Ghosts of Great Bears Past: Let’s do it!

[Sgt Socks]

3 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

I’ve gotten a few sessions in… currently working on writing them up.

👍🧡

[RossBondReturns]

Can't wait to read more...it's been great so far!

I finished all of my recordings...now comes the very long process of editing episodes...then recording v.o. dialogue....and re-saving each video and then uploading them.

Since I have to do this around a job...and a wonderful wife who doesn't let me record live commentary (I understand) finishing an uploading a huge series like this takes a long time.

[conanjaguar]

No sooner did I get to my feet after killing that wolf, than one of its compatriots came, thirsting for revenge. I brought up the rifle, aimed briefly, and fired off a round. The recoil kicked like a mule, nearly knocking me back down. When the proverbial smoke cleared, the wolf was on top of me. I dropped the rifle to the snow and readied the hatchet as it pounced. I swung somewhat clumsily, and connected with the wolf’s right shoulder. It yowled in pain and ran off, leaving me alone with two more of it’s kin. I brought up the rifle again and fired quickly, one shot for each wolf. It was dark, and my aim wasn’t too good, but I think I winged one of them. The other was too scared to come back.

With the wolves gone for the time being, I was free to observe my surroundings. According to a large billboard, I had arrived at the Orca Gas Station. The lights were out, but there was a truck pulled in at the pump. It was unlocked, so I let myself in, finding a pack of matches and a beat up old crowbar on the front floorboard?

With this, I was able to pry open the locked door and enter the gas station just ahead of the jaws of a wolf. After locking the door, I noticed a lantern on the counter, which I lit up for a bit of light in the somewhat creepy building. I recorded a bit of paranormal activity… long, stringy black hair was seemingly coming out of the ceiling, and I distinctly heard an unsettling gurgling. The event passed without much incident, and I gave the building a quick once over, taking whatever could be useful, and dropping the pelts and guts from the rabbits in a corner to get rid of the stench. 

I heated up a cup of herbal tea, drank it, and flipped through a few pages of the  before hitting the sack.

Apologies if this is a bit short, I’m trying to recap the events from memory while managing my channel, doing schoolwork, chores, and playing the run itself.

Edited November 22, 2022 by conanjaguar

[Sgt Socks]

You're doing a really great job Conan! Am also pleased to see how you're handling Stalker. Wonderful writing too (as always).

[Leeanda]

It might be a bit shorter but it's certainly nothing to apologise for.   Life gets in the way sometimes. 

It's still a great read ,as usual.😊👍

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Day 3

I awoke and felt a rather pressing need to fix up my equipment. If the rifle should have chanced to jam at some point, or if the hatchet been completely blunt, I likely wouldn’t be writing this right now.

First, I set about sharpening my hatchet. It wasn’t an easy task in complete darkness, and I scratched myself a few times, but I soon got the hang of it. After about an hour, the hatchet had an edge sharp enough to split a hare (get it?), and I had completely worn out the brand-new whetstone. Stupid cheap Chinese crap.

I then unloaded and completely disassembled the rifle, cleaned each individual part, and then put it back together, all in about two hours. Again, considering that I was in total darkness, this was quite an impressive feat… but, again, the cheap Chinese-made cleaning kit wore out.

I then set about tearing up my two extra bedrolls into scraps of cloth for future use in repairing my clothing, an endeavor that took me three hours or so. Without much else to do, I went back to bed.

When I awoke a few hours later, I decided to follow the road through the wood lot. It had to lead somewhere eventually. However, I first had a stop to make. I lit a fire in the small guard shack outside and pulled some torches, before setting out on my way.

What followed was a nightmare of claws, teeth, and blood. The local wolf pack had once again picked up my trail, and I got attacked at least eight times. I didn’t bother shooting them, as I couldn’t reliably hit anything with any measure of accuracy. Instead, I trusted in my hatchet and my torches to keep me relatively uninjured, and ran the gauntlet.

After a while, I noticed that the wolves were no longer after me; they seemingly ran off, scared by something. I proceeded cautiously, as anything that can scare off a starving wolf without showing itself must be pretty darn mean. However, I didn’t find anything. Nothing corporeal, anyway.

I presently arrived at a collapsed tunnel, blocked by debris and a wrecked bus.I looked around, but couldn’t find any bodies. No bloodstains, no tracks, nothing. Just an eerie black winged shadow flying across the moon…

[conanjaguar]

Currently debating whether or not to just give you guys a brief update to bring the story to where I currently am, or to keep up with the current pace… creative writing can be tedious at times .

[RossBondReturns]

2 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

Currently debating whether or not to just give you guys a brief update to bring the story to where I currently am, or to keep up with the current pace… creative writing can be tedious at times .

Do as you will, for typing up my entire story in the Journal I'm surprised mine went as well as it did.

It's just going to take a long time to get my LP uploaded.

Especially since I'm doing another shorter LP series right now that needs to be completed before the DLC hits.

[Sgt Socks]

9 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

Currently debating whether or not to just give you guys a brief update to bring the story to where I currently am, or to keep up with the current pace… creative writing can be tedious at times .

Whatever feels right to you my darling. I love reading your stories but you need to enjoy writing them. 

You're acing Stalker btw 👍

[conanjaguar]

11 hours ago, Sgt Socks said:

Whatever feels right to you my darling. I love reading your stories but you need to enjoy writing them. 

You're acing Stalker btw 👍

I do enjoy writing them, it just takes a while for me to come up with what to write, and then to write it in a coherent manner…

I actually once survived for 33 days on Stalker. That was my longest run yet, and ended in Pleasant Valley because of an unlucky stupidity/blizzard/aurora/wolf combo.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Day 4

I cant remember what happened in the hours afterwards. I flipped my lid, I guess, running away screaming from that abomination and huddling in a warm bed in the safety of a small house. After taking stock of my gear and deciding that everything was in decent shape except for my jeans, I stepped outside to gather my bearings. A sign politely informed me that I was in the town of Milton, and another pointed me to the Orca Gas Station, just a few blocks away. I didn’t run all that far, apparently. 

Most of  the houses were burned out, but a few remained intact. One, off to the right and sitting atop a hill, had smoke coming out of the chimney! I could finally talk to someone and find out what happened here.

After avoiding a pack of wolves that roamed the streets, I walked up to the front porch and tried the door. It was unlocked, and I opened it. “Hello!” I called, stumbling in the darkness… actually, there was some light coming from a fireplace somewhere in the house. “Is anybody he-” BANG!! A  bullet whizzed past my head and imbedded in the doorframe.

I ducked back behind the corner. “Hey! Hold it!” I yelled. “I don’t mean any harm! I saw the smoke in your chimney and thought… well, that you might know what’ going on!”

In response, there was an old woman’s voice. “Come closer, so that Grey Mother can see you. It has been a long time since outsiders came to our island.” There was a sound, as of a gun being put down. “But make one wrong move, and there’ll be a bullet in your skull. Grey Mother has become accustomed to eternal darkness.”

Cautiously, I pulled up a chair and listened while Grey Mother told her tale…

Edited November 29, 2022 by conanjaguar

[Sgt Socks]

I will be wishing you well, Milton on Stalker is a pretty scary place even without ghosties and spookables!

[conanjaguar]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:16 AM, Sgt Socks said:

I will be wishing you well, Milton on Stalker is a pretty scary place even without ghosties and spookables!

Agreed. I just went back to ML, hoping to finish that region this week, and move on to FM and BR.

[conanjaguar]

Listening to Grey Mother, I could barely hear her. Her harsh voice had dropped to a sibilant whisper that faded by the second, but I could make out the gist of it.

Something terrible had happened on the island. Some being called the “Darkwalker” had been unleashed, and it was out for blood, gaining power with each soul it consumed.

”But I don’t understand, why is it so dark?” I asked.

”The Darkwalker’s power has dimmed the sun itself, but those such as myself, who walk in eternal darkness, care not, for it leaves us alone, to watch the world end. It comes in your sleep. You must fight it in it’s shadowy world, play it’s game by it’s rules. In the dream-world, go to the northeast, to the region called Ash Canyon. Somewhere there is a circle of power, perform the ritual described in the book behind the cloth in the junk room. But be careful not to…” and with those final words, Grey Mother vanished into nothing.

I was now rightly confused. A simple photography job had turned into a
cheesy B-horror-movie plot, and I had no idea what to do. I lit up my lantern and went upstairs, found the junk room, and tore down the cloth. There was a cup of coffee and a small book titled “Canadian Native Myths of Magic And Mystery”. I pocketed the book for later use.

Poking around a bit, I found a nice jacket and a brand-new revolver laying on one of the beds. I donned the jacket, loaded the revolver, and noticed that the lights were flickering crazily. Another aurora. If I had epilepsy, I would be dead days ago, but, fortunately, I don’t.

I decided to bundle up, put a can of beans on for dinner, and head outside to watch the aurora. As is my usual habit, I snapped a ton of pictures.

It was then, while I was peering through my camera’s viewfinder, that the glowing wolf decided to charge from it’s hidden position behind that car ⬇️.

I waited until point blank range and fired the entire revolver clip into the beast, causing no damage. As it ran away, it got caught on… something .I drew my rifle and fired three rounds into the wolf before it got unstuck and ran off into the night. I reloaded my guns while staring at the bloody snow and wondering what I did wrong. I wouldn’t go chasing after it; it would be too dangerous.

Tired and exasperated, I went back inside to check on my beans. Darn. They were burnt. I opened up a fresh can, relit the fire, and ate supper. I then fixed up my clothes a bit and went upstairs to bed.

 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by conanjaguar

[Sgt Socks]

8 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

I waited until point blank range and fired the entire revolver clip into the beast, causing no damage.

I drew my rifle and fired three rounds into the wolf before it got unstuck and ran off into the night. I reloaded my guns while staring at the bloody snow and wondering what I did wrong.

Well, I wouldn't take on an Aurora wolf at all if I can help it. Or Bear. Aurora predators are much more dangerous; harder to kill and do not respect fire.

Using the revolver, waiting for point blank range is usually the most effective way of killing a wolf outright, but you do need to get a shot right between the eyes to drop it dead on the spot.

An aurora wolf would need more accurate shots to take it down, and more of them. You may have unloaded a full clip into it but it would probably take a full clip of 100% accurate shots to take it down.

Similar comments apply to the rifle. Several fully accurate shots would be needed for an aurora wolf.

Another thing to bear in mind is that your revolver/firearm skill level will play a huge part in it. At higher levels you have a much better chance of a critical hit and the shots do more damage. Therefore at lower skill levels your shots won't be as powerful.

And for an aurora wolf? You need accuracy and power....

Edited December 3, 2022 by Sgt Socks

[conanjaguar]

@Sgt Socks

Accuracy? Never heard of it .

Checking my stats later , I found that I had scored only two revolver hits and one with the rifle 🤣.

[Sgt Socks]

31 minutes ago, conanjaguar said:

@Sgt Socks

Accuracy? Never heard of it .

Checking my stats later , I found that I had scored only two revolver hits and one with the rifle 🤣.

Lesson of the day... don't play with Aurora wolves! 😉

[Leeanda]

They really are tough during the aurora so it did you a favour getting stuck.. it's better than his fangs getting stuck into you. I'm glad you escaped intact.😊 

Shame the beans didn't make it though!😁

[conanjaguar]

Rest assured, everyone, I will finish this challenge before updating the game!

[Leeanda]

Yay 😊.   

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Days 5-6

Apologies if the quality of writing has gone down lately… I’ve had a lot on my mind this last few week.

The next two days were spent exploring the surroundings of Milton.

I explored the bank, finding the first truly living person I had seen yet. Unfortunately, he was nearly gone; blind from frostbite, crippled, and bleeding profusely from some kind of deep cuts. I bandaged his wounds and gave him some painkillers to ease his suffering, and stayed with him until the end. After allowing a few minutes to give him a decent burial, I continued on my way, deciding to head out of town across the bridges in search of a way out.

As I recall, the way was foggy, but I managed all right by sticking to the road. I used my prybar to access some of the cars along the way, liberating some matches and a warmer pair of gloves. Stealing is such a harsh word, especially when there is no one around to steal from… but I digress.

Anyway, I soon arrived at a creepy-looking stone church with a small graveyard. If anyone makes a horror mod for TLD, this would be a great menu screen!
For some reason, the name “Ryan Smith” stood out to me. What better place to look for ghosts than in a graveyard, right? Wrong. The EMF ticked slightly, and the whole place had an aura of some sort when viewed through the night-vision camcorder, but otherwise, nothing. The door to the church was unlocked, so I let myself in. As expected, the building was empty, save for a few hymnals and two tins of sardines beside a burnt-out campfire. I lit the place up with torches, thawed out the frozen holy water, and held a brief service (of a sort) for the frozen dead. The sooner their souls rest in peace, the sooner I can be done with this job. As the weather had turned nasty while I was holding my “service”, I elected to bed down in the handy cot.

In the “morning”, I returned to Milton, restocked on food and soda, and tried one of the only two remaining directions left. A blizzard had struck out of the blue, and I stumbled blindly for a short while until I came upon this distressing scene…The old schoolhouse. I can only hope that class wasn’t in session when it burned. After checking the corpse (a strangely familiar symbolic tattoo on the forehead), I continued on my way through the blizzard until I came across a sort of outbuilding. I could barely make out a farmhouse in the distance. Within the shed was a dead guy, fairly well dressed for the weather, and carrying a prybar. From the bloody marks on his face, throat and arms, I judged that he died fighting. I went through his pockets and came up with a key for the nearby farmhouse. I entered, grateful for the relative warmth, and gave the place a quick once-over. Notable finds were some food, a wool balaclava, some ammo, good boots, and another outer layer, as well as a beat up old rifle that was laying on the bed. This latter item was restored to it’s place above the mantelpiece. I left some supplies in the house in case others should come across it, and tucked into the cozy bed. I fell asleep to the sound of the blizzard.

Awakening, I jotted down a few notes and went back to Grey Mother’s house. On the way, i crossed back over the bridge… and found two dead wolves within the vicinity. Curious. I only hit one. An evil chuckle resonated through the night. I could swear that I saw a figure watching me from the ridgeline. A trick of the “light”, or something more sinister? I shrugged it off… and immediately was hit full in the face by the blizzard.

Fortunately I wasn’t too far away from Grey Mother’s house, so I ran the rest of the way there, avoiding the wolves. Without much else to do, I repaired clothes and read until I was tired, and then slept some more.

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by conanjaguar
Added final paragraph

[Sgt Socks]

Fantastic as always my darling 🧡

[Leeanda]

Great story ,shame the weather isn't on your side.  Looking forward to hearing more😊

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Day 7

A short installment this time… maybe I should make Let’s Play videos instead  

When I woke up, the blizzard had died down, to be replaced with a light snowfall. I left the rifle behind and went the only remaining direction; out back behind the house there was a path leading uphill to a radio tower. On the lookout for any wolves, I made my way up there and searched the supply bin. Nothing. Poking around the general area a bit more, I found that the path continued. I followed it past two frozen ponds, avoided a wolf, and eventually came to a crashed plane stuck in the trees. I recognized it. It was my plane. The plane I had flown to Great Bear Island in the first place. I recognized the burnt corpse in the cockpit as Will McKenzie, my pilot and close acquaintance. He didn’t even have time to bail out.

This sobering sight did not discourage me, however. I continued on my way down into a deep ravine where more wreckage from the plane lay strewn about. I hacked a steak of the frozen deer carcass and crossed the fallen log over the chasm. The weather had begun to turn decidedly sour… but there was something in the air… a feeling of evil. Like on that first night, when I found myself on this godforsaken island. There was a feeling of malevolence in the air, and even the crows ceased their cawing. Shuddering, I ducked into a nearby cave and lit a fire with a flare. The flickering light illuminated the scattered skeleton of a bear. The flesh had been sucked off the bones; there were no teeth marks. I cracked open a bone… there was still marrow inside, and it had not yet begun to rot. I estimate the Bear had been dead for less than a week, and yet reduced to bones in that short time.

I piled more wood on the fire and made a warding mark on the floor after the fashion described by Malles Monstrum to allay my feeling of insecurity, before tucking into bed. When I awoke, the blizzard was still raging, but the fire was running a bit low. I drank a hot cup of rose hip tea (grimacing at the taste) and left the cave to smash some crates. The first one yielded a second pair of pants, in excellent condition but completely frozen. I took them to the fire and let them dry out while I broke my second and third boxes. Having been sufficiently exhausted by this effort, I did some repairs and went back to bed.

[Leeanda]

Shorter it may be but certainly not lacking.   Very beautifully written as always.🙂