@Acadian: yes, Rattler is deceased. <--- notice my smile. I have no idea when the actual date of his demise occurred, but I figure since the game starts some time in August, and Lopov gamed with the snake for a few weeks, the dates should nearly coincide.

Vicious telling Buck to call her Tan is an oversight on my part (one of many, the disadvantage of writing week to week). She would've normally introduced herself this way. Oops.

Another thing I've not gotten around to is the turmoil my gal feels about her Witness family. I'll get to that eventually.

You noticed the missile launcher.


@SubRosa: see I had no idea there is a Hubris Comics. Where is it? Okay, somewhere near The Citadel! Damn. Been playing this game for 11 years, had no idea there's a comic factory or whatever, and in that location!

I agree, that is kind of lame she gives up her silly anti-heroine costume.

Buck Norris cannot die. Even the Grim Reaper is afraid of (Ch)Buck Norris.


@Lopov: And Norris is off into the sunset.


LAST WEEK, on Miss Vicious!!!

Vicious returned to Dogmaster's hideout to conclude Dog's first mission: the assassination of Cr4nk$haft and BODDY BAGGZ. She received 9,000 Prewar bills from the Dog for getting it done, while Cheese Head, Dogmaster's top minion, rewarded her a missile launcher. Vicious could not foresee ever needing the large weapon, so she dropped it into the trash can in front of the raider boss's hideout, A Cuppa Joe.

She then received a second mission, to rescue Dogmaster's son, who is being held captive by a slaver named G Zuss, located somewhere north of Big Town. Once the kid is rescued she must bring him back to daddy.

Now... Miss Vicious has just found G Zuss's location, but will she be able to rescue Dogmaster's son?



Episode 69: Conclave of G Zuss

Date: Saturday October 6, 2:28 PM

Location: Conclave of G Zuss (Hallowed Moor Cemetery, modified for no mutants.)


It takes two days to locate the chapel where the guru/slaver who calls himself G Zuss runs his operation, which indeed is an operation. Hallowed Moor Cemetery. The place is typically inhabited by super mutants, but apparently the mutants are no longer here. The sky is overcast, weather is chilly.







Using her binoculars, she spies the chapel of Hallowed Moor Cemetery from a distance, and notices a large military-style tent had been erected nearby at some point. Several individuals are milling in front of Hallowed Moor. One, a woman, is definitely wearing a white robe (as portrayed in the photo Dogmaster had given her). So this must be the place. Nobody else in the Wasteland goes around dressed like that! -- Accompanying the woman are a couple others, both wearing the typical clothing of settlers. There also appear to be guards standing in front of the chapel.

Before leaving Georgetown, Dog and Cheese had given Vicious a few guidelines.

Firstly: She is not to attempt an outright attack on G's homestead. This should be a delicate operation; a rescue, not a bloodbath or a siege. The child is not to be harmed. If Vicious wants to try freeing other slaves, she can do this as well. But Dog's son is priority, of course. Killing G Zuss or any other slavers on the premises, is optional.

Second: Her choice of clothing will probably make a difference; the more appealing, the better. According to Georgetown, G Zuss is a typical old-school creepy guru guiding a typical old-school cult (under the pretense of religious doctrine, of course). Which means he is apparently swayed by beautiful females. Probably, he preaches all sorts of prophetic *bullcrap* to the ladies of his group in an attempt to get into their skirts and trousers. So, the more seductive Vicious appears as she strides into camp, the better chance she'll be received.

"Ugh. Bleah!"

She exchanges the cruddy Badlands armor she'd worn across the Wasteland for a stylish set of Prewar apparel: jeans and a sports bra, begrudgingly so. Vicious hates what she's doing; removing protective raider gear so she can change into something cute, only because one of Georgetown's scouts had surmised sexier outfits might make a difference. Outside of Sunday school, Tan's rarely been the type to doll herself up.






Third: No visible weapons! Especially, she is not to carry her high-powered Blamhammer, or the grenades and mines she's brought anywhere near the camp. According to Dog's intel, Vicious could be shot on sight if she shows up packing massive firepower. So these items are stashed aside her armor.

...However, discreetly hidden weapons such as knives should be okay. Especially if she'll been given one of their silly robes to wear. She'll then be able to hide whatever she's carrying, if so. Because...

Fourth: The final suggestion from Georgetown (this one from Cheese, who had done some studying on Prewar cults) was that she should try joining G's clan, rather than sneaking into it. She should convince them she's ready to devote herself and her life to G Zuss, instead of removing Dog's son covertly. Try gaining their trust, Cheese had said. She'll be more successful at removing the kid from G's camp this way, with less chance of bloodshed.

Vicious becomes Taneesha Jones. Once she's finished zipping and buttoning what equates to a disguise, she places her weapons and and ammo into a rusty old footlocker she finds in some grass, but then waffles a bit about her Tazer.

"Hmm. Should I?"

Her final decision is to bring the stunner. Wastelanders are always mistaking her electric 'Peace Officer Assistance' device for a toy, so the Tazer remains hanging from her belt.

Everything situated, Jones begins her approach.

... Hmm. Not that it matters, but suddenly she realizes: she has no idea what the boy's name is. The Dog never bothered to tell her!

"Good afternoon, my child!" an older female standing in amidst Hallowed Moor's gravestones greets enthusiastically. "My name is Tdekka," she smiles. "Are you lost? Or are you perchance interested in joining our flock?" Tdekka's voice is pleasant, entirely comforting in a grandmotherly way. "Maybe you've come here after hearing about of our Good Works, hmm?"

"Hi, my name's Sharon," Taneesha says, plastering a smile which feels entirely forced. "Sharon Tates. Pleased to meet." The name she gives is false of course, just in case things happen to go wrong. Like if somehow, her act gets discovered (and she needs to flee), it might be better if these idiots happen to send their guards after a 'Sharon' (a common name, even in the Twenty-third century) rather than the near-unique name of Taneesha.

And now that she's here, Taneesha realizes Tdekka isn't wearing a white robe, she's wearing a white cape, draped over ordinary clothes. The guards who stand near the chapel are donned in Talon Company outfits. As Dog and Cheese had briefed, nobody's carrying weapons, not visibly anyway, except the guards.

"Um yeah, guess I'm lost. Was trying to find Big Town, when I happened to come across y'all." There's a smile in her voice as she speaks, which (again) is entirely fake. A bit of improvisation not covered by Georgetown. She figures it'll be important to put these white-caped dweebs at ease. "So, what is this place? ... What do you mean: join our flock?"

"Well, we are the Conclave of G Zuss," Tdekka announces proudly, raising her hands to the sky. By now, two other conclave members have become curious. They drift nearer, abandoning their cleaning, to get a better look at the newcomer in jeans. "G Zuss is our leader! All hail to G Zuss!"

"All hail to G Zuss," the others repeat. Taneesha notices that everyone present at the moment is female, except the two guards.

"We receive the words of our pariah..."

Oh, I bet that's not all you receive...

"... who guides and inspires our days, leading us away from sin via His aspirational insights!" Tdekka says ecstatically.

"My goodness, that sounds... divine!" Taneesha/Sharon lies, the second of many lies to come.

"You should join us!" one of the worshippers, a girl about twenty with hair the color of cornsilk suggests. The girl's eyes are red. For sure, this chick is on chems.

"Your epidermis, it is dark!" the second female comments, coming closer to examine Tan's almond skin. Taneesha flinches a bit as the devotee touches her arm, but there's no harm; poor girl is merely curious. She turns to the others and says, "such a delightful contrast she'd make once she's disrobed for Bathification, along with the rest of us!"

Um, what? "Uh, Bathification?"

"Yes, my child," Tdekka takes over. By now, Taneesha/Sharon is completely annoyed, being called 'child' over and over. "Perhaps I can explain. You've heard of John the Baptist, yes?"

"Um, John the who?" Another lie, especially considering how she was raised.

Tdekka explains who John was, while Tan does her best to keep a straight face. Tdekka mangles Bible lore; the elder woman's description of Jesus's first apostle is entirely ridiculous. Next, Tdekka then details what 'Bathification' is.

"During Bathification, everyone makes a neat circle around our bathtub, which will be filled with non-radiated rainwater! We do so under light of the full moon. When the new convert, which in this case is you Sharon, disrobes, we all join within our Lord's ecxtacy!"

The moron explains that G Zuss subsequently "performs" several "acts" to prepare the "nubile woman-folk" to "take" "His Offering", while whichever female who is so lucky gets to receive his offering while sitting naked within the tub.

"Oh! And do not worry about the cold. We always prepare a warm bath before Bathification occurs," the drugged girl with cornsilk hair gloats. "You shall see! ... Oh, how I wish I could be in your place, Sharon Tates! Was such a wonderful revelation, my first time!"

Taneesha Jones does her best not to cringe, or vomit. To her, Bathification sounds like a ludicrous combination of secular baptism and a sex orgy.

"Would you like to meet Our Father?" one of the girls asks.

Ugh.

"Why yes, I would!" 'Sharon' says with glee. Yeah, let's see this so-called 'prophet'...

Everyone turns to the large tent behind the chapel, apparently awaiting their prophet.

Where is the cage? Tan/Sharon wonders. Where are the slaves?

After about an hour, the prophet finally appears. Comes out of the chapel, wearing a white cape, of course. Not only is he wearing a cape, the man has put an obvious effort into making himself a poor copy of the real thing.



----------------------------------------

Dogmaster & Vicious

Sobbing

Taneesha struts

Priestess Tdekka

"Your epidermis is so dark!"

G Zuss heeds the call of a new convert.


--------------------------------------

Notes: Vicious attained Level 8! After speaking to Red in Big Town, concluding the Germantown rescue. Apparently, my gal never spoke to Red in the past. I gave her Lead Belly, and put points into Small Guns, Sneak, Lockpick, Medicine, and Repair.

2). The 'robes' worn by Tdekka and G Zuss are from Wasteland Capes.

3). Miss Vicious's wardrobe by Gypsy Outfits.

This post has been edited by Renee: Oct 28 2024, 04:18 PM

Rules? Taneesha don't need no stinking rules. Cheese gave her a missile launcher and now she has a great use for it! Oh, wait, she dumped it before leaving. Oh well. She's gonna try joining the cult. She certainly does have a delightful little figure but I hope she doesn't get any cult on herself.

Yeah, hmm, where are the boyz/slaves? More pointedly, where's her target?

So Miss Vicious is Taneesha Jones once more. But not normal Taneesha, spy Taneesha. This sounds like a very difficult and delicate mission, much different from the usual sort of thing one does in the Wasteland (namely just shoot things). Still, I imagine her time in the Witnesses will help her here, when it comes to fitting in and adopting the right demeanor and apparent mind set.

Tdekka has a robe. She must be important. I wonder if those guards are actual Talon Company mercenaries, of if the cultists simply found the armor and decided to use it.

Sharon Tate! I hope Tan does not inherit the same end as poor Sharon... At least she has her zap gun, that might be what tips the balance and insures her survival.

Preparing for the offerings, epidermises and all. About what I would expect.

Today's my birthday, and the present I'm giving myself is the next Vicious episode. Two, maybe three more stories to go.

Lopov is on vacation in Croatia with his family, lucky guy. He should return this weekend.



ha ha you really want my gal to lug that giant weapon around! Not gonna happen. But good you've paid attention to the launcher.

Her next target shall grace us with his presence very soon (gack). I tried really hard to make sure G Zuss has the look I want, learned a few new things about the GECK as well.




If you can remember the mission I made in Cho's game a few months ago, to escort a couple children (a boy went to Big Town and a girl to Tenpenny) this mission in Tan's game is similar. Indeed, she cannot just blast and bomb her way in this time.

Good point about the Witnesses, although G Zuss has no kinds of religion going on for him at all. He's just a typical cult slimeball like NXIUM's Keith Raniere. From Tan's perspective, she grew up Christian so right away she's able to tell G Zuss and Tdekka are a couple of phonies.

The Talons are explained, you'll see.


"Preparing for the offerings, epidermises and all. About what I would expect."

Yicch.

Episode 70: G Zuss

Date: Saturday, October 6







G Zuss emerges from the tent. Strides toward them slowly, as if he's got all the time in the world (which he literally does). It seems three entire days have passed before he's finally within walking distance of the cemetery, while a few brahmin mew in a nearby pasture. The guru's flock begins mumbling a series of saying and passages; pure nonsense. Taneesha turns her head so she can roll her eyes without scrutiny.

The prophet's gaze alights upon Tan, and he cocks his head.







"Egads, we have a visitor!"

His voice is fluid and melodic. It sounds as though he's from Kentucky or West Virginia, perhaps. Not quite southern and definitely not Jersey. He's mountainfolk.

"See?" he asks Tdekka and the others. "As I've promised in the past, My Father always provides."

My father, yeah. Guy's got an ego. Still, the man's voice is butter, melting on a hotplate. Cult-guru or not, he could certainly be adept at delivering a good sermon. Tan can tell he's got a presence which Rivet City's Father Clifford lacks. He would blow the Church of Atom's Confessor Cromwell straight off the pulpit. If G Zuss were to address her actual temple way up north, chances are he'd be pretty good behind the altar.

His eyes nearly pop from his skull once he sees the newcomer up close. Must be the clothes.

"Well, he-llo, my little lamb. Indeed, My Father always provides..." Unlike Tdekka, G doesn't bother to ask if she's here to join, he merely assumes that's why she's here. "Have you been blessed by the passion, lamb?"

Lamb....

It suddenly strikes Tan. Here she is, dressed to kill, yet G's congregants are all wearing typical brahmin and burlap. Cheese's prediction had therefore been very wrong. Probably, she could've shown up wearing a paper bag and the prophet would be just as eager. Still, this'll make a great story someday, the fact that she'd gotten completely into character just to convince the fool before her. Something to tell the grandkids.

"Hey, you were right," Tan say aloud to Tdekka. "Suddenly, I feel in awe... the spirit of His Presence... why, it confounds me!"

G Zuss speaks. "Ah, I do have that effect upon my subjects, but truly I'm just man. Well, a man who has been gifted with His Holiness, and the spirit of the Lord."

"Mm hmm, it is true," Taneesha grins. Oooh, just you wait, buddy...

"Her name is Sharon!" The girl with shale-colored hair blurts, perhaps out of turn, because Tdekka glares at the youngster.

"Sharon, how very lucky you are to have joined us! But if you are truly come to join my faith, you must abandon your given name."

"Give up my name? But Tdekka still retains her name."

"I long ago abandoned my original name and was eventually given a new one," the grandmotherly-looking woman answers. "Only because my Consummation has been accepted by His Holiness. But these two here," she points to the blonde and the raven-hair standing nearby with what looks to be contempt, "at present have not reached Consummation. Therefore they have no names."

"Interesting," Sharon/Taneesha says. Unbelievable. So I must temporarily give up my temporary name. Not like she'd been Sharon Tates for long...

Just then, G Zuss lifts a hand to the sky, and is bathed within light, causing the stoned blonde and her partner to sigh. "Someday soon, you shall feel the glory of My Heaven," he claims.

Ugh. They're fooled by a cheap party trick. Tan's tempted to perform exactly the same trick, flicking her Pip Boy's light on while it's still in her pocket, but she stays in character. Already, she's losing patience with this phony. Time to gain some intel.

"Hey, um."

"Yes, my child?"

"Aren't y'all worried about starting your flock out here in the open? Big Town's just across the bridge, true, but this spot just seems kind of vulnerable...."

Oops. She's made a mistake. An hour ago, she'd told Tdekka she has no idea where Big Town is. That she'd only found Hallowed Moor after getting lost while looking for Big Town. Yikes! Thankfully, the elder lady doesn't seem to notice.

"I shall answer thy query. Yes it is dangerous out here, but The Lord always provides."

G Zuss explains they're in the process of building their congregation, almost literally from scratch, and have had zero interference from strife due to divine intervention from the heavens. Since Hallowed Moor is a half-ruined church, it'd already been consecrated long in the past. G's plan is to eventually hire carpenters, electricians, and craftsmen, or induct them into his congregation if they're willing to join. Eventually, the chapel shall be rebuilt. Hallowed Moor Cemetery will eventually become the Conclave of G Zuss, hopefully by springtime. They'd only been here a couple weeks so far. The people on location (those Tan is seeing now) happen to be the very first arrivals.

The sleaze also explains he's in cahoots with Talon Company, somehow. He'd gained a lot of money from past 'donations', and had paid dearly for the two mercs they've got on the premises. More Talons are apparently on their way, he says. Their temptation is money, not worship, but this is okay.

And just how DOES this fool get his money?

"So Sharon," Tdekka broaches the subject on everyone's mind, "are you interested in joining our flock?"

"Why, yes! I will! Already, I sense my future life shall be full of meaning," she answers, really hamming it up. "Before this moment, why, I must admit I was lost. Literally lost without a map, and virtually, my soul has also been lost."

"Well then, certainly you were meant to find me," G Zuss says smugly. "Please come feast with me tonight," he adds, making her wonder what is meant by 'feast?' - "You cannot officially join until your Bathification, which can only be performed under the light of the full moon, of course..."

Oh goodness. Which phase is the Moon in? she panics.

"...but you may certainly join our feast."

The newcomer looks to the sky, straining to see Earth's companion, but the Moon is nowhere in sight. She has no idea which phase it's actually in (waxing? waning? new?) but since nobody's mentioned Bathification is to take place tonight, certainly the Moon can't be full. -- Phew! -- This'll save her from needing to improvise an entire set of behaviors and lies.

"Hey, what happens if it's cloudy?" she asks the flock out of curiosity. "You said the light of the full Moon must be shining, but what if it's not?"

The answer both stuns and appalls her. "G Zuss shall then part the clouds," Tdekka answers, "as Moses parted the Yellow Sea."

Yellow sea?

"You've parted the clouds before?"

The prophet begins to answer, but then stops. Slyly changes the subject. Apparently, even a con artist such as him has limits.






6:06 PM
An hour later they're under the tent, gathered around a worn-out table once used for Prewar picnics. Also under this tent are several beds and bedrolls, some furniture, and what looks to be a safe. It's the safe which catches Taneesha's attention.

G Zuss gestures, then orates a few words of ludicrousness which aren't from any Bible she's ever read. He then breaks the bread.

"By the glory of My Father, I now feast with my flock!"

The guru puts two and a half fingers to his lips. Pieces of bread are passed from him to Tdekka and the others. The two unnamed conclave girls eat ravenously, Taneesha notices; wild dogs have better manners. Chances are they're both starving, poor things. Here's a bit of mind control from their leader, who (like many cult sleazeballs) prefers his subjects scrawny and craving. Too weak to protest. Tdekka and G Zuss nibble more slowly. Taneesha/Sharon pretends to take a bite, pretends to chew, but also manages to jam her food into a pocket. Yeah, because no way am I gonna. Later, the 'food' is thrown into some grass.

Wine is also shared between the conclave. This time Taneesha's more honest. Claims she's become a teetotaler recently (all true) and cannot partake of alcohol due to her desire to keep her body pure. Fortunately, G and Tdekka don't make a fuss. They're impressed, in fact. The prophet is virtually drooling. An untainted virgin, perhaps!

At some point after dinner, just as she's wondering if Dog and Cheese got it wrong and there are no captives on the premises, she notices one of the Talons striding into the half-ruined chapel. The man grabs something from a chest, bends to the floor, and opens what looks to be a hatch. The guard lowers himself underground, as though descending a ladder. Ah-ha! -- Something to look into after everyone's asleep.

"So, who are you, really?" G Zuss asks, surprising Tan from her reverie as he appears by her side. His former melodic voice has been replaced, now he is shrewd and suspicious.

"What do you mean?"

"Well. As Our Father's son come to Earth, I of course have many gifts, many talents."

"Like parting clouds in the sky?" Tan does her best to keep sarcasm out of her tone of voice. Probably fails!

"Mmm, let's just say I've got a sixth sense about certain things," he murmurs, ignoring the jab. "Something about you, Sharon. Just so you know, one of my guards is on a ham right now, asking about a brown-skinned chick who goes around wearing fancy and rare Prewar clothes. Checking you out. Got something you'd like to tell me?"

Taneesha says nothing. Wonders if her cover's been blown. But everything's cool. A moment later the second guard appears from the chapel, and gives a thumbs-up. Apparently, it's her clothes which bothered the prophet, not the fact she's on a mission to rescue some slaves. Her apparel is super-rare in the Wasteland; who knows what was on his mind. But the Talon's got nothing to report. Taneesha Jones is in the clear.

10:12 PM
After a few hours of wine-drinking (nothing sexual, thank the heavens), G Zuss, Tdekka, and the blonde-haired convert pass out. Both guards are also snoozing on bedrolls. The gal with the dark-colored hair is milling about somewhere, but she's probably too stoned to notice what's coming next. Time to get to work.

First thing Tan does is grabs a bobby pin from her hair, a penknife from her pack. She begins fiddling with G Zuss's safe. Just two pins are broken, a couple minutes go by before she picks the lock. She's in! And what she discovers doesn't surprise her. Firstly, a key. Second, a journal. Third, an enormous amount of bottlecaps. She steals the key and the journal, then slips away from the tent. She also grabs a half-worn police baton she finds on the ground.

Sneaking into the cemetery, she takes a moment to read the journal under the light of her device. Which is more of a ledger, actually. A list of foodstuffs, of items (such as the ham radio), but also, a description of persons. 'young, brownskin, boy' catches her attention most of all. Ah-ha!

And now that she's outside and it's also nighttime, she looks toward the sky. The Moon is out! Looks to be three-quarters full. Very good.






Time to search the chapel.

There is indeed a hatch in the floor, which Taneesha lifts, there's the ladder. It's entirely dark down there. She descends through the hatch, and presses presses the button on her Pip Boy 2500®. Light floods the vicinity. She finds herself in a metal-walled room, maybe thirty by twenty feet. The room is dominated by some sort of ancient generator; some sort of machine anyway. And straight ahead are what look to be the bars of a cell door.

"Oh lord..."

"Hey, who's there?" calls a child's voice. "Please don't take me tonight, I deserve another chance!"

Though she can't see who is speaking, it's definitely a boy. Taneesha rushes forward. The key she'd found fits the barred door, which swings open without a word.

"Hey, I'm not here to harm you!" she calls. A staircase is before her, which descends into what looks to be a cavern. The cavern is rather large; she has no idea which way to go. "It's dark in here," Tan says. "See my light? Just tell me where you are."

Surprisingly, the boy comes running toward her, along with several others. They'd been locked inside this underground cave, but aren't in individual cells.

"Who... who are you?" asks the boy. Definitely, he looks like he could be Dogmaster's son. "Sure you aren't one of them?"

"Oh *heck* no! I am not one of those doofuses, okay? My name's Taneesha and I'm here to rescue you."

"Oh thank you!" the boy's eyes are full of fear. "Was so worried I'd be... next."

"Next? What do you mean, next?"

The boy's about to answer, but stops. Exactly that moment, a grating sound scrapes from above. The hatch! Someone just opened it. As everyone freezes, a series of metallic footfalls come clambering down the ladder. clomp... clank... clomp...

"Stay still. Let me handle this." Taneesha says this aloud, not caring if anyone hears.


----------------------------------------

Brainwashed Follower

The Prophet prophecizes

Heading toward the Tent - (This scene was hilarious. I didn't make a path for them, so they all crashed into the tent, then walked in place before collision finally glitched, and Popped inside!)

Bobby Pin Breakin

The Underground Cell

The Captive Boy

🗝

This post has been edited by Renee: Dec 21 2024, 08:46 PM

See, if she had a magic bag of holding, she could have brought that missile launcher. . . .

Yellow Sea! No wonder Taneesha is rolling her eyes. Kudos to her for not losing it though, or giving in to either laughter or violence. . . yet.

And she finds the Dog pup!

Uh-oh. Maybe I spoke too soon about the violence.

Uh boy, G Zuss really sounds like a handful. The Behind the Bastards podcast has done multiple episodes on Keith Rainere and his cult. So I know all about him. Just what I would expect. Taneesha even has to give up her new fake name and get a new one to become part of the cult. Well, she has to eventually earn one.

So the Talons are real Talons, on the payroll. It is nice to see Talon company actually working as mercenaries. In the game they just attack me, but never seem to actually work for anyone.

Oh yeah, I remember when Moses parted the Yellow Sea. All of China was talking about it.

You are absolutely right about cult leaders liking to starve their followers in order to make them more pliable. I see Tan is also concerned bout the possibility that might be drugging the food, which I would be paranoid about too.

G Zuss is rolling in the caps? My guess is that his 'donations' came from selling slaves. My guess is when people come to join his flock, he picks out the hot girls he wants to keep for his harem, and sells everyone else into slavery.

So it looks like Tan's fancy outfit was not only unnecessary, but also set off some red flags. Thankfully she skirted that situation however, and now has a hatch in the floor to investigate once everyone else has gone to sleep.

Taneesha found the prisoners! But someone else may have just found her! My guess is one of the Talon Company guards got suspicious, or is just doing a regular patrol. Either way, I sense a fight ahead!

I laughed at first when I saw the title G Zuss and the pic with the man wearing a cape right under it. But the laughing passed as the prophet turned out to actually be a stinking slaver.

It's the Dogmaster's son - the Pupmaster.

I expected that someone will come to check out the place or maybe even someone followed Taneesha. I smell a fight ahead!



That's good else the door might reveal what Taneesha is doing.

@Acadian: Nope, no missile launcher and no Magical Bag of Holding! This is a Renee Roleplay; encumbrance is a big thing with me!

Yellow Sea, yes. I can only imagine how twisted G Zuss's sermon would've been had I written up the entire thing. Full of embellishments and half-truths. One thing which isn't mentioned is that none of his followers are knowledgeable about religious stuff. As we'll see, G is able to use this lack of firsthand knowledge to his advantage.

There is going to be some violence, this is the Spike channel after all, but it will... well, you'll see.


@SubRosa: A handful, yes. I should check out Behind the Bastards. It amazes me how otherwise intelligent, successful people sometimes get caught up in that crap. "I can wake you up at four in the morning and make you take cold showers" ... right then I'd be outta there, assuming someone swayed me to join in the first place. Same with their meager calorie intake. Wait, you're going to tell me what to EAT?

Yes, well at first I began thinking these religious nuts need protection; it makes no sense that they're just out there in Hallowed Moor and the mutants are gone. So I put some guards out there. What should they wear though? Decisions like this, I can't spend all day making them, the story needs to get posted! So I just put them in the first sets of armor which crossed my mind. But how would Talon Company fit into this scenario? Well money, of course. In lore they're all mercenaries. Where does the money come from though? Ah hah.

Janet Telia is still a Talon. In her game I've written all kinds of missions: kill missions, delivery jobs, she even occasionally must escort a n00bie somewhere, trying to keep him or her alive for full payment.

I see Tan is also concerned bout the possibility that might be drugging the food, which I would be paranoid about too

Nice. See, that's not mentioned. Tan threw the bread away merely because they are the ones who made it. She didn't suspect chems were involved, but as you'll see...

Very astute guess about the donations. *nods* And good guess about who's discovered her. I hope you'll return to writing soon, as I'm about to take a break.


@Lopov87: Nice, I'm glad my depiction of the Second Coming, under the guise of false prophecy, made you laugh. The entire scenes when G shows up and greets my toon, and then breaks the bread while Tan throws their food away, I was rolling when I read it later on.

Pupmaster... hmm...

That's good else the door might reveal what Taneesha is doing.

Did you notice the brahmin mewing in the meadow? And G Zuss taking three days to make a journey of approximately 50 meters? Probably other Sleakisms I've forgotten.

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 8 2024, 04:53 PM

Episode 71: The Traitor's Betrayal

Date: Sunday, October 7, early morning


Tonight's sermon was good. A little fire and brimstone, plenty of persuasion and soapboxing, a smattering of quotes from the actual Bible to placate the newcomer, whom he learned had been raised Christian. G Zuss had wooed his flock into fervor once again. The newcomer in jeans seemed impressed. Yes, the preacher currently has just four followers, but given time others will come, just as they had in the past.

Hallowed Moor Chapel will become a parish; this is G Zuss's plan. Once word begins getting out about the Wasteland's newest place of worship, soon to be known as the Conclave of G Zuss, those seeking redemption and guidance shall arrive from all over. The number of persons he'll then have access to will only increase, along with his secret trade. Just as it had in the past.

"G Zuss", born in the year 2245 as Aaron Ray Stumphill, had studied the Bibles (New Testament and Old) in his youth, as well as the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, various texts of Buddhism, whatever doctrinal material he could scrounge from the centuries-old library nearby. By the age of fifteen his knowledge of religious cultures was astounding. Aaron was completely fluent in doctrine, considered a master of scripture and sermonizing in his dinky hometown. The town's equivalent to a priest at the time eventually stepped aside.

But somewhere along the way, Aaron Ray began confusing his role as preacher with the actual Father in heaven he claimed to represent. ...Which wasn't entirely his fault. The kid had been getting so much praise, he had been idolized for so long! By the time he was twenty, let's just say the line between minister and Maker had become very blurred.

It hardly mattered anymore what he preached behind the altar. For one thing, he'd been blessed with a golden coif; the exact color hair of the Messiah. He grew a beard as puberty finished, and allowed his hair to get long, which pleased his congregation to no end. His flock, they ate it all up.

Aaron began improvising; deviating from scripture here and there (eventually more here than there). Then, all it took was to perform several 'miracles' upon strangers who weren't known to the local population, which raised Aaron's credibility as a healer and soothsayer. Aaron Ray Stumphill caused a blind man to see! Aaron Ray Stumphill caused a lame woman to walk! And so on. These things were staged of course, money had exchanged hands to make these 'miracles' possible, but why not?

It was called evangelism! ... In the Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-first centuries, plenty of preachers performed miracles before their audiences. This established credibility amongst those who were easily fooled; a combination of prophecy and show business, though the ultimate goal was often money, not spiritualism. Still, if rich folk like Billy Shaham and Tammy Gay Taker could do it, why not a poor boy from Kentucky?

Aaron began sharing the 'visions' he'd supposedly seen with his congregants. Didn't take long before he was able to pull the ultimate stunt; declaring himself to be the Second Coming, come to save all "sinners from the flames of eternal damnation (bla, bla, bla)". Aaron took his new name, the name which'd been prophesized for the past two-thousand-plus years, bastardized to hip hop terms. When it was his turn to die, he would arise from his deathbed after three days, he claimed.

Not everyone in town bought his scheme, however. His congregation began arguing the validity of his claims. Eventually, his flock became divided between believers and heretics. The dinky town's mayor (and sheriff) stepped in after shots were fired, and G Zuss was forced to relocate.

But enough followers remained under his (...command...) uh, guidance. His congregation continued to grow.

Individuals who were lost and vulnerable (and often cute) were those who'd be targeted the most. Money became a factor, along with "trade". Some of the poor souls who'd arrived seeking Him would go "missing" at times. They could be made to disappear for the right price; yet another of G Zuss's "miracles". No friends / no family? Who would miss them over time.

In the Year 2275 G Zuss's trafficking had caught the attention of a raider boss operating along the Potomac, and for a while the relationship between G Zuss and the boss had been a compatible one. A profitable one. But as things often go in the underworld, greed and backstabbing soon overruled business.


12:33 AM
G Zuss awakes from his bed with a start. Looks around the tent, his head slightly spinning. He'd had a bit too much to drink tonight! --- The occasion had called for celebration of course. How often is it that a stunning, provocative, potential convert wearing tight clothes literally appears out of nowhere?

Despite her enthusiasm, the lady hadn't been entirely... hmm. What is it about her, actually? ...Aaron "G Zuss" Stumphill cannot put a finger on what bothers him about the newcomer. Definitely, she is strong-willed. Confident. Not the usual listless loser he'd been wont to attract. Will this be a problem?

"She refused the wine," he mumbles.

The wine, which had been slightly spiked with Dohypnol. Not enough to knock everyone out, but enough to keep their full attentions at bay. When G Zuss orates they're going to see a spectacular vision after they've been boozed, chances are that's exactly what they'll witness. The babe in jeans (whom he refuses to acknowledge with a name) had refused to drink the wine for whatever reason, even after a couple attempts at persuasion.

"She'll be a challenge to consummate," G Zuss mutters, his voice shrewd and calculating, no longer melodious. "Well hey, been there before. I'm always up for a challenge."

Thing is, consummating her (convincing the little b---- to give up her name, her lifestyle, and her past, under the guise of religion) will likely be more than a challenge. G Zuss infers this to be so. Something about her.

"Must confer with Tdekka in the morning," he muses. Amazing that Tdekka, his most trusted apostle from the early days, is still with him. She's a wise woman. Tdekka is to G Zuss as our Twenty-first century Nancy Salzman is to Keith Raniere of NXIVM. Perhaps Sharon Tates shall soon become the equivalent of Smallville's Allison Mack, in our modern terms.

The prophet's gaze wanders about the tent. Stops at the bedroll where the jeans-wearing *strut* had crashed for the night. And then he notices: the *strut* is no longer here!

At this very moment, footsteps approach. Someone is nearing the tent.

"Cool. You're awake," says one of the Talon guards gruffly.

"What is it?" asks the prophet.

"Something going on in the undercroft, bro... think that chick who showed up earlier is fooling 'round down there."

"*Fudge!* Knew something was *messed up* about her."

G Zuss is losing his temper, which at first doesn't seem such a good idea. His façade has always been to at least appear caring and pacifistic. But then, he recalls the moments when Christ himself became angry, specifically the Book of John, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17...

...And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”...

There. The Son of God, always tranquil and patient, had grabbed a 'scourge of cords' and then thrashed it about. Christ had used a weapon! He'd in fact lost his *kit* on several occasions, at least six times in the New Testament, is G's recollection. So relax. Let us become angry at the newcomer; she is a traitor, after all! thinks he. Wouldn't hurt to allow his flock to witness some ire from their leader.

By now, Tdekka and the unnamed girls are also awake. Woozy from the Dohypnol, but awake. Everyone's suddenly astir. Tdekka, G, and the guard discuss what to do about the situation.

As they leave the tent and move toward the chapel, only their prophet is fully aware of the truth.

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Notes: G's backstory sort of "surprised" me. I decided I had to write it up. I then split the chapter into two, just for my own attempt at headache avoidance. So right now it's 1,405 words according to WordCounter.net, my new favorite document editor. It'll be easier to focus on what's to come, this way, for y'all as well as me.

Final episode will be longer. More material will get written up, in an effort to maintain flow.

Very interesting background on the G-man and how he came to be the piece of. . . work that he is.

Uh oh, that new hot chick’s foolin’ ‘round down in the undercroft.

Maybe Taneesha and the Dog pup and have already disappeared?

G-Man really is high on his own supply. I loved his thoughts on how impressed the newcomer was with his white hot rizz.

Yes, that golden blond hair, that *checks notes* Jews born in Palestine are so noted for. Yep, no notes there...

I like this run down of G-Zuss' past achievements, great and disastrous. Run out of town no less! Good for the people of the town.

So he did drug the wine! I knew it! This is the kind of guy who prompts every woman to cover their drink the moment he walks in the room.

Of course G-Zuss is totally down with the image of Jesus going all terminator in the temple. But he totally misses that it was all about greedy rich people exploiting others that had pissed him off. G-Zuss is literally the guy that Jesus would be scourging with that whip.

Looks like Taneesha is going to have her hands full in the undercroft. Hopefully she can take care of that first Talon and get out before reinforcements can arrive. Otherwise the parish might just perish.

This story serves a prelude to the previous story, right? Now they're about to open the hatch...

An interesting backstory of G Zuss a.k.a. Aaron. He's quite an educated individual or maybe well-read is a better word. Too bad that his broad knowledge eventually led to his criminal activities though his viewpoint may differ, I guess.

Our internet was down and I finally had the time to speak to a nice lady in the Phillipines to get it restored with a new modem. I asked her where she's from, thinking she's in California perhaps, but she was like "do you know where the Phillipines are?" I said "of course!" Anyway, very busy weekend and I'm too exhausted to game atm. Gaming will be necessary to flesh out the second scene when Vicious emerges from the cave.

Yes? How can I be of assist? (my imitation of the Xfinity lady on the other side of the world.)

Very interesting background on the G-man and how he came to be the piece of. . . work that he is.

Yes indeed. I began picturing G-man in whichever little burg he was from, and then began wondering how he became what he is today. For the record, I also had backstories on Cr4nk$haft and BODDY-BAGGZ but it wasn't as extensive. Those two were former employees of the dog, but defected his organization.

"Maybe Taneesha and the pup have already disappeared".. not sure what you mean, but my brainpower's running on fumes atm. If you're saying they've already left the premises, not quite yet.


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G-Man really is high on his own supply. I loved his thoughts on how impressed the newcomer was with his white hot rizz

Awesome thank you.

Yes that is correct. If Jesus really lived in the region he lived in (and for the record, I believe he did; where there's smoke there's fire, however I think his message has been hugely distorted) there's no way he'd be pale-skinned with gold hair.

It's not mentioned, but I see G-man getting run out of the town's official congregation, which is supposed to be conservative. He then started over, rebuilding his church in some old barn, perhaps. He later relocated to Maryland, south of Germantown, somehow. Perhaps because Dogmaster himself paid Big Bucks to do so. Perhaps most of his flock got scattered, some of them died along the way from Kentucky to MD.

He drugged the wine with Dohypnol, emphasis on "DOH", as in Homer Simpson doh. 🍷 So it's not the date r4pe drug, it's something less powerful.

G-Zuss is literally the guy that Jesus would be scourging with that whip.

I agree. Like mentioned about the man's message being distorted. I'm a big fan of Gospel of Thomas and the other "non-canonical" gospels, Mary even has her own gospel, because they seem as though there's no embellishments. The Church does not accept these as canon for whatever reason.

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This story serves a prelude to the previous story, right? Now they're about to open the hatch...

This story is a prelude to when she's in Georgetown? Or are you talking about G-Zuss's backstory?

Yes, I believe G-man started off with good intent. But then he got greedy once money got involved. 💰 Often comes down to money, right?

Episode 72: Exodus



"That damned, foul traitor!"

G Zuss curses, his voice mellifluous once again as he, Tdekka, and the sole Talon guard remaining aboveground prepare to move toward the chapel.

The gas valve on the guard's flamer is flicked on, its burner is lit: FWOOSH! A sick smile plasters itself upon the guard's face; he's planning to burn that *witch* to death, what a wicked-awesome night this'll be!

G Zuss is also packing, he readies his revolver, making sure all cylinders have rounds in them. It's rare that he reveals the .32 kept under his cape; he prefers to maintain the illusion of peacemonger. But now is one of those times when rules need to be broken.

Tdekka's got her pistol's hammer cocked as well, with a combat knife for backup. "Damn. Must admit I really liked Sharon... um, really liked that woman," she corrects herself, hoping her leader won't take this moment to lecture her about the necessity of His subjects losing their identity, again. But G is distracted, for obvious reasons.

Everyone starts walking. "Wonder if she's in the secret chamber," the guard mumbles, the aroma of kerosene wafting behind him.

"Oh, Jesus Christ on a gecko stick!" G Zuss screams when he sees his safe had been left open. Again, he's broken character. "Please tell me it was you who opened my strongbox?"

"N-No way," Tdekka stutters, struggling to maintain composure, no longer quite the wise grandmother who always knows what to do. "And those two dunces couldn't pick a lock if they had a copy of Tumblers Today to guide them!" she points to the unnamed girls, who are currently cowering off to the side. "Must've been Shar--- must've been the newcomer!"

"God...DAMMIT!" the prophet screams as he checks his safe. Well, the money's still here, but his ledger and the key to the hatch are missing. So, doesn't seem the newcomer's a pure thief. Seems she's after his 'secret trade'. But why?

...Could she be from the Dogmaster?
...Could she be from the man, basically, who'd paid to have G Zuss and his flock flown to Hallowed Moor in a Vertibird?

"I swear, when I get my sights on that woman...all hell will break loose. Juyeeeez Cheeerist!"

Whoops, he's just sinned, three times in a row! Committed blasphemy, that is. -- Exodus 20:7: Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain... -- But of course, nobody in his current flock really understands how the Ten Commandments actually work. G had been careful over the years about what which parts of the Bible he should illuminate, and which should stay dark. Usually, whatever benefitted Him was utilized, to maintain control over his subjects.

"Calm down, brah," says the Talon. "Nothing but a prob, and you know what? Probs get solved, bro. So ..."

"Okay, first, you need to stop calling me 'bro' and 'brah'," G Zuss interrupts. "You may not be part of my congregation, but I am paying you to be here. Understand?"

The Talon nods, while his eyebrows raise. He barely stops himself from giggling.

"Sorry, boss." Even with this reprimand, and even with the fifty caps he'd been getting paid per day, and even considering the fact he is not Christian or religious in any way, the Talon finds himself unable to refer to the faker before him as anything close to the Messiah returned to Earth.

"That's better," the prophet says.

"Anyway boss, was going to say, let's go get that broad, now that we know she's down in the cave, okay?"

Everyone under the tent agrees.






"Alright y'all, stay back!" Taneesha warns the slaves. She powers up her Tazer as somebody comes down the stairs!

With the boy are three others: a teenage male, a woman near Tan's age, and a young girl. The woman and the girl obey their rescuer, doing their best to hide in the cave while the teenaged boy grabs something from the floor.

"Hah, thought so!" the Talon glowers. "Caught in the act! Knew we shouldn't trust you! The hell you think you're doing, *witch*?"

"Rescuing some slaves from that phony Messiah, what's it look like I'm doing?"

"Aw, this is good, real good!" the Talon exclaims as he approaches. He readies his piece, a two-handed assault rifle. He switches the safety on his gun to OFF. "Like it's my birthday, and YOU are my present! I'm about to have a bit of fun while the slaves watch!"

"Hmm, you think?"

"Pay attention slaves. I'm about to blow her *butt* to pieces!"

Taneesha aims her stunner, center mass...






"Ha ha! What is that? A toy gun? You tryin' to scare me with a toy?" The guard can't help but laugh.

"Oh, you's about to find out what this toy can do, mister."

The fight begins! ... The talon is able to fire a few poorly-aimed shots.. plth! plth! plth! ... most which go flying off into the dirt. He's spraying 'n' praying while Tan strafes, then aims more carefully. -- *BZZT!!!* goes her stunner. Her 'toy' had powered up to full strength by then: all 50,000 volts zap through the man, causing his nerves to twitch while his muscular system falls to nil!

...With the guard down for the next ten seconds, Tan and the teen begin bludgeoning! Tan uses the baton she'd found outside while the teen beats the man with a pipe. Somehow the guard survives this onslaught, so Tan zaps him again: *BZZT!* And they both smash him again...

"I'm getting out of here!" the teen eventually declares before following the others deeper into the cave, leaving Taneesha Jones to finish the guard on her own. See it takes nerve, beating a man to death, even if that man's your captor! For Tan, the assault takes multiple minutes, beating and zapping and smashing and pltzing her adversary over and over, until the guard is finally deceased. "Urrgh..." The baton Tan used, which wasn't in perfect condition when she'd found it, is half broken by the time she's done.

"Sheeshuz!" she says, committing blasphemy herself. Her arms and hands are shaking and aching! The guard's death would've come quicker if she hadn't been forced to use such a defective weapon. "Well that's the last time I part with my Blamhammer," she decides. The man would've been down after two or three shots from her customized shotgun.

It takes a few seconds before the boy, who'd gone rushing off, returns to the scene. "Wow, that was awesome! You just killed that guy! ... Good, I hated him. I hate ALL of them! Who are you, ma'am?"

"My name's Taneesha. You can call me Tan," she says casually, as if she does this sort of thing every day. She places her fingers upon the guard's neck, checking for a pulse while the kid watches. Nope, nothing. "Um, maybe you shouldn't be seeing this part."

"Oh, I'm okay, Tan. I've seen worse." Indeed, the kid seems fine with the results of absolute carnage before him. More than fine! He's relieved!

"Well what's your name?" she asks. She loots guard's corpse, taking a few rounds of ammo from the loser. She also takes two Stimpaks, a ten mil pistol, and forty-four ten mil bullets from the man, all of which she gives to the boy. "You okay handling a firearm?"

She learns the kid's name is Chuck (Chuckles...), and that he'd been captured perhaps a week ago; hard to tell down here in the dark, where night and day no longer matter. Chuckles had been kidnapped while playing outside of Little Lamplight by some Talons.

"Prob'ly a stupid idea, playing outside in the dark. We would've smashed those Talon mungos if they'd invaded our cave."

"I see. Well all of that is over now, Chuckles, okay? Time to get outta here," Taneesha says professionally. "Follow me!"

"Okay."

"Let's try to be quiet up those stairs, though. There's another guard up there, as I'm sure you well know."


1:47 am
Some minutes later, Taneesha, Chuckles, and the teen emerge from the cave, their eyes darting left and right. The other slaves (the woman and the girl) had fled during the scene at some point, and are nowhere to be seen.

"Yo, thanks for the help, Miss. Gotta split!" The teenager rushes to the south once they're outside the hatch, probably headed to Big Town. "Later gator!" he calls to Chuckles.

"In a while, crocodile," the boy says, having little idea what a gator or a crocodile actually is.

Tan hopes to make a clean getaway with the boy. They hunker down on their haunches, trying not to make a sound as they creep toward the cemetery. Perhaps G Zuss and the second guard are still asleep?

...But of course, things don't always go as planned, right? Murphy's Law applies to slave rescues just as it applies to all those moments when we haven't got that last coin for the toll booth, as a sudden line of cars forms behind us. Or we realize we're out of breath mints just before meeting tonight's big date.

.... Because it's not just the guard who discovers something's gone wrong, it's all of them. G Zuss, his trusted confidante Tdekka, and the second Talon soldier; they're all here. Tan and the boy freeze!

Despite being vastly outnumbered, what came next is one of those events nobody could ever predict.







...Tdekka, who's brandishing a knife, speaks first.

"A boy!" the wisewoman says, coming to some sort of realization. "A... BOY!" she shouts. "What's that boy doing here?"

At first Taneesha thinks the grandma is yelling at her. But then she realizes...

"Who is that kid, Aaron?" Tdekka glowers, turning her attention away from 'Sharon', and toward the prophet.

"Aaron?" Vicious laughs. "Your given name is Aaron?"

"N.... no, it's not Aaron! I am G Zuss! Born from not from some common woman, but arranged from prophesy! And she..." he points to the newcomer. "SHE IS MY JUDAS!" He turns to his advisor, hoping for confirmation. "Tell her, Tdekka! Tell her she's the one who's betrayed us!"

But grandma is not having it! ... Grandma has just caught the proverbial grandson with both hands in the cookie jar before dinner!

"Aaron. Ray. STUMPHILL....!" Tdekka yells, "Answer me now! WHO is that kid?"

"Well I uh...."

"You told me we were DONE with the slaving!" she sneers. "That THIS would become a new start for both of us! No more trafficking! That we would take the money from Cumberland and start over!"

Vicious speaks next. "Your words, they're genuine," she says to Tdekka while keeping her Tazer pointed halfway between the guard and the false messiah. "You're telling me you didn't know about the slaving?"

"Look, I can explain," the prophet from Boonsboro blubbers. The man seems really worried by now. Not because his secret has been discovered, but whom it's been discovered by. Like, the one person in the whole entire world who he should never keep a secret from is Tdekka. "Um, so that boy is....he's um..."

But Tdekka doesn't want any excuses. "Does this mean my friend... my niece... and maybe even my DOG?" Grandma is really mad. "What really happened to them, Aaron?"

The prophet is partially pleading for grandma's redemption, but partially also mad. Pure anger shakes through him, now that she's discovered his betrayal. It is at this very moment the Talon gets impatient. Whoosh! His nozzle suddenly bursts aflame.






An hour or two later, after Taneesha and Chuckles had made it to Big Town and Tan was trying to recall the process of events, it was hard to remember what exactly happened. The Talon definitely got her with his flamethrower, that was for sure. Singed her left arm and shoulder, and she's still got the scars to show it. In response, Tan had zapped the man with her stun gun, getting lucky, because the fool had fallen right to the ground. ... But Tdekka had also fired her gun, shooting not at Sharon, but at G Zuss!

With the Talon down, and with the prophet and his elder turned on one another, Tan had a moment to delve into her handbag. Attached a Stealth Boy to her arm, effectively generating a modulation refraction to her person. In laymen's terms, she'd become invisible! She'd checked for the boy at that moment, but Chuckles had done the right thing, he had gone into hiding.

With the luxury of stealth now on her side, Tan then sprinted full speed toward the tent! Scrambled a bit while trying to find the the rusty footlocker in which she'd stashed her Blamhammer all while shots and explosions and flamer blasts were going on in the distance! Finally found the footlocker. Grabbed her shells, and grabbed her grenades, grabbed her shotgun.

"Comin' for you G, and not just for the slaving, but for taking the Lord's name in vain, you phony."

By then, Tdekka was most likely dead. Since she'd turned on her leader, and her leader was the one paying the hired help, this meant the Talon had no choice but to burn G Zuss's trusty mentor to death. Tan realized this after the guard came running in her direction, unable to see her since the Stealth Boy was still active...

... but the tables had turned, now it was Blamhammer time! With a proper weapon in her hands, the guard didn't last so long. Three direct hits, and the Talon had gone to meet his maker. Or the other way, right?

"*Screw* Dogmaster's no-kill order!" Tan'd said. "G Zuss, you're next. Forgive me Father for what I'm about to do, but that false Messiah? He is about to go down."

But she hadn't been able to find the fool, and couldn't spend too much time looking for him. The boy, who'd come running toward her, became top priority. She had no choice but to lead Chuckles across the bridge to Big Town.






"Again, you saved my life!" Chuckles says now that they're safe. "Seriously ma'am. I know your name is Tan, but like, who ARE you?"

"Well, let me tell you who I am." Taneesha says while opening a pack of Junk Food. "Like I said, my name's Taneesha Jones, and I'm from the ancient town of Ellicott City." She hands the box of preprocessed crap to Chuckles. "Two days ago, I bet you'll be happy to know, your father hired me to come rescue you."

She smiles at the boy, really proud to have gotten him (and the other slaves) out alive. But Chuckles seems confused. Chuckles blinks, halfway between bites.

"So...wait. You're saying I have a father?"


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Beatdown on the first guard.

"You are my Judas..."

G Zuss and Tdekka turn on one another...

While Taneesha zaps the guard

G Zuss cowers -- (this wasn't supposed to happen. Scriptwise, he was supposed to attack Tan while Tdekka turned on G Zuss! G's Aggression was set to 100 by this point, while StartCombat PlayerRef became his new AI. For whatever reason, the game ignored all this.)

Tdekka getting roasted

...while one of the unnamed begins wandering around, stoned - (the fact she didn't respond to all the combat going on just a few meters away seems to confirm her pretend-inebriation.)

Tan, still invisible, Blamhammers the guard's flamer out of his hands!

The guard gets one good flame at my toon.... (he nearly killed her. I would've reloaded of course, but still... PIssed me off.)

Tdekka's demise.

Tdekka's inventory (note the 2C-B. That's a mod-added chem. Again, confirming she and G were in the habit of drugging their subjects.)

Bittercup hits on my toon!

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Notes: I've done so many searches for religious info on the laptop I've been using to write this story, Bing and Google practically autofill over half the words I've needed!

2). I rarely use VATs. Chances are Tan's beating of the first guard would've gone much faster if I had!

3). Moments just before Tan Blammhammered the guard while still invisible, a message spread across my TV screen, indicating that G Zuss had been killed! Yet my toon definitely didn't kill him. ✝ That message only displayed if G Zuss got pwned, and since he'd been cowering in that one screenshot above, my thinking is he fled the area, then got downed by some random enemy. Maybe a raider, maybe a yao guai.

Tan did a cursory search for a minute or so, but then decided to just head to Big Town where it's safe. Because the boy is NOT Essential, so it's important to keep him alive.

... never could find G Zuss himself!

What a story! Full of fast-paced events and twists!

"Oh, Jesus Christ on a gecko stick!"



I really like the first pic, it looks as Tan stepped down on that slaver's head!

Too bad that Tdekka got pwn3d and that G Zuss somehow got away.

So Chuckles either doesn't know that he has a father or Dogmaster tricked Taneesha?

Lopov's got the right of it - fast and twisty!

'But of course, nobody in his current flock really understands how the Ten Commandments actually work.'


Wow, Taneesha acquitted herself really well!

So if Dogface has half a brain - which I figure he does - he may well have kept his identity secret from his pup for the pup's safety. Or not. Maybe. Looking forward to finding out.

Everyone is packing heat. This is the wasteland after all. If Taneesha has not escaped yet, then I expect there is going to be one heck of a brawl coming up!

Jesus on a Gecko Stick! What a perfect phrase. Like betting Brahmin to bottlecaps.

So we jump back to Tan in the cave. It seems the Talon did get the drop on her. Sort of. But she is ready with her taser. Like so many others, he is gong to be shocked when he learns that it is not a toy...

After finishing that messy business in the cave, Tan is out of the frying pan and into the fire! Time for the showdown. At least now she has more weapons, even if not her trusty Blamhammer.

Uh oh, Aaron Ray Stumphill is in it big with grandma now. I have to admit, I did not see this turn coming, but I am loving it! Give him hell granny!

That was quite a wild free for all at the end. Too bad that G-Zuss got away. But that just means he can return in the future for a rematch, as one of Taneesha's arch enemies.

And another twist at the end! Chuckles does not know that he has a father, much less who he is! This episode was one surprise after another!

@Lopov: It's amazing that got pulled off last week, all those twists and turns, everything working overall, except G Zuss refusing to fight! In a way I'm glad he didn't get into it. I like surprises like that, as long as they aren't too catastrophic.

In America the expression is "Jesus Christ on a popsicle stick" but that won't work in the CW, in which there probably are no popsicles.

Yes it does look as though she's stepping right on that guy's head! I have a few other pictures from that scene (and others) maybe I'll post them at some point.



Nope, he didn't get away, he definitely got killed. I arranged a ShowMessage in G Zuss's script, so that if he got killed outside of Vicious's immediate sight I would at least know he was pwned. ✝ The message displayed right before Vicious took care of the flamer guard.

HOWEVER, from Tan's perspective, she's not going to know all that. She has no idea what happened to G Zuss, and doesn't want to leave the kid alone so she can find out. In story terms, she can't go back that direction anyway, as we'll see.


@Acadian: Just think, originally that set of episodes was going to be a lot more straightforward. "aaaDogmasterKillMission2" is how that quest is named in the GECK, suggesting yet another Killquest was the original idea. And then, the idea became a straight up rescue, Tan would be in and out. Somewhere along the line though I got the best idea of all.. As usual, the spat between Tdekka and G Zuss suddenly occurred while I was writing! That part was unplanned, but I'm glad it got added.

Dogface hasn't had to keep his identity secret from the boy, as we shall see...


@SubRosa: Brahmin to bottlecaps!

Those entire scenes were crazy. Tan and the teen smashing that Talon with Tan needing to zap the guy over and over. And then everything which happened aboveground too. Half the story got written during those scenes: me typing like mad into my auxiliary computer, then switching to the controller so I could run my toon around on my gaming computer. Overall the result, as chaotic as it was, was pleasing. Not disappointing like Cr4nkShaft.

Yeah, grabbing her Blamhammer again was SUCH a relief! Notice in that one pic though, she had to swap again to some melee weapon (probably the half-broken police baton) because she'd gotten too close to the guard. That's when he nearly killed her with the flames.



Ha ha nope, he didn't get away, he is definitely pwned. This is what I attached to him.



That "ShowMessage" displayed during battle for sure, which was something like "The fake prophet is now meeting his Maker" or some such. But as mentioned above, from Tan's perspective, she has no idea of his demise. Also, the "sleep package" was some AI to keep the man from wandering around when Tan first arrived. I wanted a bit of mystery at first. Like, he'd be the last actor to appear in that scene, so he was in bed at first.

Graci, Florens. ☕


@All: I've been kind of beating myself up this week. The entire story should've been done by now! I really wanted to have it all done by Halloween/my birthday, and now Thanksgiving is next week, and it's going to be the most intense episode of all! How am I going to get it done??? -- But then remember, I lost a lot of time this summer. Somewhere between a month and a half to two months I was dealing with configuring a new graphics card and THEN rebuilding an entire hard drive from scratch. Installing Windows 10, installing and reinstalling Fallout 3 at least three times, etc. So really it's not my fault I'm gonna be scrambling this week.

Wish me luck, I guess.

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 23 2024, 12:04 PM

Just take your time and go at whatever pace is natural right now. There is no deadline here. We are all writing for the personal satisfaction of it. Just satisfy yourself.