Alright, adding a new feature. Remember when I mentioned about borrowing from the Cortex System and including a “stress die” for Psyga? Yeah. I’m doing that. Anytime he’s undergoing emotional stress, the magnitude of that stress is represented as a dice that is used along with Mythic’s die roll, always working towards no.
I’m also adopting the Horror theme now. Chaos Factor can be rolled up, but can’t be rolled back (meaning I can go from 4 to 5, but not the other way around) while Scene Rolls 1 through 3 result in Altered Scenes, with higher Scene Rolls being Interrupts.
With that, let’s continue.
Previously... on One More Day Before The Storm...
{Psyga wakes up in a warehouse}
“You are within a world of my own design! Questions will be answered with MY authority!”
{Lee and Psyga shoot up several zombies}
{Malareth throws a knife at Lee, which he dodges}
“This is how I was able to overfill the world with zombies...”
{Malareth holds the Eternal Skull, charging it and forcing a random event}
{Fast paced clips of Psyga and Lee fighting the zombies, then Lee pushing Psyga out of the mob of zombies}
“Find the son of a bitch who caused this and stop him from causing more people to lose their lives and sanity to these monsters.”
{Cut to black as a shotgun blast sounds over it}
“Welcome... to your ruined victory.”
[Scene Roll: 8, not within Chaos]
Psyga runs out of the town, looking back to see that he is far from the zombies and literally right outside of the town, looking over to a ruined sign that has graffiti on it now reading: “DANGER! ZOMBIE TOWN!”.
“Am... Am I away from the zombies?” Psyga tempted...
[Odds: 50/50. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 58]
“No. You are far gone” MYTHIC said.
“Oh thank God... Now what? What do I have to do? I can’t go back without running into the zombies, but I have no idea where the hell Malareth went... Hey... MYTHIC... Can you tell me where Malareth went?” Psyga asked MYTHIC.
[Odds: Unlikely. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 58]
“Like I’d be able to answer something like that to you, test subject.” MYTHIC said.
“Meh, worth a shot. Still, I’m without a sense of direction. I don’t even know where the next town is.” Psyga said.
“If you wish, I can throw a random event your way, see how the ball rolls...” MYTHIC said.
“Screw off. I don’t need you fucking me up. Besides, I think I see someone now.” Psyga said, looking over to see a guy having trouble pulling a cart. He then went over.
“Hey, man, can I help you?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Somewhat Likely. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 8]
“Yeah. You can help. In fact, if you do, I’ll be forever grateful, and will hand you something to help you.” He said. Psyga looked at him. The guy had slicked back blonde hair and wore glasses. He was wearing a dirty tattered lab coat. Whatever he was carrying didn’t look safe at all. It was glowing a sickly green color.
“What’s that in the box?” Psyga asked.
“Something that will help destroy the zombie threat once and for all. Shotgun blasts only hurt for a bit, but they always get up... What I’m planning to make will blow them so hard, their souls will hurt.” he said.
“Well, I’m game, random fetch quest NPC.” Psyga said.
“My name’s Ken. Self-proclaimed Professor Ken Gorisaki. I think that would be easier to pronounce than ‘fetch quest NPC’. Your name?” Ken asked.
“Psyga. That’s Psy as in psychic, and ga as in gah, a zombie.” Psyga said.
“Alright, Psyga. I think I can get that easy.” Ken said.
“Thank god my name wasn’t Kaixa.” Psyga said.
“Huh?” Ken asked.
“Nothing. So, where are we going?” Psyga asked. Ken then pointed to a large mountain.
“Over there. That’s where I live. Zombies rarely go on the mountains, so if we go there, we’ll be able to create our weapon without any disturbance.” Ken said.
“Good. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Psyga said.
[Question: Do zombies attack now?]
[Odds: 50/50. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 4]
Just then, the duo hear a moaning sound as they saw zombies emerging from the town.
“SHIT! They’re here!” Psyga said as he took Ken’s stuff and dragged it off. He dragged it much faster then Ken, which he liked. He then pulled out a strange gun that looked like something out of pop science fiction. A golden trumpet-like ray gun. He then fired it.
[Fire Weapon Difficulty: 10. Ken’s Moves Stat: 3. Roll... 10. He has rolled a one]
A green bullet was fired, flying towards the zombies. Once it hit, all the zombies blew up in a sea of green glow. The glow then faded, leaving behind some scorched ground.
“HOLY SHIT! That’s so cool! What did you do?” Psyga asked.
“Nothing. I just modified a b-movie prop with enough parts to produce an energetic blast towards the zombies. I’ve experimented with several types of energies, ranging from heat to plasma. This one comes in nuclear, and it’s a pretty effective weapon. More effective than the heat and plasma energy... However, the downside is that I’ve pretty much radiated us and that entire area for... I don’t know how long.” Ken said.
“Holy shit... Are we going to die!?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Unlikely. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 89]
“Don’t be silly. That thing is barely the size needed to kill you.” Ken said.
“Oh thank God.” Psyga said. Ken then spoke.
“The other downside is that I’m out of ammo. These cells are hard to make, so I’m looking for a more efficient way of killing zombies that has an endless supply. This crate will help me get to that goal, so the sooner we get there, the better.” Ken said.
“Alright. Let’s go!” Psyga said. Soon, the two went into the mountains.
Scene Cleared!
Threads Added:
- Assist Ken
NPCs Added:
- Ken Gorisaki
Chaos Factor:
- Psyga gained a new ally, and he’s managed to kick some ass. Nothing really fucked up happened. Chaos would be reduced, but the rules state for Horror, the factor can’t be reduced. What is reduced is Psyga’s emotional stress.
Current Chaos Factor: 4
Current Emotional Stress Die: D4
[Scene Roll: 1. Altered Scene.]
Harsh winds pick up as the two approached the mountains.
“HOLY! We should turn back! This isn’t safe!” Psyga said to Ken, starting his trek up the spiral path.
“Don’t worry, if anything, blizzards are good for us, since Zombies can’t tolerate the cold.” Ken said, following him.
“Well, if you didn’t know, I’m not dressed well for the event.” Psyga said, pointing to his clothes, a white shirt with blue shorts and sandals.
“So? So long as the zombies don’t attack, we’re in the clear.” Ken said. Psyga then looked up the mountain, noticing a bunch of snow, the harsh snowy wind building to it.
“But what about avalanches?” Psyga asked.
“Avalanches? I doubt they’ll happen.” Ken said.
[Does an avalanche come?]
[Odds: Likely. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 22. Numbers are within Chaos Range]
Suddenly, a rumbling was heard. Psyga looked up and saw the snow break off and fall off the mountain.
“HOLY SHIT!” Psyga said. The snow then stopped as a voice boomed.
“RANDOM EVENT!”
THE EVENT FOCUS IS... NPC NEGATIVE! THE NPC RECEIVING THE NEGATIVE IS... ZOMBIES! EVENT MEANINGS DECIDED! RECRUIT... ELEMENTS!
Psyga then looked to the bottom and noticed a group of zombies gathering. He then realized the meanings.
“Ken! We gotta hide from the avalanche!” Psyga said to Ken.
“But... Where do we go?” Ken asked.
“Do you see any caves nearby?” Psyga asked Ken.
[See Difficulty: 10. Ken’s Moves Stat: 3. Roll... 8]
“No! I can’t find any!” Ken said.
“Let me try!” Psyga said. He then tried looking for a cave.
[See Difficulty: 10. Psyga’s Moves Stat: 3. Roll... 10]
“THERE! I SEE A CAVE!” Psyga said, pointing to the cave nearby. “WE GOTTA HURRY!” Psyga said to Ken. Ken nodded and ran.
[Run Difficulty: 10. Ken’s Moves Stat: 3. Roll... 14]
Psyga then ran, dragging the cart over.
[Run Difficulty: 15. Psyga’s Moves Stat: 3. Roll... 11]
Psyga only made it halfway before the Avalanche came halfway. Ken left an aggravated sigh and ran, pulling Psyga’s arm.
[Pull Difficulty: 15. Ken’s Muscles Stat: 3 (+5 from his Brownie Points) Roll... 32]
Ken pulled Psyga into the cave just soon fast enough for the avalanche to pass them and hit the zombies. The two breathed easy.
“Excellent interpretation, Psyga. I like your brave sacrifice too, Ken.” MYTHIC said.
“Who the hell is this guy?” Ken asked.
“He’s MYTHIC. He’s... You play Porta- Never mind, you probably didn’t play it, what with the apocalypse and all.” Psyga said.
“As a reward, I will give both you and Psyga 15 Brownie Points, so that you can alter fate as you see fit.” MYTHIC said.
“Brownie Points?” Ken asked.
“Remember how you pulled me over despite not looking like you could lift ten pounds?” Psyga asked. Ken nodded. “Yeah, you summoned and sacrificed your inner strength to save my ass. Waste too much, and you die.” Psyga said.
“The fuck?” Ken asked.
“Yeah, welcome to my world.” Psyga said.
[15 Brownie Points earned]
“Inner Strength isn’t the only thing you can do with Brownie Points, Psyga...” MYTHIC said.
[Thirty Brownie Points earned]
“Woah, the hell?” Psyga asked.
“Use those points to increase the parameters of what you can do... They cost thirty Brownie Points, but you can achieve more if you spend them... Go ahead... Try it...” MYTHIC said. Psyga closed his eyes and focused hard on what he wished to increase. Just then, he felt a little... colder.
“Woah! What happened!?” Psyga asked.
“Your charisma has increased... We call it your Cool Stat. You can fool people a little easier... Or as your special trait suggests, be over dramatic in an attempt to fool people into thinking you’re either serious or a really good actor.” MYTHIC said.
“So now what? Do we end the scene here?” Psyga said.
[Odds: Very Likely. Chaos Factor: 4. Roll... 63]
“Yes...” MYTHIC said.
Scene Cleared!
Threads Evolved:
- Assist Ken > Make It To The Top Of The Mountain
Chaos Factor:
- Psyga and Ken, while avoiding MYTHIC’s death trap, managed to delay themselves. In that case, the Chaos Factor went up, since they had no control over the avalanche. The only control they had was what it hit, and even then, it took clever interpretation. Emotional Stress is reduced to 0 thanks to the confidence boost in the form of a Cool increase.
Current Chaos Factor: 5
Current Emotional Stress: 0
[Scene Roll: 2. Altered Scene]
“Oh, wait. Let me guess. A bear’s in the cave, right?” Psyga asked
[Odds: Likely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 95]
“No. There is no bear.” MYTHIC said.
“Then what is it? Bones?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Likely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 71]
Just then, Ken came across one of the bones. Ken jumped back, a little frightened.
“What? How... How did that?” Ken asked.
“Oh, yeah, this isn’t reality. Watch. Hey Myth! Can you make the skeletons dance?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Unlikely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 45]
“Psyga, I’m not gonna let you do trivial things to amuse yourself.” MYTHIC said.
“Fine...” Psyga said.
“You never really gave me an explanation for this... MYTHIC guy...” Ken asked.
“He’s pretty much our God for the remainder of this journey. Ask, and ye may receive.” Psyga asked.
“Hm... Hey, is it possible for you to tell us how old these bones are? I might be able to study them and see if they could lead to any discovery.” Ken asked.
“I can only answer Yes or No questions.” MYTHIC said.
“So... Are these bones recent?” Ken asked.
[Odds: Somewhat Likely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 75]
"They are about a few years old... So no, they're not twenty." MYTHIC said.
“Well, that doesn’t help much...” Ken said.
“The only conclusion to go with is that these bones are old. Perhaps as old as... I dunno. Ten years? Twenty?” Psyga said.
“It doesn’t help much though. But... Maybe these bones can help us.” Ken said, taking the bones and placing them in the box.
“The hell do you have in there anyway?” Psyga asked.
“Assorted material I found in my travels. I’m a scientist, and my job is to invent ways for humanity to be better. I told you before about how this will be my breakthrough.” Ken said.
“Ah... Well... That’s cool...” Psyga said.
“Indeed.” Ken said, finishing his packing of a bone. “Let’s go and work on it.” Ken said.
“Or... we can set up shop here...” Psyga said.
[Does Ken set up shop in the cave?]
[Odds: No Way. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 28]
“No way!” Ken said. “I can’t build high sources of energy in a cave with a box of scraps!”
“Tony did.” Psyga said.
“WHO THE FUCK IS TONY!?” Ken said.
“Oooooooooooooooh, right... You wouldn’t know him.” Psyga said. He then left the cave, with a frustrated Ken to follow him.
Scene Cleared!
Threads Added:
- The Lovely Bones
Chaos Factor:
- Nothing really happened. In fact, Ken and Psyga just got boned. Hah! Get it? Boned? Like as in the bones? I’m not sure if I should count Ken’s emotional stress from the bones he saw, since afterwards, he was pretty cool with it. Chaos Factor isn’t going down and Stress isn’t going up.
Current Chaos Factor: 5
Current Emotional Stress: 0
[Scene Roll: 9. Not within Chaos]
Ken and Psyga head off into the cold wind, now dying off a bit.
“Alright, the mountain is... Oh crap!” Ken said, noticing the snow that fell from the avalanche was now blocking the road. “What do we do now!?” Ken asked.
“I got an idea...” Psyga said, dragging the crate with him. He soon went up the slope.
[Climb Difficulty: 15. Psyga’s Move Stat: 3. Roll... 15]
He soon climbed up the mountain by a few feet.
“Holy... Let me try.” Ken said. He then tried climbing himself.
[Climb Difficulty: 10. Ken’s Move Stat: 3. Roll... 8 (and the last dice he rolled is a 1)] Ken got up, but he slipped, causing him to slide down the mountain... right into some of the zombies that were gathering around the avalanche’s impact zone.
“KEN!” Psyga shouted as he jumped off the mountain and flew to the zombies. “RIDER KICK!” He shouted.
[Rider Kick difficulty: 10. Psyga’s Move Stat: 3 (3 bonus for his Rider Kick talent) Roll... 20]
Psyga manages to land and kick the zombies away, some exploding from the sheer epicness of the kick. He then helped Ken.
“Are you hurt?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Likely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 83]
“Nah. I’m fine! Just a minor freeze... Wait... You didn’t leave the crate up there, did you?” Ken asked. Psyga then looked up at the crate.
“It’s still up there. We just need to climb.” Psyga said.
“It’s gonna take us all day! It’s best we give up...” Ken said.
“Actually, there may be a way you guys can bypass all this climbing...” MYTHIC said.
“How?” Psyga asked.
[Thirty Brownie Points earned]
“Use the Brownie Points to influence me. When I answer a question, you can manipulate it with your Brownie Points. Try it...” MYTHIC said.
“Erm... Do we make it to the top? Erm... With the crate?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Unlikely. Chaos Factor: 5. Roll... 23]
“... Shit. Alright, save those Brownie Points. You will need them.” MYTHIC said.
Just then, Ken and Psyga felt that they actually made the trip, even though they were at the bottom. They soon got to the top, near a wooden cabin.
“YES! Come on, Psyga! Science won’t make itself, you know!” Ken said, almost enthused at the prospect. Psyga dragged the cart with into the cabin, unsure why MYTHIC decided to help them.
Scene Cleared!
Threads Cleared
- Make It To The Top [Ten Brownie Points Earned]
Chaos Factor:
- Had MYTHIC not interfered, they would have been stuck trying to climb that mountain. Deus ex Machina does not equal gaining control. Chaos Factor is increased.
Current Chaos Factor: 6
Current Emotional Stress: 0
[Scene Roll: 3. Altered Scene]
Ken and Psyga enter the cabin, where they find a familiar face.
“Hey Psyga. I was expecting you to come...” Malareth said, smirking as he rested his feet on a table while sitting back on a wooden chair.
“Malareth! You goddamned sonova-” Psyga said as he ran towards Malareth, preparing his fist.
“Does Psyga hit me?” Malareth asked the skull.
[Odds: Impossible. Chaos Factor: 6. Roll... 49]
“Heh...” Psyga said, still running.
“What are you laughing about?” He asked with a sigh.
“I learned a pretty fun thing to do with these Brownie Points... Clench those teeth, will ya!?” Psyga said as he swung.
[Changing Fate’s Design. Brownie Points used: 40. Result is rolled down to 9]
WHAM!
Nicholas’ fist met Malareth’s face, knocking him down.
“WHAT!? H-how did you... MYTHIC! You traitor!” Malareth shouted.
“Heh... Good one, Psyga. You have used your Brownie Points wisely. You shall gain half of what you spent when this scene ends...” MYTHIC said.
“Why... Why are you allying with this... test subject!?” Malareth asked.
“Because a test subject is no good to us dead.” MYTHIC said.
“But those are the best kinds!” Malareth said.
“So is being unable to keep promises, and I think we all know how that will end... Well, except for Ken.” MYTHIC said.
“Damn you! I FORCE UPON A RANDOM EVENT!” Malareth shouted, angry for the first time, at least in Psyga’s eyes.
FORCED EVENT FOCUS: HORROR PC! THE PC RECEIVING THE HORROR IS... KEN! EVENT MEANINGS DECIDED! PASSION! MASSES!
Just then, a mass of zombies broke into the cabin. Malareth chuckled as he pulled the same trick he did before, going into the zombies as they covered him.
“AGAIN!?” Psyga asked. He then turned to Ken. “Grab the crate and build whatever the fuck you’re building. I’ll hold off the zombies.” Psyga said. Ken nodded, a little scared from the zombies. He managed to grab the crate and dumped the contents onto the table, beginning work on the project. Psyga, meanwhile, tried to hold off against the zombies by punching some of them.
[Melee Difficulty: 5. Psyga’s Muscles Skill: 3 (+3 for his Brawling Skill) Roll... 22]
Psyga managed to beat up some zombies, but more came in.
“Don’t you have a gun or something!?” Ken asked.
“Yeah, but I’m more good at fighting!” Psyga said, punching some more.
[[...] Roll... 20]
Psyga then grappled one of the zombies and broke its neck, flinging its body to the other zombies.
“Hey, MYTHIC, does Ken have that thing ready now?” Psyga asked.
“What? I haven’t even bega-” Ken tried to interrupt him, but was stopped by Psyga.
“Shh!” Psyga said.
[Odds: No way. Chaos Factor: 6. Roll... 99. Exceptional No.]
“Lol nope.” MYTHIC said as smoke came from the table. The Unobtainium on the table was causing a chain reaction to the wood, causing it to set on fire.
“WHAT THE HELL, PSYGA!?” Ken asked.
“I THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK!” Psyga said.
“Oh, by the way, RANDOM EVENT!” MYTHIC said.
THE EVENT FOCUS IS... HORROR PC! THE PC RECEIVING THE HORROR IS... KEN! EVENT MEANINGS DECIDED! BREAK... A PROJECT!
“PSYGA! YOU FUCKER!!!” Ken shouted as the project broke apart, succumbing to the flames.
“HOW THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?” Psyga shouted. The two tried to push their way out through the zombies.
[Push Difficulty: 10. Psyga and Ken’s Muscle Skill: 3. Roll... 6 for Psyga. 16 for Ken. Psyga rolled a 1.]
Ken pushed his way out, but managing to leave Psyga behind as he was stuck in between the zombies. Ken saw as his cabin burst into flames, becoming a nice large fire. He glared, then turned and left.
“What about Psyga? Are you going to leave him to die?” MYTHIC asked.
“Yes. Fuck him. He’s just an idiot when push comes to shove.” Ken said.
“It would be shameful if you let him die... Tell you what, if you manage to save his life, I will not only grant you several Brownie Points, but also the project you desperately wanted to make so much.” MYTHIC said. Ken then stopped.
“... Really?” Ken asked.
[Odds: A Sure Thing. Chaos Factor: 6. Roll... 24]
“Yes... What are you waiting for?” MYTHIC asked.
“I can try... But not in this state. I want you to give me a nuclear cell. I can clear the zombies that way.” Ken said.
[Odds: Has To Be. Chaos Factor: 6. Roll... 61]
A green cylinder then appeared in Ken’s hands.
“Use it wisely.” MYTHIC said.
“I will.” Ken said, aiming the gun.
[Fire Weapon Difficulty: 10. Ken’s Move Skill: 3. Roll... 9]
Ken fired, and just missed the zombies by an inch. However, the blast managed to knockback the zombies rather than directly damage them, and Psyga. Psyga ran out as soon as he noticed the zombies are gone.
“Oh God... Oh God...” Psyga said, shuddering.
“Psyga! Psyga! It’s okay! It’s over now...” Ken said.
“No... No it’s not... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry!” Psyga said.
“It’s okay. MYTHIC has agreed to give me the project now...” Ken said.
“Yes... And because I’m such a nice guy, I will give you your own... project too...” MYTHIC said. Soon, Psyga and Ken were outfitted with large backpacks with a long hose connecting to the backpack, and a long vacuum like nozzle on the other side.
“Are... Are these...” Psyga noted the dark blue backpack. It didn’t look at all like a backpack, but more something out of the 1980’s...
“On our backs are nuclear accelerators. They speed up the protons in the unit and fire them in a constant stream at the zombies, destroying them molecule by molecule.” Ken said, outfitting himself with the backpack.
“... Question... What would happen if we combined two streams? I no good at science.” Psyga said, hiding his smirk as he knew what they are.
“What? No! Don’t do that! It’d cause a-” Psyga then interrupted.
“A total protonic reversal that will cause every molecule in your body to explode at the speed of light?” Psyga asked.
[Odds: Has to be. Chaos Factor: 6. Roll... 36]
“Yes. But... I thought you didn’t know science.” Ken said.
“I don’t. I do know about these packs though... Let’s go busting...
” Psyga said, smirking. He then marched down the mountain, with Ken following him, not sure what’s going on.
Scene Cleared!
[20 Brownie Points earned for Psyga, 60 Brownie Points earned for Ken] [Ken spends 60 Brownie Points on his Brains Stat, increasing it by 2] [Psyga spends 30 Brownie Points on his Moves Stat, increasing it by 1]
Threads Cleared
- The Lovely Bones (The Lovely Bones burned in the fire) [5 Brownie Points Earned]
Chaos Factor:
- Again, it fell into MYTHIC’s hands to try to save the duo and provide them with the weapons needed to fight the zombies. It doesn’t help that Psyga burned down a house and Ken left Psyga to die in the exact same way Lee was about to die. So the Chaos Factor increases. Emotional Stress will be a D4, simply because Psyga nearly died, but otherwise was okay, since he now got proton packs. Why yes, I’m actually playing the Ghostbusters RPG but setting it in a Zombie Apocalypse, thanks for asking.
Current Chaos Factor: 7
Current Emotional Stress: D4
Now armed with the weapons to fight back, what will happen to Psyga? Will he and Ken be able to fight back against the zombies and stop them from threatening the Earth? Or will they consume them? Find out next time!
