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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Oct 28, 2016 10:14:27 GMT 1
Synopsis: A strange distress signal prompted the TARDIS to bring the Doctor to an alternate Earth ravaged by nuclear war. There, he encountered a lone wanderer with a troubled past, investigating incidents of mysterious creatures ravaging a ruined city. To find the cause of these creatures, they would have to work together and travel to another universe. Crossover with a third setting. A Touch of Glass It started off with a distress signal. “This is Knight Jefferson of the Brotherhood of Steel, requesting backup,” the man on the radio spoke. By the tone of his voice, he was attempting to stay calm in spite of whatever chaos was out there. “We have arrived at Baltimore at 0432 hours today. Something’s been picking off my men one by one. They are not deathclaws nor super mutants or even feral ghouls.” The radio buzzed as the man paused before continuing. “There were… eight of us. Now we’re down to two. Me and Initiate Samuel. There’s only one RobCo facility in the city. You’ll recognize it when you see the sign up front. We’re holed up in one of the storage rooms. But whatever you do, avoid the broken pieces of glass! That’s how they get to you!” There was a faint echo, almost like a growl, followed by banging noises. Another voice, male and young, said in a panicked voice, “Uh, sir? They’re here.” The man sighed, almost like he was resigned to his fate. “I see.” A hum sounded out. “I’ll relay the signal. We’ll take as many down with us as we can, boy. Steel be with us.” The message ended right there before looping back to the start. The Doctor turned off the radio, having heard enough. The Doctor, a Time Lord from the lost planet Gallifrey, stood by the many-sided console in the TARDIS. Pale and tall with a thin face, he had a mop of wild gray hair. His hairstyle went along very well with his unruly and thick eyebrows, sharp blue eyes, and a hooked nose. His dark coat and baggy trousers would make someone think he was a rock star past his prime. They would be correct—he had a guitar somewhere! “I don’t know if I could save him, but I can stop whatever was causing this nightmare. Isn’t that right, Clara?” He turned to his right, only to realize he was talking to no one in particular. He forgot he dropped off Clara Oswald some time ago. He was supposed to meet up with her, but the signal the TARDIS received brought it off course. His chin up and shoulders back, he went to the exit behind him. He couldn’t help but repeat the words he heard on the radio in his head. “RobCo, Brotherhood. RobCo, Brotherhood. Where have I heard of them before? Better yet: when?” He hummed. “Ah well,” he shrugged with a smirk. “I’ll figure it out eventually.” He opened the door of the blue police box and stepped out. Scanning his surroundings, the Doctor found himself in a ruined city, ravaged by war. There were crumbling buildings; the streets were filled with debris, rusted cars, and garbage. The only source of light was the flickering streetlights. An uneasy silence filled the air. The whole place made him feel like he was the only one here, cut off from the rest of the world. He knew he was on Earth, the year being 2286. Though to be exact, according to the TARDIS’ reading, he traveled to a parallel universe. It was obvious this was not the one that an old friend was trapped on, as this world was ravaged by nuclear war, judging by the residual gamma radiation. The Doctor patted the TARDIS, grinning. “Can’t believe you’re still running, old girl,” he remarked. “Travelling between universes is impossible, let alone dangerous.” He paused, now deep in his thoughts. “Something brought me here, but what? Better yet: how?” The word RobCo had plastered on an otherwise unassuming office building. It was across the street from the TARDIS. “That’s the building Jefferson said on the radio. How convenient!” He dashed across and opened the door. Inside was a large lobby with a desk at the end. The old paint on the walls and the ceiling had rotted from centuries’ of wear and tear. He even tasted something in the air. “Mold. And… dust particles. How this managed to get through environmental regulations is beyond me,” he remarked. He noticed a bunch of dome-shaped, biped robots that were on display. They had light bulbs for heads and short, wiggly arms. Stage lights mounted on the ceiling, shining on them as if it was a demonstration. One robot had its head cracked open, showing a bundle of wires inside. “Haven’t I seen them before?” he asked himself. “They were in plenty of cheap sci-fi movies from the 50s. I’m a bit of a fan, but Clara wasn’t.” The Time Lord looked around the lobby and found an inscription by one of the robots. He tried reading it with his finger following along, but it was barely legible. As he walked around the factory, he found scorch marks on the walls, pieces of broken glass on the floors, and wrecked robots and turrets lying about. There wasn’t a trace of Jefferson anywhere. He was getting worried. The computer terminals in one of the offices wouldn’t turn on. “Ah, pity. I loved the pop-up buttons. Everything was so swipey these days with their smartphones and everything.” There was one thing he could do about the terminal. He whipped out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. It wasn’t any ordinary pair of sunglasses. It was much like his sonic screwdriver, but wearable technology. He was so over his screwdriver anyway. He tapped at the corner of the lens. There was a sharp buzzing sound. The sonic sunglasses did their work, fixing the circuitry inside the terminal. In a matter of seconds, the terminal whirred to life, and the screen turned on. With a smile on his face, he quickly searched for anything that might lead him to Jefferson. He read over the daily logs on this terminal. “Nothing out of the ordinary so far.” He continued reading. “Kevin Ross. Worked here as a human resource manager. Had a promotion and a date.” However, several caught his attention. 8/16/2077. One of the eggheads brought a piece of metal from an expedition in Afghanistan. He showed it to the other guys before putting it in the basement. It was red, and it glowed. I didn’t see much of it, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Recently, I think I’ve heard someone whispering in my ear. When I turned around, no one was there. Creepy would be an understatement. My shift was about up, so I’m leaving a little early. 8/19/2077. When I asked that egghead an innocent question during lunch, he looked at me with murder in his eyes. I asked him if he was ok, but he didn't say anything. He then went to the basement where he kept that shard. I think he was obsessed with that damn thing. Couple hours later, he came up and told me that this little thing would be the next scientific breakthrough. That wasn’t the only thing weird about him. He was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. His voice also sounded a bit… off, like it was booming or something—definitely not a sign of sleep deprivation. I wonder if I should tell my boss and the authorities about this. They need to know. 9/1/2077. Bastard egghead attacked my buddies the other day before being sent to an insane asylum. That wasn’t the end of it. Things have gotten worse since he left. It started out with glass breaking, mostly mirrors and windows. Our janitor wasn’t thrilled about cleaning up the mess. Neither was our boss. We’ve been on a shoestring budget for a while, so we were had to cancel some projects to pay for the mess. Thrilling. The other guys went in to investigate in the basement but didn’t bring anything up. All they told me was not to go in the basement and not to tell anyone. Didn’t stop me from writing this down. Idiots. 10/5/2077. Malcolm was at the hospital with some serious lacerations. Someone or something attacked him with something sharp, and he was covered in cuts. I stopped by to check to see if he was okay. Meanwhile, the police stopped by my workplace. But their investigations turned up empty. Were they slacking off or am I missing something here? I had a bad feeling about this. The fifth and final one was not dated. It was labeled ‘that shard.' The shard called to me. Whispered my name. I couldn’t help myself. I unlocked the door to the basement and looked inside. Now I wish I hadn’t. Something had been killing my friends. Fuck the radiation. I’m getting out of here. If you want to live, then whatever you do, AVOID THE BROKEN GLASS! “Well, there’s some foul language right there,” he quipped, pressing his lips. The sound of breaking glass broke the Doctor’s concentration, and he heard heavy footsteps thumping on the floor above. The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course. Why would something go wrong right at a time like this? Can’t I get a moment of peace?” A loud crack drew his attention to a broken mirror from a restroom nearby. When he tiptoed near the restroom, he noticed some of the shards on the floor were of a different color. He maintained his distance from the mess. Who knew what trouble would come out of it? He froze when more glass broke nearby. He spun to his right, and there it was, right down the hallway. Its shape was like a mix of different animals with four legs of varying lengths; it was larger than a household cat. Its lizard-like body was made of glass. It had a broad range of opacity, predominantly the color red. The shape of its head strongly resembled that of a spider with three dark orb-like eyes at each side of its face and large and smoothly curved pincers at the front. Spikes lined up from the back of its head to the top of its tail. Larger glass shards jutted out from its underbelly at ridiculous angles. As soon as the Doctor reached for his sonic sunglasses, the creature’s tail straightened as it readied itself for an attack. Its hiss was a sharp, faint ping. In almost an instant, the glass beast pounced at the Doctor. The ceiling above creaked and collapsed, sending debris down on the creature. There was a yelp, and someone in a suit of metal armor fell to the floor. If the rubble didn’t finish the animal off, the stranger surely did. The stranger groaned in pain and stood up. She gathered a strange, giant hammer and a scoped rifle with a hand pump underneath the barrel and slung them at her side. The gray armor she wore from head to toe made her look massive, hiding any facial features. She towered over the Doctor by about half a meter or so. The helmet’s visor was angled, giving her a menacing look. The armor’s robust and bulky features, especially the shoulders, made her look like she was a walking tank. The hammer and the blocky rifle she carried supported the assumption. There was a long and awkward silence as the two stared at each other in disbelief. “Hi.” The Doctor tentatively waved back. “…Hi.” “Are you okay?” the woman asked. He couldn’t discern her facial expression, but it was evident by the tone of her voice that she was concerned for his well-being. Her helmet looked like someone had beefed up a gas mask and called it a day. The Doctor regained his composure and put his sunglasses away. “Oh, I’m fine. The question is: are you? I mean, you did fall through a ceiling!” She let out a single chuckle and glanced at the rather large hole she left in the upper floor. “Yeah… The floor gave out. Not the first time it happened.” “Don’t you think you could’ve dropped in at a better time? Like tea, perhaps?” She glanced back at the Doctor, studying him. “You don’t look like a scavenger. Too clean and you’re not armed. Who are you?” He stepped toward the debris and stared at what remained of the creature. The tiny red shards of glasses were scattered about. For a moment, he thought the shards were smiling at him. “I’m the Doctor. It’s nice to meet you. I assume you followed Jefferson’s signal as well? Either he was very good at hiding or these things have already disposed of his body.” The woman shrugged. “That’s why I’m here. I've been looking for him, but all I find were these weird creatures. Some sort of shard’s causing this, that’s for sure.” The Doctor stroked his chin. “I’ve encountered them before.”
She cocked her head sideways. “Do you know what they are?”
“Yes. Imagine if… itsy-bitsy organisms—whole colonies of ‘em—able to bond with any crystalline or amorphous solid.” He began pacing around the hallway, his eyes wide. “They’re called the Ania. Glass.” His voice grew grim. “They’re one of the deadliest predators in the universe. In my universe, anyway, but that’s not the point. They’re quick on their feet and can well rip any flesh apart in seconds.” He looked back and found the pieces moving around and reshaping. “You need to move, Doctor.” The Doctor was more than willing to comply. The woman raised her weapon and fired at the creature. It sent out a particular projectile, a cluster of small cubes of photon-based particles. Upon impact, the beast quickly collapsed into a small pile of ash on the ground. The Doctor gazed at the pile of ash and turned to the woman with a mixture of fascination and distraught on his face. “What’s this?” The woman lowered her weapon and relaxed her posture. “It’s a Holorifle. A friend gave it to me.” “Who’s your friend?” She paused. “He usually calls himself the Courier, but he’s been gone for a while.” The Doctor sighed and reached up to the woman on the shoulder. He forgot the cue cards Clara gave him, but he had to try. “Look. I’m sorry for your loss.” She nodded. “Thanks. The thing is, I don’t know whether or not he’s alive. Other than that, you got no arguments from me.” The Doctor grinned. “Excellent! Now chin up, hm? We got monsters to meet.” He started to head out but stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot: what’s your name?” “It’s Jocelyn Song, but everyone calls me the Lone Wanderer,” the woman answered. The Doctor was surprised. “Song? I used to have a wife with that name. Are you related to her?” His question was in jest. “No. What was she like?” “She was strong and compassionate. I think you would’ve liked her,” the Doctor answered. “We have a bit of a history. It’s… complicated.” “Story of my life so far.” The Doctor continued on, and the Lone Wanderer followed close behind.
The next several minutes were spent moving from one room on the factory floor to another, their eyes alert for any of the Ania or anything that led to the basement. On the way, they found more of the Ania gnawing on a huge robot with tripod wheels. Jocelyn readied her Holorifle as she leaned out by the opening. She hesitated, not wanting to get their attention. They passed by without incident, despite her rather cumbersome armor making noises with each step she made. The Doctor gazed around the room. It was a storage room, overfilled with cabinets and broken terminals. The cabinets were picked clean like a cheese plate at an art gallery. It would’ve been unremarkable if not for the large trail of blood leading from a door with a terminal mounted next to it to a closed at their right. “Wait here,” the Lone Wanderer ordered and went on ahead to the door. She opened it, and the two were met with a foul, metallic smell. The stench of corpses. “Jefferson’s men. Goddammit. We’re too late.” She shook her head and sighed after leaving the room. She then closed the door behind her. The Doctor showed no emotion, but he still can’t help feel as if his stomach was twisting into a knot. He eyed at the dog tags hanging from her right hand. One tag informed him of a man’s expiration date, which went back hours before; the other had his name on it—Seth Jefferson. “Y’know, back when I was with the Brotherhood of Steel, I used to find holotags for Scribe Jameson back at the Citadel,” she said as she put away the tags in a handbag hanging around her waist. “She always wanted to record their deeds for the Scrolls.” “Oh, so that’s what they are,” the Doctor remarked. “What are these Scrolls?” He hoped he would get to know more about this Brotherhood Jocelyn was a part of. She was now at the terminal by a door, hacking away its defenses. “They’re the Codex, the holy text of the Brotherhood of Steel. If it’s in there, they have to abide by it. If it’s not, then it isn’t important,” she explained. “It documents their history, their ideals, and their doctrine, passed down from Roger Maxson. He wanted to save humanity from itself, taking any sorts of technology deemed dangerous away from humanity.” “Deemed dangerous,” the Doctor sneered and smiled. “Ah. Right. Said from the words of a zealot, no? Like this Brotherhood of yours could tell the difference between something that would save lives, like a power generator or a water purifier, and something dangerous, like a superweapon powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. They step over people and people get angry. You know what happens when the oppressed get mad?” “They fight back with everything they got.” Her response was quick in that regard. A smile and the Doctor snapped his fingers. “Exactly! But I have to ask: Why do you join up with them, then?”
The Lone Wanderer paused. At first, her getting back to the terminal showed that she wasn’t in the mood, but she answered eventually. “Not everyone agreed with the Brotherhood’s motives. Some went rogue, like Owen Lyons, and started helping people, but he passed away several years ago, and his daughter, Sarah… my friend, she…” She fell into a thoughtful silence, and the Doctor looked on, sympathetic. “Things haven’t been the same since then.” She turned to the Doctor once more. “Ever worked so hard to make things right, make your dad proud, and give it all you got, only to have it all turn out for nothing?” The Doctor nodded. He knew what it was like. Too many good people died under his watch, and it was dreadful to suffer through it, time and time again. Deep down in his two hearts, he hoped Clara wouldn’t be the latest. “So you’ve left. Why help them anyway?” “I’ve asked myself that a lot,” she answered. “My dad was more than willing to help people. So was I.” She found the right word on the terminal, which granted her access. Issuing a command, the door parted open. The cog in the middle spun as the center part descended into the ground. Two other parts latched off. There was nothing but complete darkness. The Lone Wanderer turned the lamplight at the side of her helmet on and showed what appeared to be the top of a staircase. Jocelyn got out her Holorifle. “In case something happened to me, do you know how to defend yourself?” “I make due.” He looked at Jocelyn. “Have I told you I’m not big on guns?” She turned to the Doctor. Judging by how she tilted of her helmet, he had a feeling she gave him a look nothing short of serious. “No, I haven’t.” She gave the Doctor another look. “You never came from around here, were you?” “No. No, I haven’t. You’re right,” the Doctor answered. “But here, in this universe, you lot have gone down a different path. It wasn’t the Daleks, nor the Cybermen, nor the Zygons that did this. It was you. Your kind has brought upon this world’s destruction.” He sighed. “If only there was another way…” Jocelyn nodded, agreeing. It was then he noticed Jocelyn was uncertain of herself. “Look, it’s okay. We’re all a bit afraid of something.” The Doctor stepped in first, and the Wanderer flanked close behind. Her headlight was the only source of light, so they had to watch where they stepped. They’ve reached the bottom of the stairs. The Lone Wanderer scanned the area and found that the basement was large, the size of a lobby. It could have been a storage room at one point, judging by the hastily moved cabinets at one end. That would explain why the storage room above looked so messy. There was a faint, red glow at the end of the chamber. Something was speaking to him, whispering in his ear. “Doctor… oh, Doctor…” The Time Lord spun around in a frantic motion, finding no one behind him. He shivered when he recalled what the logs told him: the shard could telepathically communicate with its victims. He turned back to the Lone Wanderer, who was ahead of him, cautiously approaching the shard. He caught up to her and stared at the light’s source. It was a fragment made of some material that defied recognition like it was a bizarre combination of flesh and metal. The whispering was louder here, and the compulsion to touch it became almost overwhelming for him. The Lone Wanderer tossed the shard into a lead-lined box that was conveniently placed nearby and closed the lid in a single motion. He let out a deep breath, relieved as the voices in his head went away. However, the voices were the least of his worries. The Doctor winced and covered his ears as shrilling screams echoed all over the building. There was a legion of footsteps above. The Ania were coming. The Doctor recovered and whipped out his sunglasses. The Lone Wanderer turned her head to him like she thought he was out of his mind. She wasn’t far off, but to be fair, this wasn’t the craziest thing he had done. “What are you doing?” she asked. “How would that pair of sunglasses help us?” The Doctor grinned from ear to ear as he put his sunglasses on. “This isn’t any ordinary pair of sunglasses, Ms. Song.” He tapped on a corner of his right lens. The TARDIS materialized right beside them. The Lone Wanderer jolted back in surprise. Speechless, dumbstruck, she stared at the TARDIS. With a snap of the Doctor’s fingers, the doors of the TARDIS opened. “C’mon! Into the TARDIS!” he beckoned to Jocelyn as he stepped inside. She glanced to her left to find several of the Ania leaping from the floor to the wall, growling hungrily. She slung her rifle over her shoulder, grabbed the box with the shard inside and made a run for it to the TARDIS. Even with her bulky armor, she managed to fit inside. The doors closed behind her as the Doctor went for the lever on the console. The TARDIS went off, away from the RobCo facility. Without the shard residing in the facility, he inferred, the Ania would die off. The Lone Wanderer looked and spun around in awe. She almost dropped the lead-lined box, tumbling forward because of the weight. She recovered and placed the box on the console. She almost slammed the box against it, which startled the Doctor. “Oh, sorry. I’m not used to the T-60.” Jocelyn twisted her helmet off as a short hissing sound was made. The Doctor inspected the Wanderer as she placed the helmet nearby. The woman had bronze skin and a world-weary look on her face. Her black hair was tied in a bun. Her facial features, such as her narrow brown eyes and jawline, were signs of Asian heritage. She breathed deeply and looked at the Doctor. “I have some questions.” She paused. “Wait. Actually, I have a lot of questions.” The Doctor nodded, seeing this coming. “Go on.” “How exactly is it larger on the inside than the outside?” The Doctor was happy to answer that question. “To start, the insides and the outsides are not in the same dimension.” He showed the Lone Wanderer two small boxes, one of them larger than the other, out of a storage container nearby. He placed the larger one on the console and stepped away with the smaller one in hand. “Which box is larger?” “It’s the one on the console,” she answered, pointing at said box. “But from where I’m standing, the box in my hand is larger than the one on the console,” the Doctor insisted. “If you keep that same distance away and have it here, the larger one can fit inside the smaller one.” He went back to the console and put the boxes back in the storage. “Trans-dimensional engineering. One of the keystones of Time Lord technology.” Jocelyn followed with more questions. What does the TARDIS stand for? “Time and Relative Dimension in Space,” he answered. What were the Time Lords? What was Gallifrey? Who was Clara Oswald? And what was up with the sunglasses? He answered these questions and more to the best of his ability. She nodded and understood. Such a curious woman, he mused. With that settled, he connected the lead-lined box to the console of the TARDIS and ran a diagnostics check on it. The back of Jocelyn’s power armor unfolded as she got out. Outside the armor, she wore rags for clothes. A tattered, sleeveless tailcoat, old fur boots, and a dark, faded shirt and pants. Around her neck was a gas mask. On her left arm was a contraption with a large green screen and a fingerless glove. She told him it was a Pip-Boy 3000. Given that she was lugging around a heavy rifle, a suit of power armor, and a jet-powered hammer, it was no wonder she was built like a powerhouse with those broad shoulders and all. She removed a short, stocky tube from the power armor’s back and replaced it with another one from her fanny pack. She told him it was a fusion core, the power armor’s battery. After doing some minor repairs with a welding tool she got from below the control room, she put her power armor back on. The Doctor looked over the diagnostics of the shard on one of the console screens. It took him some effort to read through the seemingly random numbers and other gibberish, but he found the coordinates of the shard’s origins. A projection of Earth had emerged on the screen. He told Jocelyn of his findings, but he spoke too quickly in his words, putting on a thick Scottish accent. “I’m sorry?” A confused but intrigued Jocelyn asked. “I know it sounds exciting, but please settle down.” “Okay.” The Doctor nodded. He could barely contain his excitement as he was still flinging his hands around. “This shard came from a parallel Earth. Renaissance era. Early 17th century.” “Great! So we can take the TARDIS there, right?” “Not as easy as it sounds. We’ll have to cross through the Void—empty space between dimensions. Think of it like, like…” He clapped his hands together, struggling to come up with an appropriate metaphor. “Two universes stacked against one another; the space between worlds,” Jocelyn finished. The Doctor flashed a grin on his face and snapped his fingers. “Correct! You’re a smart one, Jocelyn! Now, this shard in the box,” he gestured toward the lead-lined box, “can give us a safe passage. Well, a safer passage. I went through there to your world. It’s a miracle it went smoothly. I admit it’s not a perfect set-up, so it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.” The Lone Wanderer acknowledged his warning with a nod and grabbed onto the rails of a nearby stairway. He approached the console and pulled the lever. This time the room—no, the entire TARDIS—shook like an earthquake. The Lone Wanderer grunted as she stumbled around. “Steady now!” the Doctor bellowed out, gripping the console as much as he could. “Steady!” As the TARDIS shook once again, the console conjured lighting, sending them flying back. Everything had glowed a hellish red before it all turned pitch black. [/div][/div]
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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Nov 5, 2016 6:55:24 GMT 1
A Long Story… The warm June winds rustled against the walls of the tent. A young man of fair skin wore a long white coat with a bobcat’s skin resting on his shoulders. He placed his glasses on the desk and brushed his wavy blond hair out of his face, fighting against a headache he developed after days without rest along with the stress of leading an army. He turned toward the two other occupants who seated on wooden chairs. One was a woman with dark hair and skin, covered from neck to toe in rags for clothes. The other was a pasty old man in a dark jacket. The woman called herself the Lone Wanderer while the old man called himself the Doctor. He would call them mad. If he had his way, they would be put up to the sword. However, the locals vouched for them and claimed they defended the town. Who was he to argue? “You honestly expected me to believe this story you conjured up?” The Lone Wanderer curled her lips, exasperated. “But… it’s true. We’re not making it up.” “Is that so?” the young man asked, almost menacingly. “Do you have proof?” The Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Well, have you seen the big, blue box when you were stopping by? That should prove part of our case.” The young man brought his hand up to his chin and fell silent for a few seconds. “Perhaps. I have never seen this blue box of yours. What about this shard you’ve described?” “Know anything about it?” the Lone Wanderer asked. “Rumors, mostly,” the young man answered. “Have you heard of a sword known as Soul Edge?” The two glanced at each other in confusion before turning back. “No,” the Doctor answered. By the look on his face and the tone of his voice, it was clear he was honest. “What do you know about it?” The young man paced around the tent, gently kicking the loose bits of grass off his black boots. “Only what my father told me about what my mother encountered. Some say whoever wields that sword shall be given limitless power. Others claim that power comes with a terrible price.” “What’s the price of this ‘power’?” the Lone Wanderer asked. “The wielder would find himself taken over by the sword, becoming a demon known as Nightmare,” the young man continued, “but enough of that. If you ask me, it’s nothing more than some fairy tale to keep idiots away from the sword. If what you said about the shard is true, then where is it?” “Well…” the Doctor spoke. “It’s a long story...”
...The Lone Wanderer opened the box. It was empty as if the shard was never inside. “What the hell?” She looked at the Doctor. “You should see this. Think it could have teleported out of here?” The Doctor approached and peered inside with a lowered brow. He looked back at her and nodded, wide-eyed and worried. “Probably. If it did, then I don’t know where it went to.” The Lone Wanderer sighed. “I’m sorry. I thought putting the shard in the box was a good idea.” He waved his hands in front of him. “No no, it was! If you’d smashed that shard instead, then we wouldn’t be here. Sure, it would have gotten rid of the Ania for now, but what would happen next? Would we find the source without it?” She hesitated and realized he had a point. “All right, so… where are we? Better yet, when are we? Didn’t you say 17th Century Earth?” “Yes. 1606 to be exact,” the Doctor answered under a single breath, “and we’re in a quaint little Hungarian town.” He paused for a moment after pressing a few buttons. “Shakespeare’s still around. Ten years before his death. Bit crass but a brilliant genius. He and I dealt with a couple witches a while back.” The Lone Wanderer was taken aback by the Doctor’s answer and his rambling. “Wait, you’ve met Shakespeare?! Also, why this town and why this time period? Is there a pattern I’m missing here, or is it all random?” The Doctor pursed his lips together, struggling for an answer. “The TARDIS has a mind of her own. She takes me where I’m needed, but not always where I wanted to go. Navigation system’s a bit knackered. Before you ask, no, you can’t fix it. I’ve tried that several times; took me a while before I gave up.” “Maybe we should look into this town. We might find something important.” The Doctor nodded. The Lone Wanderer hung her hammer at her side and slung her rifle on her back before leaving with the Doctor. They were greeted by a gentle but dry June wind. The sun was high in the cloudless sky. Looking around, the two found the TARDIS had landed by a flagstone road. It led to a town by a narrow river that could stretch for miles. From where they stood, it would take about ten minutes to get to the town on foot. She smelled the scent of fresh water and smiled. It had been a long time since she was anywhere near clean water. The last time she saw fresh water was at the Tidal Basin when Project Purity had been activated. But water everywhere else in the Capital Wasteland was still irradiated. It would take many years for this part of the world to recover. On the bright side, the Courier told her the water was cleaner far out west. “This town’s not far south from Szolnok,” the Doctor commented. “Pretty popular town. Rich with history like the rest of Hungary. I’ve been there once.” He bit his lower lip, thinking to himself. “Or twice. Been a while. It held off an invasion by the Turks 50 years ago. I say that’s an impressive feat for its time.” A caw from behind surprised them. The Doctor and the Lone Wanderer turned around and found a raven resting on top of the TARDIS. The Doctor stepped in closer, his arms parted and his eyes squinting. The raven stared back at the Time Lord with glowing red eyes. It was obvious this was no ordinary raven. A chill traveled down Jocelyn’s spine as the raven shifted its head left and right. The raven took off, flying southwards. “Okay, we should definitely find out what’s going on. Let’s get to the town,” she suggested anxiously. “I agree,” the Doctor replied.
The trip to the town was uneventful. Reaching by the stables, which weren’t far from the gates, they encountered the guards, who were wearing simple garments. They were tunics that buttoned at the center along with a pair of loose-fitting pants that bagged over their leather boots. One of the guards had a weary expression on his face. His arm was resting on a curved sword at his side. “Oi! You there!” The Doctor waved his arm to grab the guard’s attention. “Yes you! Have you seen anything out of the ordinary, like a raven passing by?” The guard met the Doctor’s gaze. Much to her surprise, he somehow understood the Time Lord’s question with a shake of his head. “Nah, sir. Things have been pretty quiet around here, not even Graf Dumas’s forces have stopped by. Traders come and go like the ravens. If you want to know what goes on, go to God’s Rest.” He pointed at the opened gate. Many market stalls stood by an elegant statue of a lion. “You can find it in the town square and the trading area. Then take a right down in the slums once you reach the fountain.” “Who’s Graf Dumas?” Jocelyn asked. The guard gave Jocelyn a dirty look. “The Graf’s the Count of Hungary! He was chosen by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire himself after he proved himself worthy in combat! Where you’ve been, livin’ under a rock?” Jocelyn found herself offended by his remark, but she recovered quickly. “Well yes, I had lived under a rock for most of my life.” The Time Lord stood by, letting out a chuckle and a toothy smile. “Thank you so much,” he said as he recovered. “Come, Jocelyn.” The two went through the gate. Inside the town, as they neared the fountain, a massive building rested up ahead. The chatter around them was immense; most of them were traders showing off their products. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder… “How do we understand what they’re saying?” “Translation circuit from the TARDIS. That’s why everything sounds English to you.” The Doctor waved his finger around. “Think of it like a telepathic field that digs inside your brain. Long as I’m up and about, it would work.” “What about Graf Dumas? I’ve read through the history textbooks back in my world, so I’m pretty sure he only existed on this Earth. Who exactly is he? Where did he come from?” “Good of you to ask those questions. We can start by asking around. The guard suggested we should go to the tavern. You always find something over there. Some drinks and rumors spreading around like wildfire... long as you know where to look.” The Lone Wanderer chuckled under her helmet. “Then lead the way.” They went up north. Jocelyn stopped by a tall white church with a bell on the roof while the Doctor walked on. She took in the sight of that church in the middle of the town. Compared to every other building back in her world, the church was very much intact. While constantly being in danger was familiar to her, this was a nice change of pace. She found herself inside the church. Rows of simple wooden benches reached to an altar with a cross resting top. She looked up to paintings on the ceilings and the walls, which showed distilled moments from the Bible. The window behind her and the large pair of doors opened behind her cast a bright light. The other source of illumination was the candles mounted on the pillars; the scent of melting wax whiffed about in the air. There were several occupants, many of them peasants, praying in the church, praying. The peasants wore simple and colorless garments. Many of them stopped in their rituals and gazed at her soon as she walked in. Some even stared at her with awe. To be fair, even when she was out of her armor, she could tower many of them by inches. “Err, excuse me?” She looked down to find a little boy looking up at her with a mix of fear and awe. Pale and dark-haired, he wore a pair of green trousers to go with his fluffy white shirt. He couldn’t be older than… six, maybe seven? She knelt down beside him. “Hey there. Where are your parents?” “Well, my parents told me to wait here in case I get lost.” The boy twiddled his thumbs together. “So, um… are you here to slay a dragon, like in the fairy tales? Because you, uh, look like a knight. You look scary and all, but…” The Lone Wanderer smirked under her helmet. “Ah, don’t you worry. Though my armor doesn’t shine like a knight’s, I do go around slaying monsters and saving lives,” she answered, playing along. It sounded much better in her head, but he was a kid. She was great with kids. Her answer brightened the boy’s face. “Then are you here to stop the malfested?” Jocelyn looked back, confused. “The malfested?” The boy hesitated and darted his eyes around. “They’re once men that turn into scary monsters. I hear some of them get big. Like, really big!” “Wait, when you say they were human before, could they be…?” She stopped herself when a man and a woman approached them. The man wore a ruff collar around his neck, a tell-tale sign of his nobility aside from his tights and his puffy shorts. The woman’s dress was simple yet elegant, having jewelry laid out on her sleeves. It looked like they were his parents, his father somewhat resembling his son. They approached the boy, and the man went up with open arms, a joyful smile appearing on his face. “Oh dear God! Your mother and I have been looking for you!” He picked up the boy and gave him a firm hug. By the look on the child’s face, he was happy to see his parents again. “I miss you too, Father. I was so scared.” Jocelyn stood up and met the mother. “Thank you so much for finding him!” the mother exclaimed. “Actually, ma’am, he happened to find me,” the Lone Wanderer replied. The father had put the boy down and took his hand. “We’ll be best on our way, then. Best we tell our boy not to wander off like that!” The family turned toward the exit after making eye contact with Jocelyn. The boy groaned, mumbling about not looking forward to being disciplined. “Please be gentle with him; he’s just a boy!” the mother protested. “Even little boys have to grow up,” the father retorted. The Doctor laid his back against a nearby pillar, his arms crossed in front of him. His eyes had followed the family before his gaze met Jocelyn’s. “So… Here to attend? Confess your sins?” he asked sardonically. “I know I have my fair share.” “What do you mean?” The Doctor fell into a thoughtful silence. “I made a lot of mistakes, bad choices. But I always make amends.” Jocelyn approached him. She paused midway and turned around. “Something wrong?” Jocelyn paused. “There were buildings like this. Back before the Great War. Churches, monuments, museums, schools… All of ‘em were gone in an instant when the bombs fell.” She opened her palm, making a gesture of an explosion. “Boom. Just like that. All that were left were ruins, corpses, and silhouettes of people who didn’t make it. Not a lot of buildings were left intact.” She sighed, letting her shoulders drop. “I miss living in the Vault. It wasn’t perfect, but it was home. I really do.” The Doctor unfolded his arms and stood up. “I can relate to that. Sometimes I ask myself why I left Gallifrey.” “Why did you?” The Doctor said nothing as he bowed his head, even as he left the old church. Jocelyn caught up, not far behind.
The tavern, God’s Rest, was anything but quiet. Rather, it was rather lively for a place in the lower class section of the town. The tavern was anyone would have visualized in a clichéd fantasy novel. Rowdy, unruly men sang while drinking to their heart’s content, while the maid fetched for more drinks; the bartender cleaned the serving table with his own spit. The fireplace set in the middle of the room burned brightly in the night. At the corner, the Doctor sat at the table. The Lone Wanderer’s power armor could have easily crushed the chair if she sat, so she elected to stand. Someone roared with laughter as he threw an empty glass at her. It didn’t hurt, but it annoyed her. The culprit was a man with a beard thick enough to pass off as a bush. He stopped laughing when her glare sent a chill down his spine. Without saying another word, he sat up from his seat among the other drunken ruffians and left. He groaned in pain as his head hit the sign of a large hand over the hill. “Anyway, this kid said the malfested were human once,” Jocelyn told the Time Lord. “So he says,” the Doctor replied. “I’ve met this medicine man. A bit blunt, but a pleasant fellow. He said this malfestation was akin to some form of an infectious disease, like rabies or a plague.” “I figured as much. Is there a treatment? A cure? Any signs or symptoms?” The Doctor shook his head. “Unfortunately, not that has been recorded. Once you’ve been infected, it’s a death sentence. Signs vary from person to person. The most common ones are pale skin and red eyes, and those are the lucky ones.” He paused with a troubled look on his face. “The man showed me a body of… of one of them. An unlucky one. The limbs don’t match up, and his teeth are jagged and sharp. There was a tumor on his right arm, which turns out to be alive for a moment, and it nearly bit my hand off!” The Lone Wanderer found herself surprised. The way this malfestation changed their victims reminded her of the FEV—the Forced Evolutionary Virus. It was responsible for twisting people into abominable creatures such as the supermutants. It even created the deathclaws. The Doctor continued. “The unlucky ones made people scared and they look up to those willing to exploit them, drowning out any reasonable voices.” “So it leads to a witch hunt,” Jocelyn guessed, knowing this all too well. “Yes.” He flailed his arms around, anger rising in his voice. “And this Graf Dumas stepped in and declared that they were a result of a demonic deal. You can guess what happened to anyone who goes around asking too much.” A roaring scream shrilled out. The music and the laughter came to an abrupt end. One of the occupants went outside. Moments later, he dashed back in with fear in his eyes. There was a thin layer of ash all over his clothes. He panted, exhausted. “R-run! Everyone run! The malfested are attacking the down! They’re burning up everything!” That was when everyone else frantically fled the tavern, all screaming in terror. Most of them abandoned their meals and drinks and made a run for the exit. Meanwhile, the bartender meekly opened a trapdoor nearby and hopped in. The Doctor hopped back up to his feet and ran towards the danger, beckoning the Lone Wanderer to follow him. After locking and loading her Holorifle, she quickly caught up to the Time Lord. They reached to the upper-class section of the town down south. Instead of finding extravagant and elegant mansions that awaited them, they found ruin. Fire spread about, filling the air with smoke. It was thick, making it difficult to see. In a matter of hours, the fires would consume the entire town if they don’t clear them out. The sounds of battle boomed around the two. Swords and weapons clashing against one another, flesh tearing apart like paper, and the inhuman cries filled the air. The streets were strewn with bodies. Men, women, soldier and noble alike lay out slaughtered like cattle. Jocelyn saw many battles and many fights. No matter which weapon anyone used, it still unsettled her to the core. One of the unfortunate souls hung from a balcony, pinned down by multiple crossbow bolts. Another was in the path, torn in half. The third was burned to a crisp by the fires. Ahead, the two saw a battle playing out like a play on a stage. The guards held out against a hoard of pale things. One may pass them off like bandits and raiders, but these people fought like animals. It wasn’t a battle at all—it was a massacre. The guards never stood a chance. One guard stumbled around with a curved sword in his hands. He turned his sights toward them, and immediately recognized the two. He was the one they’ve met at the stables. Right as he called out, a thin blade speared through his abdomen. He only had a moment to look on in horror before the blade retracted from his body. The man was shoved aside and crumbled in a pool of his blood. A pale and dirty man emerged with a large pike. His breastplate suffered from neglect, but it can still protect its owner. He looked up and smiled, showing off his fiery red eyes and jagged, pointed teeth. He let out a sharp and faint laughter, like broken glass. He gripped his pike firmly with both of his hands. Preparing his stance, he prepared himself like a predator about to pounce on its prey. The Lone Wanderer looked through the scope of her Holorifle. The malfested let out an inhuman roar at the top of his lungs. He rushed forward, covering ground at superhuman speeds. She activated her Pip-Boy’s VATS—Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System—increasing her accuracy. Her perception of time had slowed down, adrenaline pumping through her body, her heart pounding against her chest like drums. One shot and a cluster of holographic cubes whistled through the air, leaving behind a blast as it landed on the malfested’s face. He stopped but quickly recovered, his face healing at an alarming rate. Flesh and bone mended together, and he was good as new. Another shot, and he was too close for comfort. Right as he lunged not at her but the Doctor, his head exploded. Bits of flesh and brain flew all around him, and the malfested stumbled forward and fell down. The Doctor glanced at her before going on ahead and meeting another guard. “Are you the captain? The blue sash you’re wearing tells me you are.” The guard, who wore said blue sash, nodded. “Good! Then you need to bring people to safety. The church is your best bet!” “Okay! The church.” The captain rushed toward what remained of the battalion. “Kolos, Mark! Get those fire engines ready!” The two guards nodded and saluted before setting off, fetching for the fire engine and some buckets of water. The captain pointed at each of the other guards. “Albert, Dénes, Ede! Make sure the common folk are safe! Round up as many as you can and bring them to the church!” The three guards set out into the smoking streets. The malfested went after anyone that was fleeing, close on their tail. The Doctor joined the guards in bringing the commoners to safety. “That’s it! Follow me! Ándale, ándale!” He escorted the guards through a safe passage he noticed earlier: a narrow alleyway where the hordes of malfested wouldn’t notice. “What?!” one guard asked. “We don’t speak French in this country!” “It means ‘come on!’ Now hurry up!” Jocelyn whipped out her super sledge and joined the fight with the few remaining guardsmen at the post. She swung down at one malfested, a man with a blade in each hand, and caved his head into his chest. She spun around and thrashed another, a woman with a hand axe and a buckler, with the side of her hammer, sending her tumbling down. Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by multiple malfested. They all sneered at her, wide-eyed and jagged smiles. In an impressive demonstration of her strength, she spun around with her hammer, taking them all down in one swoop. Some were smashed to the side while others were knocked their feet, allowing the guards men to impale them to the ground. Another malfested grabbed one of her cohorts from behind and slit his throat, blood trailing down his body. The Lone Wanderer pulled out her sidearm, the high-tech MPLX Novasurge, and fired at his chest. Pulping him with balls of plasma taught him the value of staying down forever. There was a scream nearby. She heard that voice before. Now Jocelyn faced a tough decision. She could stand her ground and let the child perish if no one else would come. If she decided to save the child, the malfested would overwhelm this spot. Much to her relief, it looked like her choice had already been made for her. The captain had brought reinforcement—about a dozen guards. Half of them carried halberds while the rest had muskets. The musketeers knelt down in sync as the captain barked out an order. They readied their rifles. By his command, they fired. Some of the malfested went down. Few recovered, standing up as bloody holes in their bodies disappeared like nothing happened. They retaliated, charging in only to find themselves impaled by the lowered halberds. It looked like the guards could take it from here, but she had to hurry. She rushed onwards, finding the source of the scream to be coming from a mansion surrounded by a once beautiful garden. Burnt out roses and hedges adorned the mansion, with life-like statues of horsemen laid out by the path to the house. The mansion was set ablaze like a morning star and windows burst open from the inside. The only obstacle standing in her way was the fire and the surrounding debris. Could anyone still be alive inside? Kolos and Mark ran toward the flaming mansion. Kolos dragged a wheelbarrow with a pump and hose while Mark carried large buckets of water. Kolos pumped the water as Mark climbed on top and grabbed the hose. He poured water at the mansion, extinguishing the fires by the entrance. “There’s someone inside!” Jocelyn told the guards. “A boy, I think. Came from over there.” She pointed at the second floor. “I’ll get him out. You keep putting the fires out.” Kolos nodded. “Will do. Godspeed!” The Lone Wanderer made a run for it without pause. She threw the large debris aside like it was nothing and entered the blazing mansion. Inside, the blazing heat surrounded her; the fire touching her armor yet didn’t harm her. Still, she could feel beads of sweat coming down her face. The floor here was sturdy enough to stand on. She had enough of falling through floors. She climbed on a set of stairs, which was wider at the bottom than at the top. Partway through, the wood creaked under her weight. She realized she had to be careful. It didn’t help that her armor weighed over two hundred pounds. Something snapped out of frame, and she looked up, finding a piece of the ceiling falling down. She leaped onto the second floor as the rest of the stairway collapsed behind her. She would have to find another way out. “If you’re out there, can you hear me?” she called out through the roaring flames. “Hello? Who’s there?” Jocelyn followed the child’s voice, finding herself in a gallery. The paintings framed on the walls. Fire ate away at the carpets, and the paintings mounted on the walls. There was one picture that caught her eye. It was a large landscape, ominous and unsettling. It showed a man in blue armor, covered from head to toe save for his profoundly malformed right arm. In his left hand was a grotesque thing, too big and too thick to be considered a sword. It was more like a strange combination of flesh and metal. The sword had an uncanny resemblance to the shard at the RobCo facility. Wait… she had to focus. “Don’t you remember me?” she called out once more. She thought she had heard the child’s voice, which was louder. “We’ve met at the church earlier today!” Avoiding a gap on the floor, she found where the voice came from a closed door to her left. The door was somewhat cool to the touch, so it was likely the room was intact. She hoped the boy hadn’t suffocated or burned to death. A child should never have to suffer through this grisly fate. She tackled on the door, bursting it open in one go. Inside was a bedroom that was spared by the fierce fires. Past a gold-lined bookshelf was a large bed in the corner. There was a small figure hiding underneath the fluffy blankets, shivering in fear. A head popped out of the sheets. It was the boy from the church. Upon seeing the Lone Wanderer, a bright smile appeared on the boy’s face. “Hey!” said the Lone Wanderer. She approached the boy. “C’mon, let’s get you out of here. Do you know where your parents are?” All mirth disappeared from his face. “I-I don’t know.” Tears started trailing down his face. “I don’t know where my mommy and daddy are! Do you know where they are?” The Lone Wanderer stood silent for a second. “I can only say they’re out there somewhere, safe and sound. The good Doctor made sure of that,” she shushed him. “You’re gonna be fine.” She turned around, finding that the room too would go up in flames, starting with the bookshelf. The floor underneath it crumbled into the inferno below. She looked back at the boy, whose eyes widened in fear as he crawled backward. He had trouble breathing. They needed to get out of here—and fast. “Okay…” She took her helmet off. Her eyes stung from smoke that had been let into the room and took off her gas mask. “Here. Put this mask on. You’ll be able to breathe easily through the smoke.” The boy put the gas mask on. “Great! Now let’s get out of here.” She held her arms out after putting her helmet back on. The boy leaped out of his bed and into her arms. The Lone Wanderer looked around for another exit. She and the boy couldn’t go back through the door since it collapsed. She looked out the window by the bed, getting a good view of the garden below. Not only did she saw the two guards out there, but also the boy’s parents. The mother broke down in tears, and the father struggled to escape from one of the guard’s grasps. The Lone Wanderer whipped out her pistol and fired once, shattering the window into a million pieces. “Hang on tight,” she told the boy as she holstered her weapon. The boy followed her advice, clutching her chest. She took a step back, preparing herself up for the moment, and charged forward. She leaped out, fire bursting out as if it played right out of a bad action movie. The ground quaked when she landed. The power armor’s servos made sure she wouldn’t get hurt from falling down. She set the boy down. As he gave her gas mask back, she put it away as the boy darting toward her parents after thanking her. “My God! We thought you were dead!” the mother cried and embraced her child. “We are in your debt!” said the father. “Thank you!” “No need. The three of you should get to safety,” Jocelyn replied. She parted ways with the family and the guards, leaving the collapsing mansion behind. She was certain she would meet the Doctor back at the church. On the way there, she found a fair-skinned woman with blond hair who collapsed in the middle of the street. She wore a short dress, her boots reaching up past her knees. In her hands were a short sword and a round blue shield, golden horns of an elk were inscribed on the shield. The sword was drenched in fresh blood. Remembering what her father taught her, Jocelyn paced to the young lady and rolled her on her back, making sure she could breathe easily. She held the woman’s hands as she placed her sword aside and checked her pulse by her neck. There was a pulse, faint from having lost consciousness. The woman groaned, her piercing blue-green eyes opening and blinking against the stinging smoke. “Wha…?” She looked on, dazed and confused. “Don’t move, okay? It looks like you’re in shock,” Jocelyn told her. “What’s your name? Can you remember your name?” “I… my name is Pyrrha,” the woman croaked. Pyrrha. Sounds like a nice name. “Okay, Pyrrha. Are you injured? Can you move?” “I don’t think I’m hurt. Thank you.” With Jocelyn’s help, the woman stood up. Suddenly, a wave of panic swept over here as she looked around for something. “Oh no,” she gasped. “No no no no! Where’s my sword!?” Jocelyn answered by picking up Pyrrha’s sword she placed nearby and gave it to her. “What happened here?” Jocelyn asked. Upon a closer look, Pyrrha had it worse compared to her scorched-up, dented armor. There were several nicks and scratches on the shield. Her shirt was torn up like someone had grabbed her by the collar too hard. Pyrrha bowed her head in shame. “There were people after me. They thought I started the fires, so they attacked me. Please! It-it’s not my fault!” “I’m sure it isn’t,” Jocelyn replied. She took Pyrrha’s free hand. “C’mon. The church is that way.” Pyrrha resisted, breaking away from Jocelyn with a look of terror on her face. “No. No!” She shook her head. “I can’t go there! They think I’m one of them, but I’m not! You have to believe me!” Jocelyn was surprised. Was she really a malfested? If so, why didn’t Pyrrha attack her now? Even if that were true, she wouldn’t hold out against her for that. She pursed her lips together and let out a sigh. “You’re not hurting me or anyone, so why does that matter now? I can get you to safety and protect you. If you’re affected, then the Doctor and I can find some way to help you. You’ll have to trust me on this one.” Pyrrha hesitated when she made a break for it and considered what Jocelyn had told her. Before she could speak, a sing-song and quirky voice let out. “Oh Pyrrha, my Pyrrha. You should know better than to talk to strangers! Especially one who’s armed and very, very dangerous!” The Lone Wanderer spun around, finding the voice’s owner to be a lithe and small woman. Her green rags made her look like a harlequin who took refuge from a circus show gone horrifically wrong. Her skin had matched her messy pigtails, drained of all color. The pale woman bounced with each step forward, a smug and condescending smile on her black lips. “And you,” she spoke to the Lone Wanderer. “I don’t think you belong in this place.” “No shit, Sherlock. What was your first clue?” Jocelyn shot back, frowning under her helmet. “What?” Jocelyn sighed. “Never mind.” Note to self: ask the Doctor when Sherlock Holmes was released. “Tira!” Pyrrha bowed down in shame. “I-I’m sorry, Tira! I didn’t mean to wander off like that!” Tira, the pale woman, shushed Pyrrha with a finger on her lips. “It’s okay; I forgive you.” She glanced at Pyrrha’s sword. “So you’re the knight errant my watchers told me!” Tira said, looking at the Lone Wanderer. “Your… watchers?” Jocelyn asked. Tira’s face brightened. “That’s right! They saw you and your friend stepping out of that blue box.” “What’re you...” Jocelyn stopped herself. “You mean that raven? Then what about the town? Was it your whole idea to burn it to the ground?” The pale woman’s smile turned dark and toothy—like she was enjoying this a little too much. Her childlike giggle unsettled Pyrrha, who stepped back. She knew where this was going, and she would not like it. “My my! Figured it all out, huh?” Tira sneered as she unslung a large ring-like blade off her shoulders. Jocelyn’s voice rose and fell in anger. “Why have all of these people killed? What are you getting out of it?” The expression on Tira’s face shifted from jolly to furious… and bloodthirsty. “Why? Why?! This was to make Pyrrha perfect! And you will not take her away from me!” Tira charged forward, swinging her weapon at the Wanderer’s chest. At first, Jocelyn was half-expecting it would cut the pale woman’s fingers off clean. But somehow, against all logic, Tira found a surprisingly elegant use for it. She swung it around like a hula hoop. It left behind a shallow gash across Jocelyn’s breastplate. Jocelyn grabbed her Holorifle and bashed Tira’s face with the stock. Tira recovered and dropped down, using her legs to swipe Jocelyn off her feet. It was ineffective, thanks to the power armor’s massive size. Jocelyn anticipated that, having dealt with people who tried this to her before. She stomped on Tira, but she moved away as well, tumbling backward. Jocelyn aimed her Holorifle and activated VATS. At about a few feet away, she would have an excellent chance to hit her, especially in the head. That wasn’t the case. With each shot she fired until it emptied, Tira endured it with nary a scratch on her face. Not even the photon particles did the trick. Tira responded with a kick to her stomach, applying enough force to not only knock Jocelyn back a few steps, but it also knocked the wind out of her. For someone so thin, she was quite strong. Tira followed that with a strike at her head. Jocelyn recovered and deflected that, using her free arm to shove the ring-like blade out of the way. She switched to her super sledge, hoping it would be enough. With little time to ready her stance, she deflected the pale woman’s flurry of blows. Each strike was more vicious than the last. All of a sudden, she found herself cornered, slammed against with enough force that it crumbled behind her. As she side-stepped, Tira stumbled, leaving herself vulnerable. Jocelyn struck her back with her pummel, stunning her. She then swung her sledgehammer like a Pre-War baseball player, sending Tira flying across the street and crashed into a market stand. The impact of the landing had split the stand in two. Tira was still alive, amazingly enough. Her breathing was short, shaky. Her ribs were probably broken from the impact. Jocelyn still needed answers. She approached Tira. Looking around, the fires were dying out. “Jocelyn!” She turned around to the Doctor dashing toward her, none worse for wear save for his panting and sweating. “Are you alright?” the Doctor asked. “I feel like I’ve been through hell.” Jocelyn craned her neck. She looked behind her and found Tira was gone. “What the—?” She looked around. “Pyrrha? Pyrrha!” she called out, raising her voice. Pyrrha didn’t answer; she was nowhere in sight. The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. “Who’s Pyrrha?” The Wanderer paused and bowed her head. “She was with someone who’s responsible for burning the down. Her name’s Tira. She said it was for her.” The Doctor frowned and narrowed his thick eyebrows. “If she was really doing it for someone, then she did a terrible job at it,” he growled. “Burning down an entire town, letting innocent people die, bringing in an invading force? Was she responsible for this?” Jocelyn nodded. “I think so. And she saw us arriving here.” “I see,” the Doctor replied. “Then everyone will be after her. I doubt they’ll show mercy. I would.” Jocelyn cocked her head, incredulous. “Even after what she had done?” “Yes.” That response would have soured her perception of the Doctor. However, she spared worse people. To lash out against the Doctor would make her a hypocrite. “Let’s get to the temple. We have to make sure there are survivors.”
The young man stood, motionless and dumbstruck. “The girl with the ringblade was there. From what you told me, she was responsible for sparking the flames.” He received reports on what happened in the town. There were casualties but thanks to the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer, the guards were inspired to minimize the damage. “Are you okay?” the Lone Wanderer asked. No, he was not all right. “I…” His legs shook, heavy under his weight. “You actually found my sister? Is she okay?!” The Lone Wanderer was taken back by this while the Doctor arched an eyebrow, confused on the matter. “You have a sister?” The young man had his mouth open, but no words came out. “Yes.” His head jolted up. “Yes, I do!” he grabbed his narrow red shield, his sword sheathed in it, by his bed. He showed it to the two. “Look! They have the same emblem!” He pointed to a pair of golden horns inscribed on his shield. The Lone Wanderer leaned in and studied it for a moment. “Yeah…” She paused before nodding. “Yeah, it looks kinda similar. Her shield was round and blue. Mean anything to you?” “So it was her.” His legs finally gave in, and he collapsed to his knees, dropping his shield beside him. He wept, tears trailing down his face. The last few times he was close to finding his sister, the girl with the ringblade was always one step ahead of him. Every single time. “Please, just… just tell me she’s okay!” She didn’t move. “I… I’m not sure. But I know what it was like, losing someone you cared about. It happened one too many times,” she said, looking at him. “I lost my father several years ago. He…” Her face squirmed. “He was trapped. In a room. His hand pressed against the glass door, telling me to run. He saved my life—and he died for it.” He stared back at the Lone Wanderer. “It’s that… she took my sister, destroyed my family. I want her and every other damned malfested to suffer!” The Doctor sighed. “There was this one troublesome lady, Bonnie. Terrible name for someone so menacing. She went through some hard times, but she wanted cruelty to beget cruelty. You think you’re the superior one here, but judging by the way you act, you’ll just be as cruel as her.” The young man was insulted. “How dare you speak to me that way!” he seethed. “I am a Holy Warrior!” The Doctor scoffed and stood up. “Oh sure, for all your talk of being holy and righteous, you’re no better than a bully. A bully who points at people they don’t like and say they’re the enemy.” He let out a deep sigh. “Okay. Give me something. Short-long, long-term… doesn’t matter. Visualize it. How are you gonna accomplish that? Go on, tell me.” “With Graf Dumas’s blessing, I’ll wipe out all the malfested and find my sister,” the man answered. “Then my sister and I will live out our days in peace.” The Doctor shook his head, frowning. He doesn’t seem convinced. “No. No, no, no. It’s clear you haven’t thought of the implications. What if I told you many of them are innocent? How many hearts will be broken, their lives shattered and lost from your self-righteous crusade? How many will flee from you in terror all because of your acts of cruelty?” The Doctor continued, seething. “What will your sister think of this? How would she feel if you strike her down like the others? And then what? When will you stop?” The Lone Wanderer was the one to speak, turning to the Doctor. “Let me handle this one.” She looked at the young man. “If you really care about your sister and want justice against Tira, then please—please don’t let your desire for vengeance get to you. You’re better than this.” The young man said nothing. The way she spoke reminded him of his teacher, Neve. He didn’t fully take his master’s warning against taking vengeance to heart. Maybe he should reconsider. He wanted to honor his mother’s memory and to make his sister happy. Was it all worth it? He turned his back against them. “You mentioned the shard had disappeared without a trace?” he asked, seeking a different topic. The Wanderer and the Doctor nodded. “Maybe it transported somewhere, or it could have disintegrated. Who knows what ancient artifacts can do?” the Doctor answered. “I see.” The young man sighed. “I have nothing else for you two. You’re dismissed.” He figured it was the right thing to do. Anything more and it would attract suspicion from the Graf. “But what—” the Lone Wanderer protested. “I said you’re dismissed!” he snapped, his whole body quivering with anger. The two departed. With pen and paper in hand, he started writing.
The chamber below the castle was dark, almost pitch black. Not even the torches mounted on the walls could illuminate the room. Part of the wall slid open, and a looming figure entered the room. Suddenly the torches lit up, revealing the room to be large and circular. It looked like it was a part of a massive underground system. More like a torture chamber. However, the stone walls were picked clean of the bloodstains, and the manacles were torn off. There weren’t even any tools and other items that could associate with torture chambers. The only thing left in the room was a plain pillar crowned by a translucent orb. There were markings all over the floor, faint but arranged perfectly. The figure was Nightmare. He was tall for his time and demonic in appearance. Covered in azure plate armor, he wore a horned, bat-like helmet with a thick mane of red hair reaching down to his waist. His right arm had been horribly deformed and twisted into a three-digit claw. A mess of hardened flesh and spikes went from his claws to his shoulder. He plunged a giant sword made of flesh and metal on the floor and approached the orb. There was something that troubled him since yesterday, like a part of him had died. A light tap from his unaffected hand left a ripple of light across the orb, which formed into moving images. It showed a pale man in a dark jacket—a time traveler. The other person was a woman in bulky armor, more powerful than a siege engine. The light from the orb disappeared. There was a grin underneath the demon’s helmet as his form contorted and changed into something else, something human. No matter, he mused. They will come to him, and they will pay for it.
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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Nov 16, 2016 7:10:56 GMT 1
Rejuvenation “You know, that whole thing was rather convoluted.” “You noticed that, didn’t you?” Jocelyn and the Doctor left the tent, leaving the young man by himself. It was a lot to take in. First, she responded to a distress signal calling for help. Even if it came from the Brotherhood of Steel, she couldn’t leave them to their fate. Next thing she knew, she was at the Doctor’s side, fighting through a horde of strange creatures to find a magical shard. Now they jumped from one universe to another and defended a Renaissance-era town from monsters. And she thought being abducted by aliens and her time with the Courier was strange. She asked the Doctor where they would go next as they made their way in the large encampment, passing by the numerous tents and campfires. “We’re back to square one. We should get back to the TARDIS,” the Doctor answered, more than a little exacerbated. “Remember that data I got from the shard? The one that turns out to be connected to this Soul Edge?” Jocelyn nodded. “That should help us. Point us in the right direction. I find it fascinating—and appalling—that people would risk everything to find a bloody sword.” It had gotten dark and slightly colder. Ignoring the crass talk of drunken men, the two entered the tent. Jocelyn found her suit of power armor and weapons inside, among the less advanced weaponry on the racks. She was grateful that no one else touched it. She got a fusion core out of her pack and planted it firmly in the back of the power armor. If you’re ever leaving power armor unattended, take the core out, she recalled Paladin Gunny’s lecture. We got a couple accidents where raiders stole our some of our power armor right under our nose. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you. She took that lesson to heart. The armor's back unfolded. She climbed in, and it folded over her body. People said she was fierce in battle, but with some cybernetic implants and the T-60 power armor, she could wrestle a Super Mutant Behemoth and make it cry uncle. However, she can’t let that get into her head. With the right setup, fusion cores can last a long time. She picked up the Holorifle and checked its ammunition. The lower barrel was full since she reloaded it earlier today. She turned around to see the Doctor leaving the tent, probably more than a little impatient standing around. And with that, she left the tent and quickly caught up with the Time Lord. They left the encampment, passing by a pair flags that represented Graf Dumas’ army. The silver stallion would’ve represented something majestic and noble, if not for the way it leered at her. Instead, it came off as haughty, having a low opinion of its lesser subjects. She wondered why the young man would be with them, of all people. Desperation and fear brought out the worst in everyone, she inferred. The trip back to the TARDIS was thankfully uneventful, save for the argument on why the Doctor wore his sonic sunglasses in the middle of the night. She had her headlight on, for god’s sake! “It has night-vision. Honest.” The Doctor had his usual wicked grin. “Don’t tell me your helmet doesn’t have night-vision!” The Lone Wanderer showed her confusion with her body expression, but she brushed it off with a sigh. “No, unfortunately. It didn’t come with night-vision. Sorry.” The Doctor shrugged. “Well, it should! What if someone could see you coming, with you shining like a beacon?” “Well…” Jocelyn had to agree. “My Pip-Boy does. Sometimes I forget to turn the damn light off. Would’ve avoided some fights. So yeah. Maybe you got a point there.” The Doctor had a smug smirk on his face, deeply satisfied with himself. They reached to the blue box, but they were not alone here. Her headlight flashed on a man leaning against the TARDIS. Fair-skinned, his messy black hair had silver patches in it. His clothes made him look like he could come off as a wolf-man. The tight leather pants, the ragged vest, and the fur-lined boots and gloves supported the assumption. On his bare, toned chest was a tattoo of a moon crest topped by a wolf’s head. He lifted his arm to his face to cover his turquoise eyes. “So you’re the two who saved that town. I guess I should congratulate you on that.” He chuckled and stood up. Jocelyn noticed an unusually designed sword hanging down at his hip. Instead of cross-guards, they were additional handles. It seemed like this Earth had a fascination with ways to create impractical weapons. “And you are?” Jocelyn asked. “An ally,” the man answered. “I got word you’re looking for something in particular.” “Yeah. A sword.” The Doctor took off his sunglasses. “Soul Edge. A dangerous weapon that shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands.” The man smirked, seemingly impressed. “If only that was obvious. If you’re looking for a way to destroy that sword, then I think we can work together. You should meet up with Siegfried. He’ll tell you more.” “Wait.” Jocelyn reached out to him. “It would help a lot if you tell us who you are and who this Siegfried is.” The man stopped and turned to her, placing his hands on his wrist. “It’s ZWEI. Remember that. And Siegfried’s in charge of the Schwarzwind. We’re the ones fighting against Graf Dumas.” He patted the TARDIS. “Nice, uh… box you got there. By the way, I don’t think I got your names.” “You can call me the Lone Wanderer if you like,” Jocelyn answered. “Or Wanderer for short.” ZWEI sighed. “I guess it’ll do. And you?” Jocelyn turned and pointed to the Time Lord. “He’s the Doctor.” ZWEI cocked an eyebrow, perplexed. “Doctor who?” They stood there in an awkward silence. “Uh… that’s correct,” said the Doctor.
Siegfried Schtauffen. Former member of a band of bandits and thieves, he wielded Soul Edge and became Nightmare, the Azure Knight, twice. To atone for his sins, he took up Soul Calibur to put an end to Soul Edge’s terror once and for all. For a while, it seemed to work. For once in his troubled life, he could find peace. A redemption well-earned, Hilda told him once before. Well-earned, indeed. But nothing would last forever. There had been sites of the malfested across Europe. A sure sign Soul Edge was coming back. He sought his old crew and shaped them into a clan of mercenaries, willing to fight for a good cause. He brushed strands of his long golden hair off his strong, fair-skinned face. It had been 16 years since he struck down Nightmare and old age caught up with him. After days of intense exercise, training the recruits, and logging around in heavy armor, his whole body ached and sweat. He was in his casual outfit: a simple white tunic and red leggings. His eyes dropped. That late already? He was about done with writing a report to Salia, his second-in-command. Supplies, local word, and the number of men involved; the usual stuff to keep track of for running a mercenary company. The only source of light in his room in the fortress was a candle on his desk, the smell of wax whiffing about in the air. He was getting worried. It had been longer than usual for ZWEI to be gone. He set out to investigate rumors of malfestation in Hungary. Siegfried could only pray for his friend’s safety. A sudden and strange noise—wheezing and groaning—jolted him up from his seat. He almost got his rather massive sword laid out nearby. Turning around, he found a blue box with a light on top of it appearing in the middle of his room. He can only stare out in disbelief, his jaw hanging out. “Huh?” he uttered. He heard muffled voices behind the blue box’s door. He recognized one of them. It was ZWEI. The doors burst open and out came a frail, pale old man in a jacket. “Hello! Are you Siegfried? Is this the right place?” The old man leaned toward Siegfried’s face. Despite his rather thick Scottish accent, the strange man managed to enunciate his words. “Yes. I am Siegfried.” The old man went back inside the box without saying another word. Almost immediately, ZWEI emerged from the box with a flabbergasted look on his face. “ZWEI,” Siegfried spoke, quickly regaining his composure. “I wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon.” “Yeah. Made it on time,” ZWEI replied with a small chuckle. “On time, heh. Anyway, don’t tell anyone, especially Viola. I’ll never hear the end of it.” He left Siegfried’s bedroom and muttered something else to himself. The old man opened the doors again. “Sorry about that. I’m the Doctor. Nice to meet you.” He shook Siegfried’s hand. “And she’s…” He turned behind him and was taken back by something inside the box. “Huh. She must’ve fallen asleep in that. I probably should ask her about her armor’s servos sometime.” He turned back to Siegfried and made a wild hand gesture. “Now, your friend, ZWEI, told me you know a lot about Soul Edge. That right?” Siegfried nodded. “Yes. So what do you want to know?”
Sunlight. Golden rays of light went through the window. Jocelyne’s eyes fluttered and opened. She lay on a simple bed, draped under a warm brown blanket. Someone got her out of her power armor when she passed out from a lack of sleep. She sat up and looked around. She was the only occupant in the barracks. It was the size of a small single-floor house with more than enough beds for a platoon. It was a miracle anyone would move around in here. The stone walls outside gave away the assumption she was in a castle or maybe a fortress. Gentle winds rustled the trees and sing-song chirps filtered out the silence. Was she in a forest with birds? They were not crows or ravens but birds. Real, living birds. And there was so much green, too. The lock on her Pip-Boy told her it was late in the morning. It was convenient that her Pip-Boy took time zones, as well as grasping the concept of time travel, into account. She looked out the window to a bunch of people on a flat plain surrounded by walls, training. Some were attacking the dummies with dull blades and sticks. Others were firing at targets made of hay; most of them had crossbows. Among them was a pale, elegant woman in plate armor, a mop of red hair trailing down her back. From the looks of it, she was instructing the recruits, aiding one by teaching him the precise strikes with a sword. Someone stepped inside. She turned to her right to the Doctor. “Had a good night’s sleep?” he asked. Jocelyn craned her neck. She must’ve slept in a rather awkward position. “Yeah, never better. Helps that the Monocyte Breeder patched me up.” The Doctor curled his lips in fascination, his hands in his pockets. “One question: does that implant produce leukocytes fighting against infectious cells?” “Kinda. It’s an implant that speeds up cell regeneration like in certain lizards and sea creatures like jellyfish.” The Doctor nodded. “I see.” Jocelyn’s stomach suddenly growled. When was the last time she ate? She lost track in all of this excitement. “Is there something to eat?” “If you don’t mind having bread and oatmeal for brunch, then sure.” “Let’s hope they taste better than anything made over 200 years ago.” She almost smirked. “Where’s my stuff? What about my power armor? My weapons?” The Doctor lifted his hands in front of him. “Don’t worry; they’re safe in the TARDIS. Nobody’s gonna go in and take them away.” What a relief! “Okay. Good. Anything I should know?” “Quite a bit, actually. I’ll fill you in on the details. C’mon.”
The Doctor was thorough yet direct in his explanations. While the Lone Wanderer ate, he started out with the history of the fortress. Located in the Black Forest in the Country of Germany, the citadel was built by the Romans long ago. Now, it was used by the Schwarzwind as a base of operations. As mentioned by ZWEI, Siegfried was the one running the mercenary band, which started out as a band of thieves. He was not the only one in charge of the group. Several other people were involved, including Hildegard von Krone, formerly the ruler of a small country known as Wolfkrone. She was the woman Jocelyn saw earlier. “You ever heard of the Treaty of Vienna?” the Doctor replied. Jocelyn shook her head. He continued on. “Religious tolerance toward the Calvinists, recognition of the Lutherans autocracy in Sopron. It also grants leadership to Stephen Bocskay. All in all, mostly giving rights and privileges. It may have happened in your world and countless others. It has yet to happen here… with some slight deviations.” “Like what? Putting an end to the malfested hunts?” Jocelyn asked. “Hopefully, but I doubt it.” The Doctor was somewhat quiet and melancholic. They were on their way to the war room, having been invited to speak to Siegfried himself. As they made a turn in the corridor, Jocelyn thought she heard something. A whisper, calm and soothing. A voice? Whose? It came from a room nearby. Having the urge to check it out, the Wanderer looked back at the Doctor and said, “I… I have to check it out. If I’m late, let them know.” The Doctor gave her the side-eye. “What? What are you doing? Don’t you know separating like that is a very bad idea?” Jocelyn glared back. “Didn’t stop us back at the town.” He sighed, conceding with her point. “Fine. I’ll go on ahead then. Don’t take too long.” Jocelyn slipped by, parting with the Doctor, and stepped into the room. Inside, relics, trophies, and artifacts littered—or rather, filled—in the tiny room. Some of them originate from eons past. Tags marked these objects said they would be claimed by the museums for study. They detailed their destination, their estimated date of arrival, when and where they were found, and various inferences to their history. Jocelyn found these brief descriptions fascinating to read. A pity she wouldn’t be able to spend all day here. Ever since she stepped into this room, the soothing voice became harder for her to ignore. It brought her attention to an untagged object mounted on the wall from across the room, underneath a window above her. Layers of thick fur covered the artifact from top to bottom. Going by its shape, it looked like a sword at about half her height. The voice sounded familiar to her. Where had she heard it before? She froze when her hand was just over the strange object. What was she thinking, following the will of a voice that entered her mind? Nothing good would come out of that! Still, unlike the red shard back in her world, this new voice was welcoming and kind. It understood. She grabbed the relic in question and uncovered it. The top of the object was a hilt made of solid crystal—and perfectly shaped like a grip—with a single sapphire placed firmly in the pommel. Despite its fragile appearance, the sword was sturdy. She was surprised it was weightless when she picked it up; it was like carrying a feather! Upon touching the hilt of the sword, it became brighter, taking on a blue hue. It grew so bright she had to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, the entire world spiraled around here. Everything shaped into a chaotic mess of shapes and colors. Before she knew what hit her, a jolt of pain coursed through her body, and consciousness abandoned her as she passed out.
“Come on, you’ve got to wake up!” Jocelyn’s eyes fluttered opened as she woke up. She stared at a familiar ceiling. The room she was in was gray, highlighted by a harsh and artificial light. It was a tell-tale sign she was in a well-maintained Vault. Alarms had blared out outside in the hallway. Something had gone wrong. She stood up from her bed, stupefied and half-tired. She turned to find a close friend in front of her. “Wake up!” Amata shook Jocelyn awake. “Come on, wake up!” Jocelyn looked up and down at herself, then at her friend. Dark haired tied into a ponytail, peachy skin, and hazel eyes; Amata took up a lot from her father, the overseer. Like Amata and everyone else in the vault, Jocelyn wore a skin-tight, gold-lined blue jumpsuit, with the number 101 patched on her collar. Just like the day she left the vault. Wait… she was back in Vault 101. What the hell was going on here? “Amata…? What’s wrong?” she asked. The overseer’s daughter breathed deeply, trying to settle her nerves. By the look on her face and the tone of her voice, she was terrified, fearful for Jocelyn’s safety. “You’ve got to get out of here! Your dad is gone, and my father’s men are looking for you!” Jocelyn stared out in disbelief. “Wha-what do you mean, my dad is gone? He…” “I mean he’s left the Vault! I don’t know how, but he’s gone and my father…” Amata hesitated in her words. She wouldn’t like she what she was saying. “He’s kind of gone crazy.” Jocelyn was dumbstruck. “I’ve never seen you so scared in your life, Amata. What happened?” “It’s Jonas… they killed him! My father’s men. They took him and…” Her eyes watered. That was when Amata broke down. “Oh my god. You have to leave, now!” Jocelyn reached out and touched her shoulders. She was that close to hugging her childhood friend, to comfort here. “Hey. Are you okay?” she asked, trying to stay calm. Amata nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry about me. I’m just sorry you had to find out like this. I know Jonas was your friend. But we’ve got to go now! My father’s men will be here any minute!” Jonas had stuck around ever since she was an infant. As her father’s assistant, he always helped out, always looking up to her father. Hell, she even remembered the dorky smile on Jonas’s face when he told her of a surprise from her dad on her 10th birthday. And he kept that smile when he took a picture of her with a radroach she killed with her new BB gun. And now… now he was dead. For what? Why did her father leave her with a man who snapped? What led him to set out to the outside world? “That’s impossible. My dad couldn’t have left. The door’s sealed shut,” Jocelyn insisted. Her friend looked rather surprised when she heard Jocelyn said that. “Not anymore, apparently. But… are you honestly telling me you had no idea your dad was leaving? He really didn’t tell you?” Jocelyn shook her head. “Oh.” Amata lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I’m sure he had his reasons. Maybe Jonas was supposed to explain everything to you?” She looked up and assumed a confident posture. “But it doesn’t matter. I can help you escape. I have my own plan!” “Escape the Vault? How?” “Listen. There’s a secret tunnel that leads directly from my father’s office to the exit. You’ll have to hack the computer in his office to open it.” Amata pulled a small box of bobby pins out of her pocket and gave it to Jocelyn. “Use it to get in. That’s how I always get in,” she said with a wry smile. Jocelyn nodded urgently. It was either escape to the world outside to find her father or remain here and be executed by the Overseer’s men. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get out of here!” “Oh, one more thing.” Amata gave Jocelyn a blocky laser pistol along with its holster. “I stole one of my father’s guns. I hope you won’t need it, but you’d better take it just in case.” She also gave her several fusion cells. Jocelyn glanced at the pistol in her hands. Mint condition, like it had never fired before. She had no problem with dealing radroaches and other pests. But a human being, especially ones she knew practically all her life? She couldn’t be so sure if she can do that. She looked back at her friend. “Thanks, Amata. I promise I’ll use it as a last resort.” Amata nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to meet you at the exit. Watch out for security. Good luck!” With that, she took a deep breath before making a run for it. Jocelyn strapped the holster around her right thigh and put the new pistol in it. She grabbed a baseball bat and her old BB gun, and its pellets, by the desk. If she hadn’t stopped, she would forget to grab some spare Vault jumpsuits, her baseball cap, and the 14th issue of Grognak the Barbarian. On the way out, she opened the first aid kit at the door and grabbed a stack of stimpaks. As she stepped out of her bedroom, she found herself in a white, featureless void. No alarms blaring out in the distance. Only silence greeted her. Jocelyn jolted up and looked behind her. There was nothing out there. It was a memory from nine years ago. That was when she was forced to leave Vault 101. She found she was back in her tattered clothes. The stuff she gathered in her old bedroom—gone. It might’ve been a hallucination like the one she had back in Point Lookout. She cursed, regretting separating from the Doctor. Suddenly, a bright light swept over her. Everything distorted and changed around her. As the light cleared, she found herself in a large circular room, standing on a catwalk above a pool of water. A glass barrier encircled the large control room inside. If she squinted now, she could see the statue of Thomas Jefferson in the center, submerged in the purifier’s water. In the control room, her father was being held hostage by Colonel Autumn, a peach-skinned man in a long coat with graying hair. He was the Enclave’s commanding officer, answering only to John Henry Eden himself. He gunned down Janice Kaplinski, Madison Li’s assistant, with his 10mm pistol when his demands for the control of Project Purity weren’t met. Her father, shocked and angry at the senseless violence, seemed to comply at first. As her father turned his attention to the central console, a wave of fear and panic swept of Jocelyn. She pounded the stock of her plasma rifle on the emergency bulkhead. The button to open it wouldn’t work; an override command had prevented it. She had to get in there somehow! But the door was too strong to crack open. A small explosion rumbled in the control room, and the Geiger counter on her Pip-Boy started ticking. Radiation. The Enclave troopers in intimidating-looking power armor collapsed in agony. Colonel Autumn would have been next, but he pulled a syringe out of his coat and struck it into his forearm. Her father was the last one standing but not for long. He hobbled across the room to the bulkhead. Resting his hands on the glass, he looked at his daughter for one last time. Her eyes welled up with tears. She went through hell and back to reunite with her father. Why did it have to end here now? “Run… run!” her father pleaded. He crumbled to the floor, dead. Her knees gave up, and she fell. She wanted the radiation to kill her in hopes she could be with her father in a better world. But he sacrificed his life to save her and the others. She wouldn’t want to put that in vain. “We have to get out of here,” Madison Li called out. “They’ll be coming for us next. We’ve got to evacuate now!” The last word echoed and Jocelyn had whisked away to a different place, a different time by the bright light. “Look, it just… you have to know these things. I’m not going to be around to hold your hand forever,” her father told her the day before he left the Vault. It was 2278. It had been months since Project Purity had been activated. Not only that but the Enclave had been decimated with the destruction of Adams Air Force Base. However, Elder Owyn Lyons was dying. Despite the dangers of the Capital Wasteland, he had lived a long life. He lay on a bed, an old Auto-Doc with many arms placed at his side. A fair-skinned woman with golden hair tied in a ponytail kneeled beside him. Jocelyn found it unusual. Sarah, his daughter, was normally in power armor. She wore an orange and gray Brotherhood of Steel uniform. As Sarah held her father’s hand, the Elder smiled back at her. Jocelyn stood by, watching without uttering a word. At the Elder’s request, she went closer without rancor. “I’m proud of you. Both of you,” Elder Lyons said. Jocelyn had held his hand as well. “Sarah, you’ve made the Brotherhood proud. I’m more than certain you’ll do great things as my successor.” “Thank you, Father. I won’t let you down,” Sarah replied, holding back tears. “And you, Wanderer. If only your parents could see you now.” He coughed harshly. “The… the Project had been successful. The Enclave had all but been eradicated. People now have a source of clean and plentiful water, all thanks to you and your father.” Jocelyn smiled. She was proud she could help out. But deep down, in her hearts of heart, she wished he could see her father, many years from now, resting on his own deathbed. “For my final command as Elder, I shall grant you the title of Sentinel. You’ll be placed as my daughter’s second-in-command as well as her advisor.” It was getting difficult for him to breathe. “If only… if only… there were more people like you… helping out… fighting the good fight, then the world would surely be a better place.” He exhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and he passed away. The monitor flat lined. “Time of death: October 23, 2278. Hell of a suitable date,” Sawbones, the Mr. Gutsy doctor, remarked. “I’ll inform the others of his passing. May God watch over him.” Neither Sarah nor Jocelyn said anything. The multi-armed robot left the infirmary in the Citadel. “I’m sorry, Sarah,” said Jocelyn. “I know what it’s like. Losing a father is tough.” Sarah shook her head and gently placed her father’s hand on the bed. She stood and said, “Thank you but no need. It’s fine. I'm all right.” By the tone of her voice, she clearly wasn’t. The bright light returned, enveloping everything in sight. Jocelyn remembered how things were looking up under Sarah’s leadership, though not everyone would agree with that assessment. Sarah was gruff, harsh but loyal to her father’s cause. But it didn’t last for long. When the news of her death hit, being devastated would be an understatement. Five years had passed, and Jocelyn was on a mission. One that went down south. She was in a faraway city that stretched for miles. They were once skyscrapers, the pride of the Old World, but now they were crumbling ruins. There was also a storm sweeping across the city, covering everything in a blanket of sand. Good thing she was in her new T-60 power armor. Otherwise, her eyes would’ve hurt like hell. “I always wanted to see Chicago. Never knew what it was until ED-E told me. But it could do without all the murderous, rampaging robots here.” A beep in protest. “Not you, ED-E!” Even if they were in danger, he somehow found a way to make a joke. She turned to the man who called himself the Courier, crouching next to her in a railcar. A military mask covered his chiseled and scared face, protecting it from headshots and his eyes from sandstorms. He wore a Vault jumpsuit, the number 21 marked on his collar. From neck to shin, leather paddings covered parts of his body. Next to him was a Sputnik-shaped robot, floating above the ground. It was an Eyebot and a unique one at that. The Courier called him ED-E—Eyebot Duraframe Subject E for short. His old master, Dr. Whitley, died when she raided the Enclave’s mobile base all these years ago. “Could you two keep it down?” Jocelyn quietly hushed the two and poked her head out. She raised her Holorifle the Courier gave her and looked through the scope. At first, there was nothing. As the winds intensified, silhouettes moved in the distance—and closing in fast. There were dozens of humanoid-shaped robots, no doubt the infantry. Accompanying them were two spider-shaped behemoths of robots, with cannons large enough to prove their immense firepower. These robots were made and sent by the Calculator. According to old Brotherhood archives discovered by the Storyteller, the Calculator was a unique computer that used human brains, not unlike robobrains. Decades ago, a renegade Brotherhood faction attacked the Calculator and succeeded, but somebody found hosts for the vast machine. A laser beam flew across the street, and she ducked. The laser missed her head by mere inches. Despite the laser’s intense heat, the railway surprisingly held up. She bet one of them was an assaultron. Having a feminine figure, these types of robots were fast and deadly, equipped with a powerful laser beam and dual blades for close-quarter combat. She turned to the Courier once more. She couldn’t help but imagine the smirk hiding underneath his helmet. “We’re in a city tag-teamed by a bunch of nuclear bombs, we’re fighting an army of robots, and we’re knee-deep in brass. None of this makes sense!” the Courier remarked. The Lone Wanderer sighed. “Look, we have to retreat.” “And let them catch up on our tails? I don’t think so.” The Courier shook his head in protest. “Remember that building we passed by earlier?” He pointed to a skyscraper nearby. Judging by the large billboard at the front, it was a weapons research facility. “There are gaps above that would make good vantage points. Bet it has some nifty weapons in it.” He looked and patted his robotic friend. “ED-E, listen to me. You’ve got to fly far and fly fast, alright?” ED-E beeped in protest. “Don’t give me that! You know me. There’s a non-zero chance I’ll make it through this.” Was he out of his damn mind? Before she could protest, he told her, “Trust me on this one, okay? I know what I’m doing. Just cover me.” With that, he hopped out of the railcar and charged into the raging sandstorm. She can only hope that plan of his would work. If it didn’t, then he just signed their death warrants. She can take on many things: deathclaws, malfunctioning robots, elite Enclave soldiers. Hell, even aliens, of all things. But going up against giant robots deadlier than Chimera tanks? She wasn’t so sure for her chance of survival. No. She had to focus and stay alive. She took a deep breath settle her nerves and steadied her aim. She fired her Holorifle, taking out a foot soldier going after the Courier in a single shot. ED-E, defying his master’s orders, fired its blue laser at the assaultron who fired on them. He swayed out of the laser’s path when the female robot charged and fired, unscathed. The assaultron tumbled forward to the ground as bolts of laser and protons hit its legs. The Courier dashed across the street, taking out a sentry bot with a few well-placed shots from his rifle. He caused enough damage for the bot to overcharge and explode into a million pieces. The damaged assaultron dragged itself and grabbed his ankle, yanking him off his feet. He pulled out his M1911 pistol and fired at the robot at the same time as Jocelyn shot. With that, it turned the robot into scrap. More robots converged on the Courier as he was close to the building. He shoved a few along the way though one managed to stab him in his side with a blade. Blood trailed down his body as he burst the door open and went inside. So he got in. Good. Now all she and ED-E had to do was hold the line. She looked to the Courier at a large hole somewhere on the upper levels. He held a large, handheld catapult—a Fat Man. Several mini-nukes were resting beside him. He grabbed one of the mini-nukes and stuffed it into the Fat Man and fired. The mini-nuke landed on the top of one giant robot, leaving behind a blinding, devastating mushroom cloud that blasted anyone in its vacancy. The behemoth of a robot crumbled, landing on top of a large squad of robots, squishing them into pancakes. Jocelyn was knocked off her feet. Meanwhile, ED-E crashed into the wall behind him. The railcar rattled, nearly flying off the ground. She grabbed the eyebot and stepped forward, using the weight of her armor to put the car back into place. Right as the Courier loaded and launched another mini-nuke, another behemoth turned and fired its massive cannons at his spot. Pieces of rock and metal flew in all directions. The top of the building collapsed, and the rest of the infrastructure followed, collapsing under its own weight. What remained now were demolished robots all over. Where the building once stood, a pile of rock and rebar were in its place. She looked through the scope to double-check. Still nothing. His body was nowhere in sight. ED-E squealed in anguish and zipped out of the boxcar. Jocelyn could only stare out in shock. No. He couldn’t have gone out like that, she told herself. He was tougher than that. He would have leaped out of the way and landed safely. She hoped that was the case. She trailed behind the eyebot. “C’mon, ED-E! If he’s here alive, then we have to dig him out!” As she reached to dig through the wreckage, she tripped and fell ahead, landing with a dull thud. Groaning, she stood and looked around her surroundings. She was in a vast and circular room, the torches lit up. The stone walls around her were stained with blood. If she looked below, she wouldn’t see anything past ten feet through the grated floor. Wait a minute, I don’t remember this happening before, she realized. She turned around, meeting face to face with a tall figure covered in azure armor from head to toe. His right arm was grotesque and claw-like. Spikes liked up from his shoulder and his elbow. The armored figure looked down and her and let out a dark chuckle. The figure lunged at her with a giant blade made of flesh and metal. Everything went black.
“Jocelyn!” The Lone Wanderer let out a long gasp, and she opened her eyes and jolted up. Cold sweat took hold of her as her heart pounded against her chest like beating drums. Her eyes met with the Doctor’s face when she looked up. Standing next to the kneeling Time Lord was a middle-aged man with long blond hair. “Who…?” she asked. The Doctor brought her up to her feet. She looked around. Jocelyn was back at the trophy room. It was early in the afternoon, so she probably hadn’t been out for long. “I am Siegfried,” the middle-aged man answered. “I assume you’re the Doctor’s companion? Are you all right?” Jocelyn’s breathing became heavy, her mind going to a million places at once. “I… what was that?” she exclaimed. “Why would it show me these things?!” “The sword you touched is Soul Calibur,” a woman nearby spoke with a London accent. “Though it’s unusual for it to bring you… whatever it is you saw.” Jocelyn turned to a pale woman, standing as tall as her, with white hair, though her hair was either dyed or of a natural color. The tall woman wore a pair of leather high-heel boots reaching up to her thighs. A white linen shirt and a royal violet tail vest went over her chest. With her well-endowed chest and angular face, a lot of people would have swooned over her for miles. “Who are you?” Jocelyn asked. “Ivy,” the woman answered. “Anyway, we came here when there was a flash of light and found you here, unconscious.” “Okay, one question,” the Doctor asked. “What is Soul Calibur?” Before either Ivy or Siegfried could answer, he raised his index finger. “No, wait. Another question: what did it do to my friend?” His face scrunched, and his voice seethed with anger. The sudden shift in his mood surprised Ivy and Siegfried. Hell, it even unsettled the Lone Wanderer. He wasn’t even that angry back at the town. “It is a spirit sword created to destroy Soul Edge,” Siegfried explained. He was carrying the crystal sword in his hands. Most of it was still draped in leather. “I was its wielder once, sixteen years ago. I took up the sword to atone for my sins as Nightmare.” He paused and lowered his head. “And for killing my father with my own hands.” The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. “That’s good to know. So why did it knock my friend out?” he repeated the question. “How should I know?” Ivy protested with a shrug. “The one you should ask is your friend.” He sighed, calming himself down a little, and turned his gaze toward Jocelyn. She knew what he would say. “I… I saw bits and pieces of my memories,” she said with hesitation. “And a white void. I saw my dad, my friends Amata and Sarah. I even saw that Courier, Ethan. But the people I knew and cared about are either dead or out of reach.” Her voice broke into a sob. The Doctor reached out and pulled into a gentle hug. “I’m not really a hugging person, but I’ll make this another exception.” Jocelyn had to admit, it felt nice to get a hug from someone else. It seemed like forever since she had one. For once, there was someone who did not want to kill her. Not slavers, raiders, the Enclave, or even fanatical Brotherhood members. It was just someone looking out for anyone that needed help. Like her. “Listen,” the Doctor told her. “Bad things happen to everyone. Sometimes. Sad things happen to us sometimes, too. But despite all that, you didn’t let them define who you are. You overcame them. And you did a lot of good, saving lives, helping them. Never let them stop you, you hear?” Jocelyn nodded and smiled but said nothing, even as they parted. She was speechless—this was all she ever wanted to hear. “Sounds like they were all good people,” Siegfried commented. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He looked down at the spirit sword. “Perhaps… you might be more worthy of the sword than me.” “Worthy? How?” Jocelyn asked, surprised and more than a little confused. “He means that those chosen by Soul Calibur have a great potential to do good,” Ivy explained. “It won’t reach its full potential without the three treasures protected by the Orient. I’ve heard of you saving a town from the malfested.” She let out a small but proud smile. “That should more than suffice.” “So are you willing to take up this sword and aid us?” Siegfried asked, his voice filled with determination and authority. He reached out with the sword in hand. Within her presence, it glowed with a radiant glow. It was like it was calling to her, wanting her to use it. She reached out with her hand but stopped. Could she take that much power, after all she went through? “I would love to help you, but… I can’t accept the sword. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.” She dropped her hand to her side. The Doctor looked on and nodded in approval. “The Doctor’s right. Bad things to everyone and I can’t change that. I can’t turn the clock back and make things right. A magical sword probing the hippocampus to… to bring clarity to traumatic memories won’t help.” No one responded. She continued. “It doesn’t change the fact that my father’s dead, that I won’t step foot into Vault 101 again, or that my friends are either dead or gone. It doesn’t work like that. I had years to grieve and mourn. That thing opened up old wounds that shouldn’t be reopened. I can’t trust it, I’m sorry.” A dejected Siegfried sighed. “I understand. I’m sorry.” He and Ivy went for the exit. “If you truly wish to help us, then meet me in the war room. Hilde and the others are making a plan as we speak.” With that said, the four left the trophy room, with Siegfried carrying Soul Calibur in his hand. It glowed dimly.
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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Nov 27, 2016 21:46:04 GMT 1
The Stage of History Transylvania. Like any other named European country, it had a dark and bloody history in part thanks to Vlad the Impaler. The terrain was flat, a valley floor between mountain ranges and thus perfect for invading armies. Not only did it go through a rebellion in this world’s time, but malfested hunts also plagued the region. Most of the victims in the hunt were never malfested. The hunts drew support when it started years ago, but it quickly faded when Graf Dumas executed or framed anyone who questioned him. Despite the waning support, he held power over Hungary and the surrounding regions. Like every other instance of mass hysteria, the innocent were always the ones who suffered the most. Although Tira was responsible for bringing the malfested horde to the town, scouts have traced them back to Transylvania. Not only that but Graf Dumas made frequent visits there, presumably to maintain control. There might have been something that would connect him with the malfested, but maybe not. Still, it was worth checking out. Siegfried and some of his closest friends and allies accompanied the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer. They couldn’t bring their army, lest they would attract too much attention. The journey to Transylvania took several days to reach. However, Jocelyn had to make due by requesting a wagon sturdy enough to hold her power armor. The two had gotten to know more about Siegfried’s allies. ZWEI dodged their questions about himself, like the meaning behind his name aside from being ‘two’ in German. And there was Viola. She was a strange one. Lithe and rosy-skinned with a youthful face, the white-haired woman wore a black-and-red robe with a crimson sash wrapped around her arms and back, a tell-tale sign of a fortune teller. The veil around her face had helped the assumption. As the Lone Wanderer sat by the campfire one night, after hours’ worth of cleaning the dirt off her power armor, she noticed the woman fell into a trance. Her red eyes rolled to the back of her head as a crystal ball rose inches above her palms. Jocelyn raised an eyebrow as she observed the strange woman. The campfire crackled and snapped, spitting sparks. It burned as bright as the orb in the chilly, dark night. If Jocelyn looked up now, she would see various stars out in the distance, forming into patterns familiar to many astronomers. She noticed the strange woman never talked much. Who was she? No one else talked about her, come to think of it. She stood up and approached Siegfried and the Doctor by one of the tents. ZWEI was out patrolling the grassy hillsides, and Hilde was at Vienna assisting in the negotiations. Viola was deep in her trance, so she was unable to respond now. The Doctor and Siegfried were talking—or rather, arguing. The Doctor was wearing his sunglasses. And, rather unwisely, in the middle of the night. “What’s going on?” Jocelyn asked. “Oh, Jocelyn! It’s nothing. He’s getting worked up over nothing,” the Doctor answered with a smug grin. “It’s about his… sunglasses,” Siegfried interjected. “Doctor, I still don’t understand, even after your ramblings. How can you see with them?” “They do help me see clearly at night.” The Time Lord smiled manically. He pointed both of his fingers to his sunglasses “They're kind of fashionable and versatile. Can’t argue with that.” Siegfried sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Clearly, I’m arguing with a madman.” “A madman with a blue box,” the Doctor corrected him. It took her a few seconds to realize they were the Doctor’s sonic sunglasses. “Oh. Oh. Uh, Siegfried, they’re… uh… I should tell you they have unique properties. Some of them you might find interesting.” “Such as Ivy’s alchemy?” Jocelyn stood still with a blank expression on her face. She had to remind herself that this was the 17th century, so the technology wasn’t as advanced. If she recalled correctly, Alchemy was an early form of chemistry. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that. But that’s not why I’m here.” Siegfried blinked, somewhat in confusion. “Is there something else you want to know?” Jocelyn gazed at the fortune teller before turning back to Siegfried. “It’s about Viola. Can you tell us anything about her?” The Doctor took off his sunglasses and looked on with intrigue. “I’m afraid I know very little about her,” Siegfried answered. “ZWEI found her when the townsfolk set up a mob, and they’ve been companions ever since.” “By the way, it’s precognition. Foreseeing events before they happen, reading multiple timelines at once,” the Doctor commented. “Also remembering things in the wrong direction, depending on who you ask.” “Divination is not a form of science. It’s superstition,” Jocelyn insisted. “We’re also talking about how it plays into free will.” “Yet the spirit sword gave you visions of your past and future,” Siegfried replied, rubbing his chin. “Her abilities are quite fascinating. We heed her words carefully, and they have helped us many times. However, her methods are… strange, to say the least.” “So how does it work?” the Doctor asked, curling his lips together. “Tarot cards? Numerology? Interpreting dreams? Maybe even psychohistory or the use of a quantum transducer?” As if to answer the Time Lord’s question, Viola snapped out of her trance and stood up, the orb still in her hands. “I see many faces from him, each a different one, a different man. Fire. Ice. Rage. He’s ancient, ever so burning at the center of time. And he’s dangerous, but you can trust him.” Her voice was monotone as if she was stripped of all emotion. “A blue moon is rare, different from a full moon. Setting up a different light makes all the difference.” Jocelyn cocked an eyebrow at Viola. Her mouth gaped open in confusion. “That makes no sense.” “Blue means good fortune on those who deserve it most. However, a crimson moon leads to tragedy,” the seer explained. “You mentioned a full moon. What’s that about?” Small branches snapped and crunched from a pair of footsteps, and ZWEI emerged from the shadows. He was none worse for wear. “Haven’t seen any of the Graf’s assassins after us, so that’s a plus.” “That is fortunate. How much farther until we get to the castle?” Siegfried asked. “Shouldn’t take us all day to get there.” Siegfried nodded, satisfied. “Good. It’s getting late, and we all need some rest. We’ll head out in the morning.”
Early in the morning, before the first rays of sunlight went through the trees, the group began packing up. They folded up their tents, stacked pots and pans that were recently cleaned, and cleared the campfire, scattering the ashes to remove any trace of the group being here. With Jocelyn in her power armor, she did most of the heavy lifting—literally in this case. “A red moon awaits us,” Viola said. She never said anything else. The Doctor tensed. That meant a terrible incident would befall them, right? “I’m not surprised. We’re going up against Dumas, after all,” ZWEI responded after tightening the straddle on his chestnut horse. “That crystal ball tell you anything specific?” The white-haired seer peered into her gleaming orb. Frowning, squinting, a look of confusion appeared on her face as she shook her head. “No. Strange.” “Lovely.” ZWEI groaned slightly as if he would not like what was going to happen. He approached Siegfried, who now wore plate mail with an emblem of a golden eagle inscribed on his breast. His sword, hanging down his back, completely covered in layers of thick leather. The Doctor can infer that was Soul Calibur, which was odd that he didn’t want anyone to find he took the spirit sword. “So, Captain, do we stick with the plan? Sneak into Graf Dumas’s palace and know what that bastard was up to?” ZWEI asked. He almost sneered when he mentioned the Graf’s name. “Maybe do a frontal assault? If I remember right, most of us can take on platoons.” He smirked and gazed toward the Doctor behind him. “Not sure about our… time traveling friend here, though.” The Doctor scoffed and let out a small cough, insulted at the prospect that he was useless. “Obviously, you don’t know me very much.” Siegfried shook his head. “I know you want to kill Dumas, ZWEI, but discretion is the better part of valor. You’ll get your chance soon enough. We’re here to investigate, not to start a war. Doctor, I assume you have any ideas?” Eagerly, the Doctor whipped out a piece of leather with a paper slip inside it. He showed it to Siegfried, who leaned forward with an arched eyebrow. “It’s blank,” Siegfried remarked. “Doctor, how would that help us?” The Doctor’s eyes widen in surprise. “It doesn’t work? I rarely met someone who can see through this trick.” He put the slip away. “It’s psychic paper. Shows what I want them to read, but it can only work on anyone who isn’t smart as you.” “Sounds useful. It looks like you’ll be our distraction while we sneak in,” ZWEI remarked. “Sure, I always wanted to be—” The Doctor stopped himself. He immediately realized what he had agreed to, his mouth slightly agape. “Oh. I’m the distraction?” He smiled warily. “Well, it can’t be that bad then.” “So the matter is settled,” Siegfried stated. “Our scouts have found a secret passage underneath the fortress. However, they never got far before they had to flee from Dumas’s men.” “So it’s up to us.” Jocelyn approached Siegfried and the Doctor. “The fortress is heavily guarded, we use the Doctor as a distraction, as much as I hate it, we sneak in, and hope for the best. Have I got that right?” “Yes, that’s correct,” Siegfried answered. The Doctor zipped his head back from Siegfried to the Lone Wanderer and back to him. “Wait, wait, wait,” he shook his head, raising his hands in front of him. “Wait, shut it. Shut up. Let me think.” He paused before continuing. “Don’t I have a say in this?” Siegfried shook his head, ignoring what the Doctor said, and climbed on his horse. He set off, and the rest followed behind. “Well, have fun storming the castle!” the Doctor joked and smirked. No one heard him since everyone else was already ahead of him. He sighed and climbed on his horse. The horse neighed, and the Doctor understood what he said. The horse’s name was Susan, and the Doctor respected that life choice. He had a horse like him before, and it was his. With that, he caught up with the others as they traveled down the dirt road.
“Alright, I admit, this castle is a little less… foreboding than I imagined,” the Doctor remarked. He dismounted his horse not far from the vast castle with pointy, red rooftops. “I’m expecting it to look dark with bats flying around and…” He stopped flailing his arms around like a mad Scotsman he was. He should know better than this, making a drastic scene of himself. Also, it was daytime, close around afternoon. As for the castle itself, even from this distance of a mile away, it looked imposing, all right. Set in a forest, the castle had a long and vast bridge at the front before greeting the closed gate ahead. Those classic horror movies love to embellish the scary details, especially Dracula. At least no one was around watching him. A whoosh got his attention, and he turned around, finding his horse gone, disappeared into thin air. Was he being watched? Letting out an exasperated sigh, he rolled his eyes. He cupped his mouth and bellowed out, “Hey! I know you’re out there! And I know about you summon a wolf spirit, ZWEI! Best you knock it off! Also, would you kindly send out a signal?” There was a pregnant pause. He hoped he didn’t come off as an old man yelling at the clouds. “Pretty please?” he begged, quietly this time. He looked around. To his right, a bright, flashing light blinked three times. Among the tall trees was a large, dark gray figure waving at him. That must be Jocelyn. She disappeared. A deep breath and a determined look on the Doctor’s face, he set off on foot over the bridge to the castle. He knew what to do.
“Is that necessary to use… whatever you pulled off?” Jocelyn asked, struggling to find the words for what she saw. To reiterate, she saw a strange silver wolf spirit with a metal crescent stuck in its stomach. It manifested out of ZWEI as if it had crawled out of an old TV set. It whisked the Doctor’s horse to a sturdy, short pole nearby with the other horses and tied the reins around it. It was surprising to see the horse not reacting much to what happened. ZWEI chucked. “If we were any more conspicuous, this plan would’ve utterly failed.” The wolf spirit disappeared after the Doctor set off. Jocelyn knelt down after waving to the Doctor. “But what was that you did?” she asked, almost in disbelief. “That was EIN. No idea where he came from, just that he saved my life in a lot of ways. Hell, some idiot thinks I’m a werewolf.” Jocelyn scoffed underneath her helmet. “That’s not how werewolves work. You turn into a werewolf under a full moon and howl all night. Of course, it could be hormones triggered by stress—” “Wow, you have no imagination,” ZWEI shot back. “That’s enough, you two,” Siegfried stepped in. “This is not the time for arguing. We have a mission to focus on.” “Alright, Captain.” ZWEI was rather quick to drop the subject. They watched as the Doctor met up and argued with the guards across the bridge. One of them, a captain judging by his more-decorated armor compared to his men, had his face blushing red with anger before the Doctor slipped out his psychic paper and showed it to the man. The guard nodded, falling for whatever deception the Doctor pulled off. After the guard had barked an order, the portcullis rose and then fell when the Doctor entered inside the castle’s courtyard. Viola created a warding incantation to prevent the horses from being stolen. A bright pink aura glowed around the horses as strange markings on the ground. First, that spirit wolf and now Viola’s magic tricks. Again, Jocelyn thought being abducted by aliens and her time spent with the Courier was strange. She wondered if traveling with the Doctor would be just as weird. No one spoke as the four made their way through the forest on foot. Dry leaves and slender twigs crunched under their footsteps, more so for the Lone Wanderer. Her power armor left deeper footprints on the ground. As the massive castle drew closer and closer, Jocelyn’s mind wondered, pondering about questions she had. “I can’t believe I haven’t asked you yet but why are you with us?” said Jocelyn. “And why did you bring that sword?” “What, Soul Calibur?” ZWEI let out a small scoff. “Hell, knowing you, I half-expect you to take it. You got guts, you know that?” “I don’t trust it, ZWEI. Not after what it did to me.” Siegfried paused, stopping in his tracks. The others trailing behind him also stopped, making ZWEI and Viola wonder what was going on. “Do you remember what I said back at the citadel?” he asked. “Yeah. You said you were Nightmare once, and you took up Soul Calibur to make up for what you did,” Jocelyn answered. “Still, why did you come with us?” Siegfried tilted his shoulder towards Jocelyn. “I fear that Nightmare may be here. In the castle.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I have brought Soul Calibur because it is the only way to destroy Soul Edge. However, it has always returned. Sometimes I wonder if this world is worth fighting for.” He did not show it, but his voice tinged with a bit of frustration. “Hey cheer up, Captain. If not for us, then who would be able to stop it?” ZWEI placed his hand on Siegfried’s shoulder. “Besides, we’re with you to the end. Me, Viola, Hilde, Ivy…” Siegfried’s eyes meet with ZWEI’s. “Very well, ZWEI,” he nodded and turned away. “I should warn you about Nightmare. Soul Edge transforms even the meekest into an unstoppable force. Should any of you come across him, be wary of his power.” “Noted,” Jocelyn spoke. With that, they continued on their way.
The four spotted an arch-like, uneven entrance at the bottom of a hill by the castle. It wasn’t easy to find; it was large enough for a deathclaw to fit through with no problem. By a narrow and shallow river, there was an old stairway leading to the cave. On the way here, none of the four had encountered any guards patrolling the area. They didn’t even spot any by the cave. Either they were never there, or the Doctor’s trick worked too well. That made Jocelyn worried. Does anyone deserved to have that much power, she wondered. Sure, the Doctor had been very helpful lately. If he had violated the laws of time, then the multiverse would inevitably collapse on itself. Or maybe it would create a new timeline. What would happen if he snapped and decided those laws no longer apply to him? Who would stop him? In spite of all of this, she couldn’t bring herself to vent her worries to her companions. The implications would trouble them at the worst time. However, she noticed they didn’t show much reaction to what the Doctor pulled off if they ever thought about it. Siegfried noticed. Judging by the look on his face, he was worried. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, I'm all right,” Jocelyn answered. They climbed down the hill, stopping by the river. From where they stood, anything ten feet past the enveloped by thick darkness. Jocelyn was the first to enter, with Siegfried followed behind her. Viola and ZWEI were next, not far behind. The only sources of light were the daylight behind them and Jocelyn’s headlamp. “Who needs torches, anyway?” ZWEI joked. The first stretch was the natural foundation of the cave, all maze-like. Stalactite arched all over, both on the ground and on the ceiling. They were clear paths created by many footprints. What was strange was that they were all in the shape of talons. Despite that, there were no signs of any other life. There weren’t any bioluminescent mushrooms around either. It felt like they had been wandering for hours. When Jocelyn opened the HUD in her helmet, she found it had been less than an hour since they had entered inside. The path of footprints ended when the four found a manmade wall. The bricks were small and smooth, arranged perfectly that paralleled with each other. Siegfried placed his ear against the wall and knocked on it. “It’s hollow on the other side,” he said. “ZWEI?” ZWEI grinned and walked up to the wall as Siegfried stepped aside. “Well, at least we’re not dealing with some obtuse puzzle.” He raised his hand and balled it into a fist. The air around his fist gathered like a storm forming from dark clouds. Suddenly, the wolf spirit appeared and, with a command from ZWEI, he punched through the wall with little effort. The wall crumbled forward, revealing a hallway as pitch black as the cave. Its task finished, the wolf spirit disappeared into thin air. “After you.” ZWEI stepped out of the way and gestured to the Lone Wanderer. “Thanks.” Jocelyn nodded, and the four climbed over the debris and into the hallway. The hallway was narrow and tight, built with the same bricks as the wall they had knocked down. Looking around with Jocelyn’s headlamp, the torches mounted on the wall were extinguished, burnt from excessive use. Judging by the cobwebs forming around the torches, it looked like the castle built around an ancient dungeon. Other than the sounds of their footsteps, the four were met with an unsettling silence. Jocelyn’s feet reaching the top of the stairway, she almost tripped but recovered. The group descended the stairs and reached the bottom. There, they found themselves in a room that was much wider than the hallway. Looking around with her headlamp, the room turned out to be a prison, with rows of rusted steel bars on both sides. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if it weren’t for the runes etched all over the floor outside the cells. A chill ran down Jocelyn’s spine. There was something wrong with this place, but she can’t put her finger on why. “Viola…” Viola went on ahead of the group and investigated the runes and the stains on the floor. “Light,” she muttered, and the orb in her hands obeyed, basking the entire room in bright light. Not only did the sudden light revealed more runes, but it also showed a strange creature with glowing, red eyes inside a cage near Viola. It was humanoid in shape with a cold set of colors for its scales. The lizard-like creature lunged and grabbed the bars, pulling and bending them toward it. The animal chomped and chewed at the bar, showing off its drooling, razor-sharp teeth. Jocelyn and Viola flinched, jolting back from the cage. “Get ready for a fight,” Siegfried said, staying calm. He unveiled Soul Calibur, and the sword beamed through the dim light like a beacon. Viola had her orb out, which trailed all around her, while ZWEI had his sword out with EIN at his side, and Jocelyn grabbed her Holorifle and switched the safety off. The torches mounted on the walls lit up, basking the entire chamber in an orange glow. Growls echoed from the other cages, and the bars rattled before breaking open. These creatures had their scent, and now they were hungry.
The Doctor spent the last half-hour sneaking around the castles narrow corridors. He tip-toed quietly to avoid being heard and changed routes. He even took some side passages whenever someone was moving toward him. Reaching a wooden, steel-lined door, he looked through the keyhole. It was a bedroom, and he could barely see a desk laid out by a fancy bed with red curtains surrounding it. The office was filled and stacked with papers, probably letters. He would have gotten a better view if it wasn’t of the sudden glare from the window behind the desk. “This must be the Graf’s room,” the Doctor whispered to himself, confident. “If I could find something that would implicate him with the malfested…” He frowned, now a little uncertain. “Hopefully. At least it’s better than sitting around, doing nothing. It’s not in me. I get bored easily.” He paused. When he was talking to himself, it meant someone was watching him. He looked around for any of the guards, only to find nobody. His psychic paper must have been too effective, apparently. He turned back to the door and put on his sonic sunglasses. He tapped the corner of the lens and let the precise yet powerful vibrations do their work, manipulating the lock’s internal mechanizations. It wouldn’t work on wood, but on a locked handle? That was easy. In a matter of seconds, there was a click, and the door groaned as it opened to the inside He entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Hope no one heard that,” he remarked with a wry smile. He put off his sunglasses and made a beeline for the desk. He scanned through each letter and found nothing of importance. Even for a powerful man such as Dumas, this was rather surprising. He froze when a draft came from somewhere inside the room. Tracing the sudden breeze, he stepped toward a fireplace, the wood long since burnt to ash. He knelt and patted the ceiling, touching a cold, cylinder object. “Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door…” The Time Lord held his breath and closed his eyes as he pulled the lever. He let go, and the fireplace spun from the bedroom to another room. “Yay!” He stood up cheering, full of joy. Looking around, he found it was completely dark, so he put on his sonic sunglasses and turned on its night vision. He was in a hallway, tight and narrow yet roomy enough for him to squeeze through without any problem. In front of him was a stairway leading downwards, deeper into the dungeons. With no other option, he ventured forth, walking down those stairs. He looked around and noticed something odd. The walls looked much older compared to the castle above. Maybe this was an ancient dungeon of some sort, the castle built on top of it. He wondered what purpose does this place held. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was in yet another corridor, this one without any visible side passages. A raspy breath traveled up his neck, and he stopped. It didn’t come from him. Too dry, too old. “Why don’t you come out and show yourselves?” the Doctor asked. He heard something drop down behind him and pressed something sharp on the back of his neck. “Maybe you are one of Graf Dumas’s servants, hiding beneath the castle?” The only answer he received was another raspy gasp. “Can you understand me?” Before he knew it, something hit him in the back of his head and everything went black. When he regained consciousness, the Doctor found himself lying face down on the floor. He stood up and touched his face, finding his sonic sunglasses were missing. He looked and spun around, stopping when he spotted the pair a few feet away from him. He went over to pick it up, only to find it snapped in half at the bridge. “Why do they always break?” he sighed and studied the broken pair. A bundle of wires stuck out of the bridge, small sparks flying out of them. He looked at the rest and noticed there were fingerprints, indicating that someone else had used them. The room was vast and circular, the walls thoroughly picked clean of anything filthy. Torches lit up, revealing an orb crowning a featureless pillar. There were markings all over the floor. He leaned in, finding that these markings resemble numbers—complex equations and metrics that measured the relativity of a wormhole, among other things. When he looked up at the sphere, he couldn’t help but find something off about it. The Doctor rubbed his chin in contemplation as he stepped close to the orb. He wanted to touch it, see how this thing would work. A hum vibrated his teeth. The ball grew brighter, taking on a blue hue. His hand hovered over the sphere, wondering if it would be wise to touch it or not. His thought process was interrupted when he heard loud and heavy footsteps behind. Ka-clank! Ka-clank! Ka-clank! He spun around, meeting face to face with a large man in blue plate armor, looming over him. The Doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, and he jolted up, his hearts skipping a beat. The armored man’s right arm was horrifically deformed, nothing but a mess of thick hide and spikes, ending in a three-digit claw. In his right hand was a massive sword, a freakish mesh of flesh and metal. An eye popped open from the sword and stared right back at the Doctor. So did the man in azure armor, with his glowing red eyes. The man in armor stepped forward, pointing his sword at the Doctor’s throat. The Doctor placed his hands on the pillar. “Hi there. You must be Nightmare. The Azure Knight,” the Doctor stated, attempting to stay calm. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” “Have you, now? So have I, Doctor,” the man in azure armor, Nightmare, responded with a growl. And that was the moment he was in a torture chamber. One without any obvious tools on display. And the Doctor was the irreplaceable person here. Work through it, he thought. I’ll show him who’s boss! “Oh, so what have you heard about me?” the Doctor scoffed. “Better yet, how did you manage to hear about me? And where did you get that orb? Always good questions to ask.” He glanced toward the orb, his eyes narrowing. “Why did the orb light up like that? What’s it for?” He grunted in pain as he turned away to keep himself from going blind. The Azure Knight chuckled darkly. “To end it all. This one world and many others. It is far beyond what you puny humans can comprehend.” “Uh-uh.” The Doctor wagged his finger in front of the demon, catching him off guard. “First of all, I’m a Time Lord. I look like a human, but I walk in eternity. I know how this stuff works. Second—” “Do not mock me!” An agitated Nightmare swung his massive sword at the Doctor’s head. The Doctor let out a yelp and ducked, slipping past the demon. The Doctor turned to Nightmare as he adjusted his jacket. “As I was saying before you interrupted me…” he said and let out a small cough. If the abyss had ever started back at him, he would mock it, laugh at it. “Second, you call yourself Nightmare?” He tried to suppress his laughter. “Only a teenage boy crying out to his parents would call himself that!” “I am not a mewling child!” Nightmare roared. He pointed his Soul Edge at the Doctor once more. “I have been around for many centuries!” “Centuries, huh?” the Doctor sneered as he paced around the demon. “I’ve been around for much longer than you. Eons, maybe. I could be older than the Messiah! But maybe I’m lying. I could be far older than you could possibly imagine, seen things that would’ve blown your mind. And thirdly…” He paused and pointed his index finger upward. “What exactly are you expecting if you end this universe? By building enough entropy to unleash it across the universe? That would take an astronomical amount to annihilate a whole bunch of universes with such a tiny thing. “What will you do next after you destroy this universe? What’d be the point? There’ll be nothing for you to claim, nothing to conquer, nothing to devour. Everybody would lose, including you. And what will happen to the other universes? What’s gonna happen?” “They will be expendable for my hunger. What are you getting at, old man?” The Doctor’s expression had turned ugly. “Because I’m pleading for your life so you wouldn’t do something so stupid. It’s clear you don’t have any idea how it works or where you got it from. It’s also clear you don’t care. You take people’s life forces, their souls, and turn them into nourishments. They’ll be erased, gone forever, robbed them of an afterlife that awaited them. “Not only you would violate the laws of time—you’ve bent the rules of life and death. So this is where I come in. To stop monsters like you. I’ll put things right—here and now!” Nightmare couldn’t help but laugh like a maniac at the Doctor’s sentiments. He laughed harder and harder for what seemed like forever. However, that stopped when a pebble fell on his head. Then another and another as the whole place rumbled like a tremor. He looked up before finding himself buried underneath a huge pile of rubble, followed by bodies of scaly humanoids, each with a heavy thud. A person in massive armor, though the visor was cracked, landed on top of the debris, breathing heavily. She rested on a jet-powered hammer. The orb fell from the pillar, but it was still intact despite the impact. The Doctor looked around, seeing the carnage all over. The smell of blood and mucus made his stomach churn. “You’re starting to make a bad habit out of this, crashing down from another,” he remarked as he looked up. The ceiling was much higher than he thought, more than twenty meters. “We were surrounded by these… humanoid lizards and golems,” said Jocelyn. “I noticed a weak spot, so I did something about it.” “Jocelyn! You alright down there?!” Someone called out. It was ZWEI’s voice. It was clear he was worried. Both the Doctor and Jocelyn looked up to see ZWEI looking down at them, his sword bloodied. “Yeah. I’m wearing very advanced armor, remember?” Jocelyn answered. “What about you?” Something massive lunged at ZWEI. He ducked, and a bright orb shot through the thing. ZWEI dodged as it fell to the floor, dead as a doornail. “Don’t worry about us right now. We’ll take care of it.” Jocelyn nodded and climbed down the pile of rubble she made. “Alright, be honest: did anyone or anything got caught?” “Just Nightmare,” the Doctor replied. “You landed right on top of him, I might add.” “Him? The one I saw in my vision?” She groaned and tilted her head back. She switched to her Holorifle and reloaded. “Guess it didn’t take. Siegfried warned me about him.” She noticed the orb by her feet. “What’s that, Doctor? Think it’s safe to pick up?” “Well, it’s obviously glowing, but I’m certain it’s safe. Just… be careful, okay?” The Doctor was unsure if this was a good idea. He wondered if his own curiosity drew him to the orb or it called out to him. When Jocelyn picked it up, it didn’t show any effect apart from continuing to be a light show. “Okay, now give it to me,” the Doctor ordered, beckoning. “I think I know what to do with it.” Jocelyn gave the orb to him without rancor. “Know what exactly it is?” The Doctor looked at the orb. Somehow, he did not go blind from the brightness. “No idea,” he bellowed out, shaking his head. “I haven’t seen this before. All he told me that he wanted to destroy the universe. Surprisingly vague, I’ll give him that.” “Destroying the universe? You’re kidding me,” she scoffed. “That’s impossible.” The Doctor glared at Jocelyn. “You traveled in a ship that goes zip-zip-zip through time and space, and yet you call destroying the universe impossible? You called yourself a scientist. Have some perspective!” “Fine. Improbable…” “That still counts!” She frowned underneath her cracked helmet. “I’m not done talking, Doctor. If that thing could accelerate a heat death, for example, then the matter would’ve spread out and decay.” The Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Yes, yes, yes. I’ve heard that before. I’ve done it before, too. Have I told you I climbed on top of a radio tower to stop the entropy from spreading? It cost me one of my lives so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.” “Contain the entropy? How?” The Doctor smiled and looked up. He had it all figured out already. “Simple. It can’t. You have to use a machine powerful enough to pull it off. See the formulas all over the floor?” The Lone Wanderer gently kicked aside a lizard man’s corpse and studied said formula. “Yeah. They look pretty familiar, like a measurement of a black hole…” she mused. “Yes! Specifically, a wormhole!” He had his enthusiasm curbed. “Oh… it would create a hole the size of Belgium, at best. Probably a little undramatic.” “We don’t want that, regardless,” said Jocelyn. “Think we should destroy it?” The Doctor hesitated. On one hand, that could stop the Azure Knight’s inane plan. However, he really wanted to know how this orb worked and where it came from. He frowned. Was there something else it was supposed to do? He tapped on the orb. It dinged, leaving a ripple that traveled across the orb. A command prompt showed up, awaiting his input. “This looks similar to Time Lord technology,” said the Doctor. He turned to the rubble as it started… moving? Worried, he stepped back. “Jocelyn. You might want to get ready,” he said wearily. Every rock, large and small, exploded and spread like a tidal wave. The Lone Wanderer had enough time to run in and grab him, using her armor as cover. The shower of rocks pushed them forward a few steps, denting the armor. A red light, followed by a wave of energy, flung them back against the wall nearby. Jocelyn lost grip of her Holorifle and super sledge, and they flew across the room. Jocelyn’s power armor started to shatter, and the Doctor crawled out before the metal could touch him. He dropped the orb and grabbed the cog at the back of the power armor. The back of the armor unfolded, and he yanked Jocelyn out before the armor could turn into a pile of scrap metal. Jocelyn laid at his side, unconscious. Her body was covered in bruises and gashes, though the cuts were stitching together at an alarming rate. The Doctor could only stand up and look up in horror at Nightmare, now free, glowing red, and infuriated. Sparks of lightning arched out of his body. In spite of all this, he was no worse for wear. Hunching over, he looked at the Doctor and charged… …only for a mighty roar to interrupt him. Siegfried fell, striking at Nightmare from atop with Soul Calibur. The demon anticipated that move and deflected, sending Siegfried to roll on his feet. “I have expected to face you again.” Siegfried readied his stance, the spirit sword at his side. “But enough of this. Ready?” Nightmare bellowed maddeningly. “You cannot defeat me, now or ever!” The demon launched himself at Siegfried and the two locked their blades against each other. It was a brief struggle, but Siegfried shoved Soul Edge aside and struck at Nightmare’s side. The demon parried the attack and followed it with a flurry of blows. As Siegfried deflected and parried each blow, Nightmare pushed Siegfried back. A left hook by Nightmare’s talon and Siegfried slammed into the wall nearby. He barely had time to dodge the Azure Knight’s downward slash, leaving behind a deep cut like a hot knife through butter. Siegfried circled around Nightmare, cornering him. Capitalizing on the demon being distracted, the Doctor stepped away from the Lone Wanderer and snatched the orb off the floor. He regretted that he had abandoned her. When he looked at it earlier, he inferred the interface was very much like the TARDIS’ monitors, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to work with. If that was the case, the Doctor thought to himself, then someone with Time Lord technology had given it to Nightmare. But who and why? One way to find out… The orb rippled to the Doctor’s touch. He tapped in a typical ‘cancel’ command. Nothing. Another command, this one ‘exit.' Still nothing. Now he wished he was into the touchscreens and other swipey things. A yelp of pain caught the Doctor’s attention to Siegfried being flung over Nightmare’s shoulder. He landed with a heavy thud, but he covered, his upper body covered in blood. He gritted his teeth together as he tried to get up, using Soul Calibur as a crutch. The Azure Knight stood behind him, and the Doctor could detect that sadistic glee underneath his horned, bat-like helmet, and he can feel that sense of dread coming onto him. Nightmare laughed darkly. “Is that all you got? Pathetic!” He went for the killing blow, but a hail of green plasma balls stopped him. He grunted, using his mutated arm to shield his body, which left nasty marks on the hide. Both the Doctor and Nightmare focused their attention on the now conscious Lone Wanderer. The Doctor smiled. He knew she would survive, but he was glad nevertheless. A plasma pistol in her hand, Jocelyn stumbled forward in the first few steps, limping on her left leg. As she fired a few more shots, her posture straightened and she shot several more times until her pistol clicked. Nightmare growled and shoved Siegfried aside, apparently not seeing the point in taking his life. “Jocelyn, wait!” The Doctor pleaded, his eyes open wide in surprise. With nowhere else to turn, the Lone Wanderer hopped over a giant corpse, ducked the demonic knight’s massive swing, and grabbed Soul Calibur. Turning against him, a brilliant blue light beamed as she gripped the spirit sword tightly. Nearby, Siegfried crawled away to safety, clinging onto his gaping wounds. The Azure Knight bellowed wildly, shaking with rage and hate, and pointed his blade at Jocelyn. “That sword! It must be destroyed once and for all!” The spirit sword was enveloped in light, and it started to change shape. The Doctor looked on with astonishment, his jaw about to drop. Soul Calibur was no longer a giant sword in Jocelyn’s hands. It was now a crystalline rifle with golden rims inscribed on the receiver, the barrel splitting in two in the middle. The bottom half was longer, acting as a bayonet. Jocelyn was surprised, but she recovered quickly. “So, it formed into a coward’s weapon, then,” Nightmare snared. “A pity. I have been looking for a challenge.” The demon charged forth and swung wildly at Jocelyn, giving her little room to breathe. Jocelyn ducked and fell, firing out strange balls of energy at the Azure Knight. The first few shots had stopped him from attacking, and another burst knocked him back. The demon steadied his stance through heavy growls, taken aback at the power that Jocelyn wield. He set that aside and charged once again. Jocelyn grunted and jabbed at the exposed part of his torso with her bayonet: his hip. She pushed the demon back, and he could barely attack before she knocked his talon aside before kicking him in the crotch, but he staggered away. The Time Lord went back to the orb in his hands and knelt down. Wiping the sweat from his brow, his head throbbed as he struggled to come up with the right command. C’mon, think! You shouldn’t let some fancy orb stop you! He thought to himself. Remember you stopped a rampaging AI from destroying half a galaxy? Fun times! He imputed another command and held his breath. The orb dimmed slightly. It was starting to work! Maybe if he could try again, bit by bit? A clash sounded across the chamber, the sound of Jocelyn and Nightmare locking blades echoed loudly in the chamber. Waves of energy, blue and red, collided against one another, and everything rumbled around them. It was like an unstoppable force had met an immovable object. “I see into your soul,” Nightmare sneered, gazing his glowing red eyes onto Jocelyn. A dark, red-highlighted aura surrounded him. “I see anguish, anger, desire. You have lost so much. You father. Your mother. Your friends. I can bring them back. I can help you destroy the Brotherhood of Steel once and for all. With our powers combined, your wishes, your desires, shall be fulfilled!” Jocelyn looked back with glowing eyes, a bright aura surrounding her. She was determined and defiant. She was battered, covered in bruises and cuts and swells. Yet she stood, fighting against something out of her league. She was surprised but said nothing. With a deep breath, she pushed and twirled Soul Edge aside, and Nightmare was left open. A mighty thrust from her rifle and he was speared through his chest, piercing his breastplate. As she retracted the bayonet, Nightmare fell. However, he was not dead. The Azure Knight cackled. “You think defeating me would stop this world’s annihilation? Fool. I have been to your world, seen your Great War. And to have it all burned… it was glorious!” Jocelyn’s eyes stopped glowing as she lowed Soul Calibur. “How do I know you’re not lying?” she asked, suspicious. There was a strong hint of anger in her voice. “Oh, he’s not the most reliable sort, I imagine. Can’t really trust him, with that Dalek mindset and all,” a woman’s voice spoke with a distinctive Scottish accent. The voice came from the orb, and the Doctor turned his attention to a pale woman with an angular face and a narrow nose. She had rather pronounced cheekbones and wild, black hair tied in an up-do. The Doctor sighed and pressed his lips. “Missy. I shouldn’t be surprised it was you.” “Best get used to it, then,” Missy spoke with a gleeful and scary smile, her pale eyes meeting his. “I admit this is not the… most ideal of conditions.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You…” Nightmare croaked, struggling to stand up as he crawled toward the Doctor and the orb. “You promised me infinite power.” “Didn’t I tell you earlier?” Missy sneered, not even bothering to look at Nightmare. “I thought I said, and I quote myself here, you are hardly any different from a Dalek, only dumber. And you, Nighty—can I call you Nighty?” She shook her head, dismissing the thought. “Anyway, you’re dumber than a bag of hammers!” By that tone, she was clearly annoyed. “That story with a mysterious orb, granting limitless power? You bought that hook, line, and sinker!” she cackled uncontrollably. “It’s a fake! Well, not quite a fake, but it’s not really powerful. I have the real one in my hands, as you can see.” Jocelyn approached the orb, still brandishing Soul Calibur at Nightmare. The expression on her face informed the Doctor that she couldn’t believe what she saw. “So you set up a goddamn prank?! What about the Ania, that fragment of Soul Edge back in my world? What about anyone who lost their lives because of you?” Her voice rose and fell in anger. “Well, I imagine he somehow transported pieces of that sword across time and space with that orb. I suppose that was how he did it for fun.” The Time Lady rolled her eyes and rested her right hand on her cheeks. “Oops!” She whistled in a not-so-innocent way. The Lone Wanderer scoffed in disgust. “Why? What was the point of it, then?” “I’m inclined to agree with her on that,” The Doctor responded, narrowing his eyes. Missy curled her lips. “Try to keep up. Although…” She hummed childishly. “Where’s Clara? Don’t tell me you replaced her with that rebound girl!” The Lone Wanderer seemed to be offended, but she recovered. “Does that matter? I’m here to help people, fighting the good fight.” The Doctor let out a small smile in response. “Oh my god, you walking, breathing superhero!” Missy exclaimed. Heavy footsteps sounded, and Nightmare rushed in, shoving Jocelyn aside. He grabbed the Doctor by surprise, making him drop the orb, and tossed him over his shoulder. He then picked up the orb with his claws and squeezed it, cracks forming up on the surface of the orb. “Oh, bloody—!” the Time Lady said with a mix of surprise and annoyance. The Azure Knight crushed the orb with little effort, shattering it into a million pieces. Fire wreathed around him as he focused his gaze on the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer. “You have won this time, but we shall meet again,” he hissed. With that, the demon disappeared. “Yeah, you better run,” the Doctor quipped. He gritted his teeth together as he stood up from the spot, his belly throbbing in pain. He turned to Jocelyn kneeling beside Siegfried. Having gathered her hammer and Holorifle, she placed Soul Calibur by Siegfried. “Don’t move, alright?” Siegfried let out a groan in response. Jocelyn dug into her fanny pack and pulled out a syringe with a gauge on it. “Ready?” Siegfried stared at the syringe incredulously. “What’s this?” “It’s a stimpak. It heals any injury before you know it,” Jocelyn explained. “Now hold still.” Siegfried flinched at first, but he relented and relaxed, allowing Jocelyn to gingerly drove the syringe into his forearm. The red liquid inside travelled to his bloodstream. The cuts and gashes all over his body—his face, arms and legs, and chest—all washed away, stitching themselves back together like cloth in a sewing machine. “Your universe has some… interesting medical miracles,” the Doctor commented. As he approached the two, he helped Jocelyn carefully pick Siegfried up to his feet—Jocelyn at his left hand and the Doctor at his right. Siegfried picked up Soul Calibur, which formed and cracked back into a sword, and sheathed it firmly behind his back. A portion of the wall opened across from where they stood. ZWEI and Viola entered, none worse for wear. “So… did we miss anything?” ZWEI asked with a smirk. Jocelyn and the Doctor explained everything to them. About Nightmare, his plan for utter annihilation, the orb, and Missy. “Dammit! And I missed out all the fun?” an infuriated ZWEI grunted. “And we came here for nothing. We didn’t find any malfested, only the lizard men and Asteroth clones.” The Doctor shrugged defensively, but he had to agree.
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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Nov 27, 2016 21:47:33 GMT 1
Epilogue When the group had arrived back at the citadel, the day was at its zenith. Rays of sunlight pierced through the many thick branches. At the citadel’s open portcullis, they were met with a warm welcome from practically all of Schwarzwind. One of the Schwarzwind soldiers, guarding the front most adjoined tower, had announced their arrival exclaimed from the front most tower. He beckoned to the others and repeated his exclamation. At the citadel’s open portcullis, many of the Schwarzwind gathered around Siegfried and the others with happy looks, more than relieved to see their leader safe and sound. Among them was Hilde in her shining and elegant armor, bearing good news: the negotiations at Vienna were successful, and the treaty had been drafted without any issues. However, what was strange was that Graf Dumas wasn’t there to speak out against the treaty. What could have led him to not participate, the Doctor wondered. Did he miss something? Regardless, the matter was resolved, and it was time for the Doctor and the Lone Wanderer to say goodbye. The two went to the outskirts of the castle where the TARDIS laid by the motte. When they entered, there was a wheezing and groaning sound, and the blue police box disappeared. Inside that box was a different story. The Doctor, breaking expectations, went up the stairway and grabbed his electric guitar and played a few tunes. Nearby, Jocelyn had her attention working on a small chalkboard by the console. The sudden, overdriven noise made her gasp and turned her head toward him. The look in her face told him she was not amused in the slightest. “What was that?!” she asked. The Doctor shrugged, as if he tried to prove his innocence. “Oh, come on! Haven’t you heard of rock and roll? Even people from the 12th century handled it better than you!” “I do know what rock and roll is, but—” She sighed. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re a genius or a madman.” The Doctor put away his guitar and descended the stairs. “Well, they say genius and madness are two sides of the same coin.” Before she said another word, the whole place shook. The Doctor yelped and tumbled toward the console and pressed a few buttons here and there to stabilize the TARDIS. The Wanderer leaned against the railing behind her to maintain her balance. The shaking stopped and both let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that,” said the Doctor as some unseen cloister bells rung. “Happens when the TARDIS crosses universes. I’ll have to scrub out that void stuff soon.” Jocelyn released her grip from the railing. “Er, what’s void stuff?” “Radiation. Harmless but you should keep away from certain types of wormholes. Just my advice.” “One question: does it make me sterile?” The Doctor gave her a confused look. “Like I said, harmless. Why? Why do you ask?” Jocelyn turned away to hide her smirk. “Just curious.” The Doctor slouched and stepped forward, studying the markings on the chalkboard, raising his eyebrows in fascination. Going by the sheer amount of numbers written on the board, it looked like Jocelyn was working on mathematics. It started out simple like a few algebraic equations at the top-left corner. Best to start at the bottom, he told himself. The further away from that corner, the more complicated and the more crowded the equations became. One of them was an object in the shape of a tube with a grid-like pattern. “You are full of surprises,” the Doctor complimented with a grin. “You could’ve been a teacher, like Clara, but with mathematics and theoretical physics. What are you working on?” Jocelyn picked up a thick book from a small table nearby. She showed it to the Doctor, holding it right up to his face. The title of the book was called The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition. “Black holes and wormholes,” she answered as she put the book back on the table. “It’s been on my mind since our encounter with Nightmare. I couldn’t stop thinking about that orb he had.” The Doctor sat down on a cushioned chair nearby. He rubbed his chin and contemplated. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he replied. “This ‘Missy’ said Nightmare's orb was a fake,” Jocelyn pointed out. “If all a fake could do was be bright and maybe some other things, what do you think the real one could do?” The Doctor grimaced, cupping his mouth. He was at a loss for words. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” The Lone Wanderer looked a little annoyed. “But you said—” “—that this orb’s interface is similar to the TARDIS, yes,” the Doctor finished. “Astonishing, isn’t it?” He stood up with a half-mad grin on his face. “Every time I thought I knew everything, something always surprises me. It’s an unknown variant, and it’s quite dangerous, for all intents and purposes.” He chuckled darkly, sending a chill down Jocelyn’s spine. “Uh, Doctor…” Jocelyn spoke out. The Doctor ignored her as he continued rambling. “I want to know about it: what makes it tick? Where did Missy get it? The real one, I mean. Who created it and why? What’s its purpose? Fascinating to think about…” “Doctor!” The Time Lord jolted, his thoughts interrupted as he gazed at a now-worried Jocelyn. “Oh, sorry.” He cleared his throat in embarrassment before approaching the monitor, observing the readings. “You’re being creepy,” Jocelyn remarked. He sighed, curling his lips. “I know. I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?” He lowered his head. He really should know better than that, getting lost in his thoughts when he wasn’t by himself. Jocelyn rolled her eyes and walked behind the Doctor. “Yep, you did. However, that’s not the only thing on my mind.” The Doctor let out a small chuckle. “Of course. What’s on your mind?” She crossed her arms across her chest. “Think Nightmare’s lying about him being in the Great War?” He turned his head slightly to his left, toward Jocelyn. “The Great War? Where I came from; it’s also known as the first World War. Nasty time, that one.” “I can imagine. This one happened over two centuries ago. It happened on October 23rd, 2077,” Jocelyn explained. “For two hours, the US and China waged war on one another, wiping out the entire world.” She paused, struggling to put the words together. Even after centuries had passed, the collective memory of this cataclysmic event still lingered, he noticed. “With those nukes, whatever the worst thing you’ve ever imagined was even worse.” “Jocelyn,” he said. “I can assure you that history is a complex thing. There could be other causes, like stupidity, and that… small talent for war.” He rubbed down his entire face and let out a heavy sigh. “The end of the world happened a long time ago for you, yet you're rebuilding!” the Doctor remarked, mirth appearing on his face. “Even though you should all be working together toward that beautiful, better life, you squabble in the dirt like schoolchildren!” “But we are getting better, despite it all,” Jocelyn insisted. “There’s a saying out there, that war never changes.” The Time Lord scoffed and circled around the console. “That’s a rather narrow view of history, isn’t it? It’s easy to think of history as a series of wars because they’re big and dramatic events with a beginning, a middle, and an end. You make it sound like there’s a narrative with two sides in a conflict. Good and evil. Light and dark. I think it would be more accurate to say that people change.” She didn’t say anything until she focused her eyes on the screen. “Wait. It says we’re back to my world, right? The year’s 2286, and we’re back in Baltimore. I don’t think we’ve been gone for long. What about the Ania?” “Yeah.” The Doctor smacked his lips together as he stopped and looked at the monitor as well. “They won’t be bothering anyone ever again.” She sighed, dropped her shoulders in relief. “I take it you’re leaving?” he asked. He found himself a little sad when she confirmed his question with a nod. “I see. It won’t be the same without you, but I’ll bet Clara wouldn’t like having you around.” Jocelyn turned away and went to the exit, but ground to a halt when the Doctor called out to her. “Oh, you might want to have this,” he said before tossing a small device with buttons and a screen on it. She caught the device and studied it, perplexed. “What’s this?” she asked. “It’s a cell phone, sends out a wireless signal. It has my phone number on it,” he answered. “You can call me whenever you’re in trouble. Or whenever you like. I can help you out—I’m kinda nice like that.” “Thanks,” she replied and put it inside her pack. “Y’know, you’re an exceptional woman. You know that, right?” Before Jocelyn could respond with anything, he continued. “And I know you’re better than you think yourself to be. Despite everything that ever happened to you, you've still managed to find some beauty in your world. That’s what it means to be human, isn't it?” “Right,” said Jocelyn. By the look on her face, she was stunned. She wasn’t expecting more praise from him. “So, any other words of advice?” He turned around, looking back at her one more time. “Also…” He waved his finger as if giving out a lecture. “…don’t ever be cruel. Or cowardly. Never give up, and never give in. And remember: be a hero.” The Lone Wanderer nodded with a smile, gaining a little confidence. “I will. Goodbye, Doctor.” She opened the doors and stepped outside, back to her world. With that, the Doctor looked away with a warm smile and pulled the lever.
A click from a radio and the machine spurred to life. At first, it spouted static, but after a moment, the signal cleared and a lively voice started bellowing. “Helloooooooo, everybody! It’s me, Three Dog, and I’m back, better than ever, with all your favorite hits and news! Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. Our Brotherhood ‘buddies’ couldn’t keep us down, and we all know the truth of what happened. Don’t we, children? “But I’m getting ahead of myself. You see, children, I used to talk about this kid from a vault several years ago. Vault 101 for those who don’t know. She went out to find her dad and helped a whole lotta people on the way. Hell, to be honest, if it weren't for her, I would’ve written us all off as beyond saving. And here she is, proving me wrong time and time again. I used to call that kid the Lone Wanderer, the Messiah, and Our Last, Best Hope of Humanity. “Ever since our good friends, Owyn Lyons, and his daughter, passed away, along with everything that had gone to shit at the Brotherhood of Steel, it seemed like our hope had gone away. But recently, I’ve been getting reports of her, fighting the good fight. People keep asking me about our intrepid friend, and I really don’t have an answer. Yet. But y’know what? I’m thinkin’ she’s BAAAAAAAAAAAACK! “For now, listen close as I share our friend’s new adventures…”
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Post by Nord Ronnoc on Feb 20, 2017 2:21:22 GMT 1
Persons of Note
The Lone Wanderer
Jocelyn Song was the daughter of James and Catherine, head scientists of Project Purity, designed to provide clean water to the Capital Wasteland. When her mother died in childbirth, her father raised her in Vault 101. At age 19, she was forced to leave the vault when her father set out to restart the Project. Despite the wasteland being a harsh and unforgiving place, the Lone Wanderer held onto her father's values: compassion, selflessness, and honor.
She eventually found her father, but the reunion was brief; the Enclave had invaded the Capital Wasteland and raided the Jefferson Memorial with intentions to control the distribution of clean water. James sacrificed his life, giving his daughter a chance to escape. She then joined the Brotherhood and assisted them in the assault on the memorial. In the ensuing chaos, however, the control room was flooded with lethal radiation. Jocelyn activated the Purifier herself and was knocked unconscious by an energy blast. She recovered two weeks later.
Tasked with eliminating the remaining Enclave forces, she destroyed their mobile base with an orbital strike. Since then, she went on other adventures around the wasteland ranging from the swamps of Point Lookout, the ruined Pitt, the Anchorage simulation, and all the way to outer space. The Lone Wanderer left the Brotherhood after they’ve regressed back to their old ways of hoarding technology in the light of Owen’s and Sarah Lyon’s deaths. Her current whereabouts were unknown.
The Doctor The Doctor was a renegade Time Lord, a time-traveling humanoid species. A long time ago on the planet Gallifrey, he took an old TARDIS and traveled the stars since then. For eons, he defended the universe and Earth against many adversities (Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons, Weeping Angels, and the Master among them) countless times, often with a companion at hand.
As a Time Lord, he had the ability to regenerate. In other words, he can cheat death in a certain way. However, every time he regenerated, his appearance and various aspects of his personality would change, sometimes in contrast with one another. It also had a limit: one cycle had twelve regenerations. Having used up his previous twelve regenerations, the Time Lords granted him another regeneration cycle in gratitude for saving them in the Last Great Time War.
Though he was strongly committed to pacifism, he had a dark and ruthless side, more so in some of his incarnations. He was often manipulative to friend and foe alike, contributing to his enemies’ demise or humiliation, indirectly or otherwise. Indeed, the word “doctor” can be translated as “warrior” in some languages, though many saw him as a compassionate savior and benefactor, worthy of their admiration.
The Alexander Family Like the legendary tales of Greek heroes, the Alexander family suffered through many tragedies. Sophitia Alexandra, daughter of a baker in Athens, was tasked by Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. With the help of Taki, a ninja hailing from Japan, she slew the dread pirate Cervantas, the wielder of Soul Edge at the time, and destroyed one of the twin blades. However, she suffered injuries from the fight, and a shard of the evil blade remained near her heart after the rest of the shards were extracted from her body.
When she gave birth to two children, Pyrrha and Patroklos, the curse passed onto them, more so for her daughter. Tira, a servant of Nightmare the Azure Knight, exploited this and convinced her to cooperate with Nightmare, claiming it was the only way to save her children. When Nightmare was defeated by Siegfried 16 years ago, she sacrificed herself to save her daughter’s life. Years later, her husband, Rothion, died from an illness.
Now only two Alexanders remained. Patroklos served Graf Dumas under a misguided belief that the malfested killed his mother. Pyrrha was held under servitude by Tira, hoping to nurture her into becoming Soul Edge’s next host.
Technology
TARDIS Short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, a TARDIS was a sapient vehicle that can travel through time and space. A specific one the Doctor took on Gallifrey was an old Type-40 model. Whenever they materialize, they made a wheezing and groaning sound. To some, that sound was enough to bring hope to anyone, no matter how lost they were.
There were many types of TARDISes, sharing many functions with one another, including advanced security features and computer systems. One such was the chameleon circuit. It allowed the TARDIS to blend in her surroundings, depending on the time and place. The circuit for the Doctor’s TARDIS broke down when it first landed on Earth in the mid-20th century, retaining the appearance of a blue police box. Another was the TARDIS’ ability to have the size of her interiors being bigger than her interior. This was known as dimensional transcendentalism, thought to be impossible by many since it violated three-dimensional Euclidean geometry.
As sentient beings, they can create telepathic bonds with individual users, giving them benefits such as translating various languages into their native tongue. TARDISes were also capable of taking independent action, including mourning their pilots’ deaths.
Soul Edge Long ago, transcending history and the world, an ordinary sword had been through many battles and bathed in so much blood, death, and hatred that a malevolent spirit took over. And so it became Soul Edge. A heroic king was its first wielder, serving him well in battle. However, his son grew envious of his power and possessed the sword, only his body to be taken over. The king slew him in an act of mercy and used a purified shard of the demonic sword to forge its holy counterpart: Soul Calibur.
Soul Edge had many hosts throughout the ages. Most notably Cervantes de Leon, a notorious pirate, and Siegfried Schtauffen, a knight who escaped from its grasp twice.
This demonic weapon can alter its shape to its host’s preference though it preferred the form of a large two-handed sword, given its liking for Siegfried. The sword was immensely powerful, consuming its victims’ souls. However, that power came at a terrible price. Those who grasp its hilt were assaulted by its curse of malfestation. The blade’s spirit lashed out like a parasite and possessed its host, even contorting their body to an extension of itself. Few were able to escape its curse; fewer were able to resist it.
Soul Calibur In a time transcending history and the world, a ruler of an ancient kingdom had lost his son to Soul Edge. Using a purified shard of the demonic blade, the king gave his life to forge a new weapon: Soul Calibur.
Although intended to be holy, the king’s thirst for power tainted the sword, making it indistinguishable from Soul Edge. The ancient tribe was tasked with guardian the blade and purifying it. It had not been seen elsewhere in ages save for tales of King Arthur wielding the sword. But in 1586, a Chinese woman named Xianghua confronted Nightmare and found her sword had transformed to Soul Calibur. After Nightmare’s defeat, the spirit blade was trapped in Soul Edge’s abyssal plane, emerging once more when Siegfried broke free from possession.
While it was a powerful weapon, Soul Calibur can become more so with the two treasures the Kali-Yuga and the Dvapara-Yuga. Opposite in intent compared to Soul Edge, it was commonly believed that only the ones with a pure and good heart can wield the sword. It can also change shape accordingly to its wielder’s desire. However, it had a mind of its own, able to overcome their wielder’s will in order to ensure order and defeat Soul Edge at any cost.
Species Ania
The word meant ‘grace’ in the Polish language, though the context behind it played out in two ways. One was because of their graceful and predatory nature, taking out their prey with little warning. The other was because of the rare minerals from their planet of origin were worth fortunes.
The Ania were extremophiles, microorganisms that live on rocks, crystals, and even non-crystalline solids such as glass from crashed spaceships. Other aspects of their diet include the sulfuric acid found in their planet’s toxic atmosphere and volcanic eruptions. There were cases include flesh from animals, humans, and other carbon-based species, though they died soon upon devouring the meat since they were a silicon-based life. To survive as a species, they form colonies and mold into larger creatures, sometimes small as a crab or as large as a skyscraper, to protect themselves from extreme weather changes.
Their planet of origin was known for its constant volcanic eruptions and plate movements. Compared to Earth, the planet had 20% less mass and its distance range from 50% to 150% away from its sun depending on the time of the year. Because their sun was a blue star and how close they were to it, the planet cannot be made habitable for human life. It was rich with unique minerals, leading to multiple mining operations that made trillions in the market. However, this string of operations ended when the ‘Ania Incident of 4487’ occurred.
Malfested “Malfested” was the term coined for humans infected by Soul Edge’s corruption. The earliest cases of malfestation occurred in 1583 when a strange pillar of light known as the Evil Seed appeared in Basque Country of northern Spain. The energy from the pillar rained down upon the world, affecting countless lives and turning them into mindless monsters.
Symptoms of malfestation vary from person to person. The most common ones include a loss of pigmentation in the skin and reddened eyes. Others include enhanced physical strength, physical deformations (much more common among male victims), and an affected aging process. Many said the malfestation was dependent on the victim’s nature, such as a slowed aging process for those who valued survival or vampiric traits for the power-hungry.
Opinions vary on the nature of the phenomenon. Medical researchers believed that malfestation was a form of an infectious disease, a common opinion at the time. Religious scholars believed that the symptoms of malfestations were indicators of the individual having an evil soul, which was refuted on grounds that the symptoms would’ve appeared in newborns. The debate carried on for many years until Graf Dumas declared that malfestation was the result of dealing with evil entities, initiating a hunt that claimed many innocent lives.
Organizations
Brotherhood of Steel The Brotherhood of Steel was a paramilitary technological organization with its roots stemming from the United States military and the scientific community. In general, they preferred isolation and looked down upon the non-human residents of the wasteland. They believed that advanced technology should not be in humanity’s hands, given the disastrous result of the Great War.
Back before the bombs fell, Roger Maxson and his squad discovered horrific experiments carried out on military prisoners by the West-Tek company. In retaliation, the squad turned on the scientists and took over the Marposa Military Base, the same one the Master and later the Enclave took over. Not long after the bombs fell, they came to the surface and reconnected with the survivors at Lost Hill, starting anew. The Brotherhood had faced many enemies, including the Master and his army of Super Mutants, and the Enclave. Over the years, they expanded from one side of post-war America to another. However, they had also gained enemies because of their ideology, such as one branch’s conflict with the New California Republic over how technology should be distributed to the populace.
While their structure was based off the US military, it was also inspired by medieval feudalism with themes of knighthood and chivalry. Soldiers were commonly seen in power armor of various models and have energy weapons. However, there had been multiple schisms over the Brotherhood’s ideals and tactics. Some, such as the East Coast chapter, eschewed the original intention and set out to help people while most held onto the Codex, often with religious fanaticism. All in all, there had been a common cause of the end of each chapter: either they become technological dictatorships or they were destroyed. In rare cases, they were forced to make alliances with the outside world, such as the Courier presenting the Mojave branch a choice: help the NCR in their battle against Caesar’s Legion or be destroyed.
Schwarzwind German for “black wind”, Schwarzwind was once a band of thieves and murderers, of which a young Siegfried was the leader of before fleeing for killing his father, a knight serving in a crusade. When he had redeemed himself years later for slaying Nightmare, he reformed the band into a group of honorable, abet intimidating, mercenaries.
Although the band was small, numbering by several dozens, they nevertheless have attracted new members by the number in response to the Malfested hunt, regardless of origin or social status, as well as funding from local lords and wealthy households. With the sufficient funding and the training they received, the Schwarzwind were able to gain a strong advantage over the Malfested, relying on ambush tactics to pick off small numbers. Their notable members include Hildegard von Krone, the current queen of the dispersed Wolfkrone, ZWEI, Viola, and Salia.
While they were more than happy to assist Hilde in rebuilding her kingdom, they have gained a powerful enemy in Graf Dumas for defending any innocents he branded as Malfested.
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