The iron gates of Terminus loom overhead, rusted and imposing against the gray, heavy sky. Seth stands within the perimeter, his boots crunching on gravel scattered with remnants of discarded gear. The air here tastes of ozone and stale woodsmoke, a bitter departure from the damp earth of the forest.
Seth
This place feels like a grave that hasn't realized it's dead yet.
A shadow detaches itself from the wall of a corrugated metal warehouse. A man with a hollow, weary face approaches with his hands raised, palms open.
Stranger
You don't look like a scavenger, friend. You look like you've seen the end of the world and decided to walk through the wreckage. I'm Gareth. Welcome to Terminus.
Seth
I’m not here for a welcome, Gareth. I’m here for answers about the routes north. Keep your hands where I can see them.
Seth tightens his grip on his AK-47, his eyes scanning the rooftops for snipers. Gareth’s smile doesn't reach his eyes, and the silence that follows is heavy with the threat of hidden guns.
+ Story Quest Added
Investigate the truth behind Terminus
“He ensures us that we're okay and tells us to walk with him and meet the people”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Gareth
You’ve got a sharp tongue, but I like a man who knows his own worth. We aren't your enemy, Seth. The road ahead is treacherous, and you’re wasting energy holding that rifle on me. Just walk with me. Let me introduce you to the others, let you see we're building something worth protecting.
Seth
His voice is steady, almost too steady. He’s selling this harder than he needs to, but he isn't pulling a weapon. If there is a trap here, he’s waiting for me to step into it willingly.
Seth
Lead the way, Gareth. But keep your eyes forward. If I see a shadow move the wrong way, we’re going to have a very different conversation.
Gareth nods, his tension visibly bleeding away as he turns toward the dark maw of the warehouse. He gestures for Seth to follow, his movements practiced and calm. As they step deeper into the compound, the heavy iron gate swings shut behind them, the metallic screech echoing like a finality.
“He introduces us to some of the people and then we eventually make it to the food court and then offers me a plate I then see millers watch on his wrist I put him in chokehold with my gun at the side of his Temple and said where did you get this watch”
Critical hit for 6 damage — Gareth struck back for 5 damage
Seth lunges, his arm snaking around Gareth’s throat in a crushing hold as he jams the barrel of his Desert Eagle into the man’s temple. The plate of food clatters to the floor, forgotten.
Seth
Where did you get this watch?
Gareth
You... you idiot. You have no idea what you’ve just done.
Gareth gasps for air, his face darkening from the constriction, yet his hand whips out with desperate strength. He slams a heavy serving tray into Seth’s ribcage with a sickening thud. The impact knocks the wind out of Seth, staggering him backward, yet his grip on the weapon remains ironclad. Gareth collapses to his knees, clutching at his bruised throat, his eyes glazing over as the life drains from him. The silent courtyard suddenly feels suffocating, and the heavy gates are now fully sealed.
Seth
That look in his eyes wasn't fear of death. It was the look of a man who knows he just rung the dinner bell for something much worse than him.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the trap at Terminus
“He says I got it off a dead one you show some respect as he holds his hands up acting like he's surrendering then clinches his fist I know that he's signaling a sniper so I quickly grab him and use him as a human shield as he shot in the face and his blood covers my face then the group runs and tries to hold them off but we're outnumbered and they ordered us to drop our weapons so we do then they put us inside of a big freezer”
SUCCESS (Legendary Tactics, rolled -1)
Seth
I took it off a dead one. You should show some respect.
Seth raises his hands, adopting a submissive posture as he feigns surrender. Beneath the facade, his muscles coil. He catches the flicker of a distant silhouette in the rafters, a sniper adjusting for the kill. Before the first report echoes, Seth shifts with lethal grace, hauling Gareth into his path just as a high-caliber round shreds the air.
The bullet enters Gareth’s skull, silencing him instantly. A spray of crimson coats Seth’s face, hot and metallic. Within seconds, a dozen armed figures emerge from the shadows, their rifles leveled at his chest. Outnumbered and boxed in, Seth slowly lowers his weapons to the concrete. The guards move in, forcing him and the others toward the heavy steel door of a shipping container. The heavy lock clicks into place, plunging them into absolute darkness and biting cold.
Quest Complete
Survive the trap at Terminus
Fault Removed: Hates the cold
+ Story Quest Added
Escape the shipping container