>>12037294
With plenty of time until Twitch was truly out of the woods - let alone healthy - we set about exploring the local area with newfound equipment from the bandit kidnappers we offed. Our efforts paid off, and we managed to hook a rare artifact from a dangerously radioactive, swelteringly hot air duct leading into a garbage pile. This turned out to be a Flame artifact, and when combined with our Jellyfish artifact, its healing effects were remarkable compared to its harmful ones: potential radiation sickness and less stable cell growth. Menkov suggested we use the combination to heal Twitch, and we agreed - first asking our injured friend for permission to put his life at risk again. The gamble paid off, and Twitch made a remarkably quick artifact-induced recovery. Now, our squad is ready to head out again...

Equipment:
-cold weather clothes
-hooded jacket
-mercenary ballistic
-military ballistic jacket
-lead-lined backpack
-flashlight
-utility knife
-night vision goggles
-basic gas mask
-Soviet scope (shared)
-trail rations
-PDA x1 (ours)
-anomaly detector
-compass
-no bandages (+4 in group)
-no first aid kit (+3 in group)
-m1911
-Skorpion machine pistol
-Mossberg 88
-AKS-74
-advanced detector
-2 grenades (8 in group)
-jellyfish artifact
-flame artifact
-24 shells, 27 slugs, 21 .45, 4 30-round 5.45 magazines
-3386 RU

Squad Equipment (Weapons/Armor)
Bird
-AKS-74 w/ scope
-makarov PM
-2 grenades
-Light Stalker Suit

Alexander/Twitch
-AKS-74
-MP-5
-makarov PM
-2 grenades
-no armor (civilian vest destroyed)

Katerina/Damsel
-AKS-74
-Fort-12
-Skorpion machine pistol
-2 grenades
-civilian ballistic vest

FUCK YEAH!

Some notes
-Unconventional starting time due to when I got access to internet.
-Gap in games was (partially) due to having no internet due to apartment issues.
-Last we left our players, we were planning to either head to the swamps west of Cordon, where the murders of the science team we're supposed to avenge occurred, or follow Petrov's possible hunch and poke at the curious agroprom gun and artifact runners.

The gun runners will be there for a while, presumably. We might as well check out the swamp while the scene is still relatively fresh.

For new folks or people with rusty memories: feel free to ask "who?" or "what?" or "blowout soon?", and I'll accomodate you.

>>12037402


any clues in the swamp area are probably gone by now. I would say checking out the group would be a better idea

>>12037443
>>12037434
If this helps: it's been a good week or so since the event occurred. Bird (your tracker) expresses some doubt that the swamp will yield up useful information, but agrees that at least it might give you an inkling of where to go.

Flipped a coin and went with the agroprom route.

With Twitch going from near-death to back in fighting shape (maybe better, you judge, based on his energy), you're ready to get back on-task: somewhere out there are four stalkers who have some murders to answer for, and you intend to make sure they do.

Petrov's suggestion - that they may have sold salvaged gear to a bandit crew or even the faction in the agroprom that is now confirmed to be taking in "hot" gear - seems reasonable to you. You ask Bird for his opinion on the issue, "Like I said, the swamp doesn't have a long memory, and we'd probably not find a true 'trail,'" he pauses, "the agroprom is north of the swamps, too, and would be a likely stop-off."

"What about bandit camps?" Damsel asks, reasonably enough.

"They tend not to be permanent, but honestly there's never one too far. The more permanent ones - like the one in the Dark Valley - would be quite a trek."

It sounds reasonable enough to you, "to the agroprom it is, then."

Bidding farewell to your comrades in the hangar, you set off for points (semi) unknown, hoping that the Zone is more cooperative than it has been lately. And, to your surprise, it is. Time passed in the woods is tense but peaceful - even the occasional blind dog gives your group wide bearth.

A long trek brings dusk, and you figure it's time to make a choice, "Looks like we're gonna want to camp down soon."

"By my reckoning," Bird comments, "We've not got long to go. We'd be travelling at night, though."

"There's some house ahead," Damsel adds, pointing out a tumbledown home that has been growing in the distance for quite a while.

(One more thing, guys - you might consider giving a vest to Twitch. It's your call, but he's bound to ask at some point. For reference, a military ballistic vest has an edge on the merc one; it's more modern.)

>>12037694

I got no problem giving him the one we aren't using. No point in seeing him almost die again... but he owes us

If we have a vest for Twitch, let's give him it then head out to the bandits.

>>12037663
give him the vest, turn on the NVGs and press on.

Fucking spooky houses.

Scope it out with our binoc and scope. See if we detect any movement.

>>12037737
Technically, you've pooled loot/funds (way earlier session) and saved each others lives once, but I see your point.

The day isn't getting any younger, but you figure a couple of minutes of contemplation couldn't hurt. After all, having nearly lost a teammate to the Zone gives one a certain perspective on how even mundane choices deserve attention.

To give you time to think, you dig out the bulky military ballistic vest you filched off of the LMG-toting bandit and toss it to Twitch, "put this on," you advise, "not that the last one did you much good, but no point tempting fate."

Twitch seems to agree, commenting, "it doesn't fit very well."

"Well, Twitch, you are ridiculously short," Damsel says laconically, "think of it this way: it covers more of you."

"There are people in the Zone that can resize things like that," Bird adds.

"Better than being shot," Twitch gives you a crooked smile.

You decide to press on. The house looms off to your left, forbidding even by the standards of the Zone. You can't really place your finger on it. You exchange a glance with Bird and he nods once, "feels off, doesn't it? Could be anomalies or a mutant den."

Your scanner doesn't show any anomalies and you're not willing to look for mutants, so you press on; the sun sinks below the edge of the earth and the twisted trees of the Zone seem to huddle in close, as if they too feared the night. The goggles dispel the gloom but not the tension.

Ahead, a man in a SEVA suit is ambling up the road gamely enough, his headlamp on. You can't tell if he sees you or not, but his body language communicates no particular fear.

>>12037878
What's a SEVA suit say about him?

>>12037842
(You detected nothing visibly unusual about the house, nor nothing moving within. You didn't get close, but you still didn't like it. Could be a decent gut instinct, or it could just be that an old house in the woods in the middle of the Ukraine is creepy.)

>>12037878

HIDE, HIDE NOW

>>12037915
A SEVA suit is a fairly advanced stalker suit produced outside the Zone, basically a militarized scientific exo-suit. As of CoP (which this campaign is semi-based on), they're not all THAT hot combat-wise, but they're very well-suited for probing the Zone's "natural" dangers.

>>12037878

Fuck yeah, Stalker Quest!

Alright, We can hide, watch him through our night vision scope, and yell out at him to identify himself from our hiding spot.

>>12037926
Mark down it's location for future reference.

Have our team hide out of sight. We stand steady to "greet" him when he gets near. If he wants to start shit, unload on him.

You signal the others to get off the road and they do; Twitch and Damsel to one side, you and Bird to another. This seems too odd to you, and you look to Bird for his share He simply shrugs; it's weird, at least.

Presently, the stalker is ambling closer; he doesn't seem aware of your presence - it's hard to tell with that polarized visor, though. He passes by Twitch and Damsel's position - they're slightly ahead - without comment.

>>12037971
Consider this done, though I didn't fluff it for flow reasons.

Leave him alone.. Ask yourself, who the fuck would walk around the zone at night and not be afraid? SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.

>>12038026
You wound me.

>>12038026
Alone, at night, not afraid, with a fucking headlamp turned on so that anybody could see him from a klick away...yeah, not messing with him.

Throw our voice and call out to him.

have everyone else take cover, keep an eye open for new threats, greet this stalker but make sure at least one of your comrades have him covered.

Keep an eye open for anyone/anything else! Dont want another controllor or something murdering us!

>>12038072
That's what I meant with my earlier suggestion. Bosse stands in the open to greet the stranger while the rest have him covered.

Gonna mix two actions (based on earlier posts and newer ones)

Instinctively, you don't want to mess with this guy; you've never seen someone take night in the Zone as such a casual thing, and as far as you're concerned, it bodes ill. Still, it's dark, you're in a strange place, and you're keyed up after Twitch's brush with death; maybe you're overreacting.

You decide to come to a common ground, throwing your voice somewhere ahead of the stranger - a talent you learned as a child - you call for him, "Hey! You there in the moon suit," Bird looks at you strangely for this descriptor, "What's up? What are you doing out here?"

The man says nothing in response - he merely stops walking and scans around, his rifle still cocked jauntily on one shoulder. Presently, he turns back the way he came and begins the same slow scanning motion, again saying nothing.

"Come out!" you're surprised when he speaks; the muffling the man's suit causes makes his voice sound flat and inhuman, "Come out!"

You decide to do so; Bird moves cautiously off as you give him a hand signal and draws a bead on the stranger; you know Damsel and Twitch are doing the same.

You emerge from the bushes slowly, not wanting to startle the stalker, but he doesn't flinch at all when you appear.

"Hey there," you say, "you'll understand the caution."

The man in the suit is walking towards you, albiet nonthreateningly. You see his head bob in what you assume is a nod.

>>12038162

Is it actually possible to throw your voice?

Anyway, ask him what he's doing. And have a hand near our knife - a shotgun isn't as easy to draw and use.

>>12038162
>assume

I don't like this at all.

Don't man.. just run.. run now.

>>12038199
Your shotgun's already out.

As the man moves closer, you speak up; the man's silence is unnerving, "What are you doing?" you're asking about his presence in the woods, but it comes out - both to your ears and his - as a question about his approach. He stops a few steps away from you, face still invisible through that visor.

"I wanted to warn you," he says in that flat voice, "it's important that you know."

"What?"

"Blowout soon, fellow stalker."

>>12038162

Goddamnit, Stalk. You're here for the first time in a while, and I have work in the morning.

Ah well. I'll archive it; someone archive any other threads, if we need a second tonight. And don't kill us, alright, guys?

>>12038258
I should be here tomorrow around 8, if you can catch that.

>>12038254

FUCK!! RUN RUN MOTHERFUCKER... SHITS BAD, REAL BAD. AND GUESS WHERE WE HAVE TO RUN NOW? THAT FUCKING CREEPY HOUSE! PEOPLE GONNA DIE OVER THIS SHIT

>>12038254
>Blowout soon, fellow stalker.
"Oh really? When?"

Then we run, RUN, back to the house.

>>12038254
.....
FUCK

RUN
JUST RUN
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT JUST GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE

>>12038254
Grip our shotgun tight as fuck. Gulp. "When?"

>>12038267

Maaaaybe.


Someone wanna archive that one, too?

"Oh really? When?"

"Oh really?" you say; you're angry that the man startled you for this, maybe he IS loopy, "When?"

He's crossed the gap between you in the time it takes you to blink, one gloved arm holding your shoulder in an iron grip that is not at all human; his helmeted head leans forward and you see the surface of the visor swim. A part of you realizes with revulsion that it's not polarized, it's overgrown with greenish-white slime or mold.

The face that peers out at you from the scuffed, filth-filmed visor could never belong to a living man; milky, unfocused eyes are drowning in a skull with a pale skin stretched tight across it's every feature.

"Now."

The night is suddenly light with brilliant light, and you feel as if a freight train is running across your head; you smash the SEVA-suited ghoul back with your shotgun and blast him once in the torso; a couple of confused rounds from your comrade catch the thing as it falls, and you're already in motion, calling out for your comrades to follow you.

But where are you running?

>>12038361
>>12038361
Creepy Slavic house

>>12038361
WELL, GUESS TO THE HAUNTED HOUSE.

>>12038376
>>12038382
Please note - the house isn't your only choice, I don't want to paint it that way. I'm not going to (intentionally) go "emission occurs, everybody dies" to force you onto tracks or something.

>>12038430
The house seems cool anyway. Head towards it, if we see anything on the way let us know.

>>12038430

Well, do/did we see anything else? If not, and, since we don't have anabiotics, creepy house it is.

>>12038430
Creepy Slavic house (CSH for short) is the closest, right?
Run there

>>12038361
No no, NOT the house. Kill him NOW and run for anywhere but the house.

>>12038430
The the Creepy House isn't our only option, what are the other locations to take shelter? The only place mentioned that might provide some sanctuary is there; if there are others then we'd like to hear them.

>>12038460

i'm down with the CSH, seems like the most interesting

>>12038458
You didn't see anything else, but the point I'm trying to make is the DM/Zone provides. I don't want players to feel they're on a script. That said, you guys seem okay with the house.

You bolt for the only shelter you know - the house from before. You're really beginning to think that the Zone lulls you into a false sense of security just to try and kill you. Well, you would be thinking that if you were't still trying to wrap your brain around the fact that a corpse just talked to you. Looking over your shoulder, you almost wish to see a samaritan - anything to make this situation sane - but are greeted only by your friends.

"Why the hell did you do that!" it's Twitch, and he's angry; you can't blame him.

"Wasn't," you pause to gulp the ozone-tasting air, "human!"

A few seconds more bring you to the door of the house; the freight train pressure on your head is mounting into a needling pain. One boot lashes out and the door flies open, already not fully closed, to smash against the wall and come partially off its hinges; the house is strangely lit through holes in the walls that the blowout's strange light pours through, but fortunately you see no mutants. The others are not far behind you and Bird closes the door as best he can.

The needling pain is not quite gone - what now?

>>12038531
Find a basement or a cellar or anything underground. Shotguns and flashlights out.

whine like a bitch about the pain.

>>12038531
Flashlight out, look for a basement or some more secure room.
Next time we get to a place we can buy stuff, I vote we get some duct tape and tape the flashlight onto our AK.

Look for basement/cellar. Yell out that we're coming down and if there are humans down there then say so. Open the door and fire a few shots from the AKs down there, if something's there that isn't human we'll know.

Your flashlight is a headband LED lamp (as is common in the Zone). Note: you guys DO have NVGs.

You move deeper into the house, and the pain drops off some - perhaps it's merely a factor of being too close to the raw Zone. Bird pipes up, panting, "we should move to the basement, usually the safest place in a building like this."

That sounds reasonable to you, and you lead the way through the house. Outside, the blowout continues to rage, throwing unnatural light through every orifice on the dilapitated home. The home is miserable with water damage and rot; what furniture is left is smashed and torn. What looks to be dried stool and dead animals says that this is - or was - a mutant den, as Bird suspected.

Mutants, you reason as you raise your gun, are small peanuts compared to an emission.

You reach the cellar door - ajar - and peer down into the gloom.

"Anyone there?" you call out, "Friendly stalkers coming down, just looking for a way out of the emission!"

Nothing but the groans of the house; something above you cracks and filters foul-smelling dust on your head. Over your shoulder, Bird fires his rifle into the gloom. Even over the blowout the sound is strikingly loud. The round richochets somewhere into the basement. Nothing.

"That'd have stirred anything waiting to pounce," he explains, "probably."

You take the lead at a crouch down the narrow wooden stairs, careful to test each step before committing.

I don't belong here, you think suddenly, then stop; behind you, Damsel bumps into you and says something not at all ladylike.

The thought is gone as quick as it came, piercingly though your reeling considerations over the emission and the dead-thing you fled from.

>>12038732

Look really fucking hard for 2 white dots about 4 inches apart and about 6 six feet off the ground.

>coreenst stereotypes
captcha knows

>>12038732
>I don't belong here
No, not yet. But that will change soon enough, as soon as we find and kill whatever's putting thoughts in our head.

Ask the others if they thought something abnormal, like someone or someTHING put a thought in their head.

Something's not right here.

>>12038732

Can our artifact detect hint/detect anomilies? If so whip that shit out and give it a look

"Something's trying to scare us away."

"There's something alive in here."

Lights off, NVG's on, Close up and be ready to shoot whatever moves, toss a frag in the celler before doing a full room assault.

Dont take any chances

Ignoring Damsel, you pull out your anomaly detector; it gives a mournful beep or two, but nothing that seems consistent.

"Emissions will do that," Bird supplies from behind Damsel. You pause to think. It's a reasonable explanation, but the unease of this place is sinking in again.

"Did any of you think something wrong?" you venture forth.

"You always think wrong," Damsel says, but the joke sounds hollow, "It just occurred to me that we might find something valuable down here, actually. Big old house from the Soviet era? Probably a Red Army boss's," she sounds stuck somewhere between impatience and discomfort.

Twitch and Bird don't volunteer an answer, looking at you for further clarification.

"Could something be putting thoughts in our head?" you ask, and Bird nods. Cautiously.

"Some mutants can do that," you think of the samaritan, "but it's usually a sustained thing, an attack."

"I didn't think anything strange," Twitch supplies, sounding cautious, "at least, I think I didn't."

No strange thoughts seem to be recurring. The house is quiet save its sullen emission-inspired groans.

Stand by the full force assault on the basement, if it is a blowout, chances are that the wildlife will be looking for shelter

>>12038904
Well, Bosse's the only one with a pair of NVG, so I think we should keep the headlamp on.
Have everyone keep their guns ready, just in case.

>>12038947
We all have them.

>>12038904
well, considering that if there is an outside force capabel of entering our heads and it isn't trying to use us like a meat puppet, maybe it's friendly- or at least less hostile.
Try to think calm thoughts "Nobody is here to hurt you,'

SHOOT EVERYTHING! THE OTHERS ARE IN ON IT! SHOOT THEM TOO! DESTROY IT ALL!

You're not sure what to do - you try "thinking out" - peaceful thoughts, calm thoughts, you'd really rather not hurt anything. There's nothing in response, but it feels more like response withheld than absence. Damsel prods you from behind, and you move into the basement without further incident.

You wish you'd worn your gasmask; the place smells of muck and rot and filth, and you wrinkle your nose. Somewhere deeper in the basement a loose pipe is rattling hollowly.

Now that you're down here, you think that you may as well come and see. You see something out of the corner of your left eye-

"MUTANT!" Twitch is firing a burst from his MP-5 even as he says this, and you train your gun on-

A corpse. Seeming to be almost semi-liquid at this point, all you can really identify are tattered army clothes and the remnants of a gas mask.

"Sorry," Twitch says, "I thought it moved."

You hear Bird clap him on the shoulder, "Not a big deal. We can always get more bullets."

"We should go deeper," Damsel announces, "see what we can find."

>>12039027
SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORKS

>>12039027
no no no.. we stop here. Something killed that army dude and I don't really care to find out what did. We got enough problems at the moment. Last thing we want to do is barge into somethings lair and piss it off.

>>12038950
Really? I must have missed that part, and they're not listed on the our party's equipment screen.

>>12039027
Agree with Damsel, see what else is here, but carefully.

Agreed, stop here and hold up till the end of the blowout. If possible, rig entrance deeper into the basement with a frag grenade trap.

Just make sure to remove it before leaving if nothing sets it off.

Damsel's in something's claws, it's trying to pull her towards it. "Convince" her to wait until after the blowout ends in case we need to make an escape.

Find a corner, back ourselves into it. Don't probe any deeper than we have to until the emission is over. We've probably got snorks, and maybe a controller.

>>12039096
Your party's equipment is (usually) omitted from the list for my/your sanity; med supplies and nades are a difference because you can pass them to each other. Yeah, everyone got some NVGs last time we played.

You're not in an adventurous mood, "No," you say, "we can stay right here. Right, Bird?"

He nods slightly, seeming distracted.

"Damsel, can you set up a grenade trap?"

"It's just a-"

"Basement, I know, and it's not going anywhere any time soon."

Damsel subsides and sullenly gets to work setting a crude tripwire grenade trap before backing around the corner with the rest of you to squat in the stairwell.

"I wonder what's making that rattling noise," Twitch ventures into the silence between you four; besides the slowly-subsiding emission, it's the only sound.

You could go and see, you think, it's not far and there's nothing else to do. You're down here anyway.

There's that feeling again, you glance at Bird and he speaks before you can ask about it.

"I could go and see," he offers.

That grenade trap better not blow us all up.

"No. I've got this." Get up, head over to the grenade trap. Pick up a grenade of our own, pull the pin, and toss it down deeper into the basement.

>>12039183
Let's wait for the emission to end first. If we have to run, I don't want to slam into a face-full of blowout.
Once it's safe, we will explore this basement.

>>12039300

more or less this. Reason being if its just a sound then why do we know whats causing?

>>12039183
Now the emission is definitely subsiding, and the feeling in your head isn't quite subsiding as it did in your first emission.

"No," you say patiently, "we stay here."

"Hey," Damsel says, "this ain't the army and you're no officer," her tone is almost accusatory and now you're sure something is wrong. In the unseen basement, the pipe continues to rattle and your anomaly detector, still on, beeps mournfully. Twitch is holding his head tiredly in one hand and looking to each of you in turn, his trademark smile nowhere to be seen. Bird is getting up and stretching, and you don't know why.

Come and see, you think. Come and see and you'll understand. Come and see the center of the Zone. It's closer than you think.

You take a step, and than freeze. You? You don't think in the third person. You bite your lip - hard - to try and clear your thoughts, but still feel muddled; vaguely, you realize that this place smells animal.

You think that you should look and put this to rest, whether with your eyes or your-

"No I don't," you say aloud, "No I DON'T think that."

The others look at you strangely. You need to move. Now.

>>12039315
(Sorry if this ignores some posts, I was writing it for a bit...)

>>12039315
One grenade, coming up.

"Here's a little something from Mother Russia with love!"

>>12039315
This
>>12039300

Make sure to leave the grenade trap Damsel set in place in case anything comes running up.

Make sure everyone runs as soon as they can up to the main floor.

You ignore them; you're still lucid, you can still act. Palming a grenade, you move to the doorway and, careful not to trip Damsel's trap, give it a toss into the basement. It seems to go farther than it has any right to; how big is this basement, anyway? The boom of the grenade seems to echo off of the filthy walls of the basement and the pipe picks up in tempo, rattling furiously. You turn and Damsel is there.

"We need to leave. Now. There's something in here."

Damsel tries to shove past you, ignoring your words, "you're tossing grenades at shadows, if you won't lead, I will."

It's clear she's not going to cooperate, and you can already feel strange thoughts nibbling at the edge of you mind. Some are half-formed, some seem to come clothed as your own, and some are nakedly violent and depraved. You see Twitch and Bird poke their heads in as Damsel tries to muscle past you, staring at you sullenly.

"DO YOU HEAR THAT!? LISTEN!" Slap her.

Then more grenades, I figure.

>>12039456

How heavy is she?

>>12039480
She's 5'11" and leanly muscled. You could probably carry her or drag, but she's no waif.

Dont throw any more nades down, if one didnt get it, another wont either.

If damsel cant be slapped into thinking some sense, restrain her. get the others to help but make sure they are in the right mindset too.

How long left until the blowout ends?

>>12039456
"Oh, you wanted a second helping of cordite? Why didn't you SAY SO!"
Throw another grenade even further into the darkness, and keep Damsel from getting past us or tripping the grenade trap.

Seriously guy, no one saw the emission coming? As soon as he said guy in a SEVA suit walking down the road all calm like I knew what was about to go down.

Back to the situation at hand though, slap Damsel good, and give a warning to the other not the fucking move. Then we put on our NVGs and go down the fucking steps to set this fucking thing straight, whatever it is.

>scrappy prourapp
Damn straight Captcha

Let her take a step past and then rifle butt her to the back of the head. She seems to be the most taken in and needs to be very unconcious. Then look to the other two and give a short inspirational speach.

"Something is wrong here. We knew it before we ever set foot in this place. I don't know if its the zone itself or some mutant down there but whatever it is we don't want any part of it. We have been through a lot together and you all have saved my lives and I have done the same in return. Even if it is the last thing you ever do for me.. trust me this one time and leave with me."

Something along those lines

>>12039514
The blowout's wrapping up and will probably be more-or-less over by the time you're up the stairs.

Prevailing opinion is to try and smack some sense into Damsel and get out of here. Go with it?

>>12039531
Better yet still, nothing says I'm the boss like beating the female team member into unconsciousness.

>>12039535
Yeah. And if they're not cool with it, we'll volunteer to go ourselves. ALONE. We go down with our shotgun and a grenade already primed. Only if we have to.

Agreed, restrain damsel and get outta there. Make sure to leave a note on the door of the house:

"DANGER: CONTROLLER DEN"

Or something of the like, or if we are evil

"THE ZONE'S FINEST BROTHEL, IN THE BASEMENT"

>>12039535
If they want to check it out so much, then we go in with NVG on, shotgun ready, and a grenade primed.

>Captcha: drops. fadoliqu
Oh, so you agree with me that we drop whatever's messing with our head, Captcha?

>>12039588

Lol

"Female bloodsuckers. They like more than just blood"

You let Damsel move past you just a bit past you in the narrow doorway, then turn and grab a handful of her short hair, yanking hard; she gives a scream of surprise and pain and turns to face you, her eyes full of murder.

"Katerina! Get ahold of yourself! Whatever you're thinking, it belongs to that," it's clear you're speaking of the rattling pipe, "Not you!"

For a moment, her eyes waver, and then there's a knife in her hand; you lash out with your shotgun, catching her in the gut as her breath comes out in a surprised woosh; another stroke to her head drops her into unconsciousness. You're about to turn to the others and ask for a hand when someone rudely grabs you from behind, pulling you back tightly; Twitch appears and takes your gun.

"Shoot him," it's Bird speaking, "a mutant's gotten into his mind."

"What?" you can't believe what you're hearing, "Bird!"

"Twitch," Bird ignores you, "I'm telling you. Act now. You're doing him a mercy. I've seen this before."

Twitch is raising his MP-5, a grimace of loathing and confusion distorting his features into something ugly.

"Twitch! Listen to me! I don't know what's down here, but it's DOING something to you! To me! Think - we've been through life and death, we've saved each other's lives - trust me!"

Roll a d20 to see how well Twitch resists whatever is happening.

rolled 1 = 1

>>12039668
Fuck a duck!

>>12039685

rolled 17 = 17

I can barely take it
Come on Twitch, don't let the zone take you from us now!

>>12039685
Well, we're either going to do incredibly well or be incredibly full of holes.

>>12039685
Why does god hate us so?

rolled 17 = 17

>>12039685

ಠ_ಠ

>>12039697
>>12039712
You rolled two 17s.

Well, we need to act fast before we get filled full of holes. Let us do your nickname proud and throw Bird into Twitch. THEN WE GRAB A FUCKING GUN AND GO KILL THIS THING

>goodming style
See, even Captcha agrees

There comes a time in every STALKERs life where.. he must decide whats important. Does HE want to live or does he want to try to save his "friends". Unfortunately for damsel I am believe in the former. We use her as a shield and try to push past the other two then soon as we are on the first floor drop her dead weight and GTFO

>>12039685
GodDAMNIT!

We shoulda just tossed in more grenades...

Twitch raises the gun to eye level, taking aim. To your horror, something stretches his lips up into a parody of a smile and he speaks in gutteral grunts that are nothing like him, "You. Gave it. Your best try."

A thought enters your mind and you act on it; the next thing will probably be a bullet. As Twitch prepares to pull the trigger, you...

Damsel shield man... or maybe try to jump into the basement and get into cover.

PUNCH HIM OUT

PUSH HIM INTO BIRD

GRAB OUR SHOTGUN

GO KILL THAT MUTANT BASTARD, THE GRENADE HAS TO HAVE HURT IT, WE NEED TO FINISH THIS JOB!

>>12039734

Normally I wouldn't condone this course of action, but considering the circumstances . . .

It might be the only way to avoid an untimely end at the hands of our party, or at the very probably losing one of our group and a few more days/weeks in medical care.

>>12039751
Knock the gun aside and go in deeper into the den. Bird took our shotgun, but we've still got our AK and M1911.

HULK SMASH

Charge him/hit him/use Bird as a weapon, WHATEVER IT TAKES

Then go kill the fucking controller with our knife.

How is Bird holding us?

Is he in the line of fire?

A few things, since this situation is kinda do-or-die.

-Bird is holding you close from behind, albiet awkwardly.
-Damsel is slumped near the short hall into the basement proper.
-Twitch is in between you and Damsel, pointing a gun at your head and about to squeeze the trigger.
-You cannot reach your weapons, but you're not being securely held.

kIlL TheM
DeStROy It aLl

>>12039751
"Wait, never mind, we agree, we should all go in there together. I'm sorry Damsel, I didn't mean to hurt you. Lets all go ahead."

Or something along those lines. If this works, we go on in pretending to be taken by it, then pump it full of lead first chance.

God damn OP, you're good at this.

Stalker Quest is Best Quest.

Plus, there's that grenade trap to worry about if we try and dive PAST Twitch into the basement.

Quite a predicament, I think step one is handling Bird, which should at least give Twitch pause even in his current state. After that, it's obtaining a weapon (either our own or maybe Twitchs) and then either booking it or braving the basement.

>>12039817
A VERY basic map...

>>12039836
Too late, it's already taken direct control of Twitch, ya damn fool.

We have to break free of Bird and knock Twitch's gun away from us, grab either the shotgun or get our AK out, and then go and kill us some mutant.

>>12039817
I might be crazy but we still have our NVGs on our head. The MP-5 shoots a 9mm which isn't amazing powerful soo if we can get it so that when he shoots we use the NVGs as more or less a impromptu helmet. Hopefully this will buy use a second to escape bird's grasp and.... I haven't thought that far ahead

>>12039817
Headbutt Twitch in the face. Bend forward and toss Bird over our shoulders.

PICK UP A GUN AND GO KILL A MONSTER!

>>12039865
Agreed with this.

>>12039859

>>12039886
God DAMN it, you stole my joke.

Kick Twitch, push Bird into the wall.

Use Bird as your weapon, spin around and throw him into Twitch, or try and reverse the grapple and roll him over your shoulder into Twitch. Either way, get them both sprawled out and make a run for the stairs. We still have out 1911, knife and AK on us, we need to make quick work of this fucking controller.

>object grayus

>>12039863

Once we break free we need to keep a hand on Bird so that he can't pull a weapon easily. With our freehand we can use our 1911 to put 2 shots into twitch. Then pistol whip the shit out of bird.

I don't think we can save everyone at this point. All we can hope for is a bit of damage control and save maybe ourselves and one other person.

as a quick aside, anyone mind telling me where the whole 'blowout soon fellow stalker!' 'when?' 'NOW' comes from?

Its aLL a TrICk
theY're laUghiNg at You
DEstrOy thEM
burn The boDiES
EAt the boNeS

A meme stemming from a certain STALKER-related picture which I seem to not have on me right now. I'm sure it'll be posted in the next few seconds.

>>12039911

>>12039923
>>12039922
this doesn't happen in game at all, does it?

>>12039935

>.> you would be suprised

>>12039935
You'll have to play to find out.

KILL HIM
KILL HIM
KILL HIM

>>12039946
I'm halfway through COP right now. just fucking tell me, I'm aware it's a fantastic game and I intend to finish it.

Acting on your first impulse, you lash back with your head, hoping to catch Bird in the face and stun him; you're rewarded with a spungy smash, a grunt of pain, and the sensation of blood - you grab ahold of Bird as his grip loosens and hurl him towards Twitch before he can react; the injured stalker stagger-falls and...

Roll a d20 to see if you bowl over Twitch with your throw, and we'll go from there.

>>12039935
"Blowouts" are actually from the game. Basically it's a big storm that kills anything - including NPCs and creatures - that's out in the open. You get warned about it by environmental signals and radio stuff and when it happens you have to make a beeline for shelter before it actually hits and you die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX5x-tmZh4A

>>12039910
Note that whatever is mindfucking you guys hasn't turned you into zombies; THAT is irrecoverable.

He is the Harbinger, an angel of death only rumored, rarely if ever glimpsed moments before emissions.
Some say it's a mutant.
Some propose that it's an apparition, a vision conjured by the zone.
Other believe it to actually be a messenger to lost and unaware Stalkers, warning them lest these moments be there last.

Whatever the case may be, be forewarned fellow Stalker; less the Zone's Harbinger have to warn you instead.

rolled 19 = 19

>>12039967
BLOWOUT

>>12039968
>>12039968
I know about blowouts, just never seen a guy with a chrome-face helmet stroll up to me warning me about an imminent blowout.

and turning out to have a skull-face.

>>12039972

Ah. I was under the impression that once you were under control that once freed you became a zombie.

rolled 12 = 12

Lets see how badly I fuck this up.

>major dismeng
fuck you Captcha

rolled 2 = 2

>>12039967
Nobylan and Mitenun, grant me strength!

>>12039988
Your throw is true, and Bird bowls over the much smaller stalker; his MP-5 goes skittering across the floor and fires, as if surprised to have been dropped. A richochet flies past your ear with a whine. Twitch is yelling in incoherent - but more normal-sounding - confusion, and Bird is out like a light, having hit his head on the floor.

Pulling out your m1911, you know what you have to do. You...

oh

>>12039998
>rolled 2 = 2
Nobylan and Mitenun, why have you forsaken me?!

>>12039988
>rolled 19 = 19
Or perhaps you saved us from me?

>>12039988
Success! I'm also the one who rolled the 1 back there. So it evens it out.

>>12040020
We go in, and we kill the SHIT out of whatever was messing with our heads. Unsling our AK if we can.

>>12040020

we need to kill the controller. hes not going to let us go unless hes dead

>>12040020
TOSS A GRENADE, LET IT BLOW, AND THEN GO RUNNING DOWN THERE WITH OUR .45 AND THE MP5 IN OUR HANDS, READY TO FILL SHIT WITH LEAD!

>>12040029
no it doesn't

Pistol whipping time... He seems to be coming in and out of control. Lets not risk him getting controlled again.

thEY're loST
FINISH THEM
iTs the HuMAne thINg to Do

>>12040020

RiP aND TeAr

no, wait

Run like a ginny and pray the emission ends.

Or . . .

BE A MAN.

Remember bout that grenade trap if we decide to go into the basement.

If it looks like Bird or Twitch will be getting up quickly, give 'em a good kick to keep them down, then make for the basement so we can Pulp Fiction this motherfucker.

rolled 3, 5 = 8

Ok /tg/ its been too long!

rules
1:claim 1 state and roll 2d6 to see how man extra you get

2:neutral states defend with 1d6 and somebod must act as the neutral state

3:war dice(attacker/defender) are determined by the numbered of allied states ajacent to the state a player is attacking/defending from

Name must be filled in

I vote we bring some heavier hardware . . . either our AK if we have it with us, or pick up the shotgun, MP5, or something off the floor / our indisposed comrades.

I do hope there is only one down there....

We should take the trap grenade with us so the Controller cant use it to kill our friends off.

shit meant to make this its own thread

>>12040112
Good point!

We'd better kill it quick before it can use Twitch to kill the others.

>>12040134
He wouldn't be able to do anything if we pistol whip him to the face. Altough he might be mad about the broken nose later.

>>12040076
I think you're looking for the main page brosef. We're in the middle of something here.

Get the shotgun, flip on the NVG, and find this asshole. As long as you can resist being mind-controlled, they aren't all that tough up close. Watch out for the tripwire of course.

I suggest we move into hungary- we're already poised to strike, we should just,....

wrong thread

You reach down, pistol-whipping Twitch a few times; it's imprecise and you don't really know what you're doing, but he's soon enough somewhere in between a stun and unconsciousness. Holstering your pistol and pulling your rifle, you leap over the grenade trap in the hall and into the basement proper; the rattling pipe is going crazy now, smashing into the roof of the basement as it moves in long, violent arcs. There's another stairway in a corner, to a sub-basement. You take it.

The sight that greets your eyes takes you aback. A den of filth with walls of muddied, bloodied concrete and a slurry of cold sludge on the floor. An array of bodies, twisted, warped, screaming in agony.

In the rear corner is a...thing...that might have once been a man, its grotesque, misshapen head and leathery skin revealing it for a monster. For a moment, it stares at you and you stare at it - you can literally feel its hate as if it was your own, now electrifying you, now searing your nerves; a point of agony builds in your forehead and your vision narrows. Too late, you're already taking aim.

Roll a d20 to show this fuckhead how YOU pry into peoples' heads.

rolled 6 = 6

>>12040159
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE

First ever critical failure drunk guy stabber here, lets do this.

Only reason I prefer grenades is that you don't have to aim them ....

rolled 13 = 13

>>12040159

Groovy.

rolled 17 = 17

>>12040199

Forgot my pic, late anyways.
I think this is gonna be a long one.

>>12040184
Your rifle barks in the sub-basement, sending a burst of ammunition at the monster in front of you. The pressure on your mind slackens - it seems to have known this was coming - and it almost looks as if the shots redirected themselves.

All except one, which richochets off the wall and catches the beast in the forearm; it grunts in pain and surprise and for a moment your mind is totally yours again.

But only for a moment.

The next assault from the monster puts you on your ass in the muck; your skin crawls to even be touching this slurry of filth. To your left, a corpse gapes up at you, open-mouthed, as if surprised; your vision is swimming and your hearing has been overwhelmed with a high-pitched tone.

Without much choice, you do what you can: you fire.

Roll a d20
Roll a d20

>>12040250
(Just 1 d20.)

rolled 1 = 1

>>12040250
Hoping this works this time.

rolled 12 = 12

>>12040266
OH JESUS CHRIST.

First I critically fail our first-ever mission, now I end up killing us all.

rolled 5, 20 = 25

>>12040250

>>12040266
balls

>>12040250
KILL THE BASTARD

rolled 14, 16 = 30

>>12040279
>>12040266

SUUUUFFFEEEERRRR

>>12040250

>>12040296
I know, its insane. My luck with dice is incredibly bad. My friends and I were so shocked at my terrible rolls over my years of gaming, we decided to test it and see. My average result on a d6 was somewhere around 2.1. I literally have very, very bad luck.

>>12040325
Then why did you roll in a life or death situation?

>>12040340
I just want to be involved


;_;

>>12040266
Click.

No. You can't believe what you just heard. You pull the trigger again.

Click.

Your rifle has jammed.

This time, when the mutant's assault hits your mind, you fall back prone to the ground, your mind reeling, unable to even process what you see right before your eyes. The putrid slime of the sub-basement floor triggers the only quick reaction you can muster; a half-crouch as you sputter and cough and try to see again.

The mutant is moving towards you, its pace desultory; you can feel it think, a slithering thing like an animal pretending to be human. Though it doesn't speak, you hear it; its every word causes brilliant, unknowable colors to flash before your eyes.

"I like you. I'll keep you for a while. You did, after all, almost win."

Your hand is across your stomach, you feel as if you're going to vomit. Vaguely, you feel things you know the shape of. A canteen. Your detector. A knife.

Your gun.

Roll a d20 to see if you can save yourself.

>>12040349

its ok we are just going to hate you for the next few days

rolled 3 = 3

>>12040355

please fail us not.

rolled 5 = 5

>>12040355
Critical fail guy here, GIVE ME REDEMPTION

>>12040266
HE ONLY ROLLED ONE DIE

IT DOESN'T COUNT

>>12040355

Does pulling the pin on our last nade count as "saving" ourselves?

>loyally cloopont
How do you always know captcha?

>>12040380
>>12040379
well it was fun guys.

>>12040379

Well, after following this quest for awhile and never interacting until now, I kinda wish I'd never decided to stick my head in... I'm sorry. :(

>>12040380
Still a failure, but at least it wasn't critical this time! So far my average roll over this entire game:

1.25

rolled 19 = 19

Nobylan! Mitenun! Please aid us in our hour of need!

>>12040355
how many d20's?

1d20?
2d20?
OP must specifiy before moving forward.

>>12040391
If you guys don't want to shoot, specify your action and I'll fluff and call for a roll accordingly. Probably should have offered that chance from the beginning...

rolled 12 = 12

>>12040355

>>12040355

well hopefully we get a nice epilogue

>>12040403
Sorry bro, not gonna work. We take our fate like a true Stalker would.

Lets see how we die, SOoHG.

>>12040393
Nah man, don't sweat it.

Well, its been nice playing with you gents, time for a new quest

>>12040411

I don't mind losing... but I don't want him winning.

STALKER QUEST II: Revenge of the Twitch

Well, at least I get to use this appropriate followup picture.

GG all, Stalker Quest was Best Quest.
The Zone claims another life.

>>12040422

Well, speaking as fail roll guy, I vote for pull the pins on as many grenades as we can and drop them. And say something along the lines of "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

Or, alternatively, grab our knife and throw it at the bastard instead. That's different enough to warrant a new roll, right? Right?

>>12040412
>>12040443

Sorry, forgot my pic again.

Man, if our group survives, they're going to have a really shitty story to tell : (

>>12040433
It falls more in line with the noble action that we came here in the first place. We ran in here to make sure this mutant died and our friends.. lived. Although I could be argued that we ran in here for other reasons.

>>12040451

Idly, not epic fail roll guy, but first roll fail guy.

>captcha is claim, viksopt

Viksopt's like victory soup, right? LEt's go claim that.

You guys, we can't die here!
Stop being so fatalistic!
There has to be something, somehow to break this guy's hold over us!
QUICK
ROLL TO DISBELIEVE

>>12040411
Give our friend here a faceful of knife.

Throwing knife. In the face. As the double critical fail guy who doomed us all, I'd like to be the one to roll. If I succeed then I will be redeemed, if not then I guess I'll just an hero.

We have one grenade, assuming Damsel used one of her own to set the trap. Mayhaps we can use that.
Do we Guts n' Glory the bastard or try to push him into the blast radius and leg it?

>>12040464

so roll lore check on controllers?

You grasp for your pistol, but your grip is clumsy, turned stupid by the mutant's mind games; you can feel its mock-pity as your hand slides feebly from your weapon; the feeling is blue.

As the mutant crushes your mind in its vice grip, you feel what makes you you slowly going, your memories twisting and running together as if they were literally melting. Perversely, the mutant does nothing to stem your emotions - it can feel your fear. It drinks it in and savors it. You let out a confused bleat and the mutant laughs in your head - bursts of yellow and white.

Suddenly, it cuts off. You see only black. There's another sound in the room - a real sound. You think. You hope. The mutant is no longer savoring your thoughts, but even now you can feel it - it's thinking something red and orange.

Roll 2d20 to see what happen. The mutant was a bit busy with you and now it's gotta deal with it.

>>12040472
No. Call me vindictive if you want, but I don't want you anywhere near a dice roller, or dice of any variety.

We already got the rolls to see if we get controlled and those were not good enough. So we are left with one action before we become controller food.

rolled 14, 2 = 16

>>12040486

First roll fail guy. Rollan. Epic fail roll guy, if you rolled before me, godspeed, may we both find forgiveness for our multitudes of sins.

rolled 20, 4 = 24

>>12040486
Not gonna say anything.

rolled 17, 5 = 22

>>12040486

yin yang all the fucking way.

rolled 10, 8 = 18

The fuck is up with this shit?

rolled 4, 18 = 22

>>12040528
No, seriously. What is wrong with the random number generator? It doesn't look seeded properly.

Can someone PLEASE tell epic fail roll guys to quit rolling?

dice 2d20

rookie stalker here, rolling to save myself

>>12040538

Hey, a 14's not terrible... well,t he 4's kinda bad, but it was 2d20 for a reason, maybe the 14'll be enough.

But yeah. Back to lurking. 2/3 rolls were not good for me, I'm not gonna inflict my luck on this quest any longer. Back to lurking.

rolled 7, 8 = 15

rookie stalker here again, what a rookie

>>12040538
I tried to; they wouldn't listen.
Of course, if this were a true random number generator, it wouldn't matter; the rolls should truly be random.

rolled 6, 11 = 17

>>12040537
You guys aren't praying!
Nobylan and Mitenun! Please watch after this STALKER, for he is in the den of evil itself and needs you now more than ever!

>>12040496
There is a sound of thunder.

Again, brilliant, unknowable things flash before your eyes, but it's not as it was before - they're running together, confused, ripping apart. You can feel the mutant's mind grasping for your own in some fear that has enveloped, and you take a savage pleasure in shoving it back; it's as if you had stomped on the fingers of a man hanging from the edge of a cliff.

The colors and sounds recede, indeed, as if falling into an abyss, and then there is only blackness.

Real sensation and thought is slow to return to your body. The first thing you realize is that something is tugging you. The second is that you can see again - you're on the bottom landing of the stair again, and there's someone somewhere nearby.

"-an you move? Are you there?"

You know that voice, and grasp for a name; for a black moment, you think that the mutant had done its work, but after a minute that seems like an eternity, you come up with a name.

Damsel. It's Damsel. Her real name is...

...something else.

Slowly, you roll over, rise to your hands and knees, and vomit.

"I'll take that as a yes."

(Please note - now that it's relevant, I'm implementing a sort of fate point system that lets others (where applicable) save you from the brink. Obviously, one was spent here.

>>12040570
Stay down for a sec, collect yourself, then get up.

>>12040570
glad to see the question continue... but part of me is a bit sad.

>>12040570

lets start speaking in English (oh my dear friends how great it is to see you) if we know it just to fuck with them, cause I'm assuming that we are speaking Russian. being in the zone in all.

rolled 10, 6 = 16

>>12040570
My relief is palpable. FUCK YEAH DAMSEL.


We need to thank her for saving our life and apologize for beating the shit out of her. Then go find Bird and Twitch and do the same.

rolled 11 = 11

>>12040570
>Obviously, one was spent here.
And a bit of memory fizzled out too.

Y'all have the worst goddamn luck I've ever seen.

rolled 4, 6 = 10

lootan time. Get up as best as we can, thank Damsel, get the others. Recuperate and loot the mutant lair. Twitch might get his bullets back.

>>12040604
We only hit her b/c we love her!

but seriously we did save them by knocking them unconscious. Then she saved everyone when we failed. I vote for a short nap... hopefully be able to not be completely fff'd when we wake up

"Guess I knocked some sense into you after all."

We should apologize to Twitch for beating his face in.
I want that bastard's fat ugly head, too. Piss on the rest.

>>12040570
"Hallo, hallo? Warum bin ich plötzlich deutsch zu sprechen? Почекати? Що?"

For a moment, you feel confused anger, then you remember. That's right. Damsel does that. It's a joke.

A joke.

Spitting, you give three quick laughs - ha, ha, ha - to let her know that you understood the joke, and then pause to collect yourself. After a moment, you move and sit on a step. You feel as if parts of your mind and body had fallen asleep like a leg sat on, and are only now coming alive with blood again. For all you know, that might be true.

Damsel says nothing as you sit, head in hands, trying to gather your mind, taking inventory of what you've lost. A thought flashes through your mind - Katerina - and you struggle to place it.

Damsel. Damsel's name is Katerina. She doesn't like to be called Damsel. You hit her in the head with a shotgun, but you think you had a good reason.

"I'm sorry about," you grasp for the right words, "earlier."

Damsel is looking at you, concerned; you realize your left hand is shaking with some sort of tremor and grasp it with your right, looking up at her as you do so. She has a large lump on her head and looks haggard, tired.

"It's no big deal, I like it rough."

Now you laugh for real, and after a while, it's hard to breathe. Damsel is frowning.

"It wasn't that funny, you asshole, you hit me in the head with a fucking shotgun."

Now you're helpless trying to catch your breath. When you've finally managed to calm yourself, Damsel is standing, offering you one hand, "let's go wake the others."

[cont.]

>>12040705
You take it and climb heavily to your feet; she offers you your gun back.

"It jammed," you say, and she raises an eyebrow.

"AKs don't jam."

A return to the first basement brings a welcome sight - Twitch has recovered, and is shaking Bird awake. Both look as shitty as you feel.

"What happened?" Twitch asks, stunned-sounding.

"A mutant," Bird says, he turns to you, "Big head? Looked like a man?"

You blink. How did he know?

"It's called a controller. God help me, I need a cigarette. The Zone gets worse every day."

We need the russian cure all medicine right about now. Let the vodka flow!

>>12040714
... Oh, shit, it was an AK, wasn't it?

God damn, epic fail really does describe that roll. That gun is cursed. I'm leaving that shit here for someone else to find before it kills me.

I don't think we have any cigarettes... how about some Vodka? I think we could all use some.

>>12040714
Help the others out of the basement, and try to find a slightly cleaner room in the house to rest a bit. We're going to go back down to that controller, cut its head off, mutilate the body before pissing on it, loot the den, then drag the body outside where we burn it. And if we can't burn it, we crucify it.

>>12040705
>>12040714

good thing everyone is okish. Now to loot the place after a nice breath of air.

>>12040714
How's Bird's nose? We should get out of the basement and break out the medkits. Then we can go lootan the controller's den.

rolled 12 = 12

>And if we can't burn it, we crucify it
Crucify it and THEN set it ablaze.

You don't have any cigarettes, but you do have some vodka; you open your pack, which you left here before the encounter with the controller, and pass it around. Bird has retrieved a badly-bent-up cigarette and is lighting it. Your mind is returning quicker now, and you remember what you did to these two.

"How's your face?" you ask Bird.

He shrugs, "I've been smashed up worse. Nose isn't broken, just bashed. Lucky, that. Resetting a broken nose hurts like a bitch."

"What about you?" Twitch says, "You ears are bleeding."

You reach a hand up. So they are.

"I hate to interrupt this injury inventory," Damsel says, "but can we at least go upstairs? I keep thinking I'm going to turn around and see that...thing...still alive," she actually gives a fearful peer over one shoulder, and you shudder involuntarily.

"By all means," Bird says, and you all move to go. Damsel's a little unsteady - probably due to being smashed in the head again - but you help her up.

"If concussions are the worst the Zone's going to give me," she says, "than I'll count myself lucky."

You move into the house's living room, now dark without the blowout-lights. Bird is rustling in his pack; he retrieves a battery-powered lamp and puts it on the remnants of a table. The light is pitiful, but better than nothing.

"What now?" Twitch ventures.

"Now," you say, "we take a breath. Later, we go down and bring that thing up. And burn it."

"Amen to that," Bird says.

>>12040832
The house somehow feels less threatening now with the controller dead, but you can still hear the Zone's moans and howls all around you through the decaying walls. The idea of exploring the house fills you with loathing - your mind goes back to the dead-man on the road.

Exploring the sub-basement reveals little; the corpses here have been here for months, and the slurry on the ground has reduced anything and everything to trash - it seems to be slightly acidic. You do find a Red Army officer's cap, though - perhaps Damsel was right about who owned this place.

Dragging the body up is no mean feat, and decapitating it is worse; the neck is thick with muscle. You're filled with relief when you finally wrap the thing in plastic and shove it into your bulky bag.

"What about the rest of the night?" Damsel asks.

(Note: chance to faff about with the guys/girl; we can fast forward if you want)

>>12040832
As soon as we get our wounds patched up, tell Bird to turn off that damn light. Now that the controller's dead, the aura around this place is gonna be gone. We don't need a light telling every god damn mutant in the zone that there's dinner in this newly safe shed.

Matter of fact, while we're looting this place, someone should stay on guard.

>>12040870
I would say we move ourselves into the attic or closed room. Seeing as today was a horrific day I purpose a drinking game to help moral.

rolled 6 = 6

>"What about the rest of the night?" Damsel asks.
Drugs, sex, and rock & roll.

rolled 11 = 11

>>12040904
And booze. I can't believe I forgot the damn booze.

"I suggest the attic," you say - it's worked for you before.

Finding the attic doesn't take long, and fortunately, it's intact enough to stay in, the ladder safely pulled up.

"No way I'm sleeping tonight," Damsel says, snatching Bird's third cigarette and taking a deep draw, "or ever again."

"In that case," you say, "what about a drinking game? To pass the time?"

(Your guys' call - I'll still fast forward if you want, but if you come up with something, I'll try to fluff through it if you prefer.)

>>12040870
We keep the Officer's Cap. Say it plays to our sense of irony, with our history and all.
As much as we hate to, we gotta do, what we gotta do. Search the house for a secure room, and rest until morning, keeping a watch. None of us are in any condition to be traveling at night.

>>12040953
You have acquired one (1) battered, slightly moldy Red Army cap.

That hat will make a fine decoration for our head once we are sufficiently drunk. Commence the drinking game!

>>12040946
I got nothing. Try to unjam the AK, try to get some rest, if not any sleep.

>>12040961
You can fast forward. A few quick jokes at our version of "tough love" and some vodka will hopefully mean we are starting to put the event behind us.

>>12040946
Fast forward. The only possible thing that can come of a Russian drinking game is a drunken gang-bang of Damsel, punctuated by lots of vomiting.

Somehow, I get the feeling she's a little to smart for that. And she's probably got a headache from getting shotgun slapped.

Fine, no drinking game, but from hence forth that old had shall be our drinking hat.

The night passes more quickly when lubricated with hard liquor, and in the end, you all do sleep, though it takes a while. You wake in the morning with a pounding headache, but you welcome it; it's a normal one, at least.

Somehow, the filthy Red Army cap has migrated to your head; you don't remember putting it on. Actually, you don't remember much. That the four of you huddled together for warmth means that your stirrings wake the others, and with various complaints of aches, pains, and hangovers, you move back down to the house. In the daylight, it's lost all of its power; the controller body that seemed so menacing is nothing but a lump of cold meat.

Damsel runs a hand through her head and yawns, "do we really have to drag that thing out and burn it?"

"No," Bird says, "let's burn it all."

And so you do. The fire provides you all with some morning warmth and time to wake up, and Bird takes the lead again as you head for the agroprom.

(Keep going or call it for the night? I won't be able to do tooooo much more tonight, but I should be here tomorrow around 8pm EST if you guys do wanna call it.)

Call it a night, good game tonight gents, see you tomorrow.

>>12041089

second. someone please archive

Right, well, as usual, I'll be here for questions/comments/criticisms for a few.

this was cool, i read the whole thing but didnt get to post before it ended.

this makes me want to play CoP, having played the first two STALKER games.

very well done, you've captured the creepiness of the zone well.