[HEADING=1]The Nightkin[/HEADING]
Let's go fight the "demons" in the basement of the REPCONN building. Wonder what the demon's are anyway? Deathclaws, maybe? I mean, they have horns that make them vaguely look like demon's. Maybe some totally new enemy type that we haven't seen before?
Haha, no. Just a palette swap with a slightly different appearance.
The blood splattered door is always inviting. Hopefully it isn't as mazelike down there as it is up here.
What are these cots doing down here?
Oh god, it's another maze.
Yes, the REPCONN basement is pretty much just as bad as the upper levels of REPCONN. At least it's a smaller area, and you don't have to do much exploring down here anyways.
Hmm, before heading through that door, let's explore this area a bit more.
Oh great, even more crazy. Antler is that skull resting on the coffee maker on the right.
"An assassin, more like! I say kill it, Antler. For safe's sake! Huh? ...Okay, Antler. I'll ask. Hi, human. Why you come here?"
Bwuh? A super mutant that actually talks to you?
...
Oh wait, I forgot this wasn't Fallout 3. Yeah, the super mutants in this game are more in line with the super mutants from Fallout 2 in that some of them are actually intelligent and not bent on killing everything in sight. A refreshing change a pace, considering we killed enough super mutants in Fallout 3 to cause a genocide.
There still are super mutants bent on killing everything in sight, but I digress. This particular Super Mutant is called a Nightkin, Super Mutants who can go invisible and tend to get schizophrenia from the Stealth Boys they use. You probably won't find a single sane Nightkin in the game. In fact, Davison might be considered one of the more sane ones. Yeah.
"Are you all right? You sound... strange."
"I am in command of my faculties! In command of my troops! Antler guides me in all things! As I in turn guide my kin!"
"I came here on behalf of the ghouls upstairs."
"A human who is friend to ghouls? Suspicious. You mean the ones upstairs. Antler used intercom, told them stay put."
And you killed a bunch of them too, don't forget that.
"But they want to come down in basement anyways? I cannot allow. My kin are... not right in the head like I am."
Even crazier than this guy?
"They attack you on sight. Ghouls too. They crazy. Your ghoul friends have to wait until you find what Antler brought us to get."
"Maybe I can help."
"Good. Antler brought us here for a reason... Why was that, Antler? Right! A piece of paper. Shipment invoice. Hundreds of stealth boys, sent here a long time ago... But stealth boys must be in the one room we don't search yet - the one we can't search."
Here we go...
"Why can't you search the last room?"
"A ghoul. But not squishy like others. This ghoul is tough. I thought Antler said send my kin into that room, but three died. Ghoul is a crack shot and set traps too."
He is not kidding about him setting traps. There are a lot in there.
"After, I realize I heard Antler wrong. So I lock the door to keep kin out and wait for Antler to tell me what to do. Then you come along. Antler says you are solution."
"I'll find the StealthBoy stockpile for you if your kin will leave this place."
"Yes, Antler says we leave here as soon as we get Stealth Boys. Let me give you key. Antler had me lock the door. The ghoul inside not expecting a human. Maybe he don't shoot you. Maybe he will."
Well, let's go talk to that ghoul.
First, here is a better view of Antler.
I walk out of the room, and immediately hear Boone and ED-E fighting something. What?
We're getting charged by Nightkin. Uh-oh, this will probably piss Davison off. According to the wiki, as long as we don't kill all of the Nightkin, Davison won't attack us. We'll find out that I end up doing exactly just that.
They take a lot of damage.
They don't have any good loot, at least for us. They do drop Rebar Clubs, but those are heavy melee weapons that we really can't make any use of.
Back at that door, we need to go through it. Let's try to negotiate with whoever is behind there.
"Hey! You're not one of those things out there. Who the hell are you?"
"Jason sent me down here to get rid of the "demons."
"And I bet he told you it's the creator's will for you to risk your ass, instead of him, right? Well, good luck with that! I'd give you a hand, but no thanks. I may look like a corpse, but I'm partial to living!"
"How did you end up trapped down here?"
"First off, I'm not trapped. This was a tactical choice, all right?"
Does this guy just have a ton of mines and traps that he carries with him all the time?
"I'm no match for those things out there, so I found a good defensive position, and I've been defending it, right? ...Aw, who am I fooling? I'm trapped. Name's Harland. Pleased to meet you. What happened was, I was escorting folks down to work when those things attacked us. Most of the fight was upstairs, but some folks panicked and made for the basement. And I went after them. Well, turns out there were even more of those bastards down here than upstairs, and things went to shit fast. I couldn't find the others, so I fell back to this room and set up a nice little kill zone. End of story."
"You don't look like the other ghouls from Bright's group."
Instead of their robes, Harland wears the default traders gear.
"Guess the outfit gives that away, huh? I never did buy into that religious mumbo-jumbo with the robes and all that shit. It gets lonely out in the wastes, okay? And I don't have to tell you that Bright's group has got some fine-looking ghoulettes in it! Eh... or maybe I would have to tell you... Anyway, I helped them out, and they kept me supplied with ammo and pleasant company."
Pleasant? I dunno.
"How can I help you out of this room?"
"Ha! Well, you're polite, I'll give you that. If this was just between you and me, I'd do as you ask. But it's not. I had a friend with me when those mutant bastards came out of nowheres. She panicked and ran the wrong direction - further into the basement. She's probably dead, but I ain't leaving until I know for sure. I'd have gone myself, except I wouldn't last a minute out there. You, on the other hand, seem pretty resourceful. Find my friend, and I'll get out of your way."
I don't think there is an option to actually tell him why you need to get into the room, so I wonder why he says he'll get out of our way. I thought he just would assume that you are there to rescue him.
"I'll try to find your friend."
"Thanks. Let me know what you find out. Here's hoping she's okay."
Back into the maze.
I don't believe he lets you get any closer.
The Nightkin also have a stop sign wrapped around their arm, for some reason.
This is the room where the Nightkin are holding Harland's friend. It doesn't take long to get to this room, but it's very easy to get turned around in those corridors back there.
ED-E attacks Nightkin. That floating, flaming orb in the middle of the screen is ED-E, by the way.
...How did the Nightkin catch on fire?
Underneath here is the prison. I don't know whether this is laziness on Obsidian's part, or intentionally designed, but the grates here aren't grates at all. They're chain link fences.
All of the rooms down here are more or less empty.
You need the key from that Nightkin we just fought to get through this door.
Well, so much for Harland's friend. Let's make our way back to him.
"Yes, unfortunately."
"I see. Well, spare me the details. Damn it, I'm going to miss that crooked, yellow smile... All right, you did your part, so I'll do mine. Look around up here if you want. I'm going to make a break for topside."
Now, you're first instinct would be to charge right in here and start exploring. That would be a bad idea. The place is filled with traps.
Bear traps.
Mines hidden in the ground.
Rigged shotguns.
It's just generally not a good idea to just waltz in here.
FUCK
I forgot about the rigged computer.
Ow that hurt.
Harland left a decent amount of ammo and supplies up here for us just to take.
So, turns out the Stealth Boys aren't here. It's all just one big misunderstanding...
Let's chat with Davi-
Why is he hostile all of the sudden?
Well, guess he didn't like us killing all his friends. Oh well!
Here, take your fucking skull.
Back to Jason.
By the way, Harland joins back up with the ghouls up here. He has like one new line of dialogue, that's it.
Too bad you can't lie to him and tell him the Nightkin are gone when they really aren't. Ah, don't worry. There are plenty of evil dick options with this quest.
"The "demons" are gone."
"Praise the creator! And bless you, wanderer! The way is clear. I will lead my flock through the basement to the sacred site! I hope you will come find us there, wanderer! There is much to be done."
They all just start dashing into the basement.
Back at the room where Davison was, let's check out what was behind him.
We're now going even lower into REPCONN and down into the sewers. Before you start with the "Oh great, a sewer level", it's just like a few corridors with no enemies.
Not saying that this game doesn't have sewer levels. The REPCONN Test Site feels like a sewer level regardless of the fact that it's a building.
A surprisingly well lit sewer...
Lots of side rooms in here with a whole lot of nothing. Expect that to be a runnning theme with this game.
At the end of tunnel is Jason.
No, not wanderer. Courier.
"I want you to know that we will remember for all eternity how you delivered us to the threshold of the Great Journey. Our preparations are nearly complete, but the rockets that will carry us to salvation are yet missing vital components. If you would still help us, wanderer, speak to Chris. He can tell you what is missing."
I'm sure these 200 year old rockets will still be perfectly operational and not immediately crash, explode or burst into flames.
"There is no way that we can thank you enough, wanderer. Your arrival here was a blessing. We will remember you always."
"Are you seriously going to make you "Great Journey" on those rockets?"
"Yes. The rockets will convey us to our promised land in the Far Beyond. Vision upon vision has confirmed it."
"Those rockets will convey you and your flock straight into the ground!"
It's funny, because one of the epilogue endings for Novac confirms that they at least survived their "Great Journey".
"I understand your concerns, friend, and I thank you for voicing them. But the creator's will for us has been made manifest."
"Let's talk about Chris."
"After all that you have done for us, I suppose you deserve to know everything... When Chris came to us, we tried to convince him that he was human. But this only angered him. He seemed... lost. We decided to let him stay with us for a few days, over the course of which we learned that his technical skills far surpassed our own. It became clear that the creator had sent him to us, to ensure the success of the Great Journey. Equally clear was that Chris should labor in blessed ignorance of his humanity, and his inability to make the journey himself. It is no coincidence that two humans have been vital to the success of the Great Journey. It is my belief that the creator sent you and Chris to expiate the sins of your kind against mine. You are redeemers both."
"So you're going to leave Chris behind?"
"Such is the creator's will. Vision upon vision has shown me that, were Chris to accompany us, he would die in minutes. The radiation around the launch pad alone would kill Chris in minutes. The radioactivity of the Far Beyond is much stronger."
Where is this Far Beyond anyways? It would be funny if they crash landed right next to Tenpenny Tower-
Oh wait. Everyone there is dead. Well, it's been a few years since then, I'm sure some new people moved into it.
"Well, it's none of my business."
"Chris shall be declared the Saint of the Great Journey before we depart. I hope this will ease his sadness..."
"Goodbye, Jason."
"This is no way that we can thank you enough, wanderer. Your arrival here was a blessing. We will remember you always."
"How can I help?"
"I was close to completing work on the rockets before we were driven into hiding on the top floor. Two components were missing: a quantity of Isotope-239 igniting agent, and a set of thrust control modules. The igniting agent is highly radioactive, and decays quickly. That's why we can't use the drums that leaked down on the launch pad. It's no longer potent enough. I need you to find an intact, shielded container of the igniting agent. As for the thrust control modules, they were custom-built for these rockets. They won't even launch without them."
"I'll track down the igniting agent."
I don't know why they had to pad this already decently lengthy quest with a fetch quest.
"Very well. We don't need a huge amount. Two to three liters should be enough."
Alright, let's get on that then. Hopefully we won't get cancer in the process.
This ladder leads back outside.
Well, now it's time to get that crap Chris needs. Fetch quest ahoy!
Haha, no. Just a palette swap with a slightly different appearance.
The blood splattered door is always inviting. Hopefully it isn't as mazelike down there as it is up here.
What are these cots doing down here?
Oh god, it's another maze.
Yes, the REPCONN basement is pretty much just as bad as the upper levels of REPCONN. At least it's a smaller area, and you don't have to do much exploring down here anyways.
Hmm, before heading through that door, let's explore this area a bit more.
Oh great, even more crazy. Antler is that skull resting on the coffee maker on the right.
"An assassin, more like! I say kill it, Antler. For safe's sake! Huh? ...Okay, Antler. I'll ask. Hi, human. Why you come here?"
Bwuh? A super mutant that actually talks to you?
...
Oh wait, I forgot this wasn't Fallout 3. Yeah, the super mutants in this game are more in line with the super mutants from Fallout 2 in that some of them are actually intelligent and not bent on killing everything in sight. A refreshing change a pace, considering we killed enough super mutants in Fallout 3 to cause a genocide.
There still are super mutants bent on killing everything in sight, but I digress. This particular Super Mutant is called a Nightkin, Super Mutants who can go invisible and tend to get schizophrenia from the Stealth Boys they use. You probably won't find a single sane Nightkin in the game. In fact, Davison might be considered one of the more sane ones. Yeah.
"Are you all right? You sound... strange."
"I am in command of my faculties! In command of my troops! Antler guides me in all things! As I in turn guide my kin!"
"I came here on behalf of the ghouls upstairs."
"A human who is friend to ghouls? Suspicious. You mean the ones upstairs. Antler used intercom, told them stay put."
And you killed a bunch of them too, don't forget that.
"But they want to come down in basement anyways? I cannot allow. My kin are... not right in the head like I am."
Even crazier than this guy?
"They attack you on sight. Ghouls too. They crazy. Your ghoul friends have to wait until you find what Antler brought us to get."
"Maybe I can help."
"Good. Antler brought us here for a reason... Why was that, Antler? Right! A piece of paper. Shipment invoice. Hundreds of stealth boys, sent here a long time ago... But stealth boys must be in the one room we don't search yet - the one we can't search."
Here we go...
"Why can't you search the last room?"
"A ghoul. But not squishy like others. This ghoul is tough. I thought Antler said send my kin into that room, but three died. Ghoul is a crack shot and set traps too."
He is not kidding about him setting traps. There are a lot in there.
"After, I realize I heard Antler wrong. So I lock the door to keep kin out and wait for Antler to tell me what to do. Then you come along. Antler says you are solution."
"I'll find the StealthBoy stockpile for you if your kin will leave this place."
"Yes, Antler says we leave here as soon as we get Stealth Boys. Let me give you key. Antler had me lock the door. The ghoul inside not expecting a human. Maybe he don't shoot you. Maybe he will."
Well, let's go talk to that ghoul.
First, here is a better view of Antler.
I walk out of the room, and immediately hear Boone and ED-E fighting something. What?
We're getting charged by Nightkin. Uh-oh, this will probably piss Davison off. According to the wiki, as long as we don't kill all of the Nightkin, Davison won't attack us. We'll find out that I end up doing exactly just that.
They take a lot of damage.
They don't have any good loot, at least for us. They do drop Rebar Clubs, but those are heavy melee weapons that we really can't make any use of.
Back at that door, we need to go through it. Let's try to negotiate with whoever is behind there.
"Hey! You're not one of those things out there. Who the hell are you?"
"Jason sent me down here to get rid of the "demons."
"And I bet he told you it's the creator's will for you to risk your ass, instead of him, right? Well, good luck with that! I'd give you a hand, but no thanks. I may look like a corpse, but I'm partial to living!"
"How did you end up trapped down here?"
"First off, I'm not trapped. This was a tactical choice, all right?"
Does this guy just have a ton of mines and traps that he carries with him all the time?
"I'm no match for those things out there, so I found a good defensive position, and I've been defending it, right? ...Aw, who am I fooling? I'm trapped. Name's Harland. Pleased to meet you. What happened was, I was escorting folks down to work when those things attacked us. Most of the fight was upstairs, but some folks panicked and made for the basement. And I went after them. Well, turns out there were even more of those bastards down here than upstairs, and things went to shit fast. I couldn't find the others, so I fell back to this room and set up a nice little kill zone. End of story."
"You don't look like the other ghouls from Bright's group."
Instead of their robes, Harland wears the default traders gear.
"Guess the outfit gives that away, huh? I never did buy into that religious mumbo-jumbo with the robes and all that shit. It gets lonely out in the wastes, okay? And I don't have to tell you that Bright's group has got some fine-looking ghoulettes in it! Eh... or maybe I would have to tell you... Anyway, I helped them out, and they kept me supplied with ammo and pleasant company."
Pleasant? I dunno.
"How can I help you out of this room?"
"Ha! Well, you're polite, I'll give you that. If this was just between you and me, I'd do as you ask. But it's not. I had a friend with me when those mutant bastards came out of nowheres. She panicked and ran the wrong direction - further into the basement. She's probably dead, but I ain't leaving until I know for sure. I'd have gone myself, except I wouldn't last a minute out there. You, on the other hand, seem pretty resourceful. Find my friend, and I'll get out of your way."
I don't think there is an option to actually tell him why you need to get into the room, so I wonder why he says he'll get out of our way. I thought he just would assume that you are there to rescue him.
"I'll try to find your friend."
"Thanks. Let me know what you find out. Here's hoping she's okay."
Back into the maze.
I don't believe he lets you get any closer.
The Nightkin also have a stop sign wrapped around their arm, for some reason.
This is the room where the Nightkin are holding Harland's friend. It doesn't take long to get to this room, but it's very easy to get turned around in those corridors back there.
ED-E attacks Nightkin. That floating, flaming orb in the middle of the screen is ED-E, by the way.
...How did the Nightkin catch on fire?
Underneath here is the prison. I don't know whether this is laziness on Obsidian's part, or intentionally designed, but the grates here aren't grates at all. They're chain link fences.
All of the rooms down here are more or less empty.
You need the key from that Nightkin we just fought to get through this door.
Well, so much for Harland's friend. Let's make our way back to him.
"Yes, unfortunately."
"I see. Well, spare me the details. Damn it, I'm going to miss that crooked, yellow smile... All right, you did your part, so I'll do mine. Look around up here if you want. I'm going to make a break for topside."
Now, you're first instinct would be to charge right in here and start exploring. That would be a bad idea. The place is filled with traps.
Bear traps.
Mines hidden in the ground.
Rigged shotguns.
It's just generally not a good idea to just waltz in here.
FUCK
I forgot about the rigged computer.
Ow that hurt.
Harland left a decent amount of ammo and supplies up here for us just to take.
So, turns out the Stealth Boys aren't here. It's all just one big misunderstanding...
Let's chat with Davi-
Why is he hostile all of the sudden?
Well, guess he didn't like us killing all his friends. Oh well!
Here, take your fucking skull.
Back to Jason.
By the way, Harland joins back up with the ghouls up here. He has like one new line of dialogue, that's it.
Too bad you can't lie to him and tell him the Nightkin are gone when they really aren't. Ah, don't worry. There are plenty of evil dick options with this quest.
"The "demons" are gone."
"Praise the creator! And bless you, wanderer! The way is clear. I will lead my flock through the basement to the sacred site! I hope you will come find us there, wanderer! There is much to be done."
They all just start dashing into the basement.
Back at the room where Davison was, let's check out what was behind him.
We're now going even lower into REPCONN and down into the sewers. Before you start with the "Oh great, a sewer level", it's just like a few corridors with no enemies.
Not saying that this game doesn't have sewer levels. The REPCONN Test Site feels like a sewer level regardless of the fact that it's a building.
A surprisingly well lit sewer...
Lots of side rooms in here with a whole lot of nothing. Expect that to be a runnning theme with this game.
At the end of tunnel is Jason.
No, not wanderer. Courier.
"I want you to know that we will remember for all eternity how you delivered us to the threshold of the Great Journey. Our preparations are nearly complete, but the rockets that will carry us to salvation are yet missing vital components. If you would still help us, wanderer, speak to Chris. He can tell you what is missing."
I'm sure these 200 year old rockets will still be perfectly operational and not immediately crash, explode or burst into flames.
"There is no way that we can thank you enough, wanderer. Your arrival here was a blessing. We will remember you always."
"Are you seriously going to make you "Great Journey" on those rockets?"
"Yes. The rockets will convey us to our promised land in the Far Beyond. Vision upon vision has confirmed it."
"Those rockets will convey you and your flock straight into the ground!"
It's funny, because one of the epilogue endings for Novac confirms that they at least survived their "Great Journey".
"I understand your concerns, friend, and I thank you for voicing them. But the creator's will for us has been made manifest."
"Let's talk about Chris."
"After all that you have done for us, I suppose you deserve to know everything... When Chris came to us, we tried to convince him that he was human. But this only angered him. He seemed... lost. We decided to let him stay with us for a few days, over the course of which we learned that his technical skills far surpassed our own. It became clear that the creator had sent him to us, to ensure the success of the Great Journey. Equally clear was that Chris should labor in blessed ignorance of his humanity, and his inability to make the journey himself. It is no coincidence that two humans have been vital to the success of the Great Journey. It is my belief that the creator sent you and Chris to expiate the sins of your kind against mine. You are redeemers both."
"So you're going to leave Chris behind?"
"Such is the creator's will. Vision upon vision has shown me that, were Chris to accompany us, he would die in minutes. The radiation around the launch pad alone would kill Chris in minutes. The radioactivity of the Far Beyond is much stronger."
Where is this Far Beyond anyways? It would be funny if they crash landed right next to Tenpenny Tower-
Oh wait. Everyone there is dead. Well, it's been a few years since then, I'm sure some new people moved into it.
"Well, it's none of my business."
"Chris shall be declared the Saint of the Great Journey before we depart. I hope this will ease his sadness..."
"Goodbye, Jason."
"This is no way that we can thank you enough, wanderer. Your arrival here was a blessing. We will remember you always."
"How can I help?"
"I was close to completing work on the rockets before we were driven into hiding on the top floor. Two components were missing: a quantity of Isotope-239 igniting agent, and a set of thrust control modules. The igniting agent is highly radioactive, and decays quickly. That's why we can't use the drums that leaked down on the launch pad. It's no longer potent enough. I need you to find an intact, shielded container of the igniting agent. As for the thrust control modules, they were custom-built for these rockets. They won't even launch without them."
"I'll track down the igniting agent."
I don't know why they had to pad this already decently lengthy quest with a fetch quest.
"Very well. We don't need a huge amount. Two to three liters should be enough."
Alright, let's get on that then. Hopefully we won't get cancer in the process.
This ladder leads back outside.
Well, now it's time to get that crap Chris needs. Fetch quest ahoy!
(I was really perplexed by this, in my first playthrough I was able to keep both Harland and Davison alive.)
