>Last time on Space Ninja Wizard Archaeologist Hunter Quest!
>You had your first bit of booze ever, arrived at the temple and got mind raped and scanned by an ancient device while scouting out the place. It removed your mind wipes and seems to have made the ghost conditioning “visible” inside your mind. It mentioned bringing you to the “main chamber for optimisation”, whatever that means.
>After you woke up, you met with Holmes again and met Murphy, one of the town mechanics who is apparently a great shot, and she’s also part of the town militia.

You move towards the staircases with Holmes and Murphy. You get the impression Murphy’s used to taking charge, but she seems to acknowledge that you’re probably more capable of handling things if it goes south here, so she lets you take point.

The staircases are fairly wide, and the camels shouldn’t even have much trouble with these. You glance at Holmes for a second. The man saved you from that device.

“Thanks, by the way.” You turn to Holmes.

“What?”

“For getting me out of there. Who knows what that thing would have done to me if you hadn’t.”

“Oh… Erm, it’s kinda not like that at all… I was scared to death. That thing just held you there, and I only dared getting closer once it released you and stopped glowing.”

While it’s true that that’s considerably less heroic, he seems to be brushing it off a bit too much. Seems he’s having some confidence problems.

>1. Tell him you’re still grateful to him for having your back. If you’d have been there alone it could have gotten really dangerous for you.
>2. Stay silent
>3. Write in.

>>30546520
>>2. Stay silent
just nod

>>30546520
>1
"Even so, It's good to know someone has you back. Never forget that."

>>30546520

>"well, I'm grateful anyway."

No need to get too verbose.

Let's get exploran'!

Start with the basement and work our way to the top.

>>30546579
*your

>>30546520
>2. Stay silent

>>30546520
>1. Tell him you’re still grateful to him for having your back. If you’d have been there alone it could have gotten really dangerous for you.

>>30546579
>>30546580
>>30546641
Writing.

“Well I’m grateful anyway. You did good.” He looks a bit less flustered about it now. You continue downwards, and Murphy starts chattering about how she’s looking forward to the next shipment of goods from off-planet because she ordered some stuff to get her CMC combat ready. Seems Holmes was right, she does talk a lot.

You pass the first basement floor, and you see another group slightly ahead inside of it. You continue downwards, seeing how your group had to check out the deeper levels.

>1. Go down one more level and check it out.
>2. Go as deep as you can.
>3. Skip ahead a few more levels.
>4. Write in.

>>30546696
>1
next level. don't want any nasties blocking our exit route...

also, could we ask her about her CMC? maybe draw attention to it's known weak points? If we're going to recruit her as one of our 'hero' units, we better damn make sure her personal equipment is up to snuff...

File: 1393616016322.jpg-(6 KB, 232x225, df2.jpg)

6 KB JPG

>>30546696

>2

>>30546864
>And you will have massive amounts of FUN!

>>30546836
>>30546864
Draw. If there's no tie breaker in 3 minutes I'll roll.

>>30546696
>>2. Go as deep as you can.

>>30546696
>1. Go down one more level and check it out.
tell the group ahead of us that we will be on the next floor down

>>30547000
>>30547001
... I think I'll just roll now.

Rolled 1

>>30547037
And I forget my dice!

>>30547057
Seems it's going down a level. Writing.
>Ding, you are now at basement floor 2.

You go down another floor and go down the hall. This floor doesn’t seem to have large rooms at the side, but is also lacking in small side rooms as you walk down the path.

“So, Murphy, how exactly did you get that CMC?”

“Oh, my dad owns a junk yard on Antiga. One day it got dumped there, a complete wreck. He asked if I was interested and I had him send it over to me here. Been working on it for a few months now, but the hardest part of fixing it is the parts. It’s one of the older models you see, a CMC-200. Was used during the guild wars. My guess it was someone dumping grampa’s old war memorial once he passed away.”

At that point, you reach the central room, and again you see the eight directions joining each other there, and another eight doors leading to the rooms between them. You try a door at random, but they seem to be stuck. The rest of your team joins in to try and push it open, but to no avail. The door doesn’t budge. There doesn’t immediately seem to be a keyhole or anything either.

“No mechanisms as far as I can see. At least not ones I’d be able to handle.” Murphy adds.

>1. Try to get it to open in another way (specify).
>2. Leave the floor be and move on to the next.
>3. Leave the floor be and move all the way down.
>4. Write in.

>>30547222
>1. Try to get it to open in another way (specify).

Use the force, Luke. Psychic powers are fine too.

>>30547222
>1. Try to get it to open in another way (specify).
Use our psi power to try to find a way to open it

>>30547402
Murphy and Holmes are with you though, so they'd notice if you tried using kinetic wave.
Or did you mean telepathically trying to see if there's anything there or something?

>>30547402
>>30547222
This, but only if it won't be an obvious use of psi power to other people.

If it can be opened with nonvisible psi use, then don't tell either of them that we were the one who opened the door!

>>30547222

let us continue onwards.

No psyonics in the ruins which react to them... yes, it may open the door, but not all doors should be opened... at least secure that which can be secured first...

>>30547402

let's not perform wizardry in public just yet.

>try knocking
>if it doesn't work, try pushing
>since that's unlikely to work either, move a level down.

>>30547434
Theres no need for that. Try to influence it using telepathy. After all, we have already seen that technology here is sensitive to psi, so it stands to reason that if we try to scan it using psi powers then something should turn up. Also I`m assuming that our Ghost is competent enough to make it seem like an accident if the doors suddenly open up.

>>30547497
Yeah, the only time we should full wizard in public is if a whole hive of zerg just plopped down on planet and already surrounded us or some other situation as dire.

>>30547497
No one is talking about using obvious psychic powers in public here. We are not retards. Jus a simple psi scan or trying to connect our mind to it. What could go wrong?

>>30547515
>>30547437
>>30547409
>>30547402
Ok then. Writing for subtly trying to scan the door and just in case something happens, you'll be fiddling with the door itself too to mask it.

You get an idea. Several pieces of technology in here so far seem to have reacted to psychic powers, so you reach out to the door with your mind. Meanwhile, you start knocking, rubbing and pushing all over the door as if to look for secret switches.

As you extend your mind, you immediately feel a barrier where the door is. And not just the door. Every door, every wall and both the floor and ceiling seem to be impenetrable to your psychic senses. They were really trying to keep people out of these rooms. Or maybe they were trying to keep things IN.

Thinking about it for a second, it seems to make sense. What you gathered from the scanning device was that they were trying to gather specimens worthy of “optimisation”. This could have been where they kept the specimens. Whatever the case, you don’t seem to be able to get anywhere with this.

>1. Try something else (specify)
>2. Go on to the next floor.
>3. Go on to the deepest floor.
>4. write in.

>>30547678

Next floor.

Also, where did the analysis machine say we, as a subject, should be taken for 'improvement'?

>>30547678
>2. Go on to the next floor.

>>30547709
>
*GENERAL ASSESSMENT: LIFE FORM ALREADY CRUDELY HONED FOR COMBAT, BUT MAY PROVE AN ASSET*
>*RECOMMEND MOVING TO MAIN CHAMBER FOR OPTIMISATION, AND SEARCHING FOR MORE OF ITS KIND FOR FULL BIOANALYSIS*

From last thread.

>>30547734

Danke

>>30547678

Nothing interesting here, move to the next level.

>>30547709
>>30547717
>>30547816
Writing.

You decide to move on, and Murphy happily chatters on about how she was upgrading her CMC to be at least as good as the CMC-300’s. Due to her father’s scrapyards she seems to be able to get her hands on some second hand military equipment every now and then.

As you reach the staircase, you realise they change slightly as you go further down. There’s now a gap in the middle where you can look down. seems like beyond the next one you’re going to now, there’s two more levels, but fairly high ones.

Moving into the third basement floor, you see the side rooms have returned again, and there doesn’t seem to be anything but side rooms on this floor you find out as you reach the middle. Holmes, Murphy and you spend quite some time checking everything out, but the most interesting thing you can find is that in the east rooms, every room seems to have some small technological construction. You approached it very carefully, but it seems they are all inert. You’re not entirely sure why, but you think they must be some sort of computer terminals.

“This place is starting to give me the creeps. It’s all ancient, but it still feels alive somehow.” Holmes says. “All these lamp orbs still functioning doesn’t exactly help.”

>You still have time for one more floor to check.
>1. Check out the second to last floor.
>2. Check out the deepest floor.
>3. Write in.

>>30548039

Check out THE DEEPS

Rolled 9

>>30548039
>2. Check out the deepest floor.
might as well should be something cool there

>>30548039
>>2. Check out the deepest floor.

>>30548039
>1. Check out the second to last floor.
If there is nothing of note on this floor, then proceed to
>2. Check out the deepest floor.

>>30548107
>>30548142
>>30548168
Writing.

it seems were moving a little slow today.

You decide to head to the deepest floor first. As you descend, you feel a soft vibration in the air. You’re not entirely sure whether it’s psychic, physical, or both, but your companions seem to pick up on it after a while too. You pass the second to last floor and quickly glance inside, but there seems to be a door there. It’s half open, but not enough to give a clear view of what’s inside. You’ll be able check on that after you all get together again.

After another short walk down the stairs, you arrive at the bottom. The stairs end at a door, closed this time, and despite being the same kind of door as the one you tried opening before, it has an ominous feeling to it. The vibration seems to be strongest here. A quick psychic check reveals there’s no such defence on this door though, and you actually manage to push it open when all three of you push at once.

You almost tumble inside the room as it suddenly gives in, and as you straighten yourself and look around, you can’t help but gasp. The whole floor is one gigantic room, almost as high as it is wide and long, a perfect square. And it is filled to the brim with enormous tubes of liquid, giving off a pale blue glow. You move closer to one and peer inside. The fluid is opaque, but you seem to be able to make out something floating inside.

“Oh my god!” Holmes yells, and you quickly turn towards him. He was inspecting another tube it seems. “It’s… there’s a Stalker in this one.”

You quickly dash to his side and peer into the tube. True enough, there seems to be a half grown Stalker floating inside the tube, connected to the top of it through some kind of cable. You quickly do some maths, and conclude that one of these tubes would be the perfect fit for a fully grown stalker.

>1. We best get back to Haverdam and report this.
>2. This is where they’re coming from. We gotta destroy it all.
>3. Write in.

>>30548444

Calm your dragon, Harry. I've seen much, much slower QM's.

I miss some of them

>>30548493
3. I bet that glowing blue fluid would taste pretty good...

>>30548444
Well, depends on post size mostly. Some I can do in 10 minutes, others take a bit longer. Yesterday I took a lot longer at the end, but they were fairly big posts too.

>>30548493
>>30548549
get sum dat blue drink

>>30548493
>1. We best get back to Haverdam and report this.
And let us not drink the blue.

>>30548549
>>30548614
wat.

...Ok, You don't really have anything to keep it in though, and you'll have to break one of the tubes.

>>30548645
Do it!

>>30548493

Do our psionic senses tell us anything about that thing?

Is it some sort of cloning vat?

Is it asleep? Dead? Awake?

Any other pieces of machinery other than tubes? Get ready to fight if it spawns an adult somewhere...

If no more information can be gained, go to Haverdam, maybe he'll be able to make more out of this.

>>30548493
Guys, lets not drink the mutation/nutrient fluid from an extinct alien race.

Also, lets not fuck with the stuff down here, that will lead to alarms.

Lets: >1. We best get back to Haverdam and report this.

>>30548493
>>30548549
>>30548614
3. The blue stuff probably gives us more powers. Imbibe blue liquid!

>>30548684
... And I now realise I forgot to add the
>Quickly scout out the rest of the room
option. Oh well.

>>30548732
Fuck off anon.

>>30548755
No, you fuck off anon.

>>30548699
>>30548684
>>30548638
writing.

>Drinking it would have been quite out of character anyway.

>>30548493
Lets just get the fuck out of here. There are probably more mind control orbs around here, causing posters to suggest we do moronic things that will get us killed.

>>30548781
That's no fun.

>>30548819

>#yolo #swaggins #fellowship of bling

please leave and never return.

>>30548819
Anon, this is 4chan. Fun is that way.

Sorry for the delay, long post + irl stuff coming up a bit. Still writing.

>>30549019
it's fine take your time

>>30549077
i have an idea. who here wants to see if we can get a stalker pet? we can still destroy the lab

You quickly check on the stalker psionically, and it seems to be completely dormant. Seeing how huge the rooms is, there should be hundreds of tubes in here. You don’t want to be around when an adult is released, so you quickly gesture your companions to move back.

“We best not tamper with this stuff before warning people. Let’s go back to Haverdam.”

You start climbing the staircases again, not entirely hurried, but still with a sense of distress about your discovery. At first, you do so in silence, but after a while Murphy speaks up.

“So, you recon this is what they’re guarding? Or are these things made to guard the temple in general?”

“I don’t know, but honestly? I don’t really care. I think we should just trash the place and be done with it. No more stalkers, period.” Holmes replies.

“You think? maybe for this place, but it’s a big planet. Wouldn’t there be more places out there making them? Or perhaps this really is the only one, and the rest of the planet doesn’t have any stalkers at all…”

Holmes and Murphy seem to be quite busy considering the implications, murphy especially. Holmes just wants to kill them all. Understandable.

You arrive back at the camp a bit before the agreed meeting time. It seems Haverdam isn’t back yet, but the four in the camp seem to be relieved to see some friendly faces. Murphy and Holmes quickly spread the news, and you can hear the general consensus forming already. Destroy it all. They’ve had enough of those stalkers already. More groups trickle in and people are becoming rowdy. By the time Haverdam returns they’ve readied the torches and pitchforks, so to speak.
[1/2]

>>30549230
That...that actually sounds pretty awesome.

>>30549251

“Calm down ladies and gentlemen! Calm down!”

He’s having a hard time trying to get the crowd to calm down, but suddenly he pulls the trigger on his revolver, aiming outside so no one gets hurt by the ricochet. Everyone freezes and stares at him as if he’s about to shoot them all down.

“There, now I have your attention, may I please hear from the people that found it themselves what is down there?” You quickly explain to him what you found.

“Allright. So we seem to have found something of interest. Any of the other groups found something?”

A slight murmur goes through the group, and someone steps forward. “We found one of those rings. At the top floor. There was this metal ring, same as the one Artemis got stuck in I recon, but there seemed to be a lot of stuff around it this time, and it was lying flat but it was hovering about a metre high off the ground.”

“Ok, that seems to be worth checking out too, but cautiously.” He throws you a quick glance. “Now, I seem we all feel strongly about taking care of these stalkers, but it could be a good thing to try and keep one intact or so for further study. Who’s to say this is the only facility making them? The more we know the better.”

That seems to have taken the fire out of most people. You hold a quick lunch break, and haverdam approaches you.

“Well, seems like you made quite the discovery. And that other disk, any idea what it would be for? This whole installation seems to be quite weird. Definitely not a temple despite my original theories.”

>1. They seem to be doing genetical experiments here. Stalkers are probably one of the end products.
>2. Not so sure myself.
>3. Write in.

>>30549268

>Seems like some sort of breeding station, or research facility

>If only we could use their computers...

>...maybe we could interact with their devices with our psionics?

>>30549268
>2

Because "genetical" is not an actual word.

>>30549268
>1. They seem to be doing genetical experiments here. Stalkers are probably one of the end products

>>30549254
Yes it would be.

>>30549230
>>30549254
>>30549361
Don't samefag, ross.

>>30549268

>1
"Based on my... experience... with this place, I would guess that this place was made to... enhance lifeforms. It was able to determine quite a bit about me from the brief period I was in it... Though that device on the top, going on what I got from the analyser, must be for augmenting and 'improving' things..

>>30549402
>>30549361
>>30549349
Writing.

“Seems to be some breeding or research station. Based on my... experience... with this place, I would guess that this place was made to... enhance lifeforms. And if these circles at the ground floor are scanners, that thing up top might be what they actually used to modify lifeforms with”

“That’s… disturbing, really. Makes me a bit sad really. So much could be learned from this place, but I don’t see any other options than destroying most of it. Imagine what someone could do with this place if it was used for personal gain…” His mind wanders off for a moment, a sad look on his face, but he quickly refocusses.

“Now, I’m thinking of taking the whole group, minus some guards for the camp down to check out that breeding chamber. I don’t want any surprises when we dismantle it.”

After the lunch break, another four people are appointed to guard the camp, and Murphy volunteers. Holmes looks eager to wreck the chamber though, and goes with the main group.

As you move down, you remember that you still haven’t checked out the floor above the one you’re heading to now.

>1. Tell Haverdam, ask him to quickly check it out first.
>2. Ignore it for now, maybe you can check it out on the way back.
>3. Write in.

>>30549649
>3. Go check out that ring machine up top. Use it to see if we can modify ourselves.

It calls to us!

>>30549677
Hmm, shit, should have left in that option before the group left. If enough people want it I can retcon a bit.

>>30549677
Modifications are for the temple's benefit, not ours. Just because it removed the blocks doesn't mean it's to be trusted.

And Supervisor, can we have a psychic kitten for our nuclear ghost family?

>>30549735
Why not go alone?

>>30549649
>1
Maybe ask if someone else wants to back us up on it... I'd ask Holmes, but he wants to wreck the containers, and Murphy is on guard detail...

>>30549742
Who knows, we might be able to control the machine. We'll never know unless we check for ourselves!

>>30549745
>Why not go alone?
Well, I already wrote Artemis going down with the group. It'd be really weird to have him suddenly go back up, that's all I meant.

>>30549742
>psychic kitten
So like an imaginary cat or something?

>>30549677
>3. Go check out that ring machine up top. Use it to see if we can modify ourselves.

What can go wrong? Tentacles, here we come...

>>30549781
No retcon needed really, just a simple "Hey guys, I'm gonna go check up on something?"

Or if you think it's too weird, then a slight retcon is fine.

Could we wait until after dealing with the specimen containers?

We might be out for some time in this device, so we don't want an army of angry stalkers eating the rest of the group then coming up to deal with our immobilized and unconscious ass...

>>30549649

>Tell Haverdam that we haven't checked out one level, there might be something important there.

As appealing as it might seem to submit ourselves to xel'naga device's ministrations, I'm not quite sure if the risks and the pain outweigh the potential rewards

>>30549869
I think they got it handled, there were no stalkers down there when we went. Besides, we might not have the time to do this if we wait.

>>30549742
Well Lisa already has a stalker back at Frontier. And you're not sure if taking an infant stalker out of the tubes would work or if it would just kill it.

I's a bit scattered, but I'm gathering people want to go up to the machine solo then and leave the wrecking to the rest of the group?

link this post to confirm or deny please.

>>30549906
Go to the machine solo.

Press any shiny red buttons we see.

>>30549906

check out the second from last floor, deal with the specimen room, THEN consider using the not-zel-naga device...

>>30549934
You could at least try to hide your I-have-no-mouth-and-yet-I-must-scream levels of HATE for quests.

>>30549956
Fuck off and quit being mad at people wanting to do something that you don't.

I actually like this quest and genuinely want to see what this machine does.

>>30549956
>>30549971
Guys, I'm all for discussion on what choises to make, but no need to get aggressive here.

>>30549971
>Like quests
>Press red buttons
We were basically captured and experimented on last thread by the complex. Some random persons wanted us to drink blue goo with no reasoning. Then the press red buttons.

It's just...really hard to believe you.

>>30549956

Not him but I imagine that one might be a legitimate vote. Our first interaction with local machinery ended up horribly painful, but beneficial.

Nevertheless I don't see how Artemis would be all too thrilled to undergo it again.

>>30549906
Deny. Samefag from >>30549892 here

>>30550096
>>30549937
Ok, writing.

>>30549906

clarifying >>30549937 as Deny...

>>30549934
>>30549906


This >>30549677 was me.

Wait a little longer for that dude that mentioned tentacles in his vote.

>>30550144
I'm vaguely curious as to what we can do with the temple. Thing is, I can't see it ending in any way other then having possible negatives attached, others finding out we are psychic (they might suspect this already), and with us going unconscious again.

I can't see Secondus/Gamma/Artemis wanting to do this.

>>30550144
Eh, what are we waiting for. We need tentacles right now... I bet it is going to be a nice surprise for our brother when he comes for a visit

You approach Haverdam and quickly explain to him that you didn’t have enough time to go through all the floors so you skipped this one.

“Hmm, well, best check it out first then.” He redirects the entire group towards the half-open door. With a bit of pushing it can be opened completely, and inside is yet another spectacle to behold. Inside the room, hundreds of large crystals are floating in a certain pattern, lightning whipping over them in seemingly random patterns. You don’t even have to do a scan to feel that they’re filled to the brim with energy of some kind. Both psychic and not at the same time.

“This might be their generator.” You tell Haverdam.

“Yes, I agree, seems to be so. Is it any help to us though? I’m loathe to destroy something like this, it might just blow up in our face, and I don’t see any convenient off switch around.”

A quick scouting of the room by the whole group makes it clear that there is some kind of terminal in the middle of the room, but it doesn’t seem to respond to any of their attempts to interact with it.

>1. Go for the terminal yourself. This technology seems to be filled with psychic energy so it might react to you.
>2. Leave it be, continue to the breeding room.
>3. Write in.

>You’ll be able to check out the device at the top after this part if you (still) want to, but no more votes for that now please.

>>30550245
Well, there are risks for anything we do. We could get mauled by nightstalkers just checking out the second to last floor.

As for the psionics, if word ever gets out then we can blame it on the xel'naga machines to throw people off our past as a ghost.

>>30550298
You should have confirmed when he was asking us to link this post >>30549906 !

>>30550299
>2

once again, I vote to secure the location before playing with things. Killing the power may wake up the unknown number of stalkers on the floor below...

>>30550299
2.

We don't know if messing this will cause power to go out in the whole temple. Better save it for after we check the machine up top.

>>30550299

>1. Access the terminal with our psychics

It might be a chance to avoid destroying this facility. And God knows what sort of automated defenses are there in place to prevent the facility from being destroyed anyway.

>>30550299
>1
Do this carefully. We know they have traps for the unwary.

>>30550407
>>30550454
You know that everyone else is in the room and will see us psi'ing the ancient alien tech, right?

>>30550499

Not if we start to glow or something. We can pretend mashing buttons.

>>30550299
>2. Leave it be, continue to the breeding room.

>>30550557
>>30550348
>>30550345
Writing.

>>30550550
unless*

You figure it’s best to leave it be for now. It might activate when you try to use it, but then what? You don’t know how to use it, and it’d show everyone that there’s something special about you. You might be able to write it off as a side effect from the machine that trapped you before, but best not take any risks.

You all head down into the breeding chamber, and after another quick scout, and the explicit orders to not destroy anything yet before Haverdam commands it or they’d lose their pay, it’s clear that there’s nothing here to control the room or turn it off.

Haverdam seems to be quite methodical when it matters the most, and he appoints three people to smash a single tube while the rest of the group keeps a close eye for anything going wrong. The moment the first tube breaks, you feel something happening. A strange sound blares through the room, and you can feel the same kind of voice as in the machine earlier blare into your mind.

*DANGER. DANGER.*
*BREEDING CHAMBER UNDER ATTACK*
*RELEASE ALL FULLGROWN SPECIMENS*

You quickly shout a warning, and several tubes around you are quickly drained of the fluid inside, revealing fully grown stalkers. Gunfire erupts, and most of them are taken down before the tubes are actually opened, but several others from around the room are free. The group quickly backs against the closest wall to cover their back. It seems that when they’re not half asleep and surprised, they seem to be a lot better against the felines.

>Weapon Choice!
>1. Take out your hunting rifle, assist them.
>2. Take out your revolver, assist them..
>3. No time to hold back. Use the hand cannon to assist them.

>Strategy!
>A. Stay inside the defensive circle, focus on the ones getting too close.
>B. Target those still being awoken inside the tubes, they seem to be helpless inside there.
>C. Run out and attract the stalker’s attention. Get far enough into the room so you can freely use your psionics without being seen.
>D. Write in.

>>30550839
1
b

Haverdam's weapon is best at close range, and the others should be concentrating on the ones already awake, so the best bet is to kill their reinforcements...

>>30550839
>1. Take out your hunting rifle, assist them.
The rifle will be better for range, and leaves the revolver and handcannon loaded for when a stalker inevitable manages to get too close.

>D. Use the hunting rifle to shoot those still in the tubes. The group will probably be focusing on the ones getting too close anyway. Once those in the tubes are dealt with, bring out the revolver and pick off any that are still getting close.

>>30550839

>3
>A

>>30550940
>>30550949
Ok, gimme a d20, best of first three.

Rolled 3

>>30551054

[the great hunt intensifies]

Rolled 6

>>30551054

Rolled 20

>>30551054

Rolled 18

>>30551133
AHHHHHHHHH

>>30551139
AHHHHHHHHH

>>30551165
That was close!

>>30551165

GREAT SUCCESS!!!

>>30551165
Crit success. And a much needed one after those other two rolls.
writing.

You take out your hunting rifle and aim for the tubes still being drained. They’re easy to spot, and with a bit of careful use of your psychic senses you can distinguish the stalkers that are waking up from the others. Haverdam’s weapon seems to be doing well against the stalkers that get too close, and the mainly automatic gunfire from the rest of the group seems to manage holding them off. You’re surprised at how well this is going all things considering. You can see and feel the determination though. They really want these things to die.

You don’t hesitate yourself. You take aim, shoot, aim at the next one, shoot, rinse and repeat. You quickly notice that it’s fairly easy to hit the still unconscious stalkers in the throat, quickly ending their lives and avoiding all of the armoured parts. Killing them goes fast now, and before you realise, you have to reload.

Just as you’re finished, you suddenly see a man drop, clutching his head and screaming, right before a stalker pounces on him.

Roll me another d20, best of first three, for defence this time.

Rolled 16

>>30551424

None shall pass.

Rolled 10

>>30551424
Swap to revolver now. Reloading can wait.

Rolled 15

>>30551424

revolver to the jugular

>>30551448
You already reloaded, and you have to act fast. It's not too close to use the hunting rifle.

>>30551441
Success, writing.

You quickly spin around and fire the hunting rifle from the hip. The bullet enters the beasts’ mouth just as it was about to tear the man’s throat out. It recoils in surprise, giving Haverdam the chance to blast its side and kill it.

It seems they’re not shy of using their psionics in the attack either, you note. You broaden your awareness slightly to be able to intercept other attacks of such kinds, but the stalkers seem to notice what you’re doing and cease their psychic attacks after the first you throw off.

You spend the rest of your clip, less efficiently than against those in the tubes, but it seems they’re all free now anyway. Slowly the Stalker numbers dwindle. At least two dozen of them must have gone down by now, not even counting those killed before they got loose. The few remaining seem to get desperate now, but they’re not used to being the ones getting surprised and ambushed. They take cover behind the corpses of their slain kin, and seem to be preparing a more organised dash towards your defensive line.

>1. Reload the rifle, you think you can still manage before they strike.
>2. Switch to the revolver. It might lack a bit in power to take on stalkers from the front though, considering your previous battle.
>3. Switch to the Hand cannon.
>4. Write in.

>>30551696

one hand the revolver, with our other hand ready to pull out and use the Hand Cannon.

hopefully, prep on the cannon should count as a prepared action, thus not incur too heavy penalties against drawing and firing it...

>>30551696
>1. Reload the rifle, you think you can still manage before they strike.


>>30551762
Conserve handcannon ammo when you can, it's expensive and hard to get a hold of.

>>30551787

and hopefully, it will not be needed, but better to fire off a few shots than loose a limb or life...

>>30551696
1. Reload the rifle, you think you can still manage before they strike.

>>30551696
Thought you said our rifle was already reloaded here: >>30551509 :D

Use the rifle, it's accuracy should allow for the reduction of cover's effect.

>>30551859

no, we just spent another clip on the live stalkers...
Rifle - empty
Revolver - 6
Hand Cannon - 6?

>>30551859
Yes, but you spent the next clip in defending.

>You spend the rest of your clip, less efficiently than against those in the tubes, but it seems they’re all free now anyway. Slowly the Stalker numbers dwindle.

>>30551908
Hmm, just realised that was missing from the pastebin. hand cannon is 12 per clip. You used up two bullets but I think it's safe to say Artemis put in a fresh clip after using those.

>>30551787
>>30551832
>>30551859
Writing for rifle.

>>30551981
Erm, I'm getting tired, I'm gonna call it quits after the fight is over.
Roll me some more d20s. You know the drill

Rolled 5

>>30552007

Rolled 2

>>30552007

roll one?

rolling for one...

Rolled 8

>>30552007
Oh shiiiii

Rolled 4

>>30552007

>>30552042
>>30552050
>>30552065
This is painful.

Failure, writing!

>>30552042
>>30552050
>>30552065

o well, guess we couldn't have kept winning indefinitely.

You start reloading your rifle, but the moment you do, the stalkers dash forward. You do your best, but you’re not in time to intercept them. They smash through the defensive line, and all of a sudden there’s four stalkers standing in the middle of a confused group of men.

You have to act fast. One man is already down heavily wounded, and more will follow if you don’t act fast.

>Psi points: 4/4

>1. Screw secrecy, I’m gonna save these people. Kinetic wave 3.
>2. Drop the hunting rifle and switch to the revolver. It might not deliver enough force to end it fast enough and prevent casualties though.
>3. Drop the hunting rifle and switch to the hand cannon. You can explain it away as a special back-up gun custom made for you.
>4. Write in.

>>30552223

Wouldn't kinetic wave cause collateral damage?

>hand cannon

>>30552279
You'd be able to avoid human casualties by throwing them upwards, and damage to the room itself won't really matter.

>>30552223
So people thoughts? I'm leaning for 1, but it might cause problems. We've already used the Hand Cannon before, we're a bad-ass hunter. Choices, choices!

I'll go with 1 or 3.

>>30552223

Switch to the Hand Cannon.
Cover story is that we got on a hunting trip, the weapon itself was in pretty bad shape and we only had a few bullets for it. Though we keep it with us as it packs a hell of a punch and has saved our ass when we had to use it...

>>30552315
>>30552302
>>30552279
Hand cannon fairly unanimous.
Roll me some d20's!

Rolled 3

>>30552363
Ever seen a bullet go through an apple?

>>30552223
3

Rolled 2

>>30552363

aim true this time

>>30552379
>>30552394
I see a trend here...

Rolled 9

>>30552363

>>30552444
Well, trend broken but still not enough.

Failure, writing.

You drop the hunting rifle and grab your hand cannon. One of the stalkers focusses on you though, and before you can react, it mauls you. You try your best to dodge, but it catches your left arm. Pain sears through your body, but you suppress it. You still have work to do.

In the corner of your eye, you see Haverdam take out one of the stalkers and the rest of the group another, but that leaves two unaccounted for, including the one facing you now.

>Right, hopefully the last roll of the night. d20, best of first three.

Rolled 4

>>30552585

Rolled 15

>>30552585
Here we go again.

>>30552585

Rolled 1

>>30552585

This has been going on long enough. Teach that kitten a lesson.

>>30552712

Fortune favours the kitten.

>>30552712
...Why anon, why.

Oh well, no big deal.
critical fail, writing.

>>30552585
>>30552724
It never ends, Supervisor.

>>30552738
ahh guys i just noticed my dice was set for 1 d 10

can another roll occur for my place

>>30552738
Draco was 1d10, Supervisor.
>>30552774
Roll, quickly.

>>30552774

unless you can make it a 20, there's no point. But I guess you can try.

Rolled 6

>>30552804
here

>>30552804
Supervisor, allow Draco to roll once more? He might get a 20, and then both good AND bad things happen. :D

>>30552827

i have no luck

>>30552774
Ok, good thing I still checked before posti-

>>30552827
Never mind. better luck next time.

You quickly bring up your gun, but it suddenly lashes at you psionically. You didn’t expect it to, and by the time you recovered, you’re lying under five tons of cat, its jaws solidly around your already wounded arm. You start struggling, trying to throw it off, but it only results in damaging your arm even more. You’re not sure where your hand cannon even went to, you must have lost your grip on it.

A loud bang interrupts your increasingly panicking thoughts though, and you feel your arm being pulled sideways as the stalker above you is pushed to the side. It slumps down, dead, but it’s jaws still locked around your arm. Looking around you see that the last of the beasts are down, but several people are wounded badly. It takes all your willpower, your combat knife, and Haverdam’s assistance to free your arm from the stalker’s fangs. Quickly ripping off some fabric from his shirt, Haverdam starts bandaging your arm, but he has a worried look on his face.

>And that’s it for now. I’ll be sticking around for a short while if you have questions or criticism.
>No thread tomorrow, probably sunday 8pm CET. Follow the twitter to be kept up to date.

>And archived! Feel free to upvote if you enjoyed it.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Freelance%20Ghost%20Quest

>>30552972
Guessing this means no psychic kitten?

>>30554768
we've still got that one we captured alive, maybe if theres something guiding/controlling them and we turn it off we might be able to get psychic kitten

we can always hope anon