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Aftermath


Ringoster

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Aftermath follows the story of Lego Universe, taking place after the collapse of the Nexus Force. I can't exactly give away much more than that... so, without further delay....-Review Topic-Aftermath: Book 1: Secrets of the WastelandsChapter 1: 4:35 PM, Day 437On the horizon of a vast frost-covered field of tall grass, a vehicle zoomed homeward. It’s massive spiked wheels propelling it smoothly over snow and plant-life alike. At it’s controls was a minifigure by the name of Drake Venture.He smiled and gazed at the sun blazing on the horizon. “Today has been a particularly good day,” he thought, “well, minus that little problem this morning...” He was pursuing an outstandingly valuable weapon called the Ancient Fang, which had been juggled back and forth between his crew and the band of elites known as the Black Mercenaries. This morning he had lost the Fang to them again. Though not without a fight, of course.“The darn guys even thought to sabotage the old Behemoth.” He bared slightly to the right and greeted a fellow driver whose Snow-trekker was stopped nearby.As Drake’s Snow-trekker changed course, the piercing light of the setting sun was obscured by a familiar sight; the Fortress. As far as Drake new, it was the single largest community of Minifigures as far as the eye could see, and probably further. Inside was a huge multi-leveled complex of dwellings, shops, roads, parks, alleys, you name it. The place stood nearly 300 feet high and extended 114 feet underground. It offered solace from the harsh and unpredictable extremes of the Wastelands.Drake’s job within the community of 7,000 or so Minifigures was that of a fortune hunter. He lead his small crew consisting of James Navig (or Jimmy, as he was always called), and Tarx Amran on expeditions in search of objects of great power and value. Drake piloted his prize possession, the Behemoth, during these adventures. It was a massively powerful vehicle capable of ramming through whatever got in its way, and surviving the resulting damage.“And now I suppose I’ll have to get inside it and take a look at the damages.” Drake thought.He was nearing the entrance to the Fortress. Upon seeing the entrance gate and the line of vehicles slowly filing in, he reduced the vehicle’s speed until it was slowly rolling along the icy grass, then steered it into place at the rear of the line. It occurred to him that he would most likely meet Shanra Onyx when he went in for dinner at the Dining Hall. The two of them had been good friends, until she joined the Black Mercenaries, and since whoever their current employer was wanted the Ancient Fang as badly as Drake did, the two of them rarely met under friendly circumstances. She was sure to be in a foul mood.“Hey, Venture!” called a voice.A huge Nebula tank rolled up behind Drake’s Snow-trekker. Rob Rench was on the upper deck.“Rench? What’re you doing so close to home?” Drake asked jokingly.“It’s finally time to hand over my research from the dugout!” Rench said.Drake recalled that he had been living in the “Dugout” a research facility for the past 2 or so months.“It must be nice to take in some fresh air again, huh?” He laughed.“You bet. Now if you’ll excuse me...”The tank broke off from the line and crossed through the special access energy gate, bypassing the line of entering vehicles completely. Drake chuckled to himself.By now, it was time for Drake to enter the Fortress. A security guard glancing curiously at the old robes and vases in the back of the vehicle, verified his Venture Co. ID and allowed him in..Before entering the Fortress’s main room, one had to pass through the Factory Hub, a huge side room of the Fortress where all manufactured goods were made. Drake gazed at the minifigures manning drills, presses, vices, and welders of all kinds, spraying sparks and debris on to lower levels.The road sloped upward into the central room of the Fortress. Vehicles entered into a mid-level between the upper living centers and the lower storage rooms, separated by two sets of large, sloping metal platforms called the Steppes. Driving a vehicle up the Steppes was virtually impossible, so any driver wishing to progress further into the Fortress would have to utilize lifts manned by security officers.A squad of white-armored Coalition troopers patrolled nearby. The Coalition was in charge of maintaining order and safety in the Fortress and outlying areas. Drake didn’t consider himself a part of them, since he was officially a member of the defense and exploration group known as Venture Company, although the two were closely tied.The second lift in a row of 4 lowered to allow his Snow-trekker to board it. The Coalition officer in an adjacent glass booth greeted him and looked over the vessel apathetically. When he was satisfied, he threw a lever and the lift began to slowly rise.At the top, Drake drove it across the open floor of the Fortress Central and into the public garage near the Steppes. Inside were several other Snow-trekkers and a valet driver waiting to take his vehicle. He slowed, then jumped out and landed with a thud.Jimmy and Tarx were supposed to be waiting outside to help unload what they must have thought to be a large stash of loot. Drake heard someone jogging towards him.“Didn’t get much today, huh?” Said Jimmy’s telltale young, accented voice.Drake turned to see him beginning to rummage through the Snow-trekker’s cargo.“Oh, i got plenty. Take a closer look.” He said.Jimmy pulled out an ornate looking white leather cape, giving Drake a curious glance.“That’s a frostcloak, not just any old cape.” Drake said.“Anything special about it?” Asked Jimmy, “You know, besides the obvious?”“Yep. Apparently, it gives the wearer ‘control over the forces of ice’.” Replied Drake.Jimmy unhooked the cloak’s clasp and put it on. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.“Hmm, well, it feels colder... Thats about it.” He said, smiling.“That’s pretty much the day’s catch for you.” Said Drake, “A lot of antique items, but nothing useful.”Of course, items like these were equally as valuable as weapons and other commodities, since the higher class citizens of the Fortress paid handsomely for things like these.“So, did you two fix up the Behemoth while i was gone?” He asked.“Uh, yes...” Said Jimmy, “more or less. Good thing you didn’t chase after those black mercs. They took care of the brakes too.”The two of them carried the few items that Drake had found out of the garage and over to the Steppes Drop, a mezzanine overlooking the part of the Steppes that lead to the lower level storerooms. With nothing else to do until Tarx brought the Behemoth over to pick them up, Drake put down the items he was carrying and walked between two of the massive pillars that held up a railcar line above the Steppes.“I don’t see how you can stand that!” Said Jimmy.“What?” Drake chuckled.“Standing right on the edge of a 150-foot drop...”Drake glanced down at the floor below him and shrugged.“It’s pretty much my job.”Within a few minutes, Jimmy spotted the Behemoth heading to their position from the Motor Hall. The huge green vehicle came to a skidding halt, looking just as imposing as ever. Tarx emerged from the open cockpit and made his way down a side mounted ladder, landing with a thud after jumping from the bottom rung.“Ok, let’s load this stuff up and head home.” Said Drake.He grabbed the frostcloak and took it up to the Behemoth’s rear platform. He was about to climb up to the cockpit when Tarx began to speak.”In case you two were wondering, i’ve found out from Menar Pellon who the Ancient Fang was to be delivered to,” He said with his usual tone of indifference, “A minifigure named Pranon Drek. I’m still not sure why, though.”Drake couldn’t recall meeting a ‘Pranon’ or a ‘Drek’ anywhere.“Do you know anything about the guy?” He asked both of them.“Only that he was a Coalition Council member from a while ago.” Said Tarx. “Apparently, he was dishonorably discharged.”Drake was surprised to hear that. He didn’t know that any Council member had ever been removed against their will.“Pellon? Do you even trust that creepy guy?” Asked Jimmy incredulously.“As much as I trust any of the black mercs.” Tarx replied coolly.“I’ll probably see Shanra when I head to the Dining Hall.” Drake noted, “I’ll see if i can learn more from her.”“I hope you aren’t planning on stealing the Fang back.” Tarx said sternly. “Not really. Just wondering who finally ends up getting it.” Drake replied. “C’mon, let’s head home.”‘Home’ for Drake and many other Minifigures was Maraxus, the oldest and most densely populated section of the Fortress. As the Behemoth rounded the furthermost corner of the Motor Hall, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the central chamber of Maraxus, lit by a single overhead floodlight. The ground was covered in sand, and the many structures within the area were covered in rust and dust. Minifigures walked, drove, and hovered this way and that, and Drake was greeted by the sounds of voices and machines reverberating throughout the chamber.“Well, i’m going in for dinner.” Said Jimmy. Without hesitation he vaulted over the side of the Behemoth and on to the ground below. Drake remembered to activate the Behemoth’s new comm systems. He flicked a switch, and within moments he, Jimmy, and Tarx were all connected to the Coalition Comms Center, which allowed Minifigures in the Fortress and nearby areas to communicate with each other. The speakers of the comm device buzzed wildly with a mash-up of voices. Drake tuned it via a control dial until there was only a soft static tone.“Can you guys hear me?” He said tentatively into the device’s microphone.“Yebp, ak eu?” Was the response. Drake tuned the device further and repeated his question, then Jimmy’s voice came in loud and clear.“Hello?”“It’s working now!” Said Drake. “Let’s try and use this thing more often.”He waited for Tarx to jump off, then headed for the Garage, where many of the Fortress’s citizens parked, maintained, and modified their myriad vehicles.The entrance to the Garage was at the base of a rusty old tower at the north wall of Maraxus. Vehicles exited through a passage next to this tower. A Coalition trooper squad was positioned in front to check for thieves, smuggled goods, and the like. Their squadleader, a well known trooper nicknamed ‘Rookie’, greeted Drake as the Behemoth rolled into the garage entrance tunnel.After a short, straight forward drive down the yellow lamp lit tunnel, the vehicle arrived in the garage. It was a towering square chamber with several outer decks and a spiral ramp leading to each. The sound of the machines inside was like thunder. The Behemoth had a designated garage on the 2nd floor, where Drake gave it continual modifications. It was here that he drove it to await another artifact-hunting trip out in the Wastelands the next day.At the dining hall, Tarx and Jimmy were seated at a table with Matt Feren, one of the mysterious silver armored Alpha Troopers who lived in the Fortress. Apparently, they were around before the Awakening, when all of the Fortress’s Minifigures gained consciousness. Like all Alpha Troopers, Feren refused to even mention the subject. As Drake came to take a seat, Feren looked up from his dinner with the casual smile that he had virtually all the time.You can never tell what an Alpha Trooper is thinking. Drake thought.“Ah, Drake. How goes the search for the Ancient Fang?” He asked.“Found it, and lost it again.” Drake said disappointedly.“Those Black Mercenaries must be proving to be quite troublesome.” He said to no one in particular. Drake nodded.“You know, i heard they sold three of those lighting tridents to a group of Aquanition thugs, then stole em’ all back the next day!” Jimmy exclaimed.“Seems like thats all they care about,” Jimmy continued. “The coins.”The three of them continued to talk about the various things troubling the Fortress, and Drake left to put in his order at the restaurant’s front desk. As he turned away, he saw a group of black armored Minifigures walking hurriedly out of the dining hall. Within them was Shanra Onyx. He walked forward and peered closely at the group.“They’re Black Mercenaries alright...” He thoughtThen he noticed one of them, a black and grey armored man, carrying what appeared to be the Ancient Fang. He trailed after them excitedly, trying to remain somewhat hidden.They continued out into a side alley, then up a flight of stairs leading to one of the plazas of Maraxus. Drake was about to climb the stairs after them when he realized that one of the Black Mercenaries was still there. He immediately ducked back behind his spot of safety.“Oh great, it’s him.” Drake thought.He didn’t know the Merc’s name, but he was aware of his ability to become nearly invisible during combat. That ability had caused Drake’s crew many problems in past battles, and the Merc knew how to use it well.“I’ll need to be awfully careful.” He reminded himself.The group of Mercs had situated themselves off to the side of the plaza, appearing to be waiting for something. No more sunlight shone from the skylights above, leaving only the dim yellow glow of the Fortress’s standard light fixtures to illuminate Drake’s path. He stealthily made his way up to a small platform overlooking the plaza, and stood in wait.No more than a few minutes later, a male Minifigure in expensive looking red and black garments appeared and made his way over to the Mercs.“This must be Pranon Drek.” Drake thought. He considered heading back to the dining hall, since Jimmy and Tarx would no doubt be wondering where he went, but he was still interested to see what became of the Fang.Shanra spoke to Pranon, but Drake couldn’t make out what she was saying clearly enough. When the two of them seemed to reach an agreement, Pranon handed over a bag of what Drake assumed to be high valued coins. The two of the swapped items simultaneously, then parted without saying a word.“Well...” Thought Drake, “There goes the ol’ Fang. I suppose it’s just another weapon anyway.”He climbed down from the platform when both Pranon and the Mercs were gone, and was about to call Jimmy and Tarx when the platform in the direction that Pranon had left was ignited by a blinding flash of light, joined by a harsh crackling sound.Drake moved cautiously toward the source of the blast and saw Pranon laying nearby, motionless. He rushed to make sure that the blast had not been lethal. His limbs tingled as he approached, and the scorchmarks on Pranon suggested that he had been hit by an electric blast.“Hey! Can you hear me?” Drake grasped Pranon’s shoulders and gave him a slight shake. “Are you ok?”“Of course i’m not!” He coughed angrily. “Who do you think you are?!”“Sorry, here, let me help you up.” Drake stammered. “I’ll get you to a med clinic.”He began leading Pranon awkwardly back across the plaza.“Hold on!” Pranon exclaimed suddenly,“The Fang! Where’s the Fang?”Drake was unsure what to say. “Someone must’ve taken it.” He thought.Upon hearing a flurry of footsteps nearby, Drake turned to see Shanra moving towards them.“What happened?” She inquired, looking more upset than surprised.Pranon spoke before Drake could explain, “A blast, a blast of some sort. Hit right next to me.”“Any idea who it was that attacked?” She asked.“No. Took me completely by surprise, they did.” He grumbled.Shanra turned her gaze to Drake, glaring. “And what do you think you were doing?” She demanded. “Still can’t leave that Fang alone?”Drake was caught off guard by the accusation. Before he could think of a response, the Black Mercenary that had nearly spotted him earlier materialized next to him and chuckled in a strange, synthesized voice. With a jolt, he realized that this merc had likely been watching him ever since he had spied on the handover of the Fang.“Nevermind that.” She said quickly, “Let’s get him to a med clinic.”

Edited by Ringoster
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Chapter 211:42 AM, Day 438As Drake rose from bed the next day, he racked his brain to think of another great treasure to pursue. There was the Spike hammer that had been lost to a patrol of Hookmen last year, and an old cache of Heavy staves stuck in the Generator, and perhaps the Gat gun sprayer that was stuck in the topmost branch of one of the Wasteland’s giant trees. None of these had nearly as much hype surrounding them as the Ancient Fang, and Drake still didn’t know exactly why.As he went to the Garage that morning, he was surprised to see Pranon Drek walking towards him.“Drek?! What’re you doing here?” He asked.“I’ve got a proposition for you, Venture.” He said excitedly. “I want that Fang back.”“Yes, but why?” Drake asked exasperatedly.“Have you not heard the legends surrounding it?” Pranon said. Then an excited glint came to his eyes.“It’s said that the Fang is not a weapon, but a key, a key to other worlds.” He whispered.“It unlocks a vault hidden somewhere in the Northern Crash Site.”This piqued Drake’s interest quite a bit. For once, he was interested more in the power of the Fang than it’s monetary value. The Northern Crash Site was located many miles north of the Fortress, and most Minifigures disagreed as to what exactly it was, but all could agree that it was the result of an impact from some sort of massive object in space, and, being an adventurer himself, Drake would be happy to explore an ‘other world’.“I see you’re interested.” Pranon observed, smiling.“Yes, well, Venture Co. might not approve of me taking on a job...” Drake said tentatively.“I’ll make this operation worth your while,” Pranon continued.“You’ll receive the same payment that i gave for the Fang, plus additional payments as you and i see fit.”“Do you have any idea who has the Fang now?” Drake asked. Pranon puzzled over the question for a while before replying quietly,“Rogin Shandeus is a so called ‘information broker’ who lives in the underlevels. He will certainly have plenty of rumors and facts to provide you with.”Drake thought for a bit about this. “You know, if these guys end up being too dangerous to work with, there’s really nothing keeping me from turning them in.” He turned over the options in his head for a bit, while Pranon waited eagerly to hear his decision.“Ok, you’ve got a deal.” Drake said, although he wasn’t particularly happy about it.“Where exactly is Rogin?” Drake asked.“He moves throughout the underlevels and sometimes out of the Fortress,” Pranon explained. He gave a dry laugh, “But chances are you won’t find him in the daylight.” He began to walk away.“Maybe your so called friend, Shanra, can help you.”A few hours later, Drake was on his his way into the lower levels of the Fortress, with a fairly good lead on Rogin’s location. He had made his way to Shanra’s temporary Black Mercenary hideout earlier, only to find Menar Pellon alone, clearing out the place. He had surprisingly little trouble getting the information he wanted from Pellon, whom Drake suspected wasn’t truly loyal to the mercs he worked with.Pellon stated that Rogin currently operated a weapons shop within the Fortress’s ventilation tunnels. When Drake asked why he chose that perilous location, Pellon simply said that few Minifigures would think to slide down an air duct without prior knowledge of the weapon shop.Drake couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear when he approached one of the Market District’s massive air vents. He had once heard Tarx tell a story about falling down the air ducts, and being lost in the darkness. He bent over to peer down, and was greeted by a gust of warm air. He steeled himself, and slipped between the vent’s guard bars.He fell a short distance, then hit hard into a slanted metal floor. The blackness engulfed his vision, and he began to slide downward at breakneck speed. Thinking quickly, he angled his body as much as he could in an attempt to steer himself down the right passage.He heard the whoosh of an object passing him, and realized that the wall to his left was now much closer.“Oh, lets hope i took the right turn.”The tunnel bent sharply to the left, causing Drake to slam into duct’s left wall. Ahead, he could see three tunnels branching in different directions, lit by yellow light. The path to the right was illuminated by neon pink lights a ways down.“That’s got to be it!” He thought.Giving one final shove, he diverted his course to the right. The yellow lights wizzed overhead, and a large alcove built into the side of the duct came into view.Before Drake could think as to how to stop himself, he slammed into a dense web of cables and wires laid across the duct. He coughed as the dust of the air system got into his lungs while he caught his breath.“Hello there.” Said a voice from the alcove. “I’d take it you could use a hand.”“Em, yes, of course.” Drake began.As he turned to see who was speaking, he caught a glimpse of a turret mounted in the room. It fired, latching on to him and yanking him from the net of cables into the room.“You’re welcome.” Said the Minifigure.Drake could see him fully now. He was short, with dirty white hair and a mash-up of robes and armor bits all in black.“And he smells like old rockfruit.” Thought Drake.“You’re in need of some information, no?” He said.“Yes.” Drake began. “I hear that the Ancient Fang was stolen. Do you know who may have done it?”Rogin rocked back and fourth on his heels, thinking.“Yes, well, i’m quite certain it was someone from within the Coalition,” He recalled, “Someone high in their ranks.”This was hardly helpful to Drake. He certainly couldn’t ask every single member of the Coalition the whereabouts of the Fang.“Burton Armand, one of the Fire Guard squadleaders, was leading some Fyren Furnaceheads to an excavation site.” Rogin continued. “According to the Furnaceheads, an Alpha Trooper was running off with the Fang.”“I don’t particularly like the idea of following rumors from a bunch of Furnaceheads.” Drake said, annoyed. Minifigures that became mentally damaged in battle were often employed by the Fyren Miners as Furnaceheads, half-machine laborers whose heads could blast jets of flame. The Furnaceheads, and the Fyren for that matter couldn’t be fully trusted.“Forgive me, but i am more of an expert on rumors than fact.” Rogin said, grinning.“Alright, thank you.” Said Drake. He was about to dish out a payment, but Rogin shook his head.“I work for free.” He said, “But may i suggest that you purchase a weapon?”Drake recalled his distaste for arms dealers who worked outside the Coalition, and instead began to search for a way back to the surface from Rogin’s shop.Rogin peered at Drake’s weapon strapped to his back. “Is that a Flintlock Rifle? Ah, i have just the thing for you.”He wandered over to a locker and opened it, emerging with a green container.“A spitfire moderator. Simply clip it on to your rifle.”Drake couldn’t see any apparent danger in the gesture, and grabbed the container. It snapped firmly on to his rifle.Rogin smiled and pointed at a target painted on the opposite side of the duct.“Try it out.”Drake aimed, and fired. Instead of a bullet, his rifle fired a bright, shimmering bolt, accompanied by a loud whistle. It flew across the duct in a flash and exploded, leaving a small scorch mark on the target.“Like it?” Rogin inquired. “Only 10,000 Coins.”Drake sighed. “Oh, alright.” He gave a single red coin to Rogin.“Now how do i get out of here?”“There’s a pneumatic lift over there.” Rogin said, pointing to a makeshift looking metal plate in the nearby corner. He stepped in, and it shot him upward.

Edited by Ringoster
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Chapter 31:26 PM, Day 438Drake sat next to a tailor shop in Market District, pondering how to go about getting the Fang. He would need some help, in case things turned bad. He would first try and find out were the Fang was being held himself, by checking in the Coalition’s item storage room in it’s headquarters. The Coalition HQ was only a short walk away.As he thought further about his plan, he was struck by a Minifigure running into him. The two of them toppled over, drawing a few looks and chuckles from passers by.“Oop, sorry!” Said the Minifigure. Drake had time to see that it was Duncan Strongarm who was laying on the ground, hurriedly picking up spilled ammo rounds and hand grenades. Strongarm was an ever-cheerful and recklessly brave Coalition mercenary, who took on the most dangerous of adventures and tasks as a daily routine. “Hey there, Strongarm!” Drake greeted him. “Sorry about that.”“Ah, no problem.” Duncan replied, although he sounded a bit stressed. As he picked up his revolvers, he loaded them quickly.“We’ve got trouble at Lake Tikall.” He said grimly.“Aquanition?”“Yep. They just hit a border patrol. there are Troopers on the way. Figured i’d help even the odds.”Drake gave a sigh. The Aquanition never seemed to stop attacking, and their attack patterns were erratic and random. They would have long since been defeated if it weren’t for the fact that they came from the Lake itself. Drake wondered if he should help. After all, he was in no hurry to sneak around in the Coalition HQ.“I suppose i could help as well.” Drake began.“Awesome!” Said Duncan. “Let’s go!”To get to the marshy shores of Lake Tikall, one had to cross a fairly large portion of the Fortress grounds, an indented area of the Wasteland that the Fortress and the Garage were built in. Duncan didn’t travel in a vehicle, and Tarx and Jimmy were off somewhere else with the Behemoth, so the two of them had to run. They were lucky enough to catch a ride on a Coalition troop transport on the way. The lead Trooper on the transport stood up unsteadily as the floor beneath him bounced, and explained what the two of them had missed.“There’s tons of em! Aquanition everywhere!” He exclaimed. “Their defenses capsized two fishing boats. Thank goodness the drivers called us up before they went under, or their forces might have gotten further in.”Drake peered across the grassland in between them and the lake. There was indeed a large battle going on near the lakeshore. He readied his rifle, and made sure that the spitfire box was primed.As the transport neared the site of the battle, it slowed, and the Troopers onboard rushed out on to the ground. Seeing as he lacked their armor and training, Drake stayed back. As he figured, Duncan immediately charged in to the crowd of Minifigures, throwing grenades at the blue Aquanition soldiers. “It’s time i get a closer look at these guys.” Thought Drake.He caught the nearest Aquanition by surprise and fired a spitfire blast, knocking it backwards. It growled in a strange garble and righted itself to change at Drake with some sort of device. He prepared himself to bash the mutant with his rifle, but instead of attacking, the Aquanition activated the device it was holding, setting off an explosion of green liquid that splattered across the area. Drake was untouched, but a Trooper nearby the Aquanition was covered in the green slime. “Watch it!” He shouted. “You gotta smash em’ first, or they’ll smash themselves!"Drake was somewhat familiar with smashing things, although those things were usually animals and not sentient beings, although these Aquanition were hardly what you would call ‘sentient beings’.A yellowish flash illuminated the area next to Drake. He turned to see a Trooper being rebuilt. His armor and weapons swirled around with his remains until he stood on the battlefield, looking no worse from the wear. Most Fortress Minifigures rebuilt after they were smashed. It was a strange phenomenon that was, according to the Alpha Troopers, somehow linked to the Fortress’s Generator. Fewer and fewer Minifigures had been rebuilt as the year progressed, and Drake certainly didn’t want to risk being smashed for good. He turned his attention to a larger, more armored Aquanition moving slowly towards a group of Troopers. He heard a ting-ting-ting as the Trooper’s shots dented it’s armor. He trained his rifle sights on it and fired a shimmering bolt that struck it in the leg, toppling it over. The Troopers took the chance to unload on it, smashing it for good.The battle seemed to have cooled down a bit, so Drake to the chance to move quickly towards the lake shore, where he could see Aquanition troops rising out of the murky water. As he rose to move back to safer ground, an Aquanition grenade landed with a thud next to him. As he dove out of the way, it exploded, showering him with green slime.“Yuck!” He thought. “What is this stuff anyways?”A growl sounded from behind him. He turned and fired a blast at the Aquanition standing there, hitting the ground below it and bowling it over. Some of the green liquid seeped into his mouth, and within an instant, he was surprised to find himself extremely thirsty.“This must have something to do with how these guys became what they are.” He thought, although, as far as he knew, there was no substance that caused extreme thirst in Minifigures. Duncan Strongarm raced by Drake, firing madly into a group of three weakened Aquanition. When he got close, he looped a belt of grenades around the neck of one of the hapless mutants, shouting “Here ya go!” gleefully, then dashed back to Drake. The grenades went off with an earsplitting bang, leaving nothing but a scattering of blue armor.Drake laughed despite himself. Duncan hesitated a moment to catch his breath, “The Trooper’s leader says they can take it from here, so you can get back to, erm, whatever you were doing.”“I’ll do that.” Said Drake. “See you later.”“You bet!”Duncan cast one final glance at a nearby Aquanition elite, and fired a shot at it, leaving a large hole in it’s helmet visor. It toppled over in a heap of parts.“Ha! In your face!” Duncan shouted.Drake just shook his head and started toward the Fortress.There were quite few Minifigures at the entrance to Coalition HQ. Drake figured that most of them were off doing their jobs throughout the Fortress. The only ones who stayed within the HQ at all times were the Wise Ones, a group of 6 young Minifigures whom the Alpha Troopers served. It was quite apparent that the lot of them knew things that Drake and the rest of the Fortress dwellers didn’t, but, like the Alpha Troopers, the Wise Ones rarely even hinted about anything that most Fortress Minifigures didn’t already know. It often frustrated Drake, and he wondered why all the secrecy was needed. As he entered the foyer of the HQ, he rounded a corner and followed a narrow hallway until he arrived in the Coalition item storage room. The chamber was wide, and the ceiling was at least twenty feet high. Along the walls were boxes where weapons, armor, documents, and other useful items were kept hidden away. Each box could be unlocked by a key, and different keys could unlock a greater number of boxes. Drake had a yellow key, which would give him access to some weapons, ammunition, energy cells, and probably a few profiles of known lawbreakers. As he stepped forward to begin his search, he nearly slipped on something on the floor. It was a piece of paper, dated Day 437. Then he read the heading.“This must be an Alpha Trooper log entry!” He thought excitedly. He read it;

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Cont'd (Note: For complicated reasons that i care not explain now, i can't include the Log entry mentioned above).Drake found this most interesting. He didn’t recognize some of the terms stated, but Feren’s note was clear; Drake was supposed to find the Fang and put it to use. Chances were that the log entry had been left there on purpose. Some of this still left Drake puzzled. “If they have the Fang, why do i need to take it to where it belongs?” He didn’t even know how to get the Fang from it’s box in the chamber yet. Looking around, he spotted a box on a high top row with it’s grey metal door hanging open. Seeing as the finding of the log entry was most likely staged, Drake was quite certain that this box must be open on purpose as well. He rolled up the log entry and put it in his pocket.Seeing no stairs or ladders nearby, he approached the wall that the open box was in and placed his foot on the bottom most box, trying to get a firm foot hold. Before long, he was awkwardly climbing up the wall of storage boxes. As he approached the open one, he heard footsteps below him. Peering over his shoulder, he saw Korbin Vineslash, the Fortress’s head botanist and apothecary entering the room, appearing to be on his way to the Wise One’s chambers. Korbin looked around at the room and jumped a bit when he saw Drake on the wall. “Hello, Venture.” He exclaimed, “My my, whatever are you doing up there?”“Just getting some supplies.” Said Drake, trying to sound confident.“Did you notice the new retractable ladders in the floors?” He walked over to a series of buttons on the opposite wall and pressed a blue one. Three ladders rose noisily from the floor and stopped just below the ceiling. Drake gave a sigh. “I’ll... make sure to use them next time.” He said.“Good, and do be careful.” Korbin proceeded across the room and into the Wise One’s chambers.With him gone, Drake reached up into the open box and pulled out.... the Ancient Fang! He was so surprised he nearly fell off the wall. “There you are!” He said under his breath. Once he was on solid ground, he slid the Fang into the rifle case on his back, where it should be safe from being spotted. Now that the Fang was in his possession, he needed to figure out how it worked. Pranon Drek seemed to be the best Minifigure to ask, and perhaps Drake could show him the log entry he had ‘discovered’ as well. Drake owed him the Fang anyways.With that, he exited the Coalition HQ and headed in the direction of the medical clinic.

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Chapter 4:3:40 PM, Day 438“What a pleasant place.” Thought Gurn Darkhook as he hobbled along. The ground underfoot was painfully hot, and smoke was everywhere. Huge spikes of hardened lava leaned over him, making a path of sorts. “Not my kind of land, but it’s certainly a relief from all that grassland.” Red armored Minifigures darted here and there, eyeing Darkhook curiously and threateningly, but none attacked. Obviously, a peg-legged, rag-wearing, purple skinned, anchor armed Minifigure like himself was not a common sight, and the locals were trying to determine of he was friend or foe. Darkhook had heard that they considered everything but themselves a foe, and he was prepared for that. He heard a sudden throaty scream from behind him, and wheeled around to see one of the Minifigures charging towards him, clothes alight with flame, carrying a backpack full of glass fuel cells. Darkhook began to spin himself, letting his chain mounted anchor swing outward. He caught the charging bomber and swung him around a full rotation before giving the anchor a jarring shake. The bomber was flung backwards into another crimson Minifigure, shattering the fuel cells. In an instant, the two of them were consumed in flame. Although these Minifigures were nearly immune to fire, Darkhook had certainly made his point, and the other Minifigures scattered in fear. What they thought of him hardly mattered, as, assuming he succeeded in his plan, they would all be under his command. The fiery village he was in was home to the Destroyers, a group of Minifigures who, to an outsider, were bestial suicide bombers with a dangerous obsession for fire. They were, in fact, quite coordinated, and were better bomb crafters than any Minifigures in the Wastelands. They learned the ways of fire from their village, situated comfortably in the center of a charred volcanic region of the Wastelands. They grew to love heat, pain, and fear, and armored themselves with metals crafted from the very lava that flowed beneath their feet. A most fascinating race indeed, and even more interesting (to Darkhook, at least), was their goal of one day blowing the Fortress sky high.As the ashy path ahead widened into a clearing, Darkhook knew that he had arrived at his desired destination. A pool of molten lava bubbled and sizzled in the center of the clearing, and he stepped towards it. The bright orange liquid shook, then a head rose from the pool, followed by a body, a huge abdomen, and four spiked legs as tall as Darkhook. The being splayed it’s legs out on to the rim of the pool and then stood motionless, still glowing orange from the heat of it’s immersion.Then it spoke. “I am Ignatius. What brings you here, newcomer?” It said menacingly.Darkhook gave a courteous bow and introduced himself. “I am Gurn Darkhook, and i come to you with a proposition.”Ignatius said nothing for a moment, then leaned in closer to listen.

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“Nonsense.” Pranon Drek said indignantly. “But it makes perfect sense! Well, almost.” Drake continued. He had came to Pranon’s dwelling in the upper levels of the Market District, where they were sorting out the issues of the Ancient Fang.“If the Coalition wants the Fang delivered somewhere, they would do it themselves.” He said stubbornly,“Besides, i’m the one with the expertise on the legends surrounding it, they said so themselves!” He haphazardly tossed the log entry on to his table.“Ah, no offense to you, Venture.” He added.Drake thought for a minute before speaking.“It’s pretty clear that the Alpha Troopers have picked me to take this Fang to an unknown location,” He began.“Just think, if this log was left on purpose, they could be suggesting that i seek your help. So, do these ‘legends’ that you know of point to any particular place?”“Well, erm, yes.” Pranon said quickly, “But before you head off in search of it, we should take care of our earlier business.”Drake had almost forgotten about the deal. He pulled the Fang out of his rifle case.Pranon cleared his throat, “Since we both have a vested interest in this Fang, i propose that we share it, as well as the profits i was planning to give for it.”This seemed fair enough. “Sounds good.” Said Drake.Pranon brought out his pocketbook and took from it two coins, each valued at 20,000. Drake took them when offered, and put them in his pocket.“Now, since i’m not quite fit enough to travel with you, i will offer a map to guide you, rather than my own words.” Pranon stood up from his chair unsteadily, and ambled over to a file cabinet in one of the finely furnished rooms of his house. He returned with an old piece of parchment in a protective glass casing. “This isn’t a map of my own.” Pranon said. “It’s signed by a fellow named... erm...”He furrowed his brow and looked closely at the map.“Ah, yes, Zeinayedaar. Oh, the names people think of!”He sat down and handed it to Drake.“This, along with many a rumor i’ve heard, has lead me to believe that the Fang unlocks an old ruin in the Northern Crash Site, something like a safe, or a vault.”Drake looked at the map....No map available....“This is rather vague.” He said uncertainly.“Indeed.” Pranon replied. “Notice these three dots.”He pointed to three faded blotches towards the top of the map.“It’s hard to tell, but two are blue, or at least they used to be, and the furthermost dot was once red.”“Any idea what it means?” Drake asked.“Not exactly. I’ve heard from a fellow who went to the two blue ones. Said there was nothing there.”“Then that’s where i’ll go.” Drake said. “I know how to spot useful things from out of nowhere.”“Excellent!” Said Pranon. “By the way, i’ve, ah, borrowed a Coalition Comm frequency. If you find anything, let me know at 87-33.”Drake gave his goodbyes and exited the house. That Pranon was quite a clever guy, if not a bit old and strange.The steps of the conjoined row of houses lead on to a rather precarious walkway, where one could look out over all of Fortress Central and the Market District. A perfect place to plan his expedition.“This is going to be dangerous.” He thought. “I’ll need Jimmy and Tarx’s help.”He made sure the Fang was still with him, and headed down.

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