a sideways glance. You can almost feel him sending you a message with his eyes. Be creative, you call the shots for now.
You blink. Ahem, "I have spotted some of the err, creations."
"Well of course you have." Matter of fact tone. "We've known where the devils that are the Wolves have been for a while now. We just need to strike them. Which reminds me, we should get back to base."
Perfect. Ish. "No! The, uh, lord helped me and I found others."
"Others? What do you mean?"
"There are other Creations that have escaped aside from the, uh, wolves, and-"
The woman on the other side is excited, "More?"
"Um, only one. That I found, at least. But one is one too many. I uh, need backup."
"Stop stuttering, Sebastian. This is important. Where are you? Now searching it up..." Pause. "Your GPS tracker hasn't been functioning for a couple of days. That's probably why security has tightened around the City. Where the hell are you?"
Shit. "Well, uh, the battery died and, uh, things happened."
"Things? Sebastian, I... Did it take you hostage?"
You've decided you like her voice. "It?"
She lowers her voice, "What is your general location, Sebastian? We'll find you. You'll be safe."
You pause, looking to Kelso for help. To tell the truth, you have no idea where you are. Kelso looks the other way. You sigh, annoyed at him. Maybe he's just a bit offended that your plan was better. Or not.
"I..."
> You continue on, yourself.
You lower your voice, "I... not sure. We're in some sort of house. Lots of sand."
No reply. You click it off.
Kelso nods in seeming approval. "It'll do. Let's just hope they underestimate one Creation and send only a couple soldiers. They are tasked to deal with the unknown. I got lucky with 'Sebastian'; the foolish Zealot wandered out alone."
---
Your mentor and youself make your way to a particularly large sand-dune near the house, watching for incoming Zealots from the city ahead.
It doesn't too long-- after several minutes you begin to notice flashing armors marching in the moonlight. Your house is a surprisingly straight line to the city, and you notice some lights, formed in clusters, moving straight in your direction. Others seem to be coming in on a flank, moving to the left and right of the city before circling in, near your location. None are too close though, which gives time for Kelso to count them all.
"Five groups of five in all, with the Church having only a slight notion where we are and us having the element of surprise."
"You think that's good odds? From what it seems, they likely no more about what we can do then what we know they can."
"Not we, you. I fought Zealots before the facility was destroyed, you know. Even if they've grown considerably, they're still the fear-mongering, symbolic fools as ever. With enough force their armor can be clawed through, only thing you have to worry about is silver and their lightning rifles."
"Sounds fun." You chuckles out nervously, "Silver bullets and lightning rifles?"
"Ah yes, silver is specifically harmful to us, for whatever reason. It is very pure... and the only thing that will stop us from regenerating, thankfully though, I don't think they've caught on to that just yet. The shock-troops they send in are equipped with monstrous bayonets that shoot out streams of electrons at high velocity, which are scarily painful..." He notices your frown, and smiles in return, "But it's healable. And I think we can do it."
You nod, "Not if their flanks succeeds. We need to either split up and fight the ones coming on the side or take the clusters on together."
"No question, we should fight together. Splitting up may make this go faster and more efficiently, but it's dangerous enough that it won't be worth it. Together, we can capture one of them as well as efficiently annihilate the groups one by one."
You nod back, assured. Kelso may retain information, but he's never lied to you. You think.
This brings your mind back to the incoming horde of Zealots, which are less than a mile away by now, marching tirelessly, not exactly in your direction, but close enough...
"So, who do you think we should take on first?"
> You zealots on a side.
"Let's start on a side and move on from there. We can't let their flank be affective." Your mentor nods. "There was a reason why I saved you, even if I didn't realize it at the time."
"Which is...?"
"You're smart."
You'd blush if could, you like compliments, "No, the reason why you got me in the first place."
"You'll find out at some point."
You both laugh. Kelso drops information every once in a while, and at some point you want to just have several hours with him to discuss everything. Was the world always like this? What happened to it? What is my purpose? And on and on.
By now the collection of lights are nearing, so you stop chatting with your master and turn your attention to them. Keeping your head close to the ground and sneaking to the right, you prepare to overtake the group of five on that side. Your mind flashes back to your training in the training you did with Kelso in the dunes. You try your best to channel your anger while you run, Kelso behind, at the Zealots.
Why should I hate the Church? Your mind answers. Because they hate me for what I am. The man called Sebastian called me a 'demon'; I'm not that. I know I'm not that. But they will crucify me if they can. And I won't let them do that to myself or Kelso.
With your mind settled on some sort rage, you vent it with your sprinting, reaching the Zealots quick enough. They're big people, the C.E. Soldiers. Stygian black metal overlays their entire bodies, with an obvious group leader with a different helmet (with horns, like a medieval knight's would have.) The rest have a simplistic SWAT-team-like helmet with a visor. The most notable part of their ensemble is their heavily tusked rifles, which take up both of their arms, if only to carry the heavy block of metal. You assume that that's the thing that Kelso mentioned; the lightning bayonets. 'That, and their lit cross on the chest, flashing on and off. Thankfully, they don't seem to notice you, yet. Their heavy metal probably restricts them of that.
You pay little attention to where Kelso is, and you angrily lash out on the leader, leaping from over eight meters away from the ground. While in the air, you let your claws grow out and you come onto the huge black being's chest, and sink your claws into him, through the weak parts of his armor. Wet, sticky blood pours out, and you messily continue to clutch onto him while he tries to shoot you off with his tusked-bayonet. He manages to shoot up wards once or twice before slumping to the ground, the Other Zealots probably pissing their pants at this point. You roar at them, jumping off the corps of their leader and sending a heavy-fisted slash at a close one that is unbashfully trying to use hiw walkie-talkie. The hand you send clunks off of his helmet, but the heavy crunch you feel from it obviously means you broke his neck.
While you were busy with two, Kelso (still unseen) has done fine work with the remaining three, his body half-transformed into something... Animalistic. With hairy, muscular arms and sharp teeth he overpowers them easily, ripping heads off at insane speeds, to the point that you're convinced that you imagined part of it. After several lightning flashes from the last one, Kelso's new body soaks up the energy from it and grabs the Zealot, throwing him to the floor. Now, all that remains are you and your mentor. You hungrily sink your teeth into a nearby combatant, reinvigorating yourself. Kelso morphs back, seeming tired, and takes a helping from one of them. After only ten seconds, he grabs you to stop with him.
"That's one group down. There are three more groups to annihilate, two to the left (what used to be the middle) and the third which is standing back, way over to the left. I'll assume we're moving on to the middle?"
> You continue to the middle.
"Indeed, the middle-men are next."
Two groups of hulking Zealots stand between you and the other. They know you're there, and the element of surprise isn't yours anymore. Worse yet, Kelso seems to have used up whatever the hell that transformation was. Still, you're confident that Kelso and you can tackle on the fifteen Zealots left over,
You see them aiming their blockish weapons at you, and charge. Two leaders... You look to Kelso, and he nods. You take one, and he takes the other.
As they move forward with their tusks, streaks of bright green at you. You quickly move to the side, allowing for some to take mercy and miss, but one or two manage to land on your armor, causing it to heat up...
Kelso manages to dodge every single one shot at him, and runs up ahead of you to disarm the Zealots shooting at you. While your metallic armor sizzles, you do your best to throw it off you and follow-up with Kelso before they reload and shoot again. Kelso jumps into the air, swinging his foot down on one of the head-Zealots-head. It doesn't take him out, but it stuns him long enough for Kelso to throw him at the other line of Zealots, and proceed to restlessly break their weapons by punching it. The Zealots try to fight him, but your mentor doesn't give up.
Meanwhile, you quickly sweep the other Head's feet from under him during the confusion of Kelso's utter... coolness and fluidity in combat. You stomp your sneakers on it's neck; the crack is all you needed to hear.
More bright streaks. You see the remaining six Soldiers trying to surround him and put him down, not paying as much attention to you. In return for their disrespect, you bring both of your hands to your sides, and begin a large tackle at the horde surrounding your master. Your rage-fueled push causes you to bleed (you're slamming your arms onto cold metal, remember) but pushes them all on top of eachother, all scarmbling to get up.
Kelso manages to get out of the huddle of Zealots, and picks up one of the bayonets, and begins spiking the clunky radicals. More, deliciously red blood squirts out, and you follow suit by taking your own bayonet. Now, only one group left.
Five fearful Zealots pitifully trying to snipe at both of you. But it's obvious who will win this fight, in your eyes.
> You finish off the bastards on the left.
You continue to finish the ones trying to attack you. It is a quick fight, considering. Kelso rushes ahead, jumping up and using the butt of his new bayonet to whack the head-Zealot of this group over the head, not snapping his eck but at the very least knocking him out.
With blood-lust, you manage to bring up the hulking weapons to shoot lightning at one the group at point-blank, causing him to scream as his own armor boiled him. The others, no doubt bewildered by many things at the current moment, try their best to survive in various ways.
One continues struggling, actually managing to spear Kelso and shoot at the same time, only to find Kelso laugh, bring his arms back and snap the man's neck before getting out of the tusks.
One calls out to his god. In turn you gutted him with your rifle, piercing his armor like a can-opener.
And one from the other side of the battle-field, that you obviously didn't kill correctly, gets up to flee back to the city. Even he didn't get a break. Kelso, with uncanny familiarity with the rifle, shoots him in the back. The flashing Zealot slumps over, dead.
The fight ends there, and Kelso puts his hand on your back as you walk to the unconscious head-Zealot of the Left-group.
"So, what do we do with him?" You ask, warily, "The Church will probably send more of it's operatives to subdue us."
"Doubt it. The head-honchos in the Church are probably terrified right now. More Creations in addition to 'The Wolves' are definitely not what they wanted. Still, you're right. We need to find a new place, but only after we find out where the Wolves are, and subdue them."
"You still think they know where the Professor is?"
He looks at you, pondering, "Unsure. If they do, then we'll have to fight them. Which is doable, with your newfound talents." He points to bloody undergarments, "But if they hate the Professor as much as we do then we can join forces. Well, you might. I might have to leave soon."
You frown. "Why?"
"Ha, don't worry kid. I might not have to, but if I do I'll make sure you're ready to fend for your self."
> You loot the bodies and proceed to interrogate the Zealot.
Shrugging the thought of not having Kelso around, you collect the armors of the Zealots, turning the flash off and equipping them. They won't save you from everything, but they will certainly make you physical attacks stronger, if only because they're reinforced by cold metal. You wear everything but the helmet, since you like having your vision unrestricted. Kelso does similarly, putting on the armor, leggings, and boots. You also decide to take one of the undamaged rifles; good weapons, and more effective on humans than on Creations, ironically.
After the slight diversion, you bring your attention to the rousing Zealot. Kelso points him out to you to deal with. With a cruel smile, you walk over to him, bringing your gauntleted hand to his armored helmet, and begin to squeeze.
That wakes him up.
He cries in agony, as his helmet soon becomes a 'custom-fit' of sorts. With your one hand, you pick him up by his face, and just hold him in mid-air. "Kelso, are we just interrogating him here or somewhere else?"
"Here's fine."
You shrug, and drop the Zealot on the floor. He groans in pain, bringing hands to his face to try to take off his helmet; he couldn't do it. "Tell you what, if I take off your new skullcap if you tell me where the other Creations are."
He looks up pitifully, nodding. Carefully... You peel off the horned helmet from his visage.
"You killed Sebastian, didn't you!" Is the first thing that erupts from his lips. That, and some spit. You back hand him, bloodying his face further and causing him to fall back onto the sand.
"Location, now. Or you end up having a worse fate than Sebastian."
The dark haired Zealots looks at you with menacing eyes, "I don't consort with demons. I will die with honor."
"That's not what you were saying when your face was in a can." You laugh, and Kelso gets on one knee, beckoning closer to him.
"You can become one of us, if you like. Be one of the damned, and survive the hell that is God's world. Just lead us to where the so-called 'Wolves' are."
"I won't sell out that easy, demon. Sebastian was a brother before you bastards killed him!" The agitated cripple would be somewhat intimidating if he wasn't in such a pathetic situation.
"Then it's time you became family." Kelso looks at you. "Try ghouling him."
Your eyes widen, "What do you mean, 'ghoul'?"
"Drink from him until he has only the minimum amount of blood he needs. He'll become one of us. Well, half. He'll also follow our commands in that state. For the first couple of days. An eternal slave." Your mentor grins. The Zealot, however, is horrified.
"No, don't! Don't drink from me, I'll get you to the Wolves, I promise! I'll even tell you when the Church is to attack their base. Everything, just don't turn me into one of you! Stop!"
Oh, so very tempting. But kind of... Evil, is it? Is there even a line anymore, after what I've done? Kindness will only hurt you at this point, and a side-kick if Kelso ever leaves is tempting...
> You ghoul him.
Curious, and perhaps a wee bit thirsty, you motion to the Zealot. "What's your name?"
"David." He spits, "Why?"
"Because your new name is... Slave." His eyes widen in horror as you sink your teeth into his soft and milky flesh, this time getting it on the artery. The blood squirts down your throat, and the high that you get is unimaginable. Sweet and slightly sour blood, like apple-juice. The euphoria you get is uplifting, and you feel... Happy. Power surges through your veins, and your stomach does happy somersaults as it absorbs all the nutrients from the Zealot's warrior-blood, and you continue chewing on his neck, trying to get as much as you can from this man before he falters. Just sublime...
"Goddammit kid, your mother must have been some sort of an abuser." Kelso says with a chuckle, pulling you away. "But I think that' enough drinking, your new slave is deathly pale, but still breathing, albeit very slowly and inconsistently-- a sign that you've drunk just enough." He points out, "But hats off to you kid, you've got yourself a ghoul."
You both stand, waiting for your slave to wake. The pale Zealot opens his eyes back up, a glossy look to them. He doesn't speak, but instead lazily lets saliva and a red substance that likely is blood ooze out from the side of his mouth.
Nervously, you command him, "Lead us to the Wolves hideout." He lazily tries to get up, only to fall back down again. "Now." Firm. He gets up, straight this time. With uncoordinated steps he begins to march, stumbling through the sand and skin beginning to redden from the sun. You shrug, and follow your new ghoul. By the time you pass the City the trek is already nearly over. You take another left from there, then a turn to the right... And soon Kelso directs you and your new slave to stop.
"This," he begins, "is where I take my leave."
"What?" You exclaim, "Why now? Didn't you say that the other Creations might be on the Professor's side?"
Kelso tilts his head to the side, "The longer I think about it, the less it makes sense. But I've been worried about something, and I'm nigh certain I'm correct on this."
"What do you mean?"
Your mentor walks to your ghoul, tugging at his armor's sleeve to get attention, "You, David, what does the Church know about Simon Kurschner?" Who?
The slave replies in monotone, "Can't be found or traced. Not among Creations, unknown if even still alive."
You raise an eyebrow, "Who's this Kurschner?"
"The Professor." Comes the reply from Kelso.
"But I thought our plan was to see if the other Creations know where the Professor is? Which could mean that they still serve him. Or not."
"Exactly. If the Church has no idea of his whereabouts, then it's unlikely the Wolves have something definite either. Even though the Wolf and I have had our arguments, I still trust him enough to give you vacancy while I search for the Professor."
"So where are you going?"
"Anywhere. The world left is just a desert, and traveling by night only will waste time, which is why we have t split for the moment." Kelso frowns, and holds out his hand to shake.
You firmly grasp it, "Then stay safe, Master. I trust you will return soon?"
He stares at you blankly, "I have no idea how long it will take. But I believe in you just as well. You can make it on your own, especially with how you proved yourself today. Strong decision making and vast knowledge on how survival works have made you to what you are. There is very little that I can teach you that I even know. You shall grow past what I can even guess you can do." He begins to let go of the hand shake, but you hold on.
Tightly. "There's one thing that you still haven't told me."
"And what's that?"
"How the World came to this pitiful state."
> The Wolf Underground
Your mentor, the Ghoul, and yourself make your way through the remnants of the past world. Suddenly, it all makes sense to you. The world went to hell, and it was the Professor's abuse of his Creations that furthered it. Now, the Church hunts you all down for no reason other than to to give hope to 'real' humans. It's despicable, but it's the world you're in right now.
The hot sun beats down upon you, while your slave suddenly comes to a halt. "This is it." He blandly calls out, reaching down to the sandy flooring, and makes hand motions as to move some of the sand away.
You turn to wish your master a farewell, but he is already gone. Only a hazy version of him can be seen through squinting in the distance. So, it's just me and my Ghoul. Let's just hope it doesn't get bloody...
You follow David's beckoning, and bend down to see what he was unclearing. As your slave digs, more and more sand seems to pile in. "What are we looking for?"
"They're underground, sir."
With a nod, you decide to help out with the digging. As you lay your hands on the sand, you thank fortune that you hadn't done this in the middle of the day, rather than just an hour or so after sun-rise. The sand would no doubt have burnt your fingers otherwise! Even though you and your ghoul are digging barehanded, it doesn't take too much time before you begin to feel the sand getting thicker, more doughy. With quick powerful stroke, you continue ripping through the sand, throwing it out of your radius, soon creating a little pit, low enough that you could stand up in it. After clawing at the earth with your servant for a while, you accidentally scratch at something... Hard, metallic. Underneath the sand lay a metal disk, with evenly-spaced holes around it's edge and the middle. Even as it is right now, it's fairly obvious that the disk is heavily embedded into the ground, and prying it out would no doubt prove to be a challenge. At first, you try just digging around and under it, but your efforts seemed to have been in vain; the plate appeared to be a part of both the earth and some sort of brick-well that goes much further down.
"You sure this is the place? You ask, making sure that this was the opening to the Wolf Stronghold. It'd make sense, as this is extremely safe from the Zealots, considering.
"Yes." Comes the monotone reply, "The few remaining GPS satellites pin-pointed this exact spot. We caught several monsters disappearing from under the sand here."
Now, how should we try to open this?
> You try to pry it open. The Ghoul's combined strength with yours should be more than enough.
"C'mon Slave, you and I together can probably take this out of it's place." As usual, he complies. With a flick of your wrist, you bring out one of your signature claws, and draw your index finger along the bottom edge of the metal plate, taking as much sand out of it as possible. After thousands of sand pellets fall out, you both position yourselves opposite one another, and firmly grasp the end of the disc, clawing in anywhere possible to gain enough leverage to pull it upwards, out of it's fixed place. David and yourself glance at each other, and meet at the red-eyes.
1, 2, 3!
Forming an odd sort of mental connection with your ghoul, you both bring all the strength you can muster to pull the rough, grainy plate out of the stop of the well. As you pull at the disc, you can feel yourself pulling your muscles as well, the first feeling you've had of strain for a while. This would be a good thing any other time (sort of), but now it's just not a good time to go back to human-like limitations. Your ghoul on the other hand, glumly shows little exertion, even though he seems to be attempting to carry out your will. "David," You encourage, using his actual name this time, "Put your back into it. All your body, we can do this!"
You continue trying to pry open the hatch, but it just doesn't budge... Until a sudden movement. Feeling it shift slightly to the side, your ghoul instinctively follow you there, and you both pull at it in a close space, together. After exerting yourself greatly, you manage to take it out of it's wedge in a very sudden throw, flinging it out of your own pit with a clatter. You shrug, and smile at your Ghoul, and then proceed to look down the brick-well...
It's dark, for one thing, but you can barely make out the sound of feet pattering on cold concrete. Overcome with nervousness, you loudly blurt out, "We come in peace!"
Several dark figures appear from the bottom of the well, after several glances upwards at you and whispering, one of them waves you down. Shivering, you jump down the well, using the cylindrical bricks surrounding you to position yourself as to not fall on them. Still, you fall with a heavy thud. Yeah, I'm gonna need new sneakers.
Unlike yourself, David just goes down it normally, using the short metal bars protruding one of the sides, climbing downwards. The dark figures eye you carefully, taking a while to speak. One with dark gray hair and scruffy facial hair as well as a slouching hunchback of a surprisingly muscular body, points at your armor, "If you're a Zealot, I'd turn back right now."
His voice isn't too threatening, but his body language and thick-eyebrows suggest otherwise. He's clad in tight cloth shirt and pants, bulging with muscles, and is surrounded in an intimidating aura. The other one is completely cloaked, though watches your Ghoul with suspicion. "I'm not of the Church," you start, trying to make a good first impression, "and neither is he. Not anymore at least."
"Then what are you?" The gruff man calls out, his eyes narrowing.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm a... A Creation, just like you. This is my Ghou--" By the time you uttered the word, 'Creation' he had already put you in a headlock. The cloaked one has already put your ghoul to sleep, though hopefully not forever...
The man continues, "What do you want from us, fangs-boy? I thought the rest of your clan died."
Clans? "No!" You exclaim, struggling out of his hold. You actually manage to surprise him with your strength and are able to push him off of you. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. But you're part of the Wolves, right? My associate and I want to join your strong hold."
He spits back at you, "We don't need any joiners."
"Why not?" You argue, your body tensing. "The Zealots are planning to raid this place soon, and I figure you could use as much help as possible."
The old man growls back you, "What are you, some sort of message-boy for the Professor?" Well, at least that means they aren't working for him. Probably. "The Church means no harm to us at this point. It'd be stupid for them to attack us. If you're trying to make a powerful group do something out of desperation, then oh boy, have you come to a bad place, vampy. I'd go back to the sun, where the pain is relatively quick." He cracks his knuckles. If you weren't so confident in your abilities, you might have been intimidated by this Neanderthal.
"Then perhaps you should ask my Ghoul, David. He was a Zealot before I brought him to the darkness." You point at the slumped body on the floor.
"He's dead now, too late." The brute says with a cruel grin, "Snapped his neck, Ragnor did."
You laugh, "I don't think he'd die from that." You take several steps toward your slave, waving the cloaked man aside, you grab David by the cuff of his armor and pick him up, then bring your hand to his neck and snap it back.
David glumly states, "Hi."
The Wolf grits his teeth, "Didn't know Vampires could use their powers like that."
"Then you'll be learning a whole lot more during my stay here. What was that you were saying about being the last of my clan?"
He smiles back, surprisingly, "Oh? So you don't know. You're the last of the Vampire Creations, as the rest died in this desert planet. I'm surprised you made it this long since the last Facility was destroyed. But if you don't remember that, then do you even remember your name?"
"I'm afraid not. Can you at least tell me yours?"
The Wolf laughs, "Call me Gideon. The cloaked figure on the side is Ragnor, our residential assassin, even if fighting has little place anymore." He brings out a hairy, clawed hand to shakes yours.
You accept it. "So I'm in?"
"I'm still suspicious of your reasons for coming here, and your story about the Zealots needs some checking."
"Is it really that surprising?"
"Less that and more that we don't want to fight them." What? Seeing your confused expression, Gideon continues, "Listen here Vampy, I'd rather die and let humanity survive than not. And most of us here are ready for that. If the Zealots come to our turf then we'll wipe them out easy, but we're definitely not going to seek conflict, even if me and the boys can take those choir-boys out in an instant."
"Why not? They want to kill us all?"
He shakes his head, his face now grim, "The Church may believe that we're demons, but they also value the sanctity of life, so I doubt they'd come here. Regardless, they aren't all that wrong about us. The things we've done... The innocents we've massacred in our wake. It doesn't mean that we're bad now, per se, but what we've done is inexcusable. The World has gone to waste, and I'm alright if we don't survive to see it rebuild itself.
You stand in silence for a little while, realizing that you've joined ranks with the modern equivalent of the hippies.
Gideon grins again, "But don't worry about that now, let's close the lid on top of our well and then introduce you to the rest of the gang."
> The rest of the Wolves.
"Ragnor, use those climbing skills of yours and find a way to seal the top of the well better. Can't have one of them dust storms filling the place, nor let any traveler find us like these two rugrats." Gideon says, waving for you to follow him and his goofy walking pattern. While the cloaked man begins to climb, you and David follow the hunchback though the stronghold of the wolves. It's a dark tunnel path, but several well-placed torches along the concrete walls give you enough light to make out peculiar drawings on the walls. Not exactly professional artwork or anything, just passionate claw-markings. But still...
"Hey Gideon," you ask, examining one specifically for it's graphic nature, "What's up with the markings?"
The hunchback turns his head, but continues moving, "The writing? It's a code language we formed, mixture of all the languages the folks here are familiar with. It's more or less a system of simplified pictures, but you'll be able to read it if you stay here long enough."
"Can you read this one out to me?" You make sure to stop and point it out; the writing here is different than the rest, even more picturesque than the rest. You can't hope to read it, but you do notice a recurring theme-- a cross and a pentagram. Not only that, but they're much less refined than the others, as if written with anger.
"That one is rather basic, I think I even went over it before. It basically boils to, eh..." He shuffles closer to you, and brings his large eye to the writing, "Peace is what keeps our humanity, for the Professor, cursed be he, uses strife to tear us apart. The cursed Creator wishes that we destroy our brothers in battle so he reaps the reward when it's over." Gideon tilts his head back and continues forward, "I'd keep this in mind, vampy. I'm not sure why you're here, whether to warn us or to do devil's bidding, but I trust you enough to see you have no idea what's going on, so I'll be giving you the chance to give a little presentation for the guys here. By vote, we'll either agree or not. After that, it's up to you whether you stay or not. Got it?"
"That's all I could have asked for, sir." You reply, hoping you can prepare them for the Church's onslaught next week. If not, then, well, you and your brothers are done for, regardless of non-violent intentions.
After several minutes of treading through the passages of the tunnel, Gideon stops to look up, even if his head doesn't lift that far. You catch up to where he is, noticing what he's looking at: an opening, light.
"That's our hideout." The Wolf jumps up, grabbing onto some sort of ledge to bring his deformed body up. You watch his body struggle up it, land on solid ground (and then a lot of murmuring from above), then jump up yourself, making it up with ease.
The hideout is surprisingly low-key for the most powerful beings on the planet, but considering how they're just trying to survive a dimly lit room filled with sleeping bags and animal-carcasses strewn about is to be expected. The ragtag group that are the Wolves are surprising though; a thin man with dark hair, only to have a visible streak of white in the front; a rather hairy, though otherwise attractive female with dirty blonde hair who's around your age (early twenties?); several scruffy teenagers; a dark-skinned, mustached, and barrel-chested man; at least three of obvious Asian descent; and, of course, Gideon, pointing you out to everybody.
Most of them getting out of there bags, they begin gawking at you. You wince as the female eye you with interest, while the men seem to just want to know what you want so they could sleep. You motion to Gideon, and you get close to him and ask, "These are the Wolves? Not as... Impressive, as I thought they'd be."
"You're not exactly super-hero material either, child. Kinda stock; dark, straight hair and pale skin. Lean physique." Noticing you're confusion he just pokes at your chest, "What matters is what's on the inside. That's where power comes from. Remember that." He begins to raise his voice, "Now, this here is a Vampire. He has no name, so call him whatever you like, but he has some 'opinions' he'd like to share.
As your ghoul struggles up the hatch, you wonder how you want to persuade this group of lazy Wolves to prepare.
> You describe it with urgency, they need to realize how serious this is.
It's time to get these sleepy assholes up and running.
You nod to the crowd as they gather around you, staring with glossy eyes and gaping mouths. "I'm not going to sugarcoat anything," you snarl, starting off with a very loud, though clear voice, "The Church has plans to raid our little stronghold here by next week."
Gasps from the Wolves, and men exit their bags. Seems to have worked, for now.
"And while that may be hard to believe, I'm sure we all know how ruthless the Zealots are. I escaped from the last Facility-- Facility 13, soon before it came tumbling down with C.E. Troopers, who burned down the laboratory. Since then, I have fought many of them, some purposely in order to find my brethren here, to join you as well as to warn you of the incoming second apocalypse. We are blessed Creations, gifted in our own right. We aren't innately evil, like the Church believes. Rather, we are capable of great things, but only if we survive our genocide."
"Then what do you want us to do?" One of them shouts out, interrupting you.
"I want you to fight back, and prepare for when they come next week. We need to take the initiative; I know how powerful Creations can be, so I have no doubt in my mind that we can beat them. But only if we get ready."
"Why should we trust you?" One of the younger ones ask.
You bare your teeth; fear is a big factor of your speech, "Because if I'm right then we all die." You seethe out, staring intently at your brethren. "We have three options the way I see it; defend the stronghold and prepare for when they come; try to take control of the city with our combined strengths before the attack; or just get slaughtered when the time comes."
Most of the Wolves continue gaping, though Gideon cracks his knuckles.
"Nice speech, Vampire" A voice declares, and the red-cloaked figure pops out of the hatch. Ragnor's hood fall down, and the profile is of a middle-aged, balding man. Terribly tall, and lean; powerful and domineering. "Do you really think we can overtake the Church?"
"If we do it carefully, yes."
He smiles, "Then I like what I'm hearing; I'm in." While it's amusing how enthusiastic he is, it also seems to win over more of the Wolves. Perhaps Ragnor is a big figure in the Wolf Underground. "It is likely to work, too. While some of us are inexperienced, we can easily beat them while their forces are divided into attacking our stronghold. We just need to be clever."
Gideon continues to grimly frown, "I think the 'hold the fort' idea will work better. It's safer, and more suited to our abilities."
It's odd, but you feel like it's completely your decision. Maybe they just really trust in you?
> You side with Ragnor on this one.
"I... Think Ragnor has a solid point. We can definitely beat the Zealots as long as we have the element of surprise. And if this goes well, then we won't have to worry about extinction ever again."
The blonde vixen looks up to you, as do most of the Wolves. Ragnor laughs, and pats you on the back. Gideon, on the other hand, merely frowns, closes his eyes, and announces, "Right. Welcome to the family, Vampy. I'd rest, we're all practically nocturnal here anyhow.
The cloaked Ragnor frowns, "Are you sure? I was just about to bring out the alcohol..."
"No alcohol, Ragnor. We have a long night tonight, lots of training we need to go through. I don't think some of us here have actually fought Zealots."
Ragnor nods, and the rest of the Wolves shuffle back to their blankets. Gideon shuts the lantern off, and heads down the hatch, disappearing after a thud.
Meanwhile, you find a piece of concrete that is comfortable enough to meditate on, and begin to close your eyes... Only to realize that all the Wolves are watching you for some reason. They're all smiling, and the pretty one in particular seems to watch you in the dark of day. At some point during the night, she leans towards you to whispers, "Hi, I'm Cecilia." She giggles.
"Uh, hi." You whisper back lamely.
The next couple of days fly by, and you manage to go over the histories of your new friends, as well as prepare them for the fight.
> You assault on Church City.
The week passes by too soon for for your liking, but you and your compatriots can all agree that you got work done. You spent the week teaching the lesser-experienced Creations how to use their powers in battle, emphasizing team-work and effort. Like Kelso taught you, you passed on the knowledge of the power of emotion-- something you can vouch works in a fight. As the training went on it became rather obvious that in their human form, you can easily take on the strongest werewolf. In the real, bestial for, however, you have to use your wits. For that, you are forever thankful you are on the Wolves' good side. Heck, you're leading them to possible suicide.
Other things you've focused on is appealing to both Gideon and Ragnor, both people whom you know you can trust to some sort of degree.
The one thing you feel somewhat apologetic about is that you haven't been able to spend as much time with Cecilia as you wanted to, but you manage to remind yourself that if you succeed in taking over the City, you'll have all the time in the world. Perhaps, with enough time, you'll even learn the wolven-lingo, though it's the least of your worries currently.
You focus on the plan: it's basic espionage, like how a movie would set it out (though you can't remember any one in particular). They send a one-man army to the middle of the battlefield, while they storm the castle-walls. You're confident that you can take care of yourself, especially in the night-time, assuming that's when you're sent in.
The Creations stand together in a circle, well below the surface, waiting for the the scouting team (Ragnor's group) to tell you whether today is the day. While the Zealots begin their march to the Stronghold, the Creations will quickly get away, and run toward the city, attacking it while half of it's forces are trying to find the nonexistent. Time passes; you do this twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, to see if they're preparing for a night-attack or not. You hope it's at night, as the Creations would have an advantage, probably. Additionally, you wouldn't have to worry about sun-tan lotion, the tube Kelso gave you will run out sooner or later. And so you wait, everybody around you waiting in silence.
You hear the codified knock: Clunk-clunk-clunk.
That's three times. Today isn't the day after all.
You go out to train once more, reviewing everything, and then turning back to refill on blood. Gideon gives you a broken plastic-cup with maybe an ounce of his blood. You drink it slowly, savoring the taste. It reinvigorates you, like usual, and you set down to meditate, waiting for nightfall.
That night...
Clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk
That's 4... Is tonight the night?
Ragnor's hooded head pokes out of the hatch, "Come on, wake everybody. Now!"
Getting out of your trance, you begin repeatedly whispering, "Now!" as you went along, pulling off blankets from the Wolves. As with procedure, the Wolves spring into action, readying their clothes and going down, dividing themselves into the groups. Soon, the only Creations left are you (after ushering everybody out) and Gideon. "Gideon, are you coming?" You ask, concerned. You don't want to be late, after all.
The hunchback stares back at you solemnly, not speaking.
"Goddammit Gideon, let's go!" You begin edging out of the room.
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again.
"Gideon, if you don't come with us, you'll die. We want you with us, so just... Come, man."
"You may have been right about the Church, Vamp. But it doesn't change a thing. The real monster is the Professor, not humanity. Hurting them is hurting us..."
You shake your head in disbelief, before angrily waving him off. That hippie won't bring me down.
With haste, you make it to the well's opening, jumping off the walls to speedily catch up with Ragnor and the others. You were lucky they chose night-time, but that doesn't mean they didn't take advantage of it either. No flashes from miles ahead, just darkness, and maybe some slow movement here or there... But you only notice it if you squint. Crafty of them. "Ragnor, you see them?"
"Yeah." He says, calling out from ahead, "But where's Gideon? He's supposed to be leading his group!"
"I don't think that fool is coming." You spit out, finally catching up. "But it's unimportant. David can lead them."
"David isn't exactly a leading-personality."
"He knows what he's doing."
"Which is why he should come with you! He'd be much more useful by you than by us. We're just giving you time. We can have one of the other Wolves lead, but for now you will no doubt need help, and a former Zealot is just perfect."
> You urge for David to head a group.
"Ragnor," you hold your hand out defiantly, "I can do just fine alone. I trust in David enough to know that he will aid you a lot in holding the fort than helping me on a stealth mission. Now come on."
Ragnor grunts in protest, but shrugs it off. You and the the rest of the Wolves, keeping your heads low, move around the incoming horde of Zealots, attacking the City on its other side, almost opposite from where the Zealots marched from. After an hour of movement, you're eyes manage to detect the sentries watching the City. There are only perhaps 6 in total, evenly spaced out in hexagonal circumference around the City, but they each handle a fierce strobe-light that will bring light to the actual situation. Thankfully, the group is just far enough away that you aren't spotted.
"So, do we have any good ideas on how I'm getting in?" You ask, your mind flipping through several theoretical simulations of getting into the City: most of them, you die.
"You see the narrow dark passage-way in between the strobe lights?"
"Yeah?"
"You have to slip through that, then quickly kill the sentry on this side before he can get to the other, and then climb the barb-wire fence. You'll have to figure out what to do from then, but I'd focus on finding the actual Chapel, and killing the Elders there. We'll be rushing the City on this entire side while you're inside, confusing the Zealots and buying you time. Got it? Why the long face?"
You hand him your rifle, "Guess I can't exactly bring this with me, haha."
He takes it, smiles, and then salutes; this may be the last time you see him or several members of the group. You don't bother saying goodbye, and leave it to the hands of fate. "Just take care of Cecilia and David." You say, turning around to slowly creep forward...
First taking it slow, you almost crawl on the ground as to not be seen by the sentry, and move forward. You position yourself perfectly so the lights miss you, and the cloudy sky allows you to remain concealed. As you crawl onward, you notice that the Zealot Sentry is practically sleeping; he must have been here all day, waiting. Seizing the opportunity, you make easy work of him by bite. The defenseless man is quickly drained, to the point of being unconscious for reasons other than tiredness. You don't even bother checking whether his pulse is still there, whether he's dead or not doesn't matter right now. Finding the big Chapel does. You keep the strobe-light on as to not raise attention to anything, and continue on inside of the City. You leap over the fence, still clad in the Zealot armor. What you see in the City is amazing.
Nothing, almost a ghost-town. While the City has flashing banners all over, only two large buildings seem occupied: one with a giant cross, the other with an upside-down cross, like a sword.
As you enter the former, obviously the Chapel, you see an elderly man open the door in front of you. His squinty eyes stare at you for a moment before he asks in a gravely voice, "Has my time come already?"
Wordlessly, you grab at his throat, and begin to unintentionally rip at it, blood trickling down your wrist. "You are the reason for my brethren's suffering." you start, your pupils widening in anger, "You and your Zealots made us have to resort to living in fucking burrows. This is where God's plans for you ends, Tomas."
"Then so be it."
He dies there and then, and you find several monks staring at you in horror from the Chapel's door. Noticing them, you enter the Chapel to kill them as well. The balding priests hold out their necklaces, yelling, "We shall fear no evil for there is God." Over and over again.
Thankfully, you aren't evil; you're just looking out for your race. Protecting it from those who want to cut down on it. The blood of the zealots tastes better than ever, but it gets cut short by the sudden blaring of sirens-- the assault has begun.
Yet, oddly, enough, over ten Zealots rush in from all sides come to gawk at your bloody attire. While you cackle evilly when jumping and clawing at them, they still manage to have you surrounded by numbers if nothing else, breathlessly ending your unlife with their bayonets, all in the name of their God.
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
The week passes by too soon for for your liking, but you and your compatriots can all agree that you got work done. You spent the week teaching the lesser-experienced Creations how to use their powers in battle, emphasizing team-work and effort. Like Kelso taught you, you passed on the knowledge of the power of emotion-- something you can vouch works in a fight. As the training went on it became rather obvious that in their human form, you can easily take on the strongest werewolf. In the real, bestial for, however, you have to use your wits. For that, you are forever thankful you are on the Wolves' good side. Heck, you're leading them to possible suicide.
Other things you've focused on is appealing to both Gideon and Ragnor, both people whom you know you can trust to some sort of degree.
The one thing you feel somewhat apologetic about is that you haven't been able to spend as much time with Cecilia as you wanted to, but you manage to remind yourself that if you succeed in taking over the City, you'll have all the time in the world. Perhaps, with enough time, you'll even learn the wolven-lingo, though it's the least of your worries currently.
You focus on the plan: it's basic espionage, like how a movie would set it out (though you can't remember any one in particular). They send a one-man army to the middle of the battlefield, while they storm the castle-walls. You're confident that you can take care of yourself, especially in the night-time, assuming that's when you're sent in.
The Creations stand together in a circle, well below the surface, waiting for the the scouting team (Ragnor's group) to tell you whether today is the day. While the Zealots begin their march to the Stronghold, the Creations will quickly get away, and run toward the city, attacking it while half of it's forces are trying to find the nonexistent. Time passes; you do this twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, to see if they're preparing for a night-attack or not. You hope it's at night, as the Creations would have an advantage, probably. Additionally, you wouldn't have to worry about sun-tan lotion, the tube Kelso gave you will run out sooner or later. And so you wait, everybody around you waiting in silence.
You hear the codified knock: Clunk-clunk-clunk.
That's three times. Today isn't the day after all.
You go out to train once more, reviewing everything, and then turning back to refill on blood. Gideon gives you a broken plastic-cup with maybe an ounce of his blood. You drink it slowly, savoring the taste. It reinvigorates you, like usual, and you set down to meditate, waiting for nightfall.
That night...
Clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk
That's 4... Is tonight the night?
Ragnor's hooded head pokes out of the hatch, "Come on, wake everybody. Now!"
Getting out of your trance, you begin repeatedly whispering, "Now!" as you went along, pulling off blankets from the Wolves. As with procedure, the Wolves spring into action, readying their clothes and going down, dividing themselves into the groups. Soon, the only Creations left are you (after ushering everybody out) and Gideon. "Gideon, are you coming?" You ask, concerned. You don't want to be late, after all.
The hunchback stares back at you solemnly, not speaking.
"Goddammit Gideon, let's go!" You begin edging out of the room.
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again.
"Gideon, if you don't come with us, you'll die. We want you with us, so just... Come, man."
"You may have been right about the Church, Vamp. But it doesn't change a thing. The real monster is the Professor, not humanity. Hurting them is hurting us..."
You shake your head in disbelief, before angrily waving him off. That hippie won't bring me down.
With haste, you make it to the well's opening, jumping off the walls to speedily catch up with Ragnor and the others. You were lucky they chose night-time, but that doesn't mean they didn't take advantage of it either. No flashes from miles ahead, just darkness, and maybe some slow movement here or there... But you only notice it if you squint. Crafty of them. "Ragnor, you see them?"
"Yeah." He says, calling out from ahead, "But where's Gideon? He's supposed to be leading his group!"
"I don't think that fool is coming." You spit out, finally catching up. "But it's unimportant. David can lead them."
"David isn't exactly a leading-personality."
"He knows what he's doing."
"Which is why he should come with you! He'd be much more useful by you than by us. We're just giving you time. We can have one of the other Wolves lead, but for now you will no doubt need help, and a former Zealot is just perfect."
> You agree; David can help you take on the city from the inside.
"Alright," you reply with a nod, "David will definitely be a huge help, considering that he's familiar with the area, but..."
"But?"
You frown, "I hope you guys'll be safe. The Zealots, especially in number, aren't pushovers."
Ragnor smiles, and gives you a brotherly hug, "Don't worry Vamp, we'll manage. The Wolves aren't exactly pushovers either haha."
"I know." You grin, returning the hug. You imagine, that after all this ends-- the fighting, you can retire, and just live your unlife with your new family. A dream, perhaps, but it's something to hope for. Soon after Ragnor turns to leave, he suddenly looks back at you, pupils dilated.
"Wait a sec, David was a Zealot before you ghouled him, right?"
"Err, yeah."
"And he's still wearing his armor?"
"Everything but the helmet."
"You think they'd recognize him?"
A pause begins, and ends with laughter. Ragnor snaps at you and puts on a silly grin, and jogs ahead back to his groups. You don't know who will head the second group, but you hope that it won't matter. All you need to do is wreak havoc in the city, and stay alive. The assault groups will do the rest, hopefully without harm as well.
With David silently in tow, you continue on, analyzing the strong hold. Even from afar, the sleepless City is easily seen, and as you march on around the incoming Zealots, you can see how they set up the City's defense. Six sentries, commandeering strobe lights in a hexagonal circumference around the city, obviously looking out for unidentified enemies. Thankfully, flashing-Zealot armor is pretty identifiable, and so is David's face, assumably.
"David?" You call, looking to make sure he's listening. He nods in return, but doesn't speak. "You think the Zealots will recognize you if they see you?"
"Definitely, why?"
"Since that means that you can draw attention due to your disappearance while I kill the head-honchos."
"That's smart." He says, succinct as usual.
You quit trying to make conversation and, once you get close enough to the City, point at the Zealot commandeering the strobe light in front of you. "Can you kill him before he turns to a radio?"
David nods, and clicks on his blinking Cross-armor (you figure that it's to ward off friendly-fire) before he begins the march through the strobe light, waving his hands in the air and running to the Sentry. After several moments, you can see a wordless discussion taking place, starting with the sentry saluting and ending with him unconscious on the floor. When David turns the light a bit to the right, it gives you dark-space to walk through, unnoticed.
The two groups are not too far away, and you manage to wave to Cecilia and Ragnor before following David into the urban Church City. You pat David's back and consider your good decision making. But, once again, you just hope the others will be alright...
> You church City
The strobe light aimed back to its original place and the Zealot downed by his own, you and David make your way to the barb-wire fence, and easily leap above it, too lazy to get the key from the Zealot. After David turns off his blinkers, you begin to pay more attention to the City only to realize that, from the inside at least, it isn't nearly as bustling as you thought it was. Perhaps that's because most of them went to raid the hideout. Gideon is still there...
You shake your head; you tried your best with that fool, now it's time to take what's yours; what the Creations deserve regardless of what the Church or the Professor think of them. Not weapons, not demons: just people. David waits for you to start walking again, tapping his foot eagerly. He doesn't speak much, but you can tell he enjoyed his time with the Wolves. Still, you'll always wonder what's inside his head, now as a ghoul. You continue through the ghost-town, which for whatever reason has all of it's buildings rigged with neon lights, flashing. David leads you through the ugly urban landscape, and you keep a lookout for humans. Suddenly, you spot one, walking out of some sort of pub, walking unsteadily. You grab David by the cuff of his armor and quickly hide in the shadow of some sort of looming dumpster. With a finger to your lips, you wait until the man's back is turned before you sneak up on him, digging claws into his neck for a quick and silent death. The man falls to the ground dead, and you lick your bloody nails. David, unfazed, comes out of the shadows only to pick up the man, and silently position him into the trash. "That pub holds a great deal of Zealots. We need to move out before they see me."
You nod in return. At first you considered just going in and slaughtering the gathering of Zealots, but then realized that the light-weights Ragnor and his crew could handle, but the higher-ups are going to be an issue. David once again takes lead, and you prowl the streets, silently killing anything in your way, passing by buildings of all shapes and sizes, though most not even occupied.
Two buildings in particular stand out, however: one mansion with a giant blue Cross above the door; the other large and rectangular with an upside-down Cross, for whatever reason.You'd look through the windows to see what's going on inside, but the windows of both buildings seem to just reflect your own image, though you can only really discern your armor since your pale profile doesn't come out well in the reflection.
"The one with the holy-sword is Zealot-headquarters, the other one is the Chapel." David answers your thoughts, smiling at you. "I think it's in our best interest to enter and clear out both."
"Which do you suggest to do first?"
"Either one, sir. We need to kill Father Tomas and the Chief, both in their respective buildings. The Zealots who aren't on their way to the stronghold will be in both, though. But whichever we pick, we need to do it quick; Ragnor and the others will be making their move any moment now."
> You enter the Chapel.
Not wasting any time, you turn to face the Chapel. Metallic and looming over you, with a large neon cross, still flashing. The door is a harsh steel, too old to cast a discernable reflection but maintained enough not to rust nor weaken. "How should we enter, then?"
"No backdoors to the Church. Only one direction if you follow God." David recites from behind you.
With a shrug, you continue onwards, going up a flight of concrete stairs, leading up to the looming steel door. You consider trying to bash the door in, but decide that knocking it and waiting for the door to be opened by whoever's inside would be an easier solution for getting in.
Clang
Your gauntlet taps at the metal. After a pause, you can hear noises on the inside of the Chapel, mostly worried murmuring. You quickly motion for David to go in front, right before a bald young man in ceremonial blue robe opens the door. In response to your ghoul's profile, the man just gapes for several moments before opening his mouth to speak. "Dave?!?"
"No... Not anymore." He states, walking into the Church. The man doesn't seem to even notice you, engrossed in seeing a living ghost instead. Inside, several other monks are gathered, all of them staring at David with awe. You take the opportunity to slink into the shadow, and wait.
"Behold! The blessed Lord brought our child back!" They cry, waving their hands in the air in synchronization. Up and down their hands go, until one with a cowl speaks up, "Brother David, where were you?"
Your ghoul stares at them with disdain, "I got lost, but was found by a group of humans."
They continue to gape. The cowled-one continues his interrogation, "Hmm? More humans, you say?
"Crazy enough, the humans were in our backyard this entire time. We just didn't recognize them."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"The Wolves, Vadim. They're good people."
Gasps erupt, and David's only looks down to his feet, and his hands ball up to fists. "They changed you, didn't they?" The one with the cowl points, and begins to chant in some sort of language which you are unfamiliar with.
Bored of their religious, antics, you make your presence known by jumping out of the shadows, and decking 'Vadim' with a right hook, sending him to the middle of the crowd of twelve-or-so Monks. David nods, and sends a sharp kick to the nearest Zealot surrounding him. Before you know it, it becomes a rowdy brawl of fists.
The monks may be very agile, but without any weapons nor armor you figure you or even David could take them out alone. Something tells you the alarms around the buildings weren't for show either-- you need to find the Father, quick!
> You abandon David to search the Church.
"David, finish off these grunts as I find the big man upstairs." You call out, examining the building for the Father's Quarters.
David nods, "Up the stairs, to the left!"
Your head turns from right to left, looking for the set of stairs that will lead you to the Father. Finding the red-carpeted stairs, you begin your ascent, only to be stopped by a heavy-set Monk, who angrily shoves you backwards. "Get away, foul demon!"
He continues pushing, but you catch his left arm, and end squeeze-- Crack. He yells out in pain, and you manage to grab him by the cuff of his robe, only to throw him out of the way and into a wall. You run up the staircase, skipping steps to maintain speed. After reaching the end of the first staircase, you deftly,turn your body, not wasting any time by getting to the adjacent continuation of the stairs. Several leaps later, you reach the end of the stair case, only to be confronted by a terribly old man in a ceremonial blue robe, with a skullcap covering his no doubt balding head. His face is withered, and his frail eyes only compliment an extremely happy demeanor. This, you presume, is Father Tomas.
He stares at you, silent, and raises a large metallic cross from an opening of his robe, though he seems to be holding it the wrong way...
Wary of his silver weapon, you take a step to the side-- giving you room. "Father Tomas, it seems that I have finally had the honor to meet you."
"No, the pleasure is mine, Vampire. Fate has brought it that it is my responsibility to put you down, as well as your canine friends."
You glare at him in anger, and flick at your wrist; claws out, you get into a battle-stance. He, in turn, raises his shimmering Cross, wielding it as a sword.
"I wouldn't put up a fight, if I were you. I know for a fact that you Creations can't heal from a wound of silver, and as such you have no otherworldly advantage over me."
You laugh, "Except perhaps the age part."
The priest stops smiling and instead eyes you angrily, "I suppose you'll learn the hard way." He slowly begins to approach you, his sword, pulsating with some sort of unrecognizable energy, held high. You make a quick examination of your surroundings: the stair case from behind you, doors and other hallways to your right, though several meters forward and to your left is a ledge, where there's an at least three-story drop down to the first floor, where you can see David slowly whittling off the Monks. Perhaps you can use the ledge to your advantage...
You continue to parallel the insane priest, your claws at your side and your wits still intact. You need to make the first move, but how should you go about it? The man looks old, but something about him tells you that he's more than capable of wielding his weapon masterfully. Still, you're probably quicker than him, and a quick fight is all you need. Then again, you need to watch out for the silver sword, because if he gets a solid hit on you then you're done.
> You fight Aggressively.
You continue to stand parallel to the Head-Zealot, slowly beckoning him closer to the side with a ledge. While you know you have to end the fight soon, you also know that this won't be an easy fight. The cackling priest advances, holding his heavy Cross out like a rapier, poking it at you, trying to get you to move back. Deciding that staying on the defensive won't save you from this mad man, you take action by leaping in his direction-- he grins, preparing to simply swing upwards to hit you, but manage to somersault out of the old man's swipe, and land a heavy kick to his face. He staggers backwards, his hand on his eye in a mixture of pain and anger. Tomas angrily sends another swipe with his sword at you, but you're already charging for him, pushing the old to the ledge that is now to your right with your forearm. The priest coughs, but quickly recovers.
Relentless, you send another barrage of jabs at him, moving close enough to him that his long-range won't be an advantage for him. A mixture of punches and claws manage to cut his robe to shreds, and he struggles to get you off of him-- to no avail. After a silly, pointless scuffle you manage to hold him right by the ledge, where a fall to the death would await him. Tomas holds up his silver cross, creating a pseudo-barrier between the two of you, but you just grab hold of it with your gauntlets, and shove him at the wooden slabs, and slowly increase pressure, slowly increase it. Several seconds more of pushing, and he won't have a choice of how his body breaks, as you'll secure his death in the fall. You shove once more...
Snap.
"There we go... See you in hell, bastard!" The wooden splinters open, and you find the two of you tumbling down at several meters, both grasping for eachothers' throats.
Unfortunately for you, the old man barely manages to grab hold of your hair and uses it as leverage to be just slightly above you...
You both fall with a heavy thud, your armored body crashing through the floor. You struggle to get out of it, as you find your armor almost embedded in to the rubble. Still, you manage to get up, and the sharp pang you feel in your head slowly begins to disappear.
As the dust clears, you find a bleeding Tomas with a bloody eye holding an unconscious David to the wall, his silver sword still gripped in his hands. His remaining useable eye stares right at you, and the priest begins to cackle further, "If you take even one more step towards me, I swear I will slay your disciple right now. But, if you leave me here to die in peace, not of a sinners hand, then I can promise that I will not kill him. Hmm, you like this deal?"
Your loyal ghoul stares at you blankly, and his shaking head can either be interpreted as a plea to let him live or to kill the priest. Or perhaps something else?
Stunned and still recovering, you try to make a decision with a clear head...
> You kill the Priest where he stands, because damn the consequences.
"I'm sorry, David." You state, realizing that Tomas will be killing your ghoul regardless of your choices. With that in mind, you rush the bleeding geezer, hoping to catch him before he can finish off your ghoul. As you thrust your clawed hand at his head, he just barely manages to skewer David.
Never has a killing felt more rewarding. Your hand pierces the fleshy skin-- leaving a flayed face and a collapsed priest. With a grunt, you rush over to David's side, horrified by the gruesome hole in his chest.
You don't really say anything to him, as there is nothing more to say. He fulfilled his duty to you well, and his job, once the City will be taken over, will be easily replaced. But, for now, his death shall allow others of your kind to live. David smiles, and holds your hand firmly. Memories flash of your brief but powerful connection, Oh, and we just were getting close, too...
As David closes his eyes, you stand up, ready to continue your mission-- now, to Zealot HQ. You make your way through the piles of corpses to the front door of the Church, more angry than anything else at this point. By now you recognize that the sirens are still blaring, which means that Zealots should be piling up in the streets-- but the street you see has nobody walking. Though you do hear voices from somewhere far to the left, you can't help but notice that Zealot HQ has its door open.
Am I too late? You wonder, as you make haste by running into the building, looking around for someone to waste your adrenaline on. Inside, you see perhaps three half-dressed Zealots yawning and loitering about, seemingly confident that this is a false alarm.
This means nothing to you, and you rush one-- kick him into a nearby table, deck the other one with a heavy punch, and angrily bite into the last one's hand when he tries to strangle you from behind. It's over in a matter of minutes, but you suddenly feel like you're being... Watched.
"Bravo, Demon." Comes the voice. From across the room you can see a white-armored Zealot, taller and more sizeable than most you've seen. He carries with him a silver sword, less blunt than Tomas's though it doesn't seem to resonate with the same energy. "I see you were able to butcher my friends quickly enough, but somehow I doubt you'll manage to take someone like myself as easily."
"Who're you?" You roar, setting yourself in front of him.
"Zealot Karat, Chief of the Zealots." He grins, "At least, until the real Chief comes home from your clever diversion.
"If." You state, bluffing. I have no idea what happened with Gideon and the other Zealots... "If, he comes back."
Katar doesn't bother answering, and instead positions himself with his silver katana in an aggressive fighting position. Once again, you find yourself in a tactical situation that you need to decide how to approach. You need to be careful about his silver sword and make sure to finish the fight quickly, but he's probably more spry than that bastard, Tomas.
> You play it defensively, make sure that sword doesn't come near your body.
Fueling your rage into reserve energy, to be used when necessary, you plant your feet to the ground, readying yourself for the Zealot.
Karat laughs, lazily letting his sword's tip fall to the ground. The man's bravery (or is it bravado?) astonishes you, "So, you fear God's might?"
"Maybe, but not your's." Comes your sharp answer.
"Then how come you haven't readied yourself to attack? Are you worried you won't make the cut?"
"I'm simply more confident in your ability to leave yourself open, thanks."
Karat shrugs, "Suit yourself, Vampire. Perhaps you shall find fear of God's servant instaed." With that, he raises his silver katana, it gleaming in the neon lights of the building. His stance confirmed, aggressive, he poises to attack. The white Zealot advances, giving a wide and open slash in the air to test you.
Of course, you pass with barely any effort-- just a turn of the neck. Karat laughs once again, and attempts to bum-rush you-- but your defensive stance gives you an advantage, and with clever foot work you grip his wrist, pull, and flip him onto a nearby table. It cracks under the pressure of an armored giant slammed onto it, but the Zealot gets back up and, still gripping his katana, sends a swift vertical cut down at you. You attempt to dodge, but you'd admit that you didn't expect him to get back up so fast, and the slash sticks into your shoulder-armor, just barely missing your skin.
As lucky as you were back there, now Karat has the initiative. He pulls the sword back, grabbing you with it and sending a heavy boot at your stomach. You begin to tip over, but you're sent backwards by a heavy, gauntleted punch to your nose-- which sends you back several feet and onto the ground. Your vision blurs slightly though you manage to get up before Karat manages to land a more accurate cut at your forehead, and manage to grapple him, using the core of your body to push him back. Your nose for some reason still bloodied, you continue to prefer close quarters, where your pinging head won't hamper your vision. Using the anger built up, you manage to grab hold of his helmet with both hands, and squeeze.
The man screams, much like your ghoul did not so long ago. They all do, the humans scream in pain, struggle and kick in their last moments. And as the helmet crumples up and the man goes limp, you embrace your inner demon and drink him dry. The blood is refreshing and your vision clears, but then you notice why his armor is so bright. Must be inlaid with silver...
You shrug. Does it really matter if the Zealots have been inlaying their weapons with silver? The Wolves can take care of themselves...
Regardless, realizing that there aren't any Zealots left in the building, you leave to see how the war is going. Mission Accomplished.
> You look for Ragnor and the others.
You make your way outside of the building shaken but undeterred. The streets are empty, but you know that there are more humans in the houses, hiding. While the fighting itself may be dying down, you feel the need to go out and meet your courageous brethren, rather than have them come for you. You run down the steps and onto the concrete street, continuing back from where you came from, meanwhile trying to shove away distracting thoughts of your deceased friend. When this is done, we will honor you properly...
Eventually, you begin to notice armored corpses strewn about in awkward positions. Alternatively, you find a brown Wolf, whom you recognize as the Middle-eastern man, white-eyed and bloody by a curb. How many of us were lost this day?
You continue on in solemn silence when you reach the fence, and from beyond it you can see several more Wolven corpses. Frantically, you search for Cecilia-- Phew, none of them are blonde like she was. But still... This leaves perhaps eight of us left... Most likely the last of our kind.
"Vamp!" Comes a cry behind you. You turn around quickly to be hugged by an especially warm Cecilia, with Ragnor smiling with glee. You return the embrace, happiness overcoming the previous thoughts of dread.
"I'm glad to see your alright, man. We had a tough fight, but we fended the hordes of Zealots off. How did your fights go?"
You nod, "We... We killed Tomas and- and a man named Karat, called himself 'Chief'. Either way, the place was deserted from Zealots by the time I came looking for you."
"Zealots? What about civilians?"
Cecilia joins the interrogation with the question you least wish to answer at this moment, "And where's David?"
"The Father killed him." You answer succinctly, still trying to get your mind off of it-- you don't want anymore nightmares. "I'm going to deal with the civilians soon, Ragnor. I have a plan for them."
Ragnor nods in turn, "Unfortunate, though he died a warrior's death. What shall you do with the civilians?"
"Ghoul them, use them to help rebuild this city. Once this works, we can make an entire civilization of Zealots, and then... Find the Professor and kill the bastard."
"Solid thinking. But what precisely is the next move?"
"Well, where are the surviving Creations?"
"Rampaging. Cecilia here was the only one of the virgins to be able to control their forms."
"Rampaging?"
"Err, yeah." Ragnor replies, confused, "What's the problem?"
"For the plan to work we need as many live humans as possible to rebuild. Ghouls, remember?" Without wasting anymore time, you begin to move back in search of the Wolves when you feel a heavy hand on your shoulder, holding you back.
"Woah there, Vamp. Are you sure you want to stop them? This is the first time they're in actual control of their lives. Plus, they're probably too tired to do any real damage. Just let 'em have their fun, alright?"
> You give in.
You stop in your tracks and turn around. "Alright, Ragnor. But we need to go see where they are if only to get things up and running before the rest of the Zealots come back from the hideout."
Ragnor's eyes seem to pop out, "Shit! I forgot about them!"
Moving as quickly as possible, you follow your ears to and alley-way, where seven Wolves lay, peacefully licking the blood off their coats. You let out a loud sigh of relief after this, thankful that they didn't cause too much havoc after the fight was won and that they're all in one place. Several of them snarl at you but remain reserved enough so Ragnor can give them a fatherly rub on the head, making them relax. And, as they collectively relax, they slowly morph out of their animal-forms and back to their naked, wonderful selves.
This, your family, will be the parents of a new nation of Creations. A new beginning for your race.
> You counting from A.D.
For both the humans and Creations of Church-City, now simply referred to as 'Home', everything changed after the Night of First-Blood. Twelve moons past and the event simply became what everybody began counting from. Today marks the first year since it happened, and the Ghouls, in all of this time, have slowly warmed up to the 7 apostles and yourself, dubbed the Messiah of Creation. You care little for the title, but the energy spent creating a hierarchy and stable society would be all for naught without a leader, and you-- decorated 'war' hero and leader of the Wolves was the unanimously voted candidate. Ragnor wasn't interested in the position-- the way he put it was, "I'd much rather lead others to fight than lead them to work."
As such, he mostly leads reconnaissance and other various missions while you worry about the boring stuff, such as feeding the hundreds of blood-thirsty ghouls, setting up scouting teams and doing fluffy 'moral support' meetings with your apostles. The scouting teams come with information about the surrounding areas and the status of the wildlife and animals in the desert, but you make sure they don't go too far out-- several scouts have been known to just disappear mysteriously.
Your methods can't be called 'moral' by any means, though they are efficient. Perhaps thirty of the least fit humans were spared from being ghoul, and instead were tasked with giving of their blood monthly. The ghouls didn't need more than an ounce per month in addition to other foods, though you found yourself needing much more. The humans gave to the point that they practically were ghouls themselves, but not quite. Too tired to revolt, but too useful to just kill.
Furthermore, you spent time looking through old files in the Zealot-labs, searching for more information on the Professor. What you found wasn't as much as you'd hope, just his name and several of his affiliations. No physical description or photo, just names, affiliations, and several of his experiments.
Still, you're hoping that when you finally crack the computer you'll be able to find more on him. Ragnor thinks it's a long-shot and stopped helping you sort through the files to figure it out, deeming it 'hopeless' and a 'waste of time'. Truth be told, he might have a point-- for all you know, the Professor could have died a while ago.
But there was one conundrum that among the time elapsed that you're all struggling to answer: what happened to the other Zealots? And Gideon?
The desert was periodically searched for any traces of them, but nothing turned up. Several times you've set out to search for Kelso
As much work as you had, you managed to do some more enjoyable things in your 'down time'.
> The Wolves. (Optional)
Even though the Creations are now in control of their lives and aren't persecuted for existing, you've heard several reports from the younger ones about nightmares and need for emotional support. After a small discussion about it with Ragnor, you decided that it may be best to have weekly group sessions where everybody can 'talk'. It's silly and tacky but you go along with it. Morale is important.
One of the more memorable meetings was when you discussed the trauma induced from the Professor himself.
"He used to stick a needle in me!" the young Allen blurts out, breaking the ice. "He'd continually poke and pull out my blood until there was nothing left..."
Darla scoffs, "That's nothing, kiddo. The Professor-- he, he used to check if I could become..."
We all watched her closely, intrigued by what she may say, until, suddenly, Doria begins to tear up and bury her head in her arms. Ragnor awkwardly puts his hand around her in an attempt to comfort her, but to no avail.
"The Professor... He was a character." Ragnor begins, "I was brought to consciousness for several days, as he used to take me to spar-- no, fight to the death with his other mutants. Consistently the blonde bastard would take a mortally wounded Creation and perform more experiments on them, to check if he did it right. Still, there was something charismatic about the monster, charismatic; fatherly. Those who survived the fights were sent to far-off places to fight humans, and when we returned we'd be treated like kings until he stuffed us back into tubes."
Nordim remains silent, but perks his head up. His head shakes, but he says nothing. Shamino starts to speak, only to be shut down by Cecilia, who tightly grips Nordim's hand.
"Speak, young one." She whispers. Nordim nods, then opens his mouth. Nothing comes out, but eventually sounds can be made out.
"Professor Kurschner was like.... Like what Ragnor s-said, fatherly. Like, like a f-father to me. And, and... He used to give me treats... If I only hurt someone-- someone for him. I..." He stops, and proceeds to 'do the Darla' and buries his head.
Several gulps later, you begin to realize your displacement in the conversation. Why exactly is it that you are some sort of amnesiac? Everybody else seemed to remember something of the lab, but you know very little about anything. Only thing you know about yourself is that you're the only vampire left and that you somehow led 15 people to lead a rebellion against hundreds, only to win. Quite the accomplishment.
You shake your head out of the otherwise uninteresting memory. If only Ragnor had a better memory then we could track the Professor down...
Other notes you've gathered on your 'apostles':
Ragnor, your second in command and easily the strongest fighter in Home. At least, in his beast-form. He couldn't care less for this garbage, but goes through it for the team.
Cecilia isn't bashful about expressing herself to you, though it's obvious she'd rather do it in private rather than discuss it with everybody else. Still, she realizes the importance of this for the younger of the group, so that's good.
Shamino is large and dopey, but he's really enthusiastic, which is great since something as silly as this needs the support.
Simon is probably around sixteen years old and has been expressing discontent up until now. He seems to have warmed up after a couple of sessions of whining.
Darla is still heartbroken over your ghoul's death. It's odd, but you never noticed that she and David were close. Then again, it's only now that you've really been acquainted with the Wolves. More personally, at least. Either way, she appears to be benefiting from the sessions.
Nordim remains passive throughout all the sessions. Seems to share a resentment of any sort of authority and shudders when the Professor is discussed.
Allen is extremely young, adolescent. He appears to idolize you and Ragnor, which gives you an impetus not to disappoint.
As for you yourself, well, you try your best to act like a leader, though you've come to get bored of the place. The workload builds up and you don't want to bother anybody with your troubles.
Somehow, you get the feeling that the Demon is somewhere out there-- the Professor lives. While you can't be certain of this, you simply feel the likelihood of something big happening any day now. And so you wait, praying for the day where you can take revenge on him for what he did to you: manipulating you and your brethren to hurt others-- without even knowing it! He used us as vessels for his own crimes, then left us out in the desert to be hunted down by the Zealots. The bastard will pay for what he did to us... |
For both the humans and Creations of Church-City, now simply referred to as 'Home', everything changed after the Night of First-Blood. Twelve moons past and the event simply became what everybody began counting from. Today marks the first year since it happened, and the Ghouls, in all of this time, have slowly warmed up to the 7 apostles and yourself, dubbed the Messiah of Creation. You care little for the title, but the energy spent creating a hierarchy and stable society would be all for naught without a leader, and you-- decorated 'war' hero and leader of the Wolves was the unanimously voted candidate. Ragnor wasn't interested in the position-- the way he put it was, "I'd much rather lead others to fight than lead them to work."
As such, he mostly leads reconnaissance and other various missions while you worry about the boring stuff, such as feeding the hundreds of blood-thirsty ghouls, setting up scouting teams and doing fluffy 'moral support' meetings with your apostles. The scouting teams come with information about the surrounding areas and the status of the wildlife and animals in the desert, but you make sure they don't go too far out-- several scouts have been known to just disappear mysteriously.
Your methods can't be called 'moral' by any means, though they are efficient. Perhaps thirty of the least fit humans were spared from being ghoul, and instead were tasked with giving of their blood monthly. The ghouls didn't need more than an ounce per month in addition to other foods, though you found yourself needing much more. The humans gave to the point that they practically were ghouls themselves, but not quite. Too tired to revolt, but too useful to just kill.
Furthermore, you spent time looking through old files in the Zealot-labs, searching for more information on the Professor. What you found wasn't as much as you'd hope, just his name and several of his affiliations. No physical description or photo, just names, affiliations, and several of his experiments.
Still, you're hoping that when you finally crack the computer you'll be able to find more on him. Ragnor thinks it's a long-shot and stopped helping you sort through the files to figure it out, deeming it 'hopeless' and a 'waste of time'. Truth be told, he might have a point-- for all you know, the Professor could have died a while ago.
But there was one conundrum that among the time elapsed that you're all struggling to answer: what happened to the other Zealots? And Gideon?
The desert was periodically searched for any traces of them, but nothing turned up. Several times you've set out to search for Kelso
As much work as you had, you managed to do some more enjoyable things in your 'down time'.
> The Ghouls. (Optional)
The Ghouls are, to put it simply, unhappy. From devout followers of God to what they believe are demons. If you weren't the leader of the City, you'd perhaps find it amusing when a Ghoul would attempt at suicide, only to find themselves un-killable by normal means. It's a sick kind of amusement which you don't take part it, though you can certainly see the appeal.
They mostly live wherever they used to anyhow, only now they depend on your monthly visits when you give them vials of blood which the parents hide from their children. Almost every-time you appear an enraged male tries to fight you, but they're quite simply no match. It takes a while, but it's relaxed, for the most part.
You have more or less recognized that only time can repair the fences torn down. Perhaps one day they'll understand.
What you do realize, however, is that you'll need lots of blood to maintain this, and as such you have to make monthly visits to the old Zealot-HQ, where the twenty humans left serve as 'blood-donors'.
You stop off at the old Zealot-HQ, where the twenty-or-so remaining humans are still kept. You open the metal doors, where what used to be a cafeteria for Zealots now holds Ghouls, carefully placing vials of blood into specific containers, storing them in an unused cupboard. As you enter, the Ghouls rise at attention and salute, before scurrying out of the building. They know why you're here.
Once a month you have to extract more blood out of the humans, as well as make sure they're scared enough of you so they won't turn on each other. It's happened before, and you have to make sure it doesn't happen again-- after all, your society is defendant on feed.
You move forward and to the right, opening another door which leads to a hallway, which leads in to another door whom's staircase leads to the basement, where the humans are kept. You go down the steps, flipping a light-switch as you do so. The lights are dim and buzz a lot, but the Zealots installed a powerful generator can probably work for several more years.
The humans, shackled, pale, and grim, peer at you in the dim lighting. Their faces express nothing but disgust mixed with fear, and they say no words to you. You reach for a flask with one hand, and the other grasps the wrist of a young girl. She must have been ten before you took the City over, and now she is... Developed. Mature in physical, and probably would be attractive if she wasn't as pale as the undead themselves. You bend down and look at her straight in the eye as your claws rip into her wrist, and as blood pours out into the flask below she doesn't even cry out in pain-- none of them do, they just watch. When the flask is several centimeters full you patch her wrist with a large band-aid filled with alcohol. At this she winces when you place it on, her slender frame shivering. You stand back up, and stare at the others, watching you as you get ready to leave, placing a cork in the flask. You turn back around, finished with only one of your tasks concerning them.
"Where is your god?" You question the humans.
None of them answer, they just stare blankly at you, soulless.
You point to one of them, one that has the soiled garb of a minister, "Where is your god now, human? Where has he gone to protect you in your time of need? In case you didn't know, an entire year has passed since your holding, and behold nothing has succeeded in saving you. You are hopeless."
They maintain their silence.
"Your only possible hope is to become one of the fallen, one of the so-called 'Demons' you once told your children to fear. Today I give you that option, to live eternal unlife, not the death that awaits you."
One or two look up to you, some in fear, some in disgust, and some of interest.
"Those who wish to join me can. Stand up, throw away your principles, and you shall join the magnificent civilization that has been created in God's absence."
The girl you just cut speaks, "If- if I join you... will, will my child be safe?"
You raise an eyebrow, only to see one of the young men, close to her, holding her hand tightly. You notice a slight bulge in her stomach. You rub your chin, "Aha..." Perhaps that would be a better method to keep the City living. Use the thirty here to reproduce more children to feed off of... "Yes, he would. You and your mate may stand, for we will take care of you."
With a weak smile, the girl trembles to get up, while the male solemnly helps her up.
"Indeed, I didn't expect for you to be able to... Be intimate here, but this is for the best. Whomever wishes to be fruitful, and to multiply, will be granted access to the World above. The rest will continue to stay here."
Several more haggard men and women stand up, just barely able to with their shackles. With a powerful strike, you break the metal holding them, and the thirteen men and women stand behind you. The rest of them-- a truly hopeless pair of twins who still believe in their deity just wait there, watching as you take several of the men and ghoul them in front of the emotionally scarred group, the blood spraying over them. They stare blankly as you grab at the oldest human, and swipe at his neck-- revealing all of his ruby red blood before he could even react.
The boy of the pair stares at you angrily; and knowingly, that he couldn't possibly fight you. The other of the two-- an odd looking girl with a bizarre paper-hat on her head-- one shaped like some sort of boat-- doesn't even react, truly mortified by your actions.
As the youth glare at you, you deftly snatch the hat from her head, unfolding it slightly to read what the blotches of ink read. The brother breaks out of his phase just to push at you, trying to get the hat back only for you to easily push him back several meters with but a flick of your wrist. Just glancing at the paper, you recognize the format to realize that it is not recent-- pictures of gardens and open-houses primarily being the subject of the paper. Boring.
You drop the newspaper on the floor before motioning to your new workers to follow you. Soon enough, you place the mates into their own 'cells', houses under lock and key. Every several days you watch to see how things are, and whether their efforts to make children for you is working.
Unfortunately, it seems like it will take years before you can harvest the fruits of this brilliant plan, but at the very least it seems like a good investment... |
For both the humans and Creations of Church-City, now simply referred to as 'Home', everything changed after the Night of First-Blood. Twelve moons past and the event simply became what everybody began counting from. Today marks the first year since it happened, and the Ghouls, in all of this time, have slowly warmed up to the 7 apostles and yourself, dubbed the Messiah of Creation. You care little for the title, but the energy spent creating a hierarchy and stable society would be all for naught without a leader, and you-- decorated 'war' hero and leader of the Wolves was the unanimously voted candidate. Ragnor wasn't interested in the position-- the way he put it was, "I'd much rather lead others to fight than lead them to work."
As such, he mostly leads reconnaissance and other various missions while you worry about the boring stuff, such as feeding the hundreds of blood-thirsty ghouls, setting up scouting teams and doing fluffy 'moral support' meetings with your apostles. The scouting teams come with information about the surrounding areas and the status of the wildlife and animals in the desert, but you make sure they don't go too far out-- several scouts have been known to just disappear mysteriously.
Your methods can't be called 'moral' by any means, though they are efficient. Perhaps thirty of the least fit humans were spared from being ghoul, and instead were tasked with giving of their blood monthly. The ghouls didn't need more than an ounce per month in addition to other foods, though you found yourself needing much more. The humans gave to the point that they practically were ghouls themselves, but not quite. Too tired to revolt, but too useful to just kill.
Furthermore, you spent time looking through old files in the Zealot-labs, searching for more information on the Professor. What you found wasn't as much as you'd hope, just his name and several of his affiliations. No physical description or photo, just names, affiliations, and several of his experiments.
Still, you're hoping that when you finally crack the computer you'll be able to find more on him. Ragnor thinks it's a long-shot and stopped helping you sort through the files to figure it out, deeming it 'hopeless' and a 'waste of time'. Truth be told, he might have a point-- for all you know, the Professor could have died a while ago.
But there was one conundrum that among the time elapsed that you're all struggling to answer: what happened to the other Zealots? And Gideon?
The desert was periodically searched for any traces of them, but nothing turned up. Several times you've set out to search for Kelso
As much work as you had, you managed to do some more enjoyable things in your 'down time'.
> The Wolven tongue. (Optional)
The lupine language is an annoyingly complex one. Even though the alphabet is blocky and primitive, it's amazingly complicated. If you were to guess, the language was probably formed from several other ones-- particularly English, German, and Latin. Or perhaps not-- it's just that foreign to you. Over the months of relative tranquility you've picked up most of it, though the constant use of prefixes, suffixes and roots still mess you up greatly.
As Ragnor puts it, "It's a beautiful language, simple but elegant. It's confusing to learn though, I'll give you that."
You were given chalk and were set in some sort of rundown school, where they still used blackboards. Shamino-- who's just slightly younger than yourself, pretty much takes advantage of the opportunity to finally teach you something. He forces you to draw the assortment of curved lines in specific orders, with seemingly random dots in order to emphasize expression.
Probably the most interesting part of the alphabet is that some letters are simply not used in the English language. Fittingly, they require use of the back of the throat to pronounce, almost like a choked howl.
They say that they formed it to spite the Professor, but you're not really sure how it would accomplish that. It seems that it would be more useful as a secret-code language if needed. That's probably what it was at first though, assuming the Wolves were always this close in their Facility.
It's fascinating to you, though, that the Wolves were close enough to build this language together. Unfortunately, they seem to share a link together that you don't have, a connection that they all have. Even with the newly added benefit of speaking their tongue, most of them still find you aloof to them, simply a leader- but little else. |
For both the humans and Creations of Church-City, now simply referred to as 'Home', everything changed after the Night of First-Blood. Twelve moons past and the event simply became what everybody began counting from. Today marks the first year since it happened, and the Ghouls, in all of this time, have slowly warmed up to the 7 apostles and yourself, dubbed the Messiah of Creation. You care little for the title, but the energy spent creating a hierarchy and stable society would be all for naught without a leader, and you-- decorated 'war' hero and leader of the Wolves was the unanimously voted candidate. Ragnor wasn't interested in the position-- the way he put it was, "I'd much rather lead others to fight than lead them to work."
As such, he mostly leads reconnaissance and other various missions while you worry about the boring stuff, such as feeding the hundreds of blood-thirsty ghouls, setting up scouting teams and doing fluffy 'moral support' meetings with your apostles. The scouting teams come with information about the surrounding areas and the status of the wildlife and animals in the desert, but you make sure they don't go too far out-- several scouts have been known to just disappear mysteriously.
Your methods can't be called 'moral' by any means, though they are efficient. Perhaps thirty of the least fit humans were spared from being ghoul, and instead were tasked with giving of their blood monthly. The ghouls didn't need more than an ounce per month in addition to other foods, though you found yourself needing much more. The humans gave to the point that they practically were ghouls themselves, but not quite. Too tired to revolt, but too useful to just kill.
Furthermore, you spent time looking through old files in the Zealot-labs, searching for more information on the Professor. What you found wasn't as much as you'd hope, just his name and several of his affiliations. No physical description or photo, just names, affiliations, and several of his experiments.
Still, you're hoping that when you finally crack the computer you'll be able to find more on him. Ragnor thinks it's a long-shot and stopped helping you sort through the files to figure it out, deeming it 'hopeless' and a 'waste of time'. Truth be told, he might have a point-- for all you know, the Professor could have died a while ago.
But there was one conundrum that among the time elapsed that you're all struggling to answer: what happened to the other Zealots? And Gideon?
The desert was periodically searched for any traces of them, but nothing turned up. Several times you've set out to search for Kelso
As much work as you had, you managed to do some more enjoyable things in your 'down time'.
> You stargazing with Cecilia.
"You're starting to lose your hair."
With a loud chuckle, you sift your fingers through your once luxurious head of hair. As you take your hand out of it, white strands fall to the floor. "Ha, I suppose I am. I suppose that's what happens with stress."
Cecilia giggles, snuggling up next to you. For a moment, the two of you marvel at the open sky, unpolluted by light. The stars shines from behind the slowly clearing clouds, a full-moon masked by the gray matter.
"You think it was a good idea to sleep on top of a high roof top?" You ask.
"Well, it's romantic."
"Not really." More laughter. "You know, I still don't get you, Cess."
She gets up, her long blonde hair falling into your face, "What is that supposed to mean, Vamp?"
"You know I'm impotent."
"... Yeah, so? Doesn't mean I can't like you."
Now it's your turn to chuckle. "Of course, but that also means that you can't benefit our race if you stay the nights with me. Probably can't be too fun either."
"Sometimes we don't have to sacrifice of ourselves for others. I like you and I can trust you, and that's all need, love."
"Ah-huh." You slowly rise up, only for her to grab your hand to sit down with her again. You get closer to her once more, "Alright, so, you got me up here, finally, but as much as I like spending time with you, I think you need to tell me why you wanted to sleep on the roof tonight."
Cecilia turns away, "I need to see something."
"Like what?"
"You'll see."
In awkward silence you wait. As a powerful gust of wind passes, the night sky suddenly brightens slightly-- the full moon fully exposed. The Wolf gets up from the mattress, only to hop down from the roof and stare intently at the moon.
"Cecilia?" You question, not wanting to upset her. All you know is that she wants to be in her animal-form, but you're not sure why.
Suddenly, your lover begins to tremble, her shoulders jerking spontaneously and her chest rising with heavy breaths. Her body, barely concealed by a night-gown, grows-- thick blonde hair sprouting from every area, her legs becoming thick as tree trunks, claws protruding and her nose extending to a snout. Ugly fangs hang from her mouth and a vicious tongue hangs out as her maw becomes a weapon to be feared.
The demonic beast stares at you and snarls in Cecilia's normal voice, "V-vamp?"
"You can speak in that form?" You ask, shocked.
"Yes." She replies, moving towards you, "I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Ghoul me."
"What?"
"I'm serious, my love. Else I wouldn't have already formed for you, rather than abruptly change in the middle of the process. I wish to live longer, like you shall!"
You bring a hand to your brow, "Cecilia, my dear... This isn't necessary, really. You'll be living a long life anyway, as a Creation.
"Cecilia, trust me, you do not want the curse of blood. The necessity eats at your very soul-- it justifies horrible things and--"
"They're not horrible if they can be done with you."
The poor girl... She doesn't get it, does she? She thinks she that being ghouled is a blessing, but it's a curse. The ghouls here, for example; they became sheep to be herded. Even I'd have a companian forever, it also means that my companion won't be herself anymore...
> You become one with Cecilia.
With a weak smile you cautiously approach Cecilia. "Alright, my love. Just remain quiet-- the others are still sleeping." You continue nearing the Wolf, who lowers her giant snout to clumsily lick your face. The slobber and sound gives you a distinct feeling of disgust, but you manage to nuzzle the liquid off your face on Cecilia's fur.
"Are you sure you want this?"
"Oh yes!" Cecilia whispers, her snout forming some sort of smile.
On her command, you sink your teeth into her neck, getting your mouth full of hairs. It takes a while, but you finally manage to slurp enough blood that you feel the 'rush'. Power, energy, heat; everything connects you further in the moment. Despite her quirks, you've come to appreciate her more than anybody else. After all, she sacrificed most of her ability to feel just so you could savor her blood... No, she said she wished to live for eternity, like myself. To be with me, forever...
You feel the sticky red goo splatter around your lips as the Wol struggles to not howl by pounding the ground around you. Your teeth maintain a strong hold on her neck, for you know that if you release prematurely the Ghouling process would have to be repeated from the beginning. The sweet and sour drink continues to flow down your throat, and before you know it--
Cecilia falls to the ground, naked and in her more human form. You fall upon her, and find yourself unconscious.
You wake back in your quarters, a pale Cecilia in your bed and hugging you tightly. If it were anybody else this might have been an opportunity for debauchery or something naughty, but no-- you're still asleep downstairs. But that doesn't matter. |
"You're starting to lose your hair."
With a loud chuckle, you sift your fingers through your once luxurious head of hair. As you take your hand out of it, white strands fall to the floor. "Ha, I suppose I am. I suppose that's what happens with stress."
Cecilia giggles, snuggling up next to you. For a moment, the two of you marvel at the open sky, unpolluted by light. The stars shines from behind the slowly clearing clouds, a full-moon masked by the gray matter.
"You think it was a good idea to sleep on top of a high roof top?" You ask.
"Well, it's romantic."
"Not really." More laughter. "You know, I still don't get you, Cess."
She gets up, her long blonde hair falling into your face, "What is that supposed to mean, Vamp?"
"You know I'm impotent."
"... Yeah, so? Doesn't mean I can't like you."
Now it's your turn to chuckle. "Of course, but that also means that you can't benefit our race if you stay the nights with me. Probably can't be too fun either."
"Sometimes we don't have to sacrifice of ourselves for others. I like you and I can trust you, and that's all need, love."
"Ah-huh." You slowly rise up, only for her to grab your hand to sit down with her again. You get closer to her once more, "Alright, so, you got me up here, finally, but as much as I like spending time with you, I think you need to tell me why you wanted to sleep on the roof tonight."
Cecilia turns away, "I need to see something."
"Like what?"
"You'll see."
In awkward silence you wait. As a powerful gust of wind passes, the night sky suddenly brightens slightly-- the full moon fully exposed. The Wolf gets up from the mattress, only to hop down from the roof and stare intently at the moon.
"Cecilia?" You question, not wanting to upset her. All you know is that she wants to be in her animal-form, but you're not sure why.
Suddenly, your lover begins to tremble, her shoulders jerking spontaneously and her chest rising with heavy breaths. Her body, barely concealed by a night-gown, grows-- thick blonde hair sprouting from every area, her legs becoming thick as tree trunks, claws protruding and her nose extending to a snout. Ugly fangs hang from her mouth and a vicious tongue hangs out as her maw becomes a weapon to be feared.
The demonic beast stares at you and snarls in Cecilia's normal voice, "V-vamp?"
"You can speak in that form?" You ask, shocked.
"Yes." She replies, moving towards you, "I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Ghoul me."
"What?"
"I'm serious, my love. Else I wouldn't have already formed for you, rather than abruptly change in the middle of the process. I wish to live longer, like you shall!"
You bring a hand to your brow, "Cecilia, my dear... This isn't necessary, really. You'll be living a long life anyway, as a Creation.
"Cecilia, trust me, you do not want the curse of blood. The necessity eats at your very soul-- it justifies horrible things and--"
"They're not horrible if they can be done with you."
The poor girl... She doesn't get it, does she? She thinks she that being ghouled is a blessing, but it's a curse. The ghouls here, for example; they became sheep to be herded. Even I'd have a companian forever, it also means that my companion won't be herself anymore...
> You refuse.
Slowly, you approach the vixen. "Cecilia... No, just no."
It's as if you can see a frown in that huge snout of her's, "Why no? Vamp... I want this, for us. Why not?"
"Because you shouldn't throw your life away for me!" You snap back, standing up to her bulking figure. "Ghoul's are inherently submissive and are forced to drink of other's blood to live. This is not a life for you-- I know you enough to know it isn't."
"Only submissive to our sires," Cecilia murmurs, nuzzling her large cranium to your shoulder. "And I'd be okay with that."
You push her away, slightly. "But I wouldn't be okay with it," you frown, petting her fuzzy chin, "Can you respect that?" Ugh, it's really hard to seem courteous when she looks like this...
Cecilia backs down, "I suppose... I can't force you to do that. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it was a miscommunication on both sides. I think. Now, why don't we get some rest together? We have lots of time to look forward to."
You smile and she smiles back. |
For both the humans and Creations of Church-City, now simply referred to as 'Home', everything changed after the Night of First-Blood. Twelve moons past and the event simply became what everybody began counting from. Today marks the first year since it happened, and the Ghouls, in all of this time, have slowly warmed up to the 7 apostles and yourself, dubbed the Messiah of Creation. You care little for the title, but the energy spent creating a hierarchy and stable society would be all for naught without a leader, and you-- decorated 'war' hero and leader of the Wolves was the unanimously voted candidate. Ragnor wasn't interested in the position-- the way he put it was, "I'd much rather lead others to fight than lead them to work."
As such, he mostly leads reconnaissance and other various missions while you worry about the boring stuff, such as feeding the hundreds of blood-thirsty ghouls, setting up scouting teams and doing fluffy 'moral support' meetings with your apostles. The scouting teams come with information about the surrounding areas and the status of the wildlife and animals in the desert, but you make sure they don't go too far out-- several scouts have been known to just disappear mysteriously.
Your methods can't be called 'moral' by any means, though they are efficient. Perhaps thirty of the least fit humans were spared from being ghoul, and instead were tasked with giving of their blood monthly. The ghouls didn't need more than an ounce per month in addition to other foods, though you found yourself needing much more. The humans gave to the point that they practically were ghouls themselves, but not quite. Too tired to revolt, but too useful to just kill.
Furthermore, you spent time looking through old files in the Zealot-labs, searching for more information on the Professor. What you found wasn't as much as you'd hope, just his name and several of his affiliations. No physical description or photo, just names, affiliations, and several of his experiments.
Still, you're hoping that when you finally crack the computer you'll be able to find more on him. Ragnor thinks it's a long-shot and stopped helping you sort through the files to figure it out, deeming it 'hopeless' and a 'waste of time'. Truth be told, he might have a point-- for all you know, the Professor could have died a while ago.
But there was one conundrum that among the time elapsed that you're all struggling to answer: what happened to the other Zealots? And Gideon?
The desert was periodically searched for any traces of them, but nothing turned up. Several times you've set out to search for Kelso
As much work as you had, you managed to do some more enjoyable things in your 'down time'.
> You researching about your Creator.
"Alright Ragnor, check the bin in the back. I'll flip through the files in the cabinet."
As Ragnor groans, dropping a metal safe he was trying to punch open and moves to the back. "You know, I still don't get why you're so fixated on it still. You've got quite a bit ahead of you, why not focus on that?"
"Because he still holds the answers to my questions. Like, who I was, et cetera."
"Why not just put it behind you and focus on the present?"
"Because I also need to make sure he doesn't mess with our future."
"You don't think he's dead?"
You shake your head, "Doubt it. Some of the files have already discussed the other Facilities and how the Zealots destroyed all thirteen of them. But I don't think that a man as resourceful and well-funded as the Professor wouldn't set up a back-up Facility. I'd wager that he's trying to do something there too- and we can't have that, can we?"
Ragnor shrugs, "If it makes you happy." He silently sorts through the bin.
With a sigh, you try to remember everything you've collected thus far: the Professor seemed to have thirteen Higher-Creations which eac helped run their specific Facilities, each with their own 'specialty'. From what you can tell, the ones you know are probably Gideon, Kelso, and... God, what was his name, Stein? They must have been the only ones who survived the Facility raids. The rest likely died.
The Professor-- Sion Kurschner, apparently was known to experiment on himself as well as others. No pictures detail him, though it notes that he was of Germanic background, though American-born and raised. A lot of things detailing him are ripped, so it's hard to get anything useful.
You flip through the last folder-- and something catches your eye. Eureka! It's a last sighting report. Apparently he was seen by Zealot scouts about a year ago, before the Church-City raid you ran. They saw a man in a white lab coat circle around the desert, then disappear. They say he went south, where they occasionally heard reports from another City that (used?) to be there. No other reference to that city is made anywhere else, but... This is the best lead we've gotten. Ever.
"Ragnor, take a look at this! In about a week we should be able to send a team in that direction in search of the lost City!"
We'll find you, Simon Kurschner. It's just a matter of time now... |
You make your way outside of the building shaken but undeterred. The streets are empty, but you know that there are more humans in the houses, hiding. While the fighting itself may be dying down, you feel the need to go out and meet your courageous brethren, rather than have them come for you. You run down the steps and onto the concrete street, continuing back from where you came from, meanwhile trying to shove away distracting thoughts of your deceased friend. When this is done, we will honor you properly...
Eventually, you begin to notice armored corpses strewn about in awkward positions. Alternatively, you find a brown Wolf, whom you recognize as the Middle-eastern man, white-eyed and bloody by a curb. How many of us were lost this day?
You continue on in solemn silence when you reach the fence, and from beyond it you can see several more Wolven corpses. Frantically, you search for Cecilia-- Phew, none of them are blonde like she was. But still... This leaves perhaps eight of us left... Most likely the last of our kind.
"Vamp!" Comes a cry behind you. You turn around quickly to be hugged by an especially warm Cecilia, with Ragnor smiling with glee. You return the embrace, happiness overcoming the previous thoughts of dread.
"I'm glad to see your alright, man. We had a tough fight, but we fended the hordes of Zealots off. How did your fights go?"
You nod, "We... We killed Tomas and- and a man named Karat, called himself 'Chief'. Either way, the place was deserted from Zealots by the time I came looking for you."
"Zealots? What about civilians?"
Cecilia joins the interrogation with the question you least wish to answer at this moment, "And where's David?"
"The Father killed him." You answer succinctly, still trying to get your mind off of it-- you don't want anymore nightmares. "I'm going to deal with the civilians soon, Ragnor. I have a plan for them."
Ragnor nods in turn, "Unfortunate, though he died a warrior's death. What shall you do with the civilians?"
"Ghoul them, use them to help rebuild this city. Once this works, we can make an entire civilization of Zealots, and then... Find the Professor and kill the bastard."
"Solid thinking. But what precisely is the next move?"
"Well, where are the surviving Creations?"
"Rampaging. Cecilia here was the only one of the virgins to be able to control their forms."
"Rampaging?"
"Err, yeah." Ragnor replies, confused, "What's the problem?"
"For the plan to work we need as many live humans as possible to rebuild. Ghouls, remember?" Without wasting anymore time, you begin to move back in search of the Wolves when you feel a heavy hand on your shoulder, holding you back.
"Woah there, Vamp. Are you sure you want to stop them? This is the first time they're in actual control of their lives. Plus, they're probably too tired to do any real damage. Just let 'em have their fun, alright?"
> You shrug Ragnor off and run to make sure the chaos is controlled.
With a heavy sigh, you continue on back to the streets of Church-City, Ragnor's hand not strong enough to keep you back. He and Cecilia follow you nonetheless, though in silence. The way back is uneventful, and the howls of the remaining Wolves are distinct enough to follow. Moving as quickly as possible, you follow your ears to and alley-way, where seven Wolves lay, peacefully licking the blood off their coats. You let out a loud sigh of relief after this, thankful that they didn't cause too much havoc after the fight was won and that they're all in one place. Several of them snarl at you but remain reserved enough so Ragnor can give them a fatherly rub on the head, making them relax. And, as they collectively relax, they slowly morph out of their animal-forms and back to their naked, wonderful selves.
This, your family, will be the fathers of a new nation of Creations. A new beginning for your race. |
"I'm sorry, David." You state, realizing that Tomas will be killing your ghoul regardless of your choices. With that in mind, you rush the bleeding geezer, hoping to catch him before he can finish off your ghoul. As you thrust your clawed hand at his head, he just barely manages to skewer David.
Never has a killing felt more rewarding. Your hand pierces the fleshy skin-- leaving a flayed face and a collapsed priest. With a grunt, you rush over to David's side, horrified by the gruesome hole in his chest.
You don't really say anything to him, as there is nothing more to say. He fulfilled his duty to you well, and his job, once the City will be taken over, will be easily replaced. But, for now, his death shall allow others of your kind to live. David smiles, and holds your hand firmly. Memories flash of your brief but powerful connection, Oh, and we just were getting close, too...
As David closes his eyes, you stand up, ready to continue your mission-- now, to Zealot HQ. You make your way through the piles of corpses to the front door of the Church, more angry than anything else at this point. By now you recognize that the sirens are still blaring, which means that Zealots should be piling up in the streets-- but the street you see has nobody walking. Though you do hear voices from somewhere far to the left, you can't help but notice that Zealot HQ has its door open.
Am I too late? You wonder, as you make haste by running into the building, looking around for someone to waste your adrenaline on. Inside, you see perhaps three half-dressed Zealots yawning and loitering about, seemingly confident that this is a false alarm.
This means nothing to you, and you rush one-- kick him into a nearby table, deck the other one with a heavy punch, and angrily bite into the last one's hand when he tries to strangle you from behind. It's over in a matter of minutes, but you suddenly feel like you're being... Watched.
"Bravo, Demon." Comes the voice. From across the room you can see a white-armored Zealot, taller and more sizeable than most you've seen. He carries with him a silver sword, less blunt than Tomas's though it doesn't seem to resonate with the same energy. "I see you were able to butcher my friends quickly enough, but somehow I doubt you'll manage to take someone like myself as easily."
"Who're you?" You roar, setting yourself in front of him.
"Zealot Karat, Chief of the Zealots." He grins, "At least, until the real Chief comes home from your clever diversion.
"If." You state, bluffing. I have no idea what happened with Gideon and the other Zealots... "If, he comes back."
Katar doesn't bother answering, and instead positions himself with his silver katana in an aggressive fighting position. Once again, you find yourself in a tactical situation that you need to decide how to approach. You need to be careful about his silver sword and make sure to finish the fight quickly, but he's probably more spry than that bastard, Tomas.
> You fight aggressively, to make sure the fight is ended soon.
Still angered by the death of your friend, you quickly lunge at the man, his mouth still moving. Karat moves out of the way, just in time.
"You're a feisty little demon aren't you?" He laughs, readying his katana to slash. You don't waste a second when you swipe at him again, your claws forming from under the gauntlet. He dodges it again-- and counters, sending a flurry of swipes in your direction. Even though his advancing attacks barely give you enough time to dodge, you try to maintain being on the offensive.
A horizontal slash causes you to crouch, and the next vertical one makes you have to move to the side. Again and again this cycle continues, and you feel as if he might be getting tired. When he begins to slow down even the slightest bit, you add a kick to your crouching, sweeping him off of his feet. He falls over, but not before a wild swing cuts at your cheek. While only a small amount of pus dribbles out of your cheek. you realize that this marks something worse. Still, you make an attempt to jump onto him, and strangle the bastard to death, but even on the floor Karat manages to use his sword at it's fullest, and this time, his sword is pushed with enough force to pierce your body armor.
On the plus side, you did manage to end the fight relatively quickly.
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
You continue to stand parallel to the Head-Zealot, slowly beckoning him closer to the side with a ledge. While you know you have to end the fight soon, you also know that this won't be an easy fight. The cackling priest advances, holding his heavy Cross out like a rapier, poking it at you, trying to get you to move back. Deciding that staying on the defensive won't save you from this mad man, you take action by leaping in his direction-- he grins, preparing to simply swing upwards to hit you, but manage to somersault out of the old man's swipe, and land a heavy kick to his face. He staggers backwards, his hand on his eye in a mixture of pain and anger. Tomas angrily sends another swipe with his sword at you, but you're already charging for him, pushing the old to the ledge that is now to your right with your forearm. The priest coughs, but quickly recovers.
Relentless, you send another barrage of jabs at him, moving close enough to him that his long-range won't be an advantage for him. A mixture of punches and claws manage to cut his robe to shreds, and he struggles to get you off of him-- to no avail. After a silly, pointless scuffle you manage to hold him right by the ledge, where a fall to the death would await him. Tomas holds up his silver cross, creating a pseudo-barrier between the two of you, but you just grab hold of it with your gauntlets, and shove him at the wooden slabs, and slowly increase pressure, slowly increase it. Several seconds more of pushing, and he won't have a choice of how his body breaks, as you'll secure his death in the fall. You shove once more...
Snap.
"There we go... See you in hell, bastard!" The wooden splinters open, and you find the two of you tumbling down at several meters, both grasping for eachothers' throats.
Unfortunately for you, the old man barely manages to grab hold of your hair and uses it as leverage to be just slightly above you...
You both fall with a heavy thud, your armored body crashing through the floor. You struggle to get out of it, as you find your armor almost embedded in to the rubble. Still, you manage to get up, and the sharp pang you feel in your head slowly begins to disappear.
As the dust clears, you find a bleeding Tomas with a bloody eye holding an unconscious David to the wall, his silver sword still gripped in his hands. His remaining useable eye stares right at you, and the priest begins to cackle further, "If you take even one more step towards me, I swear I will slay your disciple right now. But, if you leave me here to die in peace, not of a sinners hand, then I can promise that I will not kill him. Hmm, you like this deal?"
Your loyal ghoul stares at you blankly, and his shaking head can either be interpreted as a plea to let him live or to kill the priest. Or perhaps something else?
Stunned and still recovering, you try to make a decision with a clear head...
> You trust in the Priest and continue on to the other building.
"You'll have your own choice of death today, Tomas. But I will honor the deal we made tonight, and I hope, for your sake, that you honor yours."
Father Tomas stares at you with that crazy eye of his, nodding and cocking his head for you to move towards the door before he can release your friend. With an angry sigh, you move past the bloody corpses piled up in the room and hang by the front door.
As David is dropped by the Father, you stand up, ready to continue your mission-- now, to Zealot HQ. David stares at you meekly, trying his best to grunt loudly. You wave to him, expecting him to follow, before opening the front door once again. By now you recognize that the sirens are still blaring, which means that Zealots should be piling up in the streets-- but the street you see has nobody walking. Though you do hear voices from somewhere far to the left, you can't help but notice that Zealot HQ has its door open.
Am I too late? You wonder, as you make haste by running into the building, looking around for someone to waste your adrenaline on. Inside, you see perhaps three half-dressed Zealots yawning and loitering about, seemingly confident that this is a false alarm.
This means nothing to you, and you rush one-- kick him into a nearby table, deck the other one with a heavy punch, and angrily bite into the last one's hand when he tries to strangle you from behind. It's over in a matter of minutes, but you suddenly feel like you're being... Watched.
"Bravo, Demon." Comes the voice. From across the room you can see a white-armored Zealot, taller and more sizeable than most you've seen. He carries with him a silver sword, less blunt than Tomas's though it doesn't seem to resonate with the same energy. "I see you were able to butcher my friends quickly enough, but somehow I doubt you'll manage to take someone like myself as easily."
"Who're you?" You roar, setting yourself in front of him.
"Zealot Karat, Chief of the Zealots." He grins, "At least, until the real Chief comes home from your clever diversion.
"If." You state, bluffing. I have no idea what happened with Gideon and the other Zealots... "If, he comes back."
Katar doesn't bother answering, and instead positions himself with his silver katana in an aggressive fighting position. Once again, you find yourself in a tactical situation that you need to decide how to approach. You need to be careful about his silver sword and make sure to finish the fight quickly, but he's probably more spry than that bastard, Tomas.
> You fight defensively, as to make sure that katana doesn't touch you.
Fueling your rage into reserve energy, to be used when necessary, you plant your feet to the ground, readying yourself for the Zealot.
Karat laughs, lazily letting his sword's tip fall to the ground. The man's bravery (or is it bravado?) astonishes you, "So, you fear God's might?"
"Maybe, but not your's." Comes your sharp answer.
"Then how come you haven't readied yourself to attack? Are you worried you won't make the cut?"
"I'm simply more confident in your ability to leave yourself open, thanks."
Karat shrugs, "Suit yourself, Vampire. Perhaps you shall find fear of God's servant instaed." With that, he raises his silver katana, it gleaming in the neon lights of the building. His stance confirmed, aggressive, he poises to attack. The white Zealot advances, giving a wide and open slash in the air to test you.
Of course, you pass with barely any effort-- just a turn of the neck. Karat laughs once again, and attempts to bum-rush you-- but your defensive stance gives you an advantage, and with clever foot work you grip his wrist, pull, and flip him onto a nearby table. It cracks under the pressure of an armored giant slammed onto it, but the Zealot gets back up and, still gripping his katana, sends a swift vertical cut down at you. You attempt to dodge, but you'd admit that you didn't expect him to get back up so fast, and the slash sticks into your shoulder-armor, just barely missing your skin.
As lucky as you were back there, now Karat has the initiative. He pulls the sword back, grabbing you with it and sending a heavy boot at your stomach. You begin to tip over, but you're sent backwards by a heavy, gauntleted punch to your nose-- which sends you back several feet and onto the ground. Your vision blurs slightly though you manage to get up before Karat manages to land a more accurate cut at your forehead, and manage to grapple him, using the core of your body to push him back. Your nose for some reason still bloodied, you continue to prefer close quarters, where your pinging head won't hamper your vision. Using the anger built up, you manage to grab hold of his helmet with both hands, and squeeze.
The man screams, much like your ghoul did not so long ago. They all do, the humans scream in pain, struggle and kick in their last moments. And as the helmet crumples up and the man goes limp, you embrace your inner demon and drink him dry. The blood is refreshing and your vision clears, but then you notice why his armor is so bright. Must be inlaid with silver...
You shrug. Does it really matter if the Zealots have been inlaying their weapons with silver? The Wolves can take care of themselves...
Regardless, realizing that there aren't any Zealots left in the building, you leave to see how the war is going. Mission Successful. You get up, and stretch, getting ready to make your way to see how the Wolves fared.
Suddenly... "DIE DEMON!" Comes the familiar thundering, though gravely voice. You hear and feel the heavy thud of a metal beam smashing into your skull. You double over, barely conscious, but you're able to make out the blue robe of the Father, now striped with rust-colored blood in front of you. "While it is saddening to think that you got this far, I am happy to relinquish you of your dark life-force, as I did to the man whom you corrupted. Good night."
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
"David, finish off these grunts as I find the big man upstairs." You call out, examining the building for the Father's Quarters.
David nods, "Up the stairs, to the left!"
Your head turns from right to left, looking for the set of stairs that will lead you to the Father. Finding the red-carpeted stairs, you begin your ascent, only to be stopped by a heavy-set Monk, who angrily shoves you backwards. "Get away, foul demon!"
He continues pushing, but you catch his left arm, and end squeeze-- Crack. He yells out in pain, and you manage to grab him by the cuff of his robe, only to throw him out of the way and into a wall. You run up the staircase, skipping steps to maintain speed. After reaching the end of the first staircase, you deftly,turn your body, not wasting any time by getting to the adjacent continuation of the stairs. Several leaps later, you reach the end of the stair case, only to be confronted by a terribly old man in a ceremonial blue robe, with a skullcap covering his no doubt balding head. His face is withered, and his frail eyes only compliment an extremely happy demeanor. This, you presume, is Father Tomas.
He stares at you, silent, and raises a large metallic cross from an opening of his robe, though he seems to be holding it the wrong way...
Wary of his silver weapon, you take a step to the side-- giving you room. "Father Tomas, it seems that I have finally had the honor to meet you."
"No, the pleasure is mine, Vampire. Fate has brought it that it is my responsibility to put you down, as well as your canine friends."
You glare at him in anger, and flick at your wrist; claws out, you get into a battle-stance. He, in turn, raises his shimmering Cross, wielding it as a sword.
"I wouldn't put up a fight, if I were you. I know for a fact that you Creations can't heal from a wound of silver, and as such you have no otherworldly advantage over me."
You laugh, "Except perhaps the age part."
The priest stops smiling and instead eyes you angrily, "I suppose you'll learn the hard way." He slowly begins to approach you, his sword, pulsating with some sort of unrecognizable energy, held high. You make a quick examination of your surroundings: the stair case from behind you, doors and other hallways to your right, though several meters forward and to your left is a ledge, where there's an at least three-story drop down to the first floor, where you can see David slowly whittling off the Monks. Perhaps you can use the ledge to your advantage...
You continue to parallel the insane priest, your claws at your side and your wits still intact. You need to make the first move, but how should you go about it? The man looks old, but something about him tells you that he's more than capable of wielding his weapon masterfully. Still, you're probably quicker than him, and a quick fight is all you need. Then again, you need to watch out for the silver sword, because if he gets a solid hit on you then you're done.
> You fight Defensively.
You plant your feet sturdily into the flooring, watching his sword with caution. Whenever he moves closer, you move forward and around him, bringing him closer to the ledge and maintaining an important amount of distance between the two of you. Tomas chuckles, and finally begins swinging his heavy artifact. He does so not wildly, rather with strong, fluid motions; all of which your utmost concentration allow you to just barely dodge. His long strokes give him a lot of range, and you have a feeling that he's only just started.
He picks up the pace, using his heavy sword more like a rapier, thrusting and swiping, attempting to corner you to the other side of the room; that isn't necessarily bad, as it's the side that has the ledge, but you need to quickly get back in control of the fight if you wish to get the old fool.
Tomas advances, giving another quick thrust with his sword-- you try to take advantage of that by kicking his sword out of his hands, but his firm grip doesn't let go of it. Not wasting the opportunity, you leap at him while he rebalances the sword, and try to land a heavy claw at his neck. Seeing you, the old man, with bizarre agility, drops to the floor, and sweeps your legs from under you, knocking your head on the rails. You quickly get back up with a sharp twist, but he has enough time to give you a thwack on the back with his sword. The pain stings, and you feel your bones crack as he smacks you upside the head again with it, over an over again. Every time you attempt you get up, you are taken out again by Tomas's repetitive strikes. Can't... Get back up...
Before you know it,
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
Not wasting any time, you turn to face the Chapel. Metallic and looming over you, with a large neon cross, still flashing. The door is a harsh steel, too old to cast a discernable reflection but maintained enough not to rust nor weaken. "How should we enter, then?"
"No backdoors to the Church. Only one direction if you follow God." David recites from behind you.
With a shrug, you continue onwards, going up a flight of concrete stairs, leading up to the looming steel door. You consider trying to bash the door in, but decide that knocking it and waiting for the door to be opened by whoever's inside would be an easier solution for getting in.
Clang
Your gauntlet taps at the metal. After a pause, you can hear noises on the inside of the Chapel, mostly worried murmuring. You quickly motion for David to go in front, right before a bald young man in ceremonial blue robe opens the door. In response to your ghoul's profile, the man just gapes for several moments before opening his mouth to speak. "Dave?!?"
"No... Not anymore." He states, walking into the Church. The man doesn't seem to even notice you, engrossed in seeing a living ghost instead. Inside, several other monks are gathered, all of them staring at David with awe. You take the opportunity to slink into the shadow, and wait.
"Behold! The blessed Lord brought our child back!" They cry, waving their hands in the air in synchronization. Up and down their hands go, until one with a cowl speaks up, "Brother David, where were you?"
Your ghoul stares at them with disdain, "I got lost, but was found by a group of humans."
They continue to gape. The cowled-one continues his interrogation, "Hmm? More humans, you say?
"Crazy enough, the humans were in our backyard this entire time. We just didn't recognize them."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"The Wolves, Vadim. They're good people."
Gasps erupt, and David's only looks down to his feet, and his hands ball up to fists. "They changed you, didn't they?" The one with the cowl points, and begins to chant in some sort of language which you are unfamiliar with.
Bored of their religious, antics, you make your presence known by jumping out of the shadows, and decking 'Vadim' with a right hook, sending him to the middle of the crowd of twelve-or-so Monks. David nods, and sends a sharp kick to the nearest Zealot surrounding him. Before you know it, it becomes a rowdy brawl of fists.
The monks may be very agile, but without any weapons nor armor you figure you or even David could take them out alone. Something tells you the alarms around the buildings weren't for show either-- you need to find the Father, quick!
> You finish off the remaining monks, then worry about Father Tomas.
Man, these bastards are quick.
You may have gotten lucky with the Vadim fellow, but the rest, now pumping with adrenaline, are much harder to hit. The bald men may not be especially strong, but they're skilled enough that they can at least dodge and block your powerful claws and punches. Of course, they're bound to get tired after a minute or so of constant movement, but I need to get this done quickly.
"Oof." One grunts as you land a knee into his groin, he stumbles to your side, where a heavy-set Monk elbows at your ribs-- only to miss and be targeted by David, who was unsuccessfully trying to down a midget of a Zealot. Your ghoul manages to leap atop of him and .wrap his arms around the man's neck.
"What... happened.... to you... my.... friend..." Are his last words.
The remaining monks still take up your time, giving quick jabs to your non-existent pressure points as you try to land a hit on them. The acrobats continue dodging, and you relentlessly continue, not hampered by mortal energy-consumption. They begin to slow, and your wild, badly-timed swings catch several of the surrounding monks, crushing their bones easily. Minutes passed, the only one standing is the sweating midget named, 'Miguel', who hopelessly kneels before you, "O how the lord has bested us, taught us a lesson in humility in dream-form, he did. Wake us from this nightmare, O merciful God!"
You punt him across the room, cackling as you do so.
Unfortunately for yourself and David, you can hear sirens-- Ragnor has begun his siege. You look from around you, and in front of you appears a pruned old man, wearing a ceremonial blue robe and a skullcap, wielding a shining... silver cross? Only, upside-down... As a sword... Father Tomas stares at you with a surprisingly serene smile, considering what you did with his disciples. "My monks did their part, do not worry, Vampire."
Moments later, the old man throws his heavy rod with unreal accuracy and force, impaling your belly and opening it, spilling some gastric juices, but that's all. You feel your body convulsing as the holy metals sucks at your life force. You groan in pain, and kneel before the lord...
If only you finished this man earlier.
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
The strobe light aimed back to its original place and the Zealot downed by his own, you and David make your way to the barb-wire fence, and easily leap above it, too lazy to get the key from the Zealot. After David turns off his blinkers, you begin to pay more attention to the City only to realize that, from the inside at least, it isn't nearly as bustling as you thought it was. Perhaps that's because most of them went to raid the hideout. Gideon is still there...
You shake your head; you tried your best with that fool, now it's time to take what's yours; what the Creations deserve regardless of what the Church or the Professor think of them. Not weapons, not demons: just people. David waits for you to start walking again, tapping his foot eagerly. He doesn't speak much, but you can tell he enjoyed his time with the Wolves. Still, you'll always wonder what's inside his head, now as a ghoul. You continue through the ghost-town, which for whatever reason has all of it's buildings rigged with neon lights, flashing. David leads you through the ugly urban landscape, and you keep a lookout for humans. Suddenly, you spot one, walking out of some sort of pub, walking unsteadily. You grab David by the cuff of his armor and quickly hide in the shadow of some sort of looming dumpster. With a finger to your lips, you wait until the man's back is turned before you sneak up on him, digging claws into his neck for a quick and silent death. The man falls to the ground dead, and you lick your bloody nails. David, unfazed, comes out of the shadows only to pick up the man, and silently position him into the trash. "That pub holds a great deal of Zealots. We need to move out before they see me."
You nod in return. At first you considered just going in and slaughtering the gathering of Zealots, but then realized that the light-weights Ragnor and his crew could handle, but the higher-ups are going to be an issue. David once again takes lead, and you prowl the streets, silently killing anything in your way, passing by buildings of all shapes and sizes, though most not even occupied.
Two buildings in particular stand out, however: one mansion with a giant blue Cross above the door; the other large and rectangular with an upside-down Cross, for whatever reason.You'd look through the windows to see what's going on inside, but the windows of both buildings seem to just reflect your own image, though you can only really discern your armor since your pale profile doesn't come out well in the reflection.
"The one with the holy-sword is Zealot-headquarters, the other one is the Chapel." David answers your thoughts, smiling at you. "I think it's in our best interest to enter and clear out both."
"Which do you suggest to do first?"
"Either one, sir. We need to kill Father Tomas and the Chief, both in their respective buildings. The Zealots who aren't on their way to the stronghold will be in both, though. But whichever we pick, we need to do it quick; Ragnor and the others will be making their move any moment now."
> You enter the Zealot HQ.
As you warily near the steel entrance to the Zealot headquarters, David taps on your shoulder, silently beckoning you to follow him. You comply, and follow your ghoul to around the building, where, after going up several flights of metal stairs (making as little noise as possible), you find a molding wooden door, a nice change from the ugly metal and concrete which make up the rest of the City. Of course, aside from giving you a vague feeling of deja vu, it's also gives you an easy opening. David motions toward it. Now let's make some noise.
You remain careful in your last moments of anonymity, you try the golden knob- locked. Not wanting to jam it accidentally, you settle for setting up a roundhouse kick-- you twist your body, hold for a forceful kick, and push.
The power of your kick rips at the wood, leaving a splintered hole in the door's midsection, big enough for you to swiftly roll under-- David following. Inside, you find several Zealots playing cards around a round table. They are visibly stunned, and gape at you and your ghoul.
"David?" One asks, jumping up from their seat. Not cutting them any lack, you run at the Zealot, decking him to the floor with a solid punch. David takes on another, kicking him from the side, toppling him and his metal chair over. With only two left, you quickly claw at the one holding his hands up, splashing the table with his blood. With your claws entrenched in the Zealot neck, you fling him at the other the one. He flies, and with another clang the other one catches him, only to topple over as well. You quickly finish off any of them even barely conscious, clawing at their throats for edible parts. After grazing, you begin to hear footsteps. Can't waste time.
"Where's the chief?" You roar, energized from the scuffle. David eyes bounce from each of the three doors connecting to other parts of the building, struggling to remember.
"I'm the 'Chief', demonspawn." The door to the right opens, and there stands a tall, unusually garbed Zealot. Like most, he's tall, easily more than six feet and with navy blue armor with yellow lining, rather than the customary black and blue. He wears no mask, though his neck seems to be heavily guarded. Smart, but useless in my current state. "Vampire, we knew you'd come, but we didn't expect you to corrupt one of our own," he glares at David, and readies a gleaming silver sword, "Nor for you to attack us when we least expect it. But no matter, you both will die where you stand, for you deserve no mercy in this world."
Your ghoul points at him, "Yes, that's Katar, we need to be careful with him though..." You nod, wondering how the best way to approach the enemy would be.
> You angrily lash out at him as Kelso taught you; end the fight quickly.
Barely letting him finish his speech, you lunge-- bringing the heel of your palm down near his jaw, only for him to deftly dodge out of the way. He shuffles several meters to the right, and raises his sword. He points at you, "By God's glory, the dead will stay dead tonight." Quickly, he swipes with his blade, you dodging it by as little as a hair. You continue to bend your spine in ways you never imagined you could, but remain on the offensive by clawing at him at every chance you have.
You send a kick at his shin-- causing his knees to bend, and charge him with all your body force, screeching and yelling like a cat. You lay on top of him, and begin mercilessly pounding his bearded face, before he manages to separate you and him just by his sword-- which you angrily rip out of his grip, only for it to clumsily flip and cut into your forehead. He takes advantage of this and kicks you off, coughing out blood and quickly running for his sword. You try to reach for it, to no avail. David, now certain you need his help, jumps on Katar's back, trying to strangle the elite Zealot. Even with David on his back, he's able to stab you with his sword while you're still baffled as to why you're not regenerating your wounds properly. The cold steel hacks at your bones, and you begin crying out in pain while the holy man continues to mock you. Once you're incapacitated, the now ear-less Karat flings David off of him, and beheads him in front of you, the glum expression ever-present on your ghoul's head. He doesn't even need to finish you off, and you feel your energy being drained out.
On the plus side, you did manage to end the fight relatively quickly.
You have been killed by the hands of the Church. |
As you warily near the steel entrance to the Zealot headquarters, David taps on your shoulder, silently beckoning you to follow him. You comply, and follow your ghoul to around the building, where, after going up several flights of metal stairs (making as little noise as possible), you find a molding wooden door, a nice change from the ugly metal and concrete which make up the rest of the City. Of course, aside from giving you a vague feeling of deja vu, it's also gives you an easy opening. David motions toward it. Now let's make some noise.
You remain careful in your last moments of anonymity, you try the golden knob- locked. Not wanting to jam it accidentally, you settle for setting up a roundhouse kick-- you twist your body, hold for a forceful kick, and push.
The power of your kick rips at the wood, leaving a splintered hole in the door's midsection, big enough for you to swiftly roll under-- David following. Inside, you find several Zealots playing cards around a round table. They are visibly stunned, and gape at you and your ghoul.
"David?" One asks, jumping up from their seat. Not cutting them any lack, you run at the Zealot, decking him to the floor with a solid punch. David takes on another, kicking him from the side, toppling him and his metal chair over. With only two left, you quickly claw at the one holding his hands up, splashing the table with his blood. With your claws entrenched in the Zealot neck, you fling him at the other the one. He flies, and with another clang the other one catches him, only to topple over as well. You quickly finish off any of them even barely conscious, clawing at their throats for edible parts. After grazing, you begin to hear footsteps. Can't waste time.
"Where's the chief?" You roar, energized from the scuffle. David eyes bounce from each of the three doors connecting to other parts of the building, struggling to remember.
"I'm the 'Chief', demonspawn." The door to the right opens, and there stands a tall, unusually garbed Zealot. Like most, he's tall, easily more than six feet and with navy blue armor with yellow lining, rather than the customary black and blue. He wears no mask, though his neck seems to be heavily guarded. Smart, but useless in my current state. "Vampire, we knew you'd come, but we didn't expect you to corrupt one of our own," he glares at David, and readies a gleaming silver sword, "Nor for you to attack us when we least expect it. But no matter, you both will die where you stand, for you deserve no mercy in this world."
Your ghoul points at him, "Yes, that's Katar, we need to be careful with him though..." You nod, wondering how the best way to approach the enemy would be.
> You might have to be defensive, that sword doesn't look too friendly.
David watches, sure in your chances and not wanting to get in your way while you set up a defensive stance, planting your feet to the ground and readying your hands at the sides. Katar, parallel to you, closes the door behind him, and then raises his sword, pointing it at you. "So, you fear God?"
"Not in yours." You laugh back, maintaining composure. He's trying to get me off-guard, that's what this mad-man wants.
"Then perhaps you find fear in his servants instead, fool. Why else would you not attack me before I ready my blade? Katar slowly approaches you, his long sword only a quick-thrust away from your armored chest.
You don't feel the need to respond, instead focusing on his blade. You remember Kelso mentioning to you that you won't regenerate from silver-caused cuts, making this the most dangerous fight you've been in, yet. You can only hope that after you survive this, you can make sure the Church doesn't have too much silver lying about. They probably have some idea of whether it works or not, otherwise Katar wouldn't have a silver katana.
The aloof Zealot chuckles, "Then this will be an easy fight." He holds his sword with both hands, winds up, and swings it at your midsection, expecting you to duck and die. Thankfully, you saw through the ruse, and sidestep, only to slam the sword with your gauntlet out of Karat's hands. Angrily, he punches at you, sending a gauntleted fist at your nose. You get pushed back, but feel alright after rubbing it with your metal-covered wrist. You send a boot at the man's shins, making his knees bend, giving you perfect reach for swinging at his head. You feel his skull from under his skin after the blow, and the Zealot is pushed several meters away-- right next to his sword! Even though Karat is coughing blood, he gets up, using the sword as a cane.
"COME AT ME, DEMON!" The bearded man yells, raising his word once more.
You shake your head, not falling for it. He angrily charges for you, only to be sucker-punched and knocked out before he could swing.
You stare at the man, then spit. "This pathetic being is the Chief?"
"Second in command, actually. Chief is probably fighting Gideon right now. But really, I don't think you realize how close you were to dying back there."
"Huh?"
David touches at your nose, "I think his gauntlet is partly silver, so I don't think you're nose will fix itself."
Both of you laugh. If the worst thing that happens to us is that we get broken noses, then we're doing pretty good. "So what now?"
"Well, before the rest of the Zealots appear, we should probably try to kill Father Tomas, in the Church. Or, we could clear out this building while we--"
"It's not a question, we finish the mission. Ragnor and the rest can take care of themselves."
At that very moment, sirens begin to blare, and red lights beam on-and-off all over the HQ...
> You continue to the Church.
With the alarms already blaring you make sure not to waste time in getting out of the building and into the Church. Outside, swarms of Zealots are coming out of the Church's front doors, obviously en route to fight Ragnor and his Wolves. You and David mostly blend in enough to not be recognized as anything but Zealots and manage to swim past the incoming horde and through the next street, then up the concrete steps of the Church and right in front of the Chapel's gates..
"How should we enter, then?"
"No backdoors to the Church. Only one direction if you follow God." David recites from behind you.
You consider trying to bash the door in, but decide that knocking it and waiting for the door to be opened by whoever's inside would be an easier solution for getting in.
Clang
Your gauntlet taps at the metal. After a pause, you can hear noises on the inside of the Chapel, mostly worried murmuring. You quickly motion for David to go in front, right before a bald young man in ceremonial blue robe opens the door. In response to your ghoul's profile, the man just gapes for several moments before opening his mouth to speak. "Dave?!?"
"No... Not anymore." He states, walking into the Church. The man doesn't seem to even notice you, engrossed in seeing a living ghost instead. Inside, several other monks are gathered, all of them staring at David with awe. You take the opportunity to slink into the shadow, and wait.
"Behold! The blessed Lord brought our child back!" They cry, waving their hands in the air in synchronization. Up and down their hands go, until one with a cowl speaks up, "Brother David, where were you?"
Your ghoul stares at them with disdain, "I got lost, but was found by a group of humans."
They continue to gape. The cowled-one continues his interrogation, "Hmm? More humans, you say?
"Crazy enough, the humans were in our backyard this entire time. We just didn't recognize them."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"The Wolves, Vadim. They're good people."
Gasps erupt, and David's only looks down to his feet, and his hands ball up to fists. "They changed you, didn't they?" The one with the cowl points, and begins to chant in some sort of language which you are unfamiliar with.
Bored of their religious, antics, you make your presence known by jumping out of the shadows, and decking 'Vadim' with a right hook, sending him to the middle of the crowd of twelve-or-so Monks. David nods, and sends a sharp kick to the nearest Zealot surrounding him. Before you know it, it becomes a rowdy brawl of fists.
The monks may be very agile, but without any weapons nor armor you figure you or even David could take them out alone. |
Subsets and Splits