January 2nd, 1945
Stalingrad, Russia
Snow fell in the middle of Stalingrad. Four members of the Allies' Task Force One sat and waited. The leader, a man by the name of Lieutenant Arthur Kingsley, was writing notes down in a journal. The second, a female and resident sniper and marksman, Lieutenant Polina Petrova was brushing snow off her rifle. The third, Lieutenant Wade Jackson, was nursing a fire he started in the middle of the square. The last, Solange Hardewijk, was stretching nearby as she waited for their next orders.
"The meeting with Gabriel Krafft was interesting." Kingsley wrote in his journal, "He gave us artifacts. Once the four of us touched them, lightning pain seared through my body. I saw visions of Norse warriors crossing wide expanses of water and fighting in battles. The artifact, a war horn, has been connected to my left hip and hasn't moved. The ally soldiers in Stalingrad all seemed to have dis-"
A snowball suddenly hit Kinglsey in the face, startling him out of his writing. He looked up, annoyed. Polina wasn't paying any attention, Solange was still stretching which meant the snowball was thrown by Wade. Sure enough, he was doubled over, trying to cover his laughter.
"Wade…What have I told you about distractions during missions?" Arthur asked, not amused in the slightest.
Once he regained himself, Wade spoke, "Come on Kingsley, it was just a bit of fun. No one is around here anyway."
"I told the American dog snowball was not good idea." Polina commented.
"What are we waiting for anyway?" Wade inquired, "Seems that there's a whole lot of nothing going on around here."
"If you must know, Krafft instructed us that there was a fifth person to wa-"
Suddenly the air around the group shifted. A bright purple and orange portal opened up a few meters away. A thud was heard as a body and bags hit the ground below. The group all turned to look. They saw a man, covered head to toe in white clothes stained red, laying there. He clutched a pack in one hand and a glowing bright orange artifact in the other. He also had another pack strapped to his back.
"Seems this is him." Kingsley commented, standing up. The group walked to where the body was lying.
"I have never seen clothes like this." Polina mentioned, "Or weapons like those." Polina unhooked the SABER M700 from the pack on the ground and inspected it. Everyone looked at her. She opened the chamber, seeing the weapon loaded. She gave a grunt of approval and put it to the side.
Wade had immediately opened the pack and began rummaging through it. He pulled out everything that was in the bag and laid them on the ground. He looked at everything in confusion. He could make out what seemed to be a first aid kit. Everything else seemed foreign.
"Y'all got any idea where he's from?" Wade asked, turning back to the body on the ground.
"Maybe Finnish?" Solange said, "Weren't there reports of some Finnish snipers dressed like white death?"
"Da, but nothing like this. Especially not with these weapons." Polina responded.
Arthur hadn't said a word. He quietly contemplated who and from where this person could have come from. He silently watched along with the other three. After a few minutes the man began to stir, slowly waking up.
Apollo yawned quickly, looking around. He saw snow and…debris?
"Where the fuck am I?" Apollo quickly thought.
Memory of the events earlier slammed into his mind like a tsunami. He remembered everything until he grabbed the artifact. He took a second and looked down at his left hand. To his horror, the artifact was still attached to his left hand. The horror soon faded to curiosity as Apollo realized the artifact…was familiar.
"Sleepy head," A man's voice startled Apollo, "you alright in there?"
Wade crouched down, trying to peer into his eyes through the tinted goggles that Apollo was wearing. Wade tried to reach and pull the goggles off his head. Apollo took a quick darting look at his situation. There is four people and his father's pack was open on the ground. A woman is holding his father's rifle. Apollo acted quickly.
Once Wade began pulling the goggles up his head, Apollo reached down and drew his sidearm. He stuck his .44 Magnum revolver into Wade's neck, quickly backing him up. Wade threw his hands up and slowly stood up. Apollo kept the gun trained at his head, also slowly beginning to stand up. The four operators watched in shock as Apollo stood to his full height, towering over the four of them.
"Who are you people and what are you doing with my shit?" Apollo asked, trying to make himself sound tough even though he was beyond scared shitless.
There was a pause as the four operators looked quickly at each other. Arthur quickly took a step forward, sticking his arm out for a handshake.
Arthur shot Apollo a smile, "Lieutenant Arthur Kingsley. Allied special forces commander of Task Force One. We are working for the British Army. We were told there would be one more person joining us. From the gear, and the artifact in your hand, I'd assume you were the one I was told about."
Apollo looked around and gathered more details about the four soldiers. Realization quickly set in.
"Am I…" Apollo thought, "Am I in Vanguard Zombies?!"
He didn't know whether to be excited or scared. Apollo decided he was more of the former over the ladder. Apollo holstered his firearm and shook Arthur's hand.
"Name's Apollo." He quickly responded, taking off his ski mask once he was done shaking Arthur's hand. Apollo didn't know what to do with the artifact yet.
He silently chuckled as the four operator's chins dropped. Apollo realized his tan, youthful face must have shocked them.
"Are-are you American?" Solange asked, really confused.
"Uhh…yeah. Is that a problem?" Apollo responded.
Apollo quickly realized that with the weaponry, packs and gear he had, being an American in winter clothes covered in blood didn't make a lot of sense. Some major bullshtting would have to take place if Apollo was going to make it out of this. He didn't want to say he was from the future.
"No…but where'd you get the stuff?" Solange asked.
A female voice quickly popped into Apollo's head, "The gear was a new issue. The guns are prototypes. I was sent out in the field with stuff I'd have assumed SF troops were issued."
"The gear was a new issue. The guns are prototypes. I was sent out in the field with stuff I'd have assumed SF troops were issued." Apollo repeated.
"Capitalist pigs always keeping good weaponry for themselves. I would've liked this gun fighting dirty Germans." Polina responded.
Apollo shrugged, "You can keep it if you want, I have mine." He mentioned to his pack where the other sniper and shotgun were strapped on.
Apollo opened his pack and handed her another box of ammo, "The gun takes .30-06. I don't know what the Russian's issued but that'll pack a serious punch."
"Ah sweet American pig. I thank you." Polina responded, taking the ammo.
A mist began to surround the task force. The five of them backed into each other as they aimed their weapons at the fog. As quickly as the fog appeared, it disappeared. Standing at the end of the barrel of each weapon was an elder god. Saraxis stood in front of Polina, Norticus in front of Arthur, Invicktor in front of Wade, Vercanna in front of Solange and Bellekar in front of Apollo. The group was shocked. Apollo was the only one not confused. He couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Champions!" Norticus bellowed out, "It seems each of you has chosen to fight Kortifex."
"Who?" Wade asked.
"Please. Don't tell me you playthings don't know anything about Kortifex the Deathless." Saraxis responded.
"Sure. Tall, four arms, really ugly, raises soldiers from the undead. I've heard of him." Apollo said, not daring to take an eye off Bellekar. She raised an eyebrow at his description.
"Pah! He called Kortifex ugly. We might just get along." Inviktor growled.
While Apollo held some type of confidence surrounded by the elder gods of the Dark Aether, the members of the task force didn't share the same feeling. Arthur quickly looked at his artifact to find it glowing white and blue. He looked, finding everyone's artifact was glowing. Arthur looked back at the Norticus standing in front of him.
"What's your name?" Arthur asked
"I am Kortifex's oldest foe, Norticus the Conqueror. We are joined now mortal, but I give the commands." Norticus bellowed, taking charge. Arthur cocked his head to the side, deciding to challenge the elder god at a later date.
"I am Inviktor the Destroyer, master of the front lines. I will whip you into shape." Inviktor growled once again.
"Can't wait." Wade commented, shaking his head.
"Bellekar the Warlock, at your service." Bellekar spoke, adding a slight bow and smirk. Apollo nodded once and lowered his weapon.
"I've had many names among your kind. You can call me Saraxis, my plaything." Saraxis said.
"I am no one's plaything." Polina responded, bristled by Saraxis's comment. Saraxis only seemed to smile at Polina's words.
"I am Vercanna the Last," Vercanna spoke, showing no care for the disagreement between Polina and Saraxis, "I intend to end this war on my terms."
There was a pause as the Old Ones and Task Force One were in a standoff. Nobody moved a muscle as each elder god and each soldier stared back into the eyes of beings beyond their comprehension.
"Cool." Apollo spoke suddenly, moving past Bellekar to repack his backpack. He continued shuffling through his stuff as Bellekar and Saraxis watched on. The soldiers seemed to slightly relax at Apollo's nonchalant nature. Once Apollo was done packing up his stuff he looked down at his father's shotgun.
Apollo shook his head slightly and sighed, "Anyone want this?" He asked, raising it up to the soldiers, "I have one for me and I don't want to carry it."
Wade was the first to snap out of his stupor and look over, "Yeah, toss it here."
Apollo handed it to Polina who gave it to Wade behind her. Apollo also tossed him a box of slugs to use for the shotgun. The elder gods looked on. Bellekar seemed to be the only one not shocked by Apollo's behavior.
"You meet beings older than time itself and your first reaction is to ignore us? These humans are certainly something." Norticus commented.
"No, Norticus," Bellekar responded, never taking her eyes off Apollo, "This one is comfortable. He is…used to this. Something about him is different."
"Oh spare me your words Bellekar. He will grow old and die like the rest of the playthings." Saraxis responded.
Bellekar hummed in response, furrowing her eyes as everyone watched Apollo organize his stuff. She was certainly intrigued by this human. Far more than she had been in a long time. The other soldiers finally began to move and retrieve their stuff, gearing up for something to happen, although nobody knew what that was. Bellekar noticed Apollo sticking something into his ear. A black piece that covered the ear and wrapped around his ear lobe. An unknown style of music began playing. She could hear it, knowing it was due to the connection the two now shared.
"My interest has certainly peaked." Bellekar stated to herself.
"Bellekar, please learn how to talk dirty. You are making me uncomfortable." Saraxis overheard what Bellekar had said and immediately teased.
Bellekar snapped her head to Saraxis and stared her down. Norticus and Arthur put their hands over their eyes at the same time, freaking Arthur out. Inviktor just stood and watched as Wade was doing his own thing.
"I am NO-"
"Saraxis, Bellekar," Vercanna interrupted, "My seedling and I must head to Egypt to take care of business. I will send a call to inform you of when I am ready to meet again. Come, seedling." Vercanna commanded, not waiting for a response from either elder god or Solange. Solange stuttered as Vercanna disappeared, opening a portal down the way.
Solange quickly gathered her things. Arthur wished her good luck and Solange nodded, rushing off into the portal. Once Solange entered, the portal closed behind her. Everyone watched her leave.
"Now what?" Wade asked.
"Now we find Von List." Arthur started, "I will speak with Krafft-"
"No, Kortifex and his human will find us. We wait until he shows." Norticus interrupted.
Arthur didn't agree with Norticus interrupting him, but decided against angering the elder god. Arthur decided the next best course of action was to return seated next to the fire that still burned. Polina soon joined him with Wade. Apollo brought his two packs over and tried to organize what he could into one main backpack. As he began, mist floated over his father's pack and it disappeared.
"There, your bag is stored in the Dark Aether. You will not have to worry about losing it on our journey." Bellekar said.
"Easy enough." Apollo said before sitting back down next to the fire. He put his ski mask and goggles back on before quickly checking his guns.
"How'd you get into the war?" Polina asked, turning to Apollo.
"Oh, you know…" Apollo began, trying to come up with a story on the fly, "Pearl Harbor got hit in '41. My father fought in World War 1 and it only felt right to enlist when I was old enough. I was worried they wouldn't let me in because of my height. But I could shoot pretty straight and I was already in good shape. The Army figured out something for me to do pretty quick, hence the sniper. What about you?" Apollo knew where this would go, but figured he better pretend like he didn't.
"Ah, for me I was a nurse before the Germans bombed my camp. I made it back to Stalingrad and picked up a sniper. I was found by Vanguard and was selected for the team." Polina said, summarizing her experiences.
"Sure. Wade? Arthur? How about y'all?" Apollo asked.
Arthur nodded to Wade, "I was fightin' in the Pacific. I was the best pilot the war had and I proved it. Eventually soon after dealing with the Japanese, Butcher found me and recruited me to join Vanguard. I didn't want to at the beginning. Eventually, though, I warmed up to the idea and I joined."
Apollo noted that the elder gods had all stopped speaking, electing to hear the stories of the soldiers they now resided in.
"She's seriously writing everything down?" Apollo thought to himself, looking at Bellekar with her head down, scribbling away.
She looked up and shot him a look.
"The more I learn from you, the better I will be equipped to help you succeed." She said out loud.
Apollo was appalled that she heard his thoughts. Then he remembered that in the original Vanguard game, the elder gods were connected to the player allowing them to hear, think and feel everything the player did. Bellekar cocked her head sideways at Apollo's revelation, not quite understanding the meaning behind it.
"Not a fucking word." Apollo quickly warned. Bellekar just chuckled before returning to her scribbles. Saraxis scoffed, looking down at Polina.
"I do not like you either." Polina responded.
The group laughed. After a moment, the sky began to turn dark and red walls with a symbol on them boxed the group into the courtyard of Stalingrad.
"Aha-AHAHAHAHAH!" A loud echoing laughter was heard throughout the area. The soldiers quickly stood up and looked around wildly.
"Finally," Inviktor said, "Took you long enough. Get ready soldier, I will make sure you aren't useless."
"Fuck off." Wade retorted.
Von List and Kortifex appeared in bright red lightning. A pack-a-punch machine, workbench, and mystery box all appeared shortly after in purple lightning. Apollo tried to hide his excitement, but a smile quickly appeared on his face. He even had the courtesy to turn off his music.
"Imbeciles, the lot of you." Kortifex began, "Gathering in one place and attaching yourself to those pathetic piles of flesh is the best my adversaries could do? Truly a wonder I kept any of you around."
"Yes, Kortifex, we will kill these bastards now and be one step closer to victory!" Von List added.
"I'll have you know, asshole, that you seemed to have done the same thing!" Saraxis responded.
"And? I bring forth armies of the undead. What will you do, hmm?"
Soon the ground began breaking in different spots as the first waves of the undead began to come from the ground below. Von List and Kortifex could only laugh as they disappeared. Portals opened behind and to either side of the operators. Each elder god also disappeared, residing back in the mind of each of their operators.
"Uhhh!" Saraxis suddenly growled from nowhere, "That bastard pisses me off!"
Everyone in the group jumped. Apollo was the first to compose himself and took stock of the situation at hand. Polina returned back to normal and looked around, noticing Wade and Arthur's stunned look. She gave them a raised eyebrow before Arthur shook his head. Apollo walked in the direction of the first couple zombies. He grabbed around for his sniper to find it was gone.
"Ah, ah, ah. Having three weapons will slow you down. I want to see how you fight." Bellekar stated.
"I hope it's somewhere safe." Apollo said. He reached around for his shotgun and found it still attached to his back. He went to raise it up, out of the straps, but found it disconnected very easily. He looked at his pack in confusion and saw a fog that seemed to sit where the straps once were. The same thing was happening where his pistol was.
Apollo reached down for the pistol and felt his shotgun slip from his hands. It was pulled magnetically to the spot on his bag where the fog was. He also realized the heavy pack he was carrying suddenly felt very light.
"Oh that's really cool." Apollo laughed out.
Apollo turned to the first two zombies that had now slowly walked their way to his position. He smacked the first one on the top of the head with the grip of his revolver, killing it. He felt some type of slight buzz as a yellow streak flew into his body. The second zombie swung at him, missing him as he stepped back. He smacked the other zombie in the head and it also fell.
Apollo looked back at the group and gave them a thumbs up. They hesitantly nodded back. Arthur made the first move, using his Sten and one tapping the few zombies nearby. Apollo saw a smile of satisfaction as he did so. Polina and Wade soon joined the fight and began their onslaught onto the zombies.
As Apollo looked around, he noticed white floating words above each of the three portals. The one directly behind him said BLITZ in bold letters. The portal showed a farm location through it. To his right, HARVEST was shown. This one had a picture of a local farm. The last showed TRANSPORT. This portal showed Shi no Numa, Apollo recognized.
"Complete the objectives for us and they will give us enough power to destroy the walls surrounding you. This will give you greater space to move." Bellekar said.
"Sure, I can do that." Apollo wandered to his right. He touched his hand to the portal before hearing more moans of the undead. He quickly spun around, dispatching them with smacks or a gunshot.
"Wait!" Bellekar started as Apollo turned back around to touch the portal again, "Wouldn't you like your teammates to do this with you?!"
Apollo paused for a second and turned around. Wade had his gun aimed at a dead zombie, kicking it a couple times. Polina was cursing at a zombie after it swiped and hit her. She cursed again when she felt the wound on her arm close up quickly after. Arthur began boasting to Norticus as he killed more zombies.
"Yo guys!" Apollo called out, "Take that portal where it says Transport. We have to complete the objectives to help the elder gods break the barriers!"
The three of them looked around, finally noticing the floating white letters and arrows. Arthur nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Apollo returned his hand to the portal. His vision began to swim with red lightning before he felt himself teleporting to the farm in an unknown location. Upon landing the first time, Apollo wobbled and dropped to his knees. He almost threw up.
On the other side of the world at Shi no Numa, Polina, Wade and Arthur reacted the same.
"Hell, I'm going to be sick!" Arthur said as he clutched his stomach and held on to a wood pole.
"Worst bender I've ever been on." Wade agreed.
Suddenly a floating yellow head appeared in the middle of the room. It created a glowing area of influence bathed in yellow light around it. The three operators slowly walked over to it. The head seemed to be alive. Its mouth was moving, although no sound was coming out.
"This head is a message to my allies in the Dark Aether," Bellekar suddenly spoke, "make sure it finds its entrance to the people beyond your realm."
"Right," Arthur replied, nodding his head in agreement, "Should be easy enough."
With the characters standing nearby, the head began floating off through the building.
"Really Bellekar? A floating head used as a message for my enemies in the Aether? Truly you are more helpless than I thought." Kortifex responded once the head began moving, "My armies will see that your pathetic notice doesn't get far."
Soon, the moans of the undead quickly overtook all sounds. These zombies didn't cause too many problems though. They walked slowly, giving the soldiers ample time to kill the zombies one by one as they continued walking with the head. A couple minutes into the walk, Bellekar decided to speak again.
"My message is about to cross over into the Dark Aether. Keep going!" Bellekar said.
Polina, Wade and Arthur made small talk as the last couple stragglers continued walking to them. One zombie dropped a pile of metal, coated in a green glow.
"What is that?" Polina asked, pointing at it.
"Looks like scraps of metal. Cogs, metal bars, cloth…I might be able to build something with one of these." Wade responded. He walked over to it and bent down to pick the scrap up. Once he did, the scrap disappeared and he felt a shiver run through his body as he felt the scrap enter his hand.
Wade jumped back in shock and looked at his hand. There was no marks or damage. He turned back to Polina and Arthur. Neither seemed to share his concern. They seemed to think it was the coolest thing in the world.
"For being the best pilot of the Pacific, you certainly are pathetically jumpy. I have made more out of less, though." Inviktor sighed.
"This guy's getting on my nerves." Wade responded, pointing to the sky.
Suddenly, the floating head disappeared and a shockwave was emitted throughout Shi no Numa, killing the rest of the shuffling zombies.
"It is not a weakness to ask for help." Bellekar spoke again, "Thank you for keeping the message safe. I will transport you back to Stalingrad."
The three grabbed each other's arms and held on as their vision went red and they were transported back to Stalingrad.
Local Farm, Unknown
January 2nd,1945
Apollo stood up after recovering from nearly emptying his stomach on the ground around him. Suddenly, a blue and red obelisk appeared, floating nearby.
"That there is a sin eating obelisk." Saraxis purred, "That will help me, and the others, restore our great power. Do be a doll, plaything, and fill it up with runes for me."
"So I see. Must've been your plan all along. Unfortunately, the power of my armies far outweighs the use of your weak human." Kortifex replied.
Apollo looked around, hearing the moans of the undead and nodded his head slowly. Apollo quickly narrowed his eyebrows, thinking.
"Since we do get essence from these zombies…should I sit here for a while to get plenty of essence without worrying? I do really like that idea."
Apollo nodded again a couple times. He quickly pressed the button on his earphones and the music started again. The moans of zombies faded into background noise and Apollo found himself flowing into a rhythm like old habits. He used to use this exact mission to grind for camos on Vanguard originally. That was before the introduction of more traditional style maps later in the life cycle.
In this sudo-trance, Apollo didn't notice Bellekar nearby, sitting on a stack of boxes and hay in the open field. She was once again, writing in her journal, noting every move that Apollo made with excited scribbles. She could hear the music clear as day. She watched as Apollo picked up the five runes that some of the zombies had dropped and refused to put them in the obelisk. He walked the same circle, smacking zombie after zombie.
Five minutes of doing this turned into 30 minutes before he decided to place the runes into the obelisk. The obelisk disappeared before appearing at the next spot, although Apollo was already there with practiced efficiency. He seemed completely in his element. Bellekar could sense his mind had gone blank and he was completely focused on listening to music and smacking zombies.
This second round was different, though. The location of the obelisk seemed less favorable to Apollo's plan. He quickly grabbed the five runes - how he knew he only needed five Bellekar didn't know - and inserted them into the obelisk.
Once he was done, Apollo immediately began walking off in a different direction, much closer to where she was sitting. The obelisk appeared right next to him.
"I'm surprised it doesn't laugh every time it runs off like that." Saraxis commented.
Bellekar tried to sense if Saraxis could see what was happening. She found Saraxis was still focused on her plaything in Stalingrad, although seemed disgruntled with how long Apollo was taking. Bellekar could only smile. As much as she appreciated Saraxis's pseudo-friendship, irking the woman was awfully fun.
Suddenly a very upbeat song began playing and Apollo started to dance. He was singing, dancing and having fun while the zombies hobbled in his general direction.
"Do you remember?" Apollo sang, "21st night, September, love was changing the minds of pretenders."
Bellekar laughed and began scribbling the lyrics down on her notebook. She watched as Apollo moved his body in coordination with the beat, all while not letting any of the zombies nearby touch him. It was truly a marvel to watch.
Apollo sighed once the song was done and turned around after he heard a snort behind him. His face went beat red when he saw Bellekar laughing at his antics. He laughed to himself and walked over to where she was sitting and hopped on some hay next to her.
"I'd ask you not to say a word." Apollo told Bellekar once her laughing had died down.
"My, my, I certainly got lucky with you." She spoke, "Learning how your brain works will be delightful on this journey. If you're lucky, I might write a few pages about you in my coverings of history."
"Seems I'm the lucky one then." Apollo smiled at Bellekar, "Couldn't imagine being stuck with Norticus. Arthur already looks like he's going insane."
Bellekar sighed, "Yes…although each of us have…flaws, I know he means well. I believe, too, Norticus is unjustly harsh on himself for the few failures he's suffered in millennia. Although in our world, if you aren't the best it is quite hard to live."
Apollo nodded along, listening intently. He looked back at the zombies. They had all stopped moving. He quickly cocked his head to the side before Bellekar chuckled again.
"It is my shroud. I have you hidden from the zombies while we talk. I have seen enough of you for now. I do recommend we head back. Your friends are waiting."
Apollo quickly scolded himself for almost forgetting the entire purpose of what he was doing. He quickly hopped off the boxes, chucking a gammon bomb one of the zombies had dropped. It exploded on impact, killing everything around the obelisk. He quickly inserted the runes into the obelisk.
"Took you long enough." Saraxis commented, "Get back here, we have things to do. Chop, chop, plaything."
"Gobble my nuts, woman." Apollo said to the sky before he was teleported back to Stalingrad.
January 2nd, 1945
Stalingrad, Russia
Apollo appeared in the city square with red lightning surrounding his appearance. Wade, Arthur and Polina waved once Apollo appeared.
"The area has opened up more. Krafft radioed us and gave us his next instructions. That building there," Arthur said, pointing to a building on the east side of the square, "holds Krafft in his office. He instructed us to clear out the objectives and meet him at his office to get the next step of his plan."
"Sure. Let's get a move on then. If y'all are ok with handling this objective, I can try and complete another to clear out more of the square." Apollo replied.
"Of course. Wade, you're with me. Polina, go with Apollo, make sure he comes back in a timely manner this time."
Polina nodded as Wade and Arthur entered the next portal titled BLITZ. Apollo watched them leave before walking over to the pack-a-punch machine. He looked around, hoping to find some indication of how much essence he had collected during his time in the harvest. Apollo felt itchy under his left forearm and looked at it. In yellow glowing numbers was the essence he had collected while in the objective.
"15470"
Apollo smiled to himself and put his shotgun in the pack-a-punch. 7500 essence quickly disappeared from the number and he felt the essence leave his hand, powering the machine. Polina watched on in awe as the machine took the glowing essence and his gun. Soon, the machine returned the weapon…unchanged.
"No pack-a-punch camo? Really? Well that sure is disappointing." Apollo thought to himself.
"How did you do that?" Polina asked, shocked.
"Lucky guess." Apollo quickly replied.
Polina tried to stick her sniper into the machine, however the machine wouldn't budge. Apollo pointed to her wrist. There were similar floating numbers.
"Think you need 7500 essence to pack-a-punch. I'm afraid you're a bit short."
Polina groaned in annoyance. Red lightning flashed behind the two and Arthur and Wade appeared once again. They were no worse for wear and seemed overwhelmingly bored. The portal disappeared and now the square was fully open.
"That was fast." Apollo said.
"Mmm…Inviktor was always known for being quick." Saraxis replied.
"Pah, I was merely making sure they did not die." Inviktor replied.
The four soldiers rolled their eyes and quickly decided that a change of plans was in order. This time, the objective blocking them from Dr. Krafft took utmost priority. After that, they could figure out the next best steps to give them some breathing room from Kortifex's zombie hoard.
The big, bold white letters of BLITZ were clearly visible from above the objective. Next to the building, however, was a fountain ordained with skulls, ornate glasses and blue flowing liquid. On the front was a picture of a man glowing with power, indicating what the fountain's ability gave the drinker. Apollo recognized it as Venomous Vigor, or this game's replacement for Quick Revive.
"Drink up, playthings. The blood of elder gods did not go in vain. They will help us make sure you stay alive." Saraxis commented as the group investigated the fountain.
The group looked between each other before Apollo shrugged, being brave. He grabbed his glass from around the rim of the fountain and filled it with a good portion of the blue liquid. He stared at it for a second, looking at the way it sparkled and moved. He could've sworn the liquid seemed alive.
"Cheers." Apollo said, half-assed.
He plugged his nostrils and quickly knocked the whole glass back. Some of the blue liquid dripped down the side of his mouth. Before it hit his chin, to the rest of the group's shock, the liquid seemed to absorb directly into his skin.
"Ah fuck!" Apollo exclaimed, quickly putting his hands on his knees, "That tastes like horse piss."
"That good, huh?" Wade replied.
"To us, this is our nectar. To you it seems…not so much." Bellekar informed.
The other three were eventually coaxed to drink the liquid from their elder god companions, much to the same reaction as Apollo. Soon, the group recovered and walked over to the objective. They nodded to each other and all stuck their hands into the portal.
They were teleported approximately 40 feet into the theater building, directly to the right of the square. The group looked around and laughed at the location. At the end of a hallway was another perk fountain. This one was a yellow-orange with the same features as the first. This picture, however, was that of a man sprinting. This picture indicates it as Aethereal Haste, or Stamin-up.
Apollo quickly walked over and repeated the same drinking process as before. Much to his appreciation, this one didn't taste nearly as terrible. Apollo decided to refill and take another swig. This time as he stuck his cup in to refill, he felt some essence flow away from his body into the fountain.
Soon Wade and Polina decided to follow suit and drink from the fountain as well. Arthur, seemingly traumatized from the first experience, opted to stay clear away from the fountain.
"Absolutely not." He said, shaking his hands and waving his arms, "I will not be subjecting my stomach to that shite again."
"Stupid, stubborn human. The fountain is meant to enhance you. It will not harm you. You have my word." Norticus commented, poorly trying to convince Arthur to take a sip of the demon blood.
Arthur didn't get a response to defend himself as the moans of the undead soon drowned out everything else. In the center of the room a timer in glowing red numbers appeared. This timer indicated the soldiers had to hold out the room for three minutes.
"Be careful human," Bellekar whispered into Apollo's head, "Kortifex's army is growing stronger. He will be sending stronger soldiers to you now."
Apollo nodded and walked over to the demonic fountain. He found that the first few zombies had begun breaking into the building. These ones ran.
They were quickly dispatched by Apollo's pack-a-punched shotgun without much resistance. Apollo quickly found that not many more zombies would spawn on his side of the theater once he wiped a few waves by himself.
On the other side of the theater, Wade, Arthur and Polina controlled the three entrances from the outside. Wade and Polina took the walkways that led to the city square while Arthur took the south hallway. A couple times, Polina or Wade would turn around and see a few straggler zombies that would jump in from the roof. They made quick work of those.
A max ammo power up and nuke power up spawned in back to back near Arthur and Apollo respectively. Apollo quickly grabbed the nuke, killing all the zombies in the surrounding area. The max ammo, grabbed by Arthur, refilled both the magazines and reserves of the soldiers.
One minute and thirty seconds had come off the clock very quickly. Very few zombies had seen the luxury of stepping inside the building, let alone getting past the defenders. Soon, Kortifex changed his game plan. The ground shook and a high pitched hissing could be heard.
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Arthur screamed from his side of the building. Wade and Polina were immediately by his side as the group hiked up the debris to the second floor of the theater.
Apollo turned around and quickly put his earbud away, giving full attention to the sounds around him. As his ear adjusted and he heard the deafening hissing coming from the hall, he rolled his eyes. That was the sound of the boomshreier. This zombie had little health, but had some type of explosive strapped to its back, giving it a far more menacing appearance.
Apollo switched weapons to his Colt Anaconda revolver. As soon as the boomshreier rounded the corner, Apollo shot one bullet, drilling the zombie in the head. His hissing stopped and it collapsed and exploded as soon as the body hit the floor. Apollo turned his head back to his side of the building before hearing heavy, clunking footsteps outside. Apollo recognized it as the Sturmkreiger.
The Sturmkreiger was a big, armored enemy carrying a minigun. In the game, Apollo remembers, he is more of a nuisance than a difficult enemy. However, he would prefer not to get lit up if this world wasn't the same.
Apollo opened the door next to him on his left. He was blocked by Inviktor's ward from leaving the premises, but he saw the Sturmkreiger trudging towards the front entrance. Apollo quietly jogged to the front door and positioned himself to the right of the entrance. He switched weapons again to his shotgun and aimed at the door.
"What are you doing?!" Wade angrily shouted. Apollo showed his palm and mouthed "wait".
Soon enough, the Sturmkreiger rounded the doorway. He looked up and saw the three soldiers on the second floor. He whipped his minigun around and was about to fire. This was enough of a distraction for Apollo to put his pack-a-punched shotgun underneath the chin of the Sturmkreiger and pull the trigger. The brute didn't stand a chance as his head was removed from his body in a fine red mist.
The timer continued to tick. By the time the body had hit the marble floor, the timer had gone to zero. A loud bell echoed through the building and every other zombie was eliminated. Arthur, Polina and Wade walked down the debris back down to the first floor.
"How'd you know how to do that?" Arthur asked.
Apollo shrugged, nonchalantly, "Shooting people in the head usually does the trick. Figured it'd be the same deal."
"Makes sense." Arthur responded.
Red lightning flashed in their visions again as they were teleported back to the office building where Dr. Krafft resided. Apollo checked his wrist again and saw that his essence had once again breached 10,000 essence. This meant he could pack-a-punch his revolver and grab another perk.
Polina and Arthur began walking up the stairs to where Dr. Krafft's office was. Wade went back over to Venomous Vigor and grabbed another swig. He quickly found it didn't taste any better the second time. He walked back to Apollo sputtering.
Arthur and Polina were waiting for the two at the top of the stairs. Once Wade and Apollo reached the top, they walked quickly over to Dr. Krafft's door. There was a massive red symbol that seemed to lock the door in place.
"Doctor?" Arthur said, pounding on the door, "He have cleared the square to you. What are our next orders?"
"My apologies for not greeting you face-to-face, but you may recall, I am magically sealed in here by a page from the Tome of Rituals. You've seen the Tome by now out there on Kortifex's rather…unusual pedestal. Perhaps you've explored how it can further empower your demon partners. During my servitude to Die Wahrheit I tracked the scattered pages around the world, the book out there is what we need to restore, but some pages are still loose. You just saw one secured by those magic anchors." Dr. Krafft (sounding the same as Apollo remembered) spoke through the door.
"Magic anchors?" Polina asked, dumbfounded.
"The missing page hasn't been found yet, doctor." Bellekar clarified.
"Ah, right then. Your next objective is to find the page in the portal in that room behind you. That is where the missing page resides. I am passing four communication devices underneath the door. With the combined power of your elder god friends, we will always be able to stay in contact."
Once he was done speaking, a little compartment opened up below the door. Krafft slipped a package through the bottom of the door. Arthur grabbed the package and opened it. He passed a small communication device to everyone. Apollo didn't know quite what to do with the device as he'd never seen something like this before. There was a speaker section and a microphone on the top.
Seeing his confusion, Polina walked up and took his device. She used a pin and clip system to attach it to his chest over his right pecs muscle. She softly patted Apollo over his heart and gave him a soft smile.
"It'll be over soon, I'm sure." Polina said softly. Apollo nodded and rubbed her head, messing up her cap a little bit. She slapped his hand away.
Arthur and Wade had already walked into the other room and were looking around at the new portal and some of the papers on the desk. The bold word VOID was lit up above the portal. The group nodded to each other in commitment and confidence. This would be the hardest challenge yet.
"My brave soldiers," Dr. Krafft spoke through the speaker, "Retrieve the page if you can. It is the key to stopping Kortifex and Von List."
"Loud and clear, Krafft. We'll do our best and keep you updated." Wade replied, pressing a button on either side of the device using his thumb and pointer finger.
"Mmm, playthings? I would recommend using the available…tools around to make sure you are as prepared as possible. It would be a shame if you died." Saraxis commented with a giggle.
"Ah…right," Arthur said, "Let's regroup in 10."
The group quickly spread out and got ready to fight for the Tome of Rituals. Apollo, Wade, Polina and Arthur all used the pack-a-punch. Apollo made his way over to the perk Fiendish Fortitude, or Juggernog, and spent his remaining essence there. Polina and Arthur also drank from the red fountain before taking another cup of the Aethereal Haste fountain.
The group met on the second floor soon enough. They all nodded to each other before touching their hands to the portal. Red lightning once again covered their vision before they were transported back to Shi No Numa. Now it was do or die.
If you haven't played Vanguard zombies, you are probably pretty confused as to what the hell is going on with objectives and portals. I'll give a quick explanation. In the first two maps, Der Anfang and Terra Maledicta, zombies was turned into an experience similar to Cold War's Outbreak mode. A certain set of objectives need to be completed to open up different sections of the map which helps give power to the elder god companions to clear more movable space in the "home base" area of the map. As I'm sure you heard, this wasn't met with great reception from the fans and community through playing Call of Duty: Vanguard. Eventually with the release of the third map, Shi No Numa (yes that Shi No Numa) round based zombies was back on the menu. As i mentioned last chapter, I am staying true to the game and will be having the first two zombies maps be this objective style of system. I will definitely be making it more fun as I didn't like playing them either.
In terms of the chapter, if Kortifex seems to be quite powerless outside of the zombies he spawns, that is on purpose. As it states in the games, upon being connected with the human counterpart, the elder god isn't nearly as strong as they were in the Dark Aether. I will be circumventing this later and Kortifex and the other elder gods will become progressively stronger. For now, however, they are relatively weak. I also want to do a service to the power and mental strain that comes with going down. The Dark Aether progressively corrupts those that breath the air and I want to show that throughout the story, so stay tuned for when the Dark Aether itself becomes more prevalent.
As always feel free to ask questions, review and comment. If there are major discrepancies or you want to ask why things are the way they are feel free to ask. I take all feedback into consideration and if something is wrong that isn't a conscious choice I can and will easily fix it.