'>>5988713

We won’t play everybody (plan is for 3), so have fun deciding!

Who do you want to start with?

>Rob Banks.
>Dunja.
>Ivanna L. Tavarez.
>Uzziel
>Richard Wright.
>Sigi.

Patch Notes! New Rules will be applied as we go! For now, know that the thresholds for rolls have been changed!:

Normal- 40
Hard - 60
Very Hard - 75
Destiny Breaker - 90';

'>>5988715
>Sigi
This guy looks familiar. Maybe it's the eyes?';

'>>5988715
>>Sigi.';

'>>5988715
>Dunja';

'>>5988715
>Sigi';

'>>5988715
>>Rob Banks.';

'You’re Sigi. You’re in your last year of high school and never had a girlfriend, not that it matters in this situation.

Somehow, you’re involved in something that *seems* interesting. A disguised person handed you over the SECRET briefcase that you’re holding in your proportionally large hands, and gave you instructions to deliver it to an extravagant-looking woman in the bar over in the next street. No more details. Okay, they gave you the bar’s name so you don’t miss it, but that’s hardly worth pointing out.

This *seems* interesting because you’ve been part of nefarious marketing strategies before. One time, you got taken four stories deep into a building to taste sausages. Sausages! You had to fill a whole freaking survey! They weren’t even good! The samples were pitiful, and you didn’t get anything else. You don’t even remember which company this was for. At least, you went down a slide to get there, that’s what made it interesting. All disappointment from that point onwards.

Now you can go on and on, but you shouldn’t. You’re through that incident. This trauma won’t define you. And the only way to make sure you beat those demons is to go through with this.

Or don’t. Nobody orders you around. Except for several exceptions, like most of your classmates from Purple Rose, they know they can count on you. You can’t be a friendly man if you don’t do friendly things.

You shake the briefcase again to make sure there’s no bomb. You know it’s a thing that happens. People are really creative in ways to kill! An old way to murder people was for the assassins to hide inside suitcases, then pop out and make their victim eat bullets. The past is frightening, but half of the city has been bombed one way or another, so life sucks in general. This thing isn’t big enough for an assassin, unless it’s a child…

“I know you’re in there, child…” You preemptively make sure there are no enemies in it. It doesn’t appear to be a bomb, or a child. Or a bomb child. “It’s too light for either.”

But what is in there…?

…

You’re not supposed to be holding this, why do you care?

What do you do?

>Open the Briefcase. Find out what’s inside. Curiosity will kill you, but nobody said when.
>Take it to the Bar as instructed. You’re doing this!
>Wait for the real recipient of the briefcase to show up. If they made a mistake, someone else has to show up.
>Write In.';

'>>5988867
>>Open the Briefcase. Find out what’s inside. Curiosity will kill you, but nobody said when.';

'>>5988867
>Open the Briefcase. Find out what’s inside. Curiosity will kill you, but nobody said when.';

'>>5988867
>>Take it to the Bar as instructed. You’re doing this!';

'>>5988867
>Open the Briefcase. Find out what’s inside. Curiosity will kill you, but nobody said when.';

'>>5988867
>Open the Briefcase. Find out what’s inside. Curiosity will kill you, but nobody said when.
DO IT';

'Why do you care? Simple: to care means to feel alive. And you enjoy being alive. Now it’s time to find out what surprises life has for you. By opening this briefcase that you’re 100% sure doesn’t have a bomb or anything like that in it. This safe briefcase that you’ll name Briefy the Case. Not Bomby the ‘Plosion, because there are no dangers of pyrotechnics.

…

Of course Briefy the Fucker is locked. What did you expect? For life to be easy? To be enjoyable? Screw this. You’re going to cheat the system. You don’t really get how it works, but somehow you feel like your limbs extend when you concentrate, like your spirit stretches out of your body; it’s some type of psychic ability, that’s what you found out with your friends online.

Anyway, if you extend your sponge spirit into the keyhole, and push the pins correctly, you’ll open it.

Yuppie! There you go! This trick never fails you with tiny locks. Nothing can’t stop you from dying to the time bomb inside! Y-You open it.

Within the briefcase, there’s protective foam around the chest, it doesn’t seem to be locked – in it, there’s a USB stick with the same symbol that Briefy has. There’s an ominous note below that proclaims there’s forbidden knowledge within it. This is getting interesting, actually interesting, unless you fell for another cryptocurrency scam…

Nothing for you to do with it now, you put everything back to where it was, Briefy is unlocked though – you don’t know how to lock it back with your powers, the biggest downside to one of your tricks.

There’s nobody around. Like, there are people walking, but no one is paying attention to you. It’s a sidewalk, it’d be weird if anyone stared at you fiddling with your briefcase.

…

What do you do?

>Pocket the USB Stick, and go to the meeting spot.
>Take the USB Stick and throw Briefy the Case away. He deserves it.
>Throw the USB Stick and keep Briefy the Case. You’ll take care of a brother.
>Just leave. Go home. Don’t go to the meeting spot.
>Find a place where you can check what’s inside the USB Stick. There has to be a place where you can use a computer…
>Write In.';

'>>5988948
>>Find a place where you can check what’s inside the USB Stick. There has to be a place where you can use a computer…';

'>>5988948
>>Find a place where you can check what’s inside the USB Stick. There has to be a place where you can use a computer…';

'>>5988949
+1';

'This barely counts as knowing what is really inside Briefy, the truth is that you learned absolutely nothing but tangential information, this USB Stick contains secrets, but of which kind? What flavor? What smell? You won’t know by keeping it by your side, no, you need to get to the nitty-gritty, or your name isn’t Gritty Sigi. You look around for any place suitable to access its contents.

Your eyes lock onto a Printing Shop, they will let you have access to their PCs, if you have anything to print. No more self-evident observations, you wobble like a flightless bird to the store with curiosity clouding your judgment!

After an exchange of words with the clerk, you open up Briefy and hand over the USB Stick. He sticks it in the PC, and asks…

“Which file?” The Clerk asks nonchalantly.

“Which file what?” You play dumb so he has to show you the screen.

“Which file do you want me to print, dude?” The man doesn’t mind repeating himself as he turns the screen partially towards you. Years of dealing with the public killed any type of mild annoyance in his bones. “It’s all folders.”

“Uhm…” For some reason, you expected the USB Stick to be encrypted, this is a pleasant surprise. The coding system for the name doesn’t appear to be complex, but it’s meaningless to you. It’s written like [AB001] and stuff the like. “Can you let me browse the files myself?”

“Knock yourself out.” The man doesn’t mind as he steps out of the counter to organize other papers in the back.

Should you pick a random one? Or do you pick your favorite letter and number? Gritty Sigi has at least 4 favorite numbers. Combinations of numbers, not solitary numbers, it’d be stupid to have almost half of the numbers as your favorites.

“Kid.” An ominous figure stands behind you. It appears it’s the same figure who handed over Briefy to you. He’s holding a cup of coffee from the shop in front of the Printing Shop. “What are you doing here?”

This person is starting to get suspicious. They are starting to think you’re not the one they were supposed to deliver the USB Stick to…

What do you do?

>“I didn’t find anyone yet, so I’m getting some personal stuff done in the meantime.” Lie, lie, and lie.
>“I’m waiting to have my stuff printed, you?” Act casual.
>“I’m learning the secrets behind the USB Stick before delivering it. Wanna know too?” Try to convince them to join you.
>“Look, behind you! The police!” Distract and run.
>Ignore. Keep going.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>5989018
>>“I’m waiting to have my stuff printed, you?” Act casual.';

'>>5989018
>“I didn’t find anyone yet, so I’m getting some personal stuff done in the meantime.” Lie, lie, and lie.';

'>>5989018
>“I didn’t find anyone yet, so I’m getting some personal stuff done in the meantime.” Lie, lie, and lie.';

'>>5989018
>>“I’m waiting to have my stuff printed, you?” Act casual.';

'>>5989018
>“I’m waiting to have my stuff printed, you?” Act casual.';

'“I’m waiting to have my stuff printed, you?” You reply in relaxed poise as the warmth of the sun hits your face through the window. Your acting skills may come in handy to trick this person.

“What about the exchange? The briefcase is in your hands.” The stressed disguised person looks at what you’re holding. It shouldn’t look extra suspicious since it’s closed.

“I didn’t find anyone yet, so I’m getting some personal stuff done in the meantime.” You change the truth to fit your needs.

“The Church’s representative is late?” From stress to indignation, this has happened before.

“Yeah. What can you do?” You half-chuckle like you sometimes do. The noise in the back stops. It’s eerily quiet.

“Nothing for now.” The anxiety keeps on blooming.

The Store Clerk returns with a box of papers, he looks at the most suspicious person he has seen in this store all week, and raises his voice.

“Can I help you?” The foreboding employee asks. “If you aren’t here to get anything done, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave or else I’m going to call the cops.”

The mysterious cloaked figure leaves without saying a word. You don’t know how she can drink coffee with the mask on… When it’s clear that they aren’t going to come back, the clerk resumes the conversation.

“I recognize your voice. I know you, you beagle!” The man with an apron exclaims! “We’re on the same Disquid Server! The Paranormal Sighting one! I’m Kosoto, you’re the kid that can open bottles from the inside. Professor Hands!”

“Huh, that’s me! What a small, tiny world we live in.” You didn’t think you’d find a friend in the wild! Ever since the Paranormal Photographer disappeared, the server kind of stalled in content, he used to bring pics of the wildest creatures imaginable – but he hasn’t shown up in a good while. You all joke that one of the monsters ate him.

“Who was that girl? She seemed like triple trouble.” Kosoto wonders.

“I don’t know.” You won’t lie anymore. She was a girl? How come you didn’t notice? Are you stupid?

“What did she want with you…?” Kosoto asks.

“She wanted me to bring this briefcase over there to a bar. I think she confused me with someone else.” You point at the general direction of said establishment. “I got curious and opened it, found a USB Stick and brought it here to check it out.”';

'>>5989772

“Then what are we waiting for?” Kosoto dives right into it. “Don’t care if the PC gets bricked, it’s company property.”

“It’s just an ocean of folders.” You let him know.

“These are app files. Let’s sink to the bottom to find an executable.” Kosoto scrolls to the bottom of the page. “There we go, let’s throw caution to the wind and run it.”

With the 2 pairs of eyes clinging on the screen, the app is some sort of homepage for an internet browser, with a logo written with old Prancijanian Letters, and a search bar on the bottom. It’s asking for a person’s name to search. You tell Kosoto to write someone down.

“L-Like who?” Kosoto’s mind is blank.

“I don’t know. Someone famous?” You type it yourself to get some results! A famous actress! Startella Fame! “W-What the hell and back?!”

The images found are extremely suggestive, and the links are legal documents, Chat-Now! conversations, and stuff you aren’t supposed to see. Are these blackmail materials?! Are they even real? They look real…

Kosoto looks concerned. “We have to make a copy.”

Do you? Do you want this? Having a normal boring life is starting to sound pretty sweet…

What do you do?

>Tell Kosoto to copy it, then deliver it like you were supposed to.
>Tell Kosoto the USB Stick is all his. You’re leaving.
>Take back the USB Stick and destroy it for humanity’s sake.
>Put another name to make sure this isn’t a sham. (Write In.)
>Search up Johnny Ando! You’re part of his fan club, aren’t you?
>Write In.';

'>>5989775
(Only Reply of the Day, we return tomorrow!)';

'>>5989775
>Put another name to make sure this isn’t a sham. (Write In.)
Your own!';

'>>5989775
>Put another name to make sure this isn’t a sham. (Write In.)
Carol Sung/Yung-P';

'>>5989781
+1';

'>>5989775
>Put another name to make sure this isn’t a sham. (Write In.)
Bogos Brinted';

'Without thinking about it further, you write your own name down. As soon as you press enter, your head feels a little bit lighter. You come back to your senses really fast once the results appear. Not much, it shows your ID number, and a couple of online purchases you’ve done.

You lost 1 SP (Spirit Points.)

[QM Note: Using Spiritual/Psychic/Magical Abilities drain your Spirit Power. Having low Spirit Power makes your dice rolls more difficult due to exhaustion. Having none will make you faint. There are going to be plenty of ways to recover Spirit Power, but a long rest is the only option for now.]

“You bought a dragon suit?” Kosoto is curious about it.

“For a play.” You’re part of your school’s Drama Club. You can’t reveal that you have it with you. At all times. Nobody expects a Surprise Dragon. “I’m pretty happy that I’m clean.” You sigh with relief.

“I wouldn’t have done that if I were you.” Kosoto isn’t keen on agreeing. “This is a secret online service. An odd input will raise some eyebrows.”

“H… Huh?! What should I do?!” You can’t believe you fell into this trap! You’re doomed. “Should we delete everything?!”

“Can’t say, feel free to do what you want. I’m done copying it. I’d return it if I were you.” Kosoto puts his thumb back on his chin. “Not ‘cause it’s the best course of action, but that suspicious chick is stalking you, and is not going to let you be until you do.”

“Huh?! Shouldn’t we call the cops?!” You start scratching your head out of desperation.

“It’s an educated guess.” Kosoto has nothing but a hunch.

“Why hand it over if she’s going to go through the trouble of watching me do the exchange?!” You’re too confused.

“My best guess is that she isn’t allowed in the establishment. That’s if we consider that she didn’t mishandle it.” Kosoto can be all calm and collected because his skin isn’t in play.

“Y… You think she broke it?!” But you’re seeing it work!

“No, Professor Hands, what I mean is that she handed it over to the wrong person: You.” Kosoto reminds you that you’re NOT part of the plan. “You’re going to Red, Hot & Rio, right? If things get dicey, give me a call. As soon as I spot it, I’ll send over the police.”

“The cops? What can they do?! They always arrive late!” This will be the end of you!

“You want me to go in guns blazing? I’m a scrawny dude. Best I can do.” Kosoto is pretty content with what he got from you.

“This blows!” You’re gonna enter into a panic.

“While you take your time, I’m gonna look someone up.” Kosoto starts typing a name in the app. “It’s just the owner, maybe there’s something juicy I can get fro—”

As soon as he presses enter, Kosoto wobbles for a moment like he lost all the energy inside his body, and faints into his chair — seemingly comfortable. He looks like he’s napping.';

'>>5990487


“K… KOSOTO?!” You don’t believe this! He’s out cold! “Kosoto…?” You hear him snoring.

Boy, you’re glad you never had a slumber party with this guy. He’s loud as hell and then some!

Half of your party has been wiped, you’re being hunted, and you have no idea how anything works.

>>What do you do?

>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and go to the bar. You’ll return the USB Stick.
>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and go back home. You’ll keep the USB Stick.
>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and hide in the back of the store until a long time passes.
>Write In.

[SP:19/20]';

'>>5990488
>>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and go to the bar. You’ll return the USB Stick.';

'>>5990488
>>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and go to the bar. You’ll return the USB Stick.';

'>>5990488
>>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and hide in the back of the store until a long time passes.';

'>>5990488
>Call an ambulance for Kosoto and go to the bar. You’ll return the USB Stick.
Finish the job?!';

'You put the USB Stick back into Briefy the Case, you call an ambulance for Kosoto, you’re used to making these kinds of calls but it never stops being unnerving. You pray for your friend, Kosoto. The good vibes, the great vibes, the best vibes you sent him! But no vibe is better than the one coming from a competent doctor. They’re sending an ambulance from a private practice. You didn’t hear the name, but it felt like a good omen.

With help secured, you jump out of the store and leave to the bar ‘Red, Hot & Rio’ on the next street. You feel observed, it’s not like you’re a super spy or anything, you just *feel* observed; with the thought implanted by Kosoto, you can’t shake the feeling that someone is out there paying attention to your every move — and the worst part is that you really want to scratch your crotch. But you can’t. You’re a man on a mission. This is for Kosoto.

And you were lied to. This is no bar. Red, Hot & Rio is an open air restaurant! You *can’t* go in, that’s the kitchen! And the place is trash! Old plastic chairs, the tables are a pile of rectangular fruit baskets with a piece of cardboard on top, and the unhealthy food looks like an ironic homage to heart failure that would make ‘Fat Man’ Duncan Ewing blush — and the people look less friendly than Primavera before you talked to her.

When talking with the waiter, the question escaped you if this place is really a bar. To which he asked you to be patient, she’ll be here in a moment. Confused, you waited. A while later, a lanky woman with fancy glasses and casual clothes comes out of the building with a cigarette in hand. She stands before you, looking down contemptuously. You sink into your throne of plastic. She’s terrifying. You don’t know how this type of woman can be a kink to some men.

“State your name and purpose, and you may earn a free drink.” The woman says with little care for the answers. Her heart is clearly not into this, it’s all part of the job.

Yuppie! Free Drinks! Wait, don’t get distracted, you need to answer this correctly. This feels like a test.

>>What do you do?

>“I think this briefcase is for you.” Hand over Briefy to this woman. You don’t know what’s going on and you want to keep it that way.
>“I’m here to deliver this briefcase.” You feel like you’re going to be directed into what you need to do.
>“I’m Sigi the Brave, who left his friend to die in a cheap store, I’m here on a mission…” Act mysterious like Johnny Ando would. Or like you’ve been told like he would...
>“I’m an adult, and I would like something to drink.” You’re legally 18 now. You’re going to abuse your powers.
>“Is this some kind of test?” Ask out loud and like an idiot. You have to establish that your character is dumb as a brick.
>Write In.';

'>>5990508
>>“I’m here to deliver this briefcase.” You feel like you’re going to be directed into what you need to do.';

'>>5990508
>“I’m here to deliver this briefcase.” You feel like you’re going to be directed into what you need to do.';

'>>5990508
>“I’m here to deliver this briefcase.” You feel like you’re going to be directed into what you need to do.';

'“I’m here to deliver this briefcase.” You deadname Briefy as you show it to her.

She doesn’t take it from your hands, she cautiously surveys, eyes stuck on the symbol on top. The woman looks you in the eyes, like she’s inspecting your soul and through it. You’re nervous, but don’t avert your eyes, you’re not going to be intimidated.

“Come.” The ice cold woman walks into the building. “I’m the owner. Please, tap this doll before going in.” She points at a goofy monkey doll by the door. They’re luck charms for a festivity of the Baochang region, you were told that your mom was from there.

“Okie.” You don’t know why, but you said it like a monkey. You tap it… You feel part of your strength leaving your body for a brief moment. Nothing considerable, but it’s noticeable. [-1 SP] “Aw.” You feel your hand burning.

“I guessed as much.” The owner doesn’t elaborate. You think it’s a good thing despite her tone, she isn’t capable of sounding nicer. “There’s one rule you need to be aware of, and it’s simply *no violence.* If I detect any kind of hostility emanating from you, I’ll take matters into my own hands, understood?”

“Err, yes, sure.” You have no idea what she meant and you don’t want to find out.

You’re led through the kitchen floor to the second floor. This bar area covers half of the first floor, surely the rest is a living space of sorts. There’s a barstool and a karaoke machine by the sides, not many spots to sit, but enough to make it feel cramped. That aside, it’s plenty nicer and more atmospheric. The incense aroma is quite sweet and relaxing. It’s the exact opposite of outside, and it is on purpose.

The clientele on the second floor is lacking, but being crowded isn’t the actual point. There are 4 people sitting by the barstool, but you go past them to the couch area where a stunning lady is enjoying a dessert. She’s wearing an expensive garment and jewelry. She has an air of divinity. The owner tells you to grab a seat beside this woman.

“Ms. Pantera! Give my blessings to your chef, he made a delightful little pastry.” The Holy woman rejoices as she leaves the plate to the side at the center table in front of this round couch.

“I’ll tell Haytam later…” Ms. Pantera walks back to the barstool to attend to the others. Her piercing glance said everything! It wasn’t anything but little!

You’re left ‘alone.’ Nobody is paying attention to any of you. There’s a pressing aura around this woman...

“Please, do not be afraid. You may speak openly with me.” She invites you to sit down.

Your legs give up and your bum drops on the edge of the couch, as far as you can be from her.';

'>>5990581


“What have you brought to my presence? The package I seek?” Her eyes dart to the briefcase. You hold on to it out of instinct. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been clued in on the matter? You poor creature, you cannot find the courage to speak up. Is my incandescence too daunting for your eyes? I’m on your side as I’m a protector to everything that is beautiful in this world, as I am the Archbishop of Beauty. Let me be your guide. But first, hand the briefcase over.”

>>What do you do?

>Hand over the briefcase, then excuse yourself. You’re not going to put your life in peril.
>“What’s going on? Please, tell me what’s going on.” Act scared. You need her guiding light!
>“I know what this is. Explain why someone like you would need this.” Act skeptical and reveal more information than needed.
>“Huh, here.” Hand it over and let her do her monologue.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>5990582
>“What’s going on? Please, tell me what’s going on.” Act scared. You need her guiding light!
Deception! Get her talking and collect info';

'>>5990582
>“What’s going on? Please, tell me what’s going on.” Act scared. You need her guiding light!';

'>>5990749
+1';

'“What’s going on? Please, tell me what’s going on…” You act scared, in dire need of her guiding light! You need to get her talking and collect information.

The Archbishop clearly wanted the briefcase, her smile gets stilted for a moment, then turns genuine again.

“Come closer.” The holy woman taps the space next to her. To keep up the charade, you bounce from one side of the couch to the other to be as close as you can. She gently puts her hand on your chest when you were about to get *too* near to her. She wants you to look at her as a whole, to admire her in all her brilliance. “Well done.”

“C-Can I get some answers…?” You continue with your act, since it’s an easy farce to keep up. Still, all a trick! You’re not a-afraid at all!

“You were chosen by the divine light to accomplish this noble task, to be guided to my presence. And by delivering this package, ensuring our influence cannot be stopped by the heathens who dare to oppose us.” The Archbishop's smile is so warm, it creates the opposite effect of reassurance. It’s anti-reassurance. “The path has never been clearer than now. With what’s inside that briefcase, the whole world is in our hands.”

“You mean it wasn’t random?” You know it was! Kosoto said so as well! And you believe other people’s judgment more than your own.

“The divine light’s actions are too marvelous to be understood by those who possess little grace. *I* believe so, so it is.” The Archbishop won’t be questioned by those who don’t understand beauty.

“But why me?” You wouldn’t pick yourself out of a random group of people…

“Because *you* did it.” To the Archbishop, the question isn’t about if you were qualified, but that you ended up doing it.

“Can I get an actual reason for the boys in here?” You point at your head. Your neurons aren’t satisfied.

“It was your destiny. How could I know why they sent the wrong man, and he decided to see this through? The divine light, wise and pretty, created this encounter. And there’s nobody in the world more curious than me to know why it happened.” The Archbishop extends her hand towards you. “Hold my hand, my little sheep with a gorgeous aura. Join me. There’s a place for you by my side.”

The Archbishop is expecting you to comply…

>>What do you do?

>“Sorry, lady, can’t do!” Escape. Escape. Escape. She can’t get her hands on this briefcase!
>“Huh, sure.” Comply, and see this through. This is the beginning of something bad, but nobody expects Sigi to be a double agent! You’re a good boy. You have no idea how to stop them from using the briefcase though.
>Psychic-Electrifity Briefy the Case! You can make an object have an aura that shocks whoever touches it. It’s more annoying than anything, since it doesn’t cause any lasting damage. [SP Cost: 2]
>Smack her face.
>Write In.';

'>>5991208
>>“Sorry, lady, can’t do!” Escape. Escape. Escape. She can’t get her hands on this briefcase!';

'>>5991208
>Smack her face.';

'>>5991208
>“Sorry, lady, can’t do!” Escape. Escape. Escape. She can’t get her hands on this briefcase!
>"I just wanted a girlfriend! Not join a cult!"';

'>>5991219
This';

'>>5991219
+1';

'“Sorry, lady, can’t do!” You shout as you hold Briefy as tightly as you can! You’ll never join evil no matter how beautiful it is! “I just wanted a girlfriend! Not to join a cult!” You skip out of the couch and start running away like a moose!

“Don’t run inside!” The owner shouts at you as you ignore her words. “I should’ve told him all the rules…” She blames herself.

“Let him be. Once he puts a foot outside, he’ll be dealt with.” The Archbishop of Beauty’s smile is a contradiction of her feelings. She doesn’t take rejection kindly, and you will pay for it.

“Don’t cause any trouble or I’ll be the one dealing with you. This is a safe haven for everyone, we have a reputation to keep.” The owner won’t let the holy woman go after you as long as you’re around the place.

“Give me some grace. I don’t have to remind you that we have your beloved Mr. Masterson under our custody.” The Archbishop reminds the lady. At this point, you shouldn’t be listening to this since you’re by the stairs, but the building’s walls are pretty shallow.

“You think Flint would allow this shit? No? Then I won’t either.” The owner isn’t willing to negotiate.

“Well then. I harbor too much love for your wonderful desserts to disrespect this establishment.” The Archbishop of Beauty won’t do anything crazy. “I won’t trigger your ability if I’m out of it’s sphere of influence. So, farewell. Until we meet again.” Without haste, she starts following your trail.

“Guys, after her.” The owner of the establishment sends some patrons after her. It’s really a miracle you heard all this!

You’re through the main door and continue your escape…

...

At this point, you’re a couple of streets away! You’re looking for anything that can take you for a ride! A bus? The subway? Hell, you’ll pay for a taxi if you have to! But there’s nothing! Nothing at all in this area! Why?! It’s like everything has stopped moving!

And then, like a meteor landing, the Archbishop of Beauty lands right in front of you, cracking the pavement under her feet. She smiles warmly. She appears to have had a kerfuffle of some magnitude before this.

“...I can get you a devoted girlfriend.” Archbishop offers as her last attempt to convince you. She’s really interested in having your good graces for some reason. Or she’s tricking you!

“T-That’s all right, I’m not into hags...” You reject her! You’re lying though, you think sexiness is ageless!
The Archbishop pulls a short baton from under her cape, then it turns into a luminous spear of sorts. She wants to kill you! Off you! Mutilate you! Murder you! Cut your throat and feed it to pigs! You’re gonna die! You’re gonna find out if the Divine Light is real or not! You’re going to reunite with your pets! You’ll never live your dreams! You’ll never meet your hero! This is it for good ol’ Sigi!';

'>>5991299


…But then, a vehicle stops right behind you. As the door opens, a man from the bar asks you to get in! Without a better plan, you enter! And get the heck out of there!

Now Sigi is the number one enemy of the Church of Beauty!

>>[End?]


>>Who do you want to play as now?

>Rob Banks.
>Dunja.
>Ivanna L. Tavarez.
>Uzziel
>Richard Wright.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>5991300
>>Ivanna L. Tavarez.
Since we're going to the prison soon';

'>>5991300
>Richard Wright.
I miss my boy';

'>>5991300
>Ivanna L. Tavarez.';

'>>5991300
>>Rob Banks.';

'You’re Ivanna L. Tavarez. For the last 15 years, you’ve been under the tutelage of the former head of state ‘Lazarus Gordon Senior’, the last 10 of those posing as his dedicated nurse. You’re his biological daughter, or so, he claims (You think he’s trying to play it off because you have the same eye condition, but you digress.) The old Prancijanian heads liked to fool around and had many children out of wedlock, keeping track of them to pick the one with most potential as their heir.

Congratulations, you’re heir attempt Number 3. He had you well into his 80s. Disgusting.

Attempt Number 1 was assassinated by a militia group, and Attempt Number 2 betrayed him and is currently running this country.

You’re the sole project of a senile mad-man to take his lost empire back. Under his custodianship, you learned the *real* history of this country, the tales of heroism he had partaken in and the ways he outwitted his opposition with gallantry and shrewdness. Stories that have been buried by the cowardly men who back-stabbed him. Violent acts that no other man in the world could be proud of. You are built to be a new leader who can follow his footsteps, who will ensure his legacy won’t be tarnished again.

This man is so desperate to have a trustworthy ally, that he built another one from scratch. And now, his plan can go underway.

A plan that started as incoherent as his ramblings, now has taken shape thanks to powers beyond human comprehension… the Entities. Blessed with an unimaginable power, Gordon Senior is building forces for his coup d’etat, and you’ll be the central figure. He has obscured most of the details, all you can do is follow orders. This is an opportunity you can’t refuse. Personal feelings aside, you were built to rule this country.

You’re in the depths of a prison that doesn’t exist on the map, colloquially called the ‘Shotgun Kiss’, it’s the cage for Prancijan’s least desirable: Corrupt politicians, mob bosses, murderers, terrorists, sex offenders, petty criminals, fraudsters and the like. Your task today is to pick your right-hand from the lot at the deepest level of this hell. Pick one of the most dangerous people in the country to serve *you* and only *you.*

At the moment, you’re in one of the security rooms with Gordon Sr. by your side talking to the Prison’s chief of security. For the first time out in public, you aren’t posing as his nurse. It all seems to be going well, but there’s one problem…

Ever since you ate that delicious cake, you can’t stop thinking about the man and woman who cooked it. You see them everywhere. They’re haunting you. Every damn minute of your life it’s all them. You can’t delay this or admit this is happening. You have endured it well the last few days. You’re fine. But...';

'>>5991935

“Direct orders from the big man himself? That’s new! Hahahaha!” The Security Chief chuckles at the paper note you handed him with direct orders from ‘your brother’ Lazarus Gordon Junior. “Had to check it myself, freckles.” He hands it back to you. “Am I upsetting the fossil if I call his baby boy ‘the man in charge’?”

“Yes.” You grab the letter and save it in your pocket.

“Good! HaHaHaHa!” The Security Chief laughs like there’s no tomorrow. As pointed out by the old man, he possesses a flame just like you. If he had it when the great escape happened, the fugitive wouldn’t have been so lucky to leave this place in one piece.

“hh… quiet…” The allegedly moving corpse is upset.

“Orders are orders. Go ahead, you two.” The Boss of this place signals two of his guards to accompany you too. The old carcass had to return back the flame he took from his son, and offer other niceties for this deal — like the Chief of Security getting his.

“hhh… I’m… staying… with… hh… you.” The melted body won’t leave the security room. “You’re… hh… on your own… I’ll observe you…. hhhhh… here.” The cameras are enough.

“Is it part of the test?” You ask for confirmation.

When he breathes heavily and doesn’t mutter a word, it means the answer is obvious. He gets upset when you don’t ask. He’s a moody sack of bones.

Your right-hand man wouldn’t be all loyal to you, if they knew Gordon Sr. made this happen. They’re taking you down there to meet the criminals at the bottom in front of their specialized cells. You know their names, at least the ones you’re interested in.

>>Who do you want to meet with first?

>Bernardo Ammirati. The Cult Leader.
>Solomon Strangelove. The SCI Director of Operations.
>Charlotte L. Summers. The Phantom Thief.
>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.
>Write In.';

'>>5991938
>>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.';

'>>5991938
>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.';

'>>5991938
>Bernardo Ammirati. The Cult Leader.
>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.
I'm good with either one because both of their job titles have a four letter word that starts with C.

Basically, more cake withdrawal hallucinations, please.';

'>>5991938
>>Solomon Strangelove. The SCI Director of Operations.';

'>>5991938
>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.';

'>>5991938
>Wigmar Enphine. The Coup Plotter.';

'First, you’ll meet with Wigmar Enphine, the Cake Plotter. Conniving, crafty, and unscrupulous. This former congressman was the major character involved in the events that led to The Diet Shutdown from the politician's side.

Congress was a puppet institution at the time that only served to endorse the corpse’s policies, and had an advisor role at best. Decades earlier, the state handpicked the best performing companies within sectors of national interest and gave them monopoly reign within their industries. Said companies were mandated to have a minimum growth percentage and be competitive on a global scale. There were hefty penalties to those who failed to meet their quotas.

With the country’s growth getting stagnant for the first time in years due to a global recession, years of mismanagement and lack of accountability due to shifting blame to not get punished, a general deterioration of industrial equipment to cut costs, and employees overworked and collapsing to meet the quotas. There was a general animosity against the regime from all social strata. Which was exacerbated when, in response to this decline, Gordon Sr. made the punishments even harsher for the next fiscal year and forced the country's youth to work for said companies in an infamous governmental program that is better left forgotten. Penalties now included jail time and the capital punishment (Officially).

This left the wealthy businessmen worried that their companies might fail, or worse, that they’ll be blamed for their failures. That’s when Wigmar Enphine started the secret meetings within Congress and the Company CEOs (that were more liable than the owners). These CEOs would be ousted for participating in these secret meetings. If the Price family didn’t vouch for him, Wigmar would be dead by now. Funnily enough, his second coup attempt was successful, it was orchestrated by him, your brother Gordon Junior, and the people who would be known as the Five Heavenly Pillars.

Wigmar Enphine was later imprisoned for his third attempt years later, after Gordon Junior refused to hold elections in such a tumultuous time in the country. He only had some notoriety within the Prancijanian Elite, but the average person only saw ‘Gordoninho’ as the de facto leader against your ‘father.’';

'>>5992102


“That’s what you know about me? Haha!” The man cheerfully claps. He asked if you knew who he was, and you went on a long tirade about why he is here for life. “I’ve been writing my biography, care to share some pointers with this old man?” He’s not taking you seriously.

You took an elevator, and walked through a long corridor to get here. You’re standing in front of his cell as you watch him wash his hands. There’s plenty of space between the jails in this section.

“It’s on me if I sound lethargic, I can’t tell if it’s day or night from here anymore. Can’t say I’m used to visitors either.” Wigmar the Conspirator acts like he has just a little bit of wit left, but that’s not the case. He’s sharp as ever. “Now, can you enlighten me as to why you called me a *Cake* Plotter?”

...You did what?

>>How do you respond?

>“I misspoke. It’s not a big deal.” Retain your dignity with humbleness.
>“Build a case. I can let you go if you agree to be my right-hand man. I’m sure you’re interested in leaving this place.” Don’t play games, be straightforward.
>“Excuse me.” Leave. You’re not ashamed. You just don’t like his presence. You need to eat something salty.
>Write in.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue on the weekend!)';

'>>5992103
>>“Build a case. I can let you go if you agree to be my right-hand man. I’m sure you’re interested in leaving this place.” Don’t play games, be straightforward.';

'>>5992103
>(writes note to pretend mistake was deliberate) “Shows an ear for small details…”
>“Build a case. I can let you go if you agree to be my right-hand man. I’m sure you’re interested in leaving this place.” Don’t play games, be straightforward.';

'>>5992165
+1
This guy's good. I like him. He's in.';

'>>5992177
We only get to pick one right hand, anon.

Also, I'd like to think that the recipe Kobashi made was developed from some sort of failed secret Prancijanian government MK-Ultra-esque project to create sleeper agents for assassinating dissidents and political rivals, but it just made the test subjects heavily attracted to whoever made the cake.';

'“Shows an ear for small details...” Without missing a beat, you take your phone out and start writing down notes, not directly answering him. “Build a case. I can let you go if you agree to be my right-hand man. I’m sure you’re interested in leaving this place.”

“For what purpose? You know everything there is to know about this humble servant.” A half chuckle escapes Wigmar as he dries his hands with a towel.

“There’s so much more to a person than one can read in books.” You want to hear it from the man himself. “Why let the opportunity pass you by? Is your liberty not enough for you?”

“I apologize, I’m far too old to care about trite power trips to make a spectacle for you, madam.” Wigmar doesn’t want to humor you.

“I have no desire to ridicule you. This is a job interview.” You can sense the prideful man behind it all.

“Could I have some information about my employer, please? What is your name? What do you stand for?” The Coup Plotter wants to know if you two have similar affiliations.

“My name is Ivanna Tavarez. I was meticulously raised from a young age to lead this nation as its absolute ruler. That is my ambition, and I will see through to it by *any* means necessary, Coup Plotter.” You’ll guide a country you have no love for. “I see you as a worthy advisor.”

“To be reduced to the one skill that has brought me so much misery.” Wigmar has mixed feelings about this. “I’m not particularly fond of the idea. With my track record in mind, I’d suggest you try to assassinate the president if you’re so desperate to join me in this cell.”

“Don’t be humble. You’re the only reason Gordinho’s coup was successful.” You’re certain. Without his expertise and connections, it wouldn’t have happened. The Prices advocated against Wigmar’s execution because he was the only man the other nobles trusted to rally behind for the Successful Coup. To this day, he’s still in the good graces of many of the Old Elite, mainly billionaire Beatrice von Riegel.';

'>>5994879


“And the only reason the later attempt failed was because of me as well.” Wigmar chuckles. He’s at peace with his history.

“That’s right. You’re not destined to take the throne, only to stand next to it.” You gladly point out his limitations. “If I choose you.”

“Apologies, I’m not familiar with your household’s name, but I don’t desire to be a mere decoration —a toy— for a noble woman.” Wigmar is steadily losing interest.

“I’m not of noble descent. Poverty is all I knew.” You reveal that you grew up in foster care. A victim of the times, your odd generation was lost in the transition from one system to another. From the Children of the Future to the Family Reunification Process. All the ‘war’ orphans were reunited with their families, the grand majority were able to find a new home, the home they were always meant to have. Including all your friends. Not you. You had no family. You were a leech.

“Pray tell.” Wigmar has his interest piqued.

“No. Not now.” You have talked enough. “It’s your turn to talk.”

“I’m a man from a different time with connections forged by nostalgia. I can convince those who pass off wealth as merit to adjust their perception. I can forge collaborations between those who have never seen eye to eye. I understand the world of the powerful, of the influential, those who understand human life only on a chess board — and I can make you a player.” Wigmar does his essay. A negotiator through and through. “I have nothing else to offer, Madam Tavarez. The decision is yours.”

He has wealthy connections, he knows how to move politically at the highest level, but he’s antiquated and not in tune with the common man. He also lacks any idea of the Inter-dimensional Tournament.

>>What do you do?

>Eat something salty NOW. Your hallucinations are going out of control.
>Accept him as your Right-Hand Man, the others aren’t necessary to check out. You need to leave before your brain malfunctions.
>Meet with Bernardo Ammirati. The Cult Leader.
>Meet with Solomon Strangelove. The SCI Director of Operations.
>Meet with Charlotte L. Summers. The Phantom Thief.
>You heard your friend Iris got locked in jail here. Look for her. She’s not on this level, and you aren’t sure you’ll be able to come back here.
>Write In.';

'>>5994880
>>Meet with Solomon Strangelove. The SCI Director of Operations.';

'>>5994880
>>Eat something salty NOW. Your hallucinations are going out of control.
She's starting to look uncomfortable';

'>>5994886
I'll change to this';

'>>5994880
Dang it, I was hoping Ivanna’s hallucinations would be more sexy than heartwarming and cute… Like Kata rolling a serving cart into the room while wearing only an apron and hat, then lifting the lid off of a giant silver serving platter to reveal a cake in the shape of Johnny’s “cake”, served on top of Chef Johnnini’s bare abs. That spoilered bit would probably be better at the end of her chapter, though…

>Eat something salty NOW. Your hallucinations are going out of control.';

'>>5994943
Forgot the spoiler relevant pic for the cake.';

'>>5994886
+1';

'“Your participation is appreciated. I need some time to consider on my lonesome. For now, farewell.” You can’t make this decision in good conscience at the moment. Your hallucinations are far too wonderful for you to keep ignoring them. Obnoxious. Your hallucinations are too *obnoxious.* Attractively obnoxious.

“Goodbye then, Madam Tavarez.” Wigmar believes he has done enough to be considered. He’s not banking on your return, but he’ll be pleasantly surprised if you come back.

You trot back to the hellish center hallway connecting all the prison cells on this level with the two mandated guards that have been following you, a hasty pace noticed by the two. With a glance and a hand signal, you order them to stay in their position and not to bother.

You drag your feet behind a tall circular pillar by the wall to obscure their view, pull out a Jar of Pyro Snackos (a known brand of salty chips, its most spicy edition) from your purse, and open the lid to let its flavor come out.

You learned that these subdue the effects of your hallucinations for a little while, the saltier and spicier the better. The downside is that the bleakness of your soul will stare back at you, choking the life out of you. Ever since you ate that cake, you have been feeling more lively and determined, the sun doesn’t hurt your eyes that much, and you can look forward to the future. All there’s to say, it’s a balancing act, and it's heavily on one side at the moment...

...The hallucinations hug you one last time as the Snackos pour into your mouth. Their faint voices will still be heard. Your mouth is thirsty. You drink from your jar of milk. You have an affinity for spicy food, but it’s easier for you to gauge your condition without the itchy feeling in your mouth.

You take a deep breath as you put everything back into your purse. It’s time to keep going… alone.

…

You can’t go back. It’ll look suspicious if not outright stupid if you do…

A red alert is set off. It appears like a new escape attempt is going underway. There are talks about closing some sections. You need to act quick before they lock you into a place you don’t want to be.

>>What do you do?

>Keep eating Pyro Snackos. Become completely unfeeling.
>Meet with Charlotte L. Summers.
>Meet with Solomon Strangelove.
>Meet with Bernardo Ammirati.
>Find Iris.
>Assist the Security to apprehend the criminal.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue either tomorrow or Monday!)';

'>>5994958
>>Assist the Security to apprehend the criminal.
Possible wild card for us to recruit?';

'>>5995005
I was gonna vote for iris but I like this line of logic, +1';

'>>5994958
>>Find Iris.';

'>>5995005
+1';

'>>5994958
>Find Iris.';

'Anyone brave enough to try to escape this ghoulish gutter is worth scouting. You’ll aid the security as an excuse to be there. You order the security guards to lead you there before it’s too late, and off you go. They’re aware that you’re a *special* kind of individual who can circumvent the rules, so arguing is pointless.

The Building is divided into 6 floors. The bottom or Section F — which you currently are in — is colloquially known as ‘Fire Field,’ a family friendly name for hell and a perfect descriptor as to what it holds in its center. There’s an inextinguishable fire underneath that you can see through the transparent bits of the floor, it can be easily confused with lava, but you’re not deep enough underground for that. Here, the greatest enemies of the state currently reside. The chaos is happening in Sector C, three floors above you, the criminals are from Sector D. You’re taken there.

It’s the biggest and most spacious section of the prison, the main hall is an enormous circle, and at the edge, its bottleneck: the door to the elevator you’re coming out of. It serves as the most telegraphed escape route for any prisoner walking through these halls. As you step out, the personnel are standing on the circumference, weapons ready, like a royal guard. There are hundreds of them awaiting command, but are not even blinking. Eyes set on the criminals walking through.

The four convicts are equally confused and amused by their treatment as they slowly walk towards the elevator you’re standing in, like going through a red carpet. The only obstacle in their path is a sole person, a confident girly man (or a manly girl?) of noble attire, yet somewhat trendy. A fashionable person whose flashy looks are endearing.

You feel like you’re interrupting.

“Not one more step! State your names, fiends of poor taste!” The manly girl (?) shouts to the band of misfits.

“You heard that, brother? They’re talking to us! I thought they'd given up!” A fabulous looking prisoner sporting a circular haircut chuckles.

“Yeah...” His twin brother, who has a rectangular haircut, retorts with little effort.

“We’re the TestuDisco Twins! I’m Roundbert, and this is Squarefelix.” Circular TestuDisco Twin shouts. “We came here to find our uncle, but no twist and turn. So we’re skipping town.”

“My name is Rahul.” The hefty convict with a fascinating mustache raises his hand and starts talking. “I want to be the first man to escape this prison through the front door. It’s a fitting challenge.”

“I’m Darwin Borewing. I’ve been falsely classified to be in Section D, when my crimes clearly determine that I should be at least Section E.” The last man adjusts his glasses, clearly with intentions to ruin his reputation further.';

'>>5995833

...Now you believe this prison is overcrowded. No wonder the decrepit pack of bones didn’t want you to survey the other floors. Even though, you can feel *the* potential coming from most of them.

“I didn’t ask for the extra information, but it’s been well received.” The girly man softly chuckles. He actually enjoyed hearing about them. “Gents, if you don’t turn around, by the grace of the Archbishop of Beauty, I will strike you down.”

“Can you give us a minute to discuss it?” Darwin Borewing raises his hand.

“Huh, sure. Go ahead.” The Noble accepts. The group start chatting about their options. The Noble seems worried about something else, and turns to you. “Excuse me, madam. This situation is about to escalate, and it would hurt me deeply if you were in any way affected. Could you please stand aside?”

“I came here to help.” You dryly retort. The two guards behind you are prepared to take action. It appears you override any hierarchy as long as the task continues.

“That’s a beautiful sentiment. But I must decline any help. I was tasked directly by milady over there to deal with these convicts. This is a test of my competency for a role I’m seeking.” The Noble is very apologetic. Feels sincere. “My friends are being challenged by other tutors as well, and I wish to join them in the next phase when I succeed here. So, for your own protection, I ask you to stand by Milady’s side.”

“Yoohoo~! you beautiful pearl. I have cake to share if you’re interested!” Said Archbishop is sitting right next to you on a chair. She’s guarding the exit and a briefcase by her side.

“Hey! Pretty knacker! We decline!” The party of the criminals have decided to fight him!

...You came here really at an inopportune time.

>>What do you do?

>Help him anyway. You don’t get ordered around.
>Watch the show.
>...Eat cake with the refined lady.
>Write In.

(Only Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>5995834
>Inspect cake to see if it looks familiar, perhaps it came from that han*ahem*horrible baker and his gorgeo*AHEM-HEM* grotesque assistant. “Who did you buy this cake from, ma’am?”';

'>>5995834
>>Watch the show.

>>5995850
This too';

'>>5995850
>>5995944
+1
Awfully suspicious. This Archbishop bitch is worth keeping an eye on. They might belong in here more than the real prisoners';

'“...Make it a worthwhile spectacle. Don’t hesitate to request for help if you’re overwhelmed.” You agree to step aside. Clearly, the situation is under control. But the cake offered must be investigated at once, there’s something odd about it.

“Do not fret, my gorgeous madam. Our bewitching Archbishop will step up in the unlikely case this gets out of hand. But I’m putting my reputation on the line to declare that won’t be the case.” The handsome aristocrat winks. “Now grab your seat because the show is about to get wild~!” The blue-blooded knight smiles as her arms lift and turns around!

You sit next to the Priestess on — what you assume — was the whimsical prince's chair. Your two pawns stand by your right side, blending with the many of their colleagues guarding the arena. You glance over to the cak— caring woman by your side to identify.

It is as the nobleman says. She is ‘Nashira Hathor,’ the Archbishop of the Church of Beauty, one of the four Sacred Temples. The only religion that hasn’t become a cultural footnote in the country (not to say the traditions were left behind, they’re very much alive and popular.) They believe that the almighty deity that created life will return to judge the world and reenact its will into everything, only saving what he deems worthwhile: the beautiful and peaceful. The sinful will be obliterated. He’s an entity of order above all. Of appearance over substance.

“I knew you would be interested in this little piece of heaven. This is the very best one I’ve tasted during my stay so far! You have a refined eye, oh gorgeous pearl!” The Archbishop leaves the plate on her lap to button your clothes up. It’s both a power play and to display her caring demeanor. “There, perfectly pretty!”

You size up the slice of cake again, perhaps it came from that han—*ahem*— horrible baker, and his gorgeo —*AHEM* *AHEM*— grotesque assistant.

You feel a fever again. Why are you badmouthing those who brought you so much joy…?

...

...Inspect the cake and forget about it. You’re not going to let these intrusive thoughts win.

“Who did you buy this cake from, ma’am?” You politely pry.

“Lemme look it up for a moment, not many moons have passed since I arrived and I’ve been trying any little dessert this city has to offer.” The Archbishop acts too casual as she pulls out her phone to look up the information. “This one was baked by Haytham Gerges. An absolute stud of a man.”

That’s not the horrible baker or his grotesque assistant’s name. Your disappointment is heart-wrenching.

“Here, beautiful. Grab a bite.” The Archbishop offers you some.

>>What do you do?

>Reject. You need to watch the battle unfold. Don’t get distracted.
>Eat it. Feel disappointed. Explain why.
>Cockily turn her down and tell her there’s a better cake in town.
>Write In.';

'>>5996725
>>Reject. You need to watch the battle unfold. Don’t get distracted.';

'>>5996725
>>Reject. You need to watch the battle unfold. Don’t get distracted.';

'>>5996725
>I'll only need one bite, thank you
>When we taste it, picrel';

'>>5996730
+1';

'>>5996725
>Reject. You need to watch the battle unfold. Don’t get distracted.';

'“I have to turn you down. We have a show to watch.” You place your hand over your mouth and politely block the food from landing.

“As you please.” The Archbishop of Beauty’s eyes are softly slanted, her mouth is going on an upwards trajectory, others would call it a smile — but what you see is an emotionless gesture. Then she drives the fork back into her mouth and her humanity returns with it. Sweets change moods.

Eyes are on the battle now.

“Remember the name ‘Velenius A. Hamerling!’ For this humble knight will never forget yours! When you’re back in the abyss, be comforted by the fact that this event will never leave *our* memories.” The Handsome noble vows. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

With that announcement, all guards but your two pawns show their back to the confrontation (Again, those two only follow your rules.) Nobody will witness the *actual* magic occurring. The Entities are taboo. A Flying Referee with the grotesque appearance of a Corpse Collecting Zeppelin descends. The red hell doesn’t change its appearance with the Crimzone active. The Rules are simple: to lose, you either quit or die. Last man/group standing wins. Those are the terms your demon father came up with.';

'>>5996902


“You’re outnumbered, little boy. Rahul will give you an advantage by coming up to you. Meet me halfway if you have the guts, but Rahul won’t blame you if you don’t.” The hefty gentleman with the large mustache steps forward after asking his fellow convicts to give him some distance. The one with the glasses facepalms, but the other two cheer him forwards.

“I’ll meet you there, first.” Velenius marches forward with gallant but firm steps as he pulls out a (cool) beam sword from thin air.

Rahul creates two smoke balls in his hands. Actual reddish clouds on his hand, which he juggles with, (they have actual weight) behaving like soft balls. The man’s forearms are huge, are they for throwing power?

When they are in range of each other's moves, Rahul strikes first by launching them at Velenius, not in a straight line, but in a curve, attacking from two different directions. The Noble Knight swats them away with his sword, but upon impact, the smoke balls leave a cloud of dust.

“It’s spicy?!” The Knight laments as a little particle gets into his eyes.

Rahul inflates his cheeks to an absurd amount like a frog, and spits out a bigger cloud of the same type of dust towards the Beautiful Man girl (Woman guy?), he skips to one side to dodge — the smoke blocking your view of what happens next, only letting you see strange silhouettes fighting, and the aftermath as it dispels. You heard the sound of a certain animal’s steps that *couldn’t* be here, a deflating groan, then a thud.

Rahul is unconscious. Velenius stands tall, riding a spectral horse. His blade now larger. The silhouettes make sense now. He struck down Rahul with one swift strike of his sword. But there’s no blood on the blade and no wound on the man.

“It’s not the time to stop busting moves! We gave you some grace ‘cause Rahul asked.” Roundbert, the TestuDisco Twin, kicks Velenius by his left side. He has turned into some kind of bird man.

“Yeah. You’re going down.” Squarefelix, the other TestuDisco Twin, kicks Velenius by his right side. Him, in contrast, has the appearance of a turtle with a snake tail.

“I thought we’d take turns on the stage.” Velenius half laughs, but he’s in peril.

They’re getting started…';

'>>5996904

“May I let you know about something else, my moody pearl?” The Archbishop hasn’t eaten another bite after the one you rejected. “From time immemorial, every single sovereign in this nation has earned the Church’s blessing. King, Queens, Emperor, Lords, Head of States — be them tyrants or fairly elected… All have kneeled before me or my predecessors, begging for our support. Including your dear father and brother. We’re the peacemakers. If your intentions are to rule this country, you can’t turn me down *again.* Now eat and enjoy.”

The Archbishop doesn’t even take her eyes off the action to pass over the plate. It’s not even at a height level where it’d be comfortable to grab.

>>How do you respond?

>“Then I’ll be the first.” Be an enemy of the Church of Beauty.
>Eat a piece. Say it’s foul. Keep going as if nothing had happened.
>“My intention wasn’t to anger you.” Enjoy the cake, it’s innocent. Give an appropriate review.
>Defeat the other 3 convicts with one shot. Show that you’re not afraid.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>5996905
>>Defeat the other 3 convicts with one shot. Show that you’re not afraid.';

'>>5996905
>Defeat the other 3 convicts with one shot. Show that you’re not afraid.
Don't fuck with us, pope bitch';

'>>5996904
I like Rahul's power. Gas like less insane pepper spray that he controls is very cool';

'>>5997080
You think if he uses it en masse, it'll make for a strong crowd control power?';

'>>5997090
If it were anything as bad or strong as real pepper spray, I guarantee you prettyboy here would on the floor begging for water. The way he's got it is a balance of crowd control and utility. Clearly not enough power in it for much offense, but I imagine he could thousand cuts a guy with it into giving up. En masse is a tough question though. He has to have limits on this. That he can solidify the gas until it is "bursted" hints at some depth to his power, but I don't expect much out of it. Powers in this setting are either too specific to be that useful, or too strong that they drain a lot of power from their users to compensate so they're rarely used';

'>>5996905
>Eat a piece. Say it’s foul. Keep going as if nothing had happened.
>"Find the man and woman who's cake far surpasses this one. Then you will realize that what you claim to be the finest cake is a mere shadow of what I have once tasted."
>"I recommend you start your quest by questioning Gerard Luther."
>"I only regret that it was my father who reviewed it, and not I." (tear rolls down cheek)';

'>>5996905
>“Then I’ll be the first.” Be an enemy of the Church of Beauty.
>Defeat the other 3 convicts with one shot. Show that you’re not afraid.';

'>>5997098
It's something we can keep in mind since Johnny and co. will be sneaking into this prison soon';

'You stand up after ignoring the Archbishop’s offer. You channel your entity’s power: *Pluto.*

Thrust onto you by the melting corpse to defend him from any upcoming threat — be it his own son threatening him or the clueless biker who showed up during Judgment Day— Pluto has the power to launch precise laser beams from an energy sphere you conjure, the rounds can either pierce or bounce off their objectives at your discretion. The Energy Sphere loses size with each shot, but once they land (or are recalled), the energy returns to it.

The Bouncing effect allows you to hit multiple targets without severely wounding them (akin to a pellet bullet, but they feel like a kick), the beam ricochets without losing speed or force as long as you maintain it. You must aim.

The Piercing effect streaks towards its target within range as a homing attack, upon landing it stops. It’s far more deadly, but you can’t control where it lands. It only targets living beings.

You will launch one shot directed to one of the twins’ head, it’ll ricochet to the other one, and the same shot will land on the fourth guy with glasses — knocking them all out in one swoop.

You summon the Energy Sphere, point at your objective — the Turtle Brother— and fire.

—It lands on the brother—

“Ugh.” Squarefelix drops down on the ground.

“Huh?” The beautiful prince is pleasantly surprised but downright confused.

—It ricochets on the other one—

“Aagah!!” Roundbert eats dirt as well.

“I see...” With a glance, Velenius has caught on to what is happening.

—It now will land on the fourth guy with glasses—

“No.” Darwin Borewing throws the golf ball in his hand to deflect the laser. But it ricochets once again on a wall, and smacks him in the face, knocking him down as well. He didn’t have anything to deflect it, so he accepted his fate.

Congratulations. You have easily defeated a gang of criminals. It only cost you some SP.

“Look at what you’ve done…” The Archbishop sounds more playfully disappointed than actually upset.

“That was incredible, madam! Flashy and effective. I suppose I wasn’t entertaining enough for your taste!” Velenius shortens the distance with his spectral horse, then unsummons to congratulate you.

“Nonsense. I couldn’t stand watching you get hurt like that.” You need to feign that this wasn’t a power play.

“Agh, how unsophisticated of me to make such a kind lady worry. Apologies.” Velenius truly laments worrying you.

“No need. It was selfish of me to intervene.” You pretend it was out of impulse.

“A little unrefined there, Velenius. You studied all their abilities, didn’t you?” The Archbishop pouts. She snaps her fingers and orders the guards to take care of the criminals without missing a beat of the conversation.';

'>>5997805


“I-I went a smidgen overboard with the spectacle. I shouldn’t have waited for the smoke to clear, but, oh well.” Velenius doesn’t regret it one bit. He wanted to catch your interest. “But what does this mean for the test, Archbishop? Everyone knows how strict but fair you are. Should I step aside? Or try a different challenge?”

“It’s a disappointment that you utterly failed, but I won’t allow such a beautiful diamond in the rough as yourself to slip out of our hands. I’ll vouch for you, but you’ll have to step up. I won’t let this mischievous pearl get away with sabotaging your efforts to keep you for herself.” The Archbishop plays it off as you doing an unorthodox recruitment tactic. She’s only doing this to upset you and to not acknowledge your threat.

“Oh, I feel flattered. Have I really caught your eye, madam?” Velenius bows to you.

“You’re not allowed to change allegiances, Hamerling.” The Archbishop seems as threatening as when she talks with you. Both are aware of who you are.

“I wouldn’t dare without your blessing, Milady. But I’ll always extend my friendship to those beautiful in heart and body.” Velenius tenderly smiles at you. He’s flirting.

“Enough, Hamerling. We’ll arrange a meeting with our friend at another time. How about a coffee date? I’d love you to accompany us on our sweet hunt.” The Archbishop offers, acting like she wasn’t threatening you moments ago.

“Sounds lovely. Can I join you now?” You accept immediately to annoy her.

“Ah, like I said, at another opportunity…” The Archbishop pretends this isn’t awkward. Velenius can perceive how little you two like each other and he’s enjoying watching it. “Hamerling, let’s move on.”

Unless you want to keep bugging them, this is the end of this.

>>Who do you recruit as your right hand? The old corpse said it could be anyone *inside* the prison...

>Wigmar Enphine. The Cake Plotter.
>Nashira Hathor. The Archbishop of Beauty.
>Velenius Hamerling. The Gallant Knight.
>Rahul.
>The TestuDisco Twins.
>Darewin Borewing.
>The Two Pawns that have followed you the entire time. They’re stupidly loyal in a reassuring way.
>Write In.

(Only Reply of the Day, we return when we can!)';

'>>5997806
>>Nashira Hathor. The Archbishop of Beauty.
To fuck with her';

'>>5997806
>Nashira Hathor. The Archbishop of Baking.
Definitely to fuck with her.';

'>>5997806
>Velenius Hamerling. The Gallant Knight.';

'>>5997806
>Nashira Hathor. The Archbishop of Beauty.
Oh you want to work with Ivanna so badly? You'll get your wish granted';

'>>5997806
>Nashira Hathor. The Archbishop of Beauty.
Then make her bring Velenius with her. Two assets for the price of one uneaten cake.';

'“There’s one topic I’d like to discuss before you leave.” You request their attention one last time.

“Milady, turn around. The madam wants one last word with us.” Velenius is far too chivalrous to let a lady be ignored.

“Make it dashingly quick.” The Archbishop half-turns to make eye contact. She is really fond of her vassal’s personality to go against his usual characteristics. She wants him to be respectful and beautiful no matter what.

“You’re aware why I’m here today, correct? You have alluded to it during our conversations.” You step forward without fear.

“Please, get to the heart of the issue, my amusing pearl. What’s the matter?” The Archbishop believes you have your eyes set on her knight.

“I demand your immediate cooperation as my right-hand *servant.*” You’re not here to negotiate.

“Amusing, aren’t you?” The Archbishop doesn’t entertain the idea for a moment.

“Milady, she’s serious. Aren’t you going to respond to her proposal? It’s the beautiful way.” Velenius steps up. He has a cheeky streak under all his gallantryness.

“I’d be overjoyed to make her one of my vassals! Such a pretty creature! Welcome aboard!” The Archbishop grabs your hands and pretends you’re on board with the church.

“No, Nashira, you follow my orders now.” You tenderly smile back.

“Why would I agree with that? Do you believe you have some sort of spell binding us to your will? That your elder father has some power over me? Ridiculous.” The Archbishop openly scoffs at you. “Let it be known to you, Ivanna Lazarus Tavarez, the Church is above all your mortal institutions. We lend our cooperation, you can’t demand it.”

“There’s always a first, baby.” You don’t mince your words.

The prison’s speakers are on, the frail voice of a man who has killed more people than hours he has lived echoes through the chamber.

“hh… heh…. Hhh… Bravo, child, bravo…” For the first time in your life, your disgusting biological father sounds proud. “Archbishop… I have… arranged… a meeting with your associates to negotiate… we will secure… your services… Hehh hh hhh…!” The communication cuts as he bursts into demented laughter.';

'>>5999070


There’s a deafening silence after it.

“...Well then, I’ll be glad to work as equals. Let it be known that your father will sacrifice invaluable resources to make this happen. Your hubris has secured the Church’s victory in the long run.” Nashira smiles, but internally she’s seething with unrelenting rage, as she turns around — you saw a hint of her fury. Each step cracks the floor underneath as she leaves. Not pretty at all. She feels humiliated. The first Archbishop in the Church’s history to agree to a deal of this kind... This will forever hurt her pride.

“I suppose that makes us partners as well, Madam Tavarez! How fun!” Velenius cheerfully clasps his hands. “I’ve never seen Milady this upset before, I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, okay?”

“No need, but thank you for your concern.” You sigh, that was more exhilarating than you thought it’d be.

“Don’t take away a gentleman’s opportunity to see you smile... And I’m *actually* concerned.” Velenius sighs as he rubs his forehead. “And don’t let Milady’s words reverberate in your head, we all will benefit from this. I’m certain.”

“I’m certain as well, that’s why *I* choose this.” You love every chance to be a little cocky.

The strange alliance between you and the Church of Beauty has begun…

>>[To be Continued]


>>Who do you want to play as now?

>Rob Banks.
>Dunja.
>Uzziel
>Richard Wright.
>Write In.

(Only reply of the day, we return during the weekend!)';

'>>5999074
>Richard Wright.
I miss my boy, please...';

'>>5999074
>>Richard Wright.';

'>>5999074
>Richard Wright.';

'>>5999074
>Richard Wright.
Worth it, fuck the bishop';

'It’s been a good while since you’ve been proactive. You don’t know how many nutjobs are out there wanting to take the world apart, but you’re going to stop them, one by one.

“Piece by piece, bolt by bolt, until *they* fall apart.” Your entity, Yomiel, jokes around. He wanted to be the serious one of the two, but nobody forces you into a comedic dynamic. Nobody.

You’re Richard Wright, a police detective working on a case against the most influential man in the country, one of the members of the billionaire group ‘The Five Heavenly Pillars’, the first opposing presidential candidate in almost 50 years, and allegedly has the most powerful entity in the game. You hate exaggerating, but he might be the most powerful man alive.

You were reinstated into your position after a successful case closed against the Cult of Chernobog by the Provisional Chief of Police and Interpol agent ‘Judith Leitgeb.’ You were due a promotion, but you declined once again, only requesting more autonomy and permission to build this specific case — which were granted.

You got a warrant to investigate Lloydington’s office. This will be your only chance, as Leitgeb explained, the N.U. doesn’t want to intervene in domestic affairs after the fiasco that was Judgment Day, and probing into a highly influential political figure (the one they were tricked into backing up (only saying they were tricked to save face)) is a recipe for disaster. You don’t care about politics, but understand the point. Regardless, Leitgeb will back you up even if you don’t get any results, but it’ll take time to get another opportunity like this. Something useful has to come out of this.

If you choose to follow that path.

At this very moment, you’re riding a car with a few allies you’re bringing as back up, you’re going there alone. You hate relying on people, but you can’t argue against results. You have a loose affiliation with two different flame groups, so you surveyed your options, and this is the best you got:

“I can’t believe a man of your age isn’t confident driving. Quite revolting.” The four-eyed woman with dyed hair grumbles.

First, driving, you have Dorothy Villiers, a former White Flame user like yourself. A mad scientist by trade, she’s a failure crypto-academic with a short temper. It’s a matter of life and death for her, she perished once by Lloydington’s hand, and doesn’t want this to happen again. You’re iffy on the exact details as to why she looks like her daughter now, but a cloning experiment wouldn’t be out of the question. Also, she has a duck companion now, and the duck is the key to her entity powers somehow, she refused to answer your questions about it. You know she can spawn giant tentacles out of the ground, but that’s as far as you were entitled to know. She’s the only one who insisted on coming along, and couldn’t turn away.';

'>>6001736

“Meoooow.” Ghost the Cat says. You lied before, he’ll be your only companion. He has a camera on his collar connected to the base to be the eyes for everyone outside.

“Remember, Detecprick, the keyword if you want backup is *Salami.* Don’t you forget it!” The grating voice of the biggest waste of human skin comes out of the cat’s collar, she thinks she’s helping by giving this reminder. There’s no pejorative adjective that couldn’t describe her, but all fall short on their own.

Second, your navigator of sorts: T_T Neko, an underground informant with the most repulsive personality surpassing even your own. She’s not actually here, but in the safety of her apartment like the coward she is, transmitting the signal from the cat’s collar to your back-up. You don’t mind this arrangement. Her ability to talk to cats has little use outside of gathering information, and even that is more mileage than it had any right to be. That’s as far as your compliments will go. Maybe you’d commend her chest size, if you were pressured to.

You got enough from the Motley Crew, so outside of those two (who were thrust onto you), you *actually* picked…

>>Did Richard bring someone else from the Motley Crew along?

>Amelia ‘Worse than Johnny somehow’ Tomah.
>Nariko ‘She was better before’ Edamura.
>Nina ‘Fat’ Uccelli.
>Henry ‘You forgot who he was’ Collins.
>‘Useless’ Billy Buonannote.
>Oliver ‘You refuse to say his nickname’ Watts.
>Lise ‘Inferior Clone’ Villiers.
>Katastrophic ‘Dating Life’ Calamity.
>Actually, you didn’t bring anyone else. (Someone else will join later if necessary.)

>>Who did Richard bring along from the Let’s Take The Cult Down Team (and Friends)?

>Giorsal ‘Incompetent Judge’ Kane.
>B-WORM.
>Aurora ‘Empty Thoughts’ Dewitt.
>Xavi ‘Stump’ Molina.
>Kenneth ‘Who?’ Dudley.
>Rooke ‘He has a slave? Why is nobody mentioning it?’ Knightly.';

'>>6001737
>>‘Useless’ Billy Buonannote.
>B-WORM.';

'>>6001737
>‘Useless’ Billy Buonannote.
Shrinking power is going to be useful to infiltrate
>Kenneth ‘Who?’ Dudley.
We need muscle, and he's the muscle. I'm OK with Rooke too as an alternative';

'>>6001737
>‘Useless’ Billy Buonannote.
>B-WORM';

'>>6001737
>‘Useless’ Billy Buonannote.
>Aurora ‘Single Mother in Training’ Dewitt.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Aurora, let’s have her doing a mission.

Also, suggesting ‘Big Ass, Bigger Hair’ for Nina’s nickname.';

'>>6001792
I'll back this Nina nickname';

'...You *actually* picked Billy Buonanotte. He was captured for a while and is eager to show his worth. He has the power to shrink his entity to a smaller size, and can see through its eyes if he closed his own. He might be able to peek through places that you cannot. He’s pretending he has more tricks under his sleeve, but you won’t put any faith into these claims.

“The moon is out in daylight, I think it’s a good sign, baby.” Billy looks through the window.

“Who are you calling ‘baby?’ ” Dorothy barks back.

“N-No one, ma’am...” This is Billy’s manner of speech. If she knew how other policemen talked, she’d be more lenient.

As for the people who joined you to tear down the cult, you brought B-WORM. You have teamed up with him on multiple occasions, you work together well enough, and with your track record, it’s nothing to scoff at. He makes objects have gravitational pull depending on how much time (energy?) he spent charging. He always has a trinket or two saved for any situation.

“Let’s not cause unnecessary tension among us.” B-WORM is always the one staying calm in every situation. He’s stupidly patient, to the point that he may hinder his options and miss his chances. “I saw the end of one of my groups due to infighting, I wish to prevent it from happening again.”

“You can bicker as much as you want as soon as I step out of the car.” You don’t care as long as they’re efficient. B-WORM tells you not to be like that with his stare.

“I refrain from using that right. I don’t want to upset the bombshell with a piercing glance. I’ve had enough of upsetting women with anger issues.” Billy doesn’t want to relive similar events as of late.

“Good news then, Wright. We’ve arrived.” Dorothy parks in front of the building close to the outskirts of the city by the northern exit. She makes good use of her hot-tempered reputation to avoid long conversations with people she doesn’t like being around.

This is Lloydington’s fourth office, the one he uses to conduct his *shady* businesses. The entire place is a front for dubious uses. Renting a space isn’t illegal, but it tells little about what its purpose is.

It was difficult to track, this building belongs to his political party, and one of the offices is under the name of one of his most loyal mistresses. Without going into details, if it wasn’t for Xavi befriending a hitman named ‘Rooke Knightly,’ you couldn’t have connected the dots to find this office.

“I’m going in alone.” You remind the others that this is a solo mission if you can help it. Billy and B-WORM are posing as policemen in case you need their assistance. “I reiterate, I’ll contact you if I need any sort of help.”';

'>>6001895

“Keep your eyes on the phone.” Dorothy will contact you in case she sees something of interest. “I’ll let the Wyvern Knight roam the area. With him surveying this area, any Will-O-Wisp encounter won’t be fatal.” She got that one from Constance. “You have half an hour to be by yourself, after that, the guys are going in.”

“Hold on a moment, everyone.” B-WORM calls for everyone’s attention as he points at the entrance of the building at the top of the stairway. “There’s a suspicious group of people up there.”

The group in question is wearing attires of the style that you would expect to see at a medieval fair in Yoinkshire. They appear obnoxious.

“There are two things I can feel in my bones: Danger and Dance Fever. They smell like flame users, boys and gals.” Billy pretends he can see through their souls using his fingers as a telescope. Nonsense.

“Abort the plan until I get a good read on them!” T_T Neko doesn’t have info on them.

“Warrant only lasts for today.” You punctuate.

“Again, the Wyvern Knight should make the encounter non-lethal.” Dorothy doesn’t get discouraged. “You’re all part of the plucky youth, act as such.”

“We agreed on working under Richard’s command. What’s the plan?” B-WORM trusts your judgment.

>>What do you do?

>Walk up to them alone and talk.
>Walk past them and into the building.
>Bring B-WORM and Billy over with you.
>Send Dorothy alone to distract them.
>Write In.';

'>>6001897
>>Walk past them and into the building.';

'>>6001897
>Walk past them and into the building.';

'>>6001897
>Walk past them and into the building.
Keep it cool';

'Sorry, everyone, because of a technical difficulty (it got late and I'm tired), we'll continue tomorrow instead!

Here, have a filler T_T Neko!';

'“I’m going in. Watch my back.” There’s no *legal* need for you to sneak in, so you’ll skip all the tomfoolery by going past them.

“Meooow.” Ghost the Cat is ready to deal with what’s ahead… you’ll pet him when you’re outside of everyone’s view. T_T Neko reminds that the cat turns invisible if he stays put, all internal bodily functions aside. Recently, she learned that she can give Cats entity-esque powers. You heard that Nina ‘Big Ass, Bigger Hair’ Uccelli encouraged the members of her group to experiment with their abilities.

…

…

Why did you call her that?

“Understood. We’ll stay vigilant. But just in case...” B-WORM hands over a marble ball. This surely will break the strange train of thought you were following.“I can activate them at a distance now. Just shout ‘Horizon Strike’ and I’ll make the world twist.”

You have two Keywords now. One for backup (Salami), and another for B-WORM’s power (Horizon Strike). Easy to follow, completely unnecessary and likely pointless to remember.

You’ll also need to keep track of your stamina (SP), you can control/activate an object within a short distance (For example, closing a door.) If the object doesn’t have an explicit use (like a piece of clothing), you move it around instead. The larger the object or the potency you apply (Slowly opening the door vs. Slamming it open), the more strain in your body.

“Good. I’ll keep it in my pocket.” You put it in your jacket. It might fall out . You can never trust them when they’re this small.

“If you walk with a purpose, they’re not going to interfere with your day.” Dorothy advises.

“Don’t underestimate people’s ability to be annoying.” You know being ready for the worst is just to be pragmatic.

“Fair enough.” Dorothy has nothing better to say, she’s now busy putting the livestream on for everyone in the car.

“Quack.” The Duck makes a noise. You don’t understand animals, and you’re not going to pretend you do either like some kind of maniac.

“Break a leg.” Billy wishes you good luck. You don’t need it. “Or someone else’s if you have to.”

“Before I go.” You clear your throat. “I’m truly counting on all of you and your abilities. So don’t hesitate if I call you to action.” This was supposed to resemble a motivational speech, but it’s more like an assessment of the situation. This is why you don’t want leadership roles.

“We won’t, we trust your judgment.” B-WORM reassures. The others halfheartedly nod out of duty.';

'>>6002887


You walk the long stairway up to the entrance. The atmosphere heightens after the last step. All three have their sights on you, despite not turning their heads to your direction; it’s subtle but there. This fails to halt your progress as you continue forward, and pass them by the side towards the door.

“...You shouldn’t show your back to people you’re wary of.” The most ghoulish of the three comments at your direction. You continue your path.

“Uzzi, don’t threaten a man you don’t know! It’s disgraceful.” The dashing prince-looking girl reprimands her acquaintance. “Excuse him, sir. Please, pay no mind!”

And you don’t.

“Is common sense not appreciated these days? I suppose everyone in this city has a death wish for a reason.” The man chuckles back so malignantly, it’s cartoonish. Not like Calamity’s, a more reserved kind.

“Cool it, Uzziel.” The prince-looking girl elbows her friend.

“Gentleman with frizzly hair! I don’t want to be a bother, but could you stop for a moment?” The big guy from the group steps out, he’s huge and wide.

“You’re telling him? How disappointing, it could’ve been quick.” The sinister Uzziel has a fiendish scheme under his sleeve. “Not surprising when it comes to you...”

“Go on, my friend. He’s heeding every word.” The Prince-looking girl smiles at the tall guy.

“Again, I have no desire to cause you trouble. But you’re in grave danger if you enter on your lonesome.” The Big man with a static expression crosses his arms. “How should I explain it? Place is cursed from top to bottom!”

“He speaks nothing but the truth.” Uzziel shakes his head. “There’s only one way for you to be allowed in…”';

'>>6002890

“And that’s if one of us goes inside with you!” The Mountainous man raises his arm.

Uzziel facepalms. “...He was supposed to figure it out on his own.”

“Haha! I have little clue as to why you bother with these schemes when Hanno is around.” The Prince-looking girl has a good chuckle. “It is as he says, gentleman. I suggest you bring one of us along if you want to explore inside.”

“I'd rather not waste anyone’s time.” Hanno casually shrugs.

“Shame, with the picture my colleagues have drawn of me, I don’t believe you’re going to be brave enough to select me.” Uzziel laments with a smirk. Like he intended for this part of the interaction anyway.

You don’t believe any of these guys could pose a problem. Their dumb garments are perfect for you to choke them out.

>>What do you do?

>Pick Hanno, the supposed doofus.
>Pick The Cordial Prince-looking Girl.
>Pick Uzziel the incompetent schemer.
>Write In.';

'>>6002893
>>Pick Hanno, the supposed doofus.';

'>>6002893
>Pick Hanno, the supposed doofus.
He seems more straightforward and cop-friendly. We can still choke him out if we need to';

'>>6002893
>>Pick The Cordial Prince-looking Girl.';

'>>6002953
More of Don Quixote';

'“Hanno is your name, right? You’re coming with me.” You stop by the door and indicate that you want this man’s cooperation. You want to believe he’s putting on an act to be more approachable than the others, but only time will tell.

“Oh goodie~! First time I get chosen over my colleagues.” ‘Mountain Man’ Hanno is ecstatic. The other two must be thinking it’s not for a good reason.

“As I feared...” Uzziel gripes. His scheming facade was all a desperate ploy for you to pick him.

“You can’t be this upset, there was no other possible outcome.” The Chivalrous lady doesn’t get her friend’s attitude.

“Hold on to my coat. I don’t want to appear like I’m concealing any weapons.” Hanno hands over his coat to the Effeminate Knight.

“Look, Uzzi!” The Chivalrous knight puts the garment on, it hangs on the ground. “I’m Hanno! I ruin my friend’s dumb fiendish schemes! Durr, Hu-Durr~!” She mocks with a dumb voice.

“...I hope you trim your nails a little too short.” Uzziel glares at her.

“A-Always a tad bit specific, aren’t you?” The girl hides her face inside the coat.

“You sound just like me, Velenius. Wow.” Hanno claps.

“...I wasn’t even trying to sou— er, never mind. Have fun with the policeman.” Velenius doesn’t bother to correct. These three are objectively stupid together.

“Will do.” Hanno nods and walks up to you. “Sorry for the wait, Mr. Policeman. I’ll go in first.” He steps inside. You follow his lead.

“Have a good evening as well, sir!” Velenius the woman knight waves goodbye. You throw her a glance but don’t acknowledge her words otherwise. She’s used to her niceties being ignored.

“…” Uzziel doesn’t mutter a word. They’re not going to leave their post.

The reception is painfully generic, its major standout is the logo that covers the wall behind the desk. It uses the decorating style from 20 years prior, with little to no changes. There are hints of dust on all the furniture. It’s difficult for the light to get in. You could stand here all day and not feel the passage of time. You deduce this place gets cleaned every two weeks or so, and you’re at the tail end of that cycle. No people work here daily.

“I have a warrant.” You explicitly say.

“We’re aware. Feel free to ask for my input if you need it.” Hanno doesn’t want to be adversarial.

“What would’ve happened if I entered alone?” You question.

“If you go inside my friend’s domain without permission, you’ll trigger his ability.” Hanno sounds honest.';

'>>6003047

“Whose?” You imagine it’s the less straightforward of the two.

“Uzziel’s.” Hanno acts like Count Dimwit outside.

“And his power is?” You want specifics.

“Haunting you.” Hanno pulls out his phone and turns the light on to reflect on his face. “He’ll summon a ghost on your back that will start sucking your energy away, growing and growing, taking the form of a beloved one until you’re exhausted.”

“And how do you stop it?” You don’t know why he’s being *this* straightforward.

“I smashed his face into a wall. Today, he showed me that it isn’t going to work again.” Hanno laughs.

“Is that the only effect?” You don’t think he’s being open.

“No, sir. But I’m unaware of such details. He holds onto a dark book when he curses people. I never had the privilege of seeing what’s in it.” The big man rubs his large neck. He hasn’t lied so far, it’s eerie.

“Why are you openly answering my questions?” You were already suspicious, but you can drop all pretenses now.

“I have no enemies and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m an honest guy.” Hanno shrugs.

“Do you want me to believe that?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Of course.” Hanno isn’t hiding anything.

“What’s your power?” You believe he’ll have to show some restraint.

“When people ask me questions and I answer honestly, I get honest answers reflected back at me as if I asked you the same questions. It’s not a fancy power, but it fits me like a glove.” Hanno smiles. “So, please, don’t use your powers to choke me. I’d be upset if you do.”

…

>>What do you do?

>“What did you learn from the other questions I posed?” You accidentally have relieved more than you intended. You need to know what exactly.
>“Show me the way to Lloydington’s secret office.” Enough. No more questions. Get to the clues.
>“What’s your objective in the game?” You need to know how dangerous this man is.
>Write In.';

'>>6003049
>>“What did you learn from the other questions I posed?” You accidentally have relieved more than you intended. You need to know what exactly.
I don't think this question will backfire on us unlike the other one maybe could';

'>>6003049
>“What did you learn from the other questions I posed?” You accidentally have relieved more than you intended. You need to know what exactly.';

'>>6003049
>“What did you learn from the other questions I posed?” You accidentally have relieved more than you intended. You need to know what exactly.';

'>>6003050
+1
gather info';

'“What did you learn from the other questions I posed?” You don’t think this question can backfire.

“I learned that if I left you alone in this building, you’d be searching Mr. Lloydington’s secret office to find proof of his alleged kidnappings, murders, and embezzlement to incarcerate him and his allies for life. You don’t believe he’ll face jail time, but the scandal will bring his influence down. You’re tapeing the entire process with a cat, but I certainly don’t understand what you mean by it.” Hanno answers with nothing but the truth. He *can’t* see the cat. “And the extent of your powers. I know you can control or trigger any object’s use within a distance, and your plan to subdue me is by choking me with my cravat. I also know you have a backup plan in your pocket, but I have no clue what it is.” If he just learned what exactly you’re doing here, the other guys don’t know what your investigation entails.

You couldn’t discern the moment he activated his ability, perhaps it’s completely imperceptible to you. A shame. You can’t tell if he’s telling the truth or not. You need to act accordingly.

“Hmph, I see.” You don’t believe this man has truly internalized the information he has gotten, or else he’d be acting differently.

“As a sign of trust, I’ll keep my cravat on. I’m not particularly fond of it, but I want to stress that I pose no harm to you.” Hanno raises his hands. Is his entire plan for you to slip up? Or does he have different intentions? Or — worst of all— is this guy simply a moron...?

You won’t jump to conclusions just yet. He might have found a way not to get choked.

“I assume you’re going to follow me.” You’ll refrain from casually wording questions. You need to find ways to get information out of him without them.

“That is correct, sir.” Hanno nods.

“You’re interfering with police investigation if you do so, and you’ll be punished accordingly.” You remind him that he’s still a civilian.

“You’ll be cursed if I’m not around. And I don’t believe this is the first time that you’ve worked outside the law.” Hanno is more perceptive than he shows. “I have no interest in obstructing a policeman's work, but above all, I care for your well-being. I went through the curse myself and I don’t wish it on anybody.”

His niceties are starting to sound like a ploy for you to not dismiss him. If you want to know something for certain, you need to ask in a way that he’s interested in answering honestly.

All of this assuming he’s not an outright moron who is too gullible for his own good.';

'>>6003134


>>What do you do?

>“Bring me to Lloydington’s office.” No more dilly-dallying. You’re going straight to the source.
>“Do you have any intention to kill me?” You’ll have to step back if you don’t like the answer.
>“Will I find what I want here?” Ask. Concise and to the point.
>“If I drag you around, it won’t trigger your friend’s power, correct?” Pose a simple question.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we return tomorrow!)';

'>>6003135
>>“Bring me to Lloydington’s office.” No more dilly-dallying. You’re going straight to the source.';

'>>6003135
>“Bring me to Lloydington’s office.” No more dilly-dallying. You’re going straight to the source.
This guy's power is one of those that are great for being too rarely seen. The type that seem innocuous or not that big a deal until the full extent is known, then they apply pressure and dominate the conversation by simply existing. Every single thing out of this guy's mouth from the moment he's been on screen, and every single thing spoken to him are all suspect due to his power';

'“Bring me to Lloydington’s office.” You’ll take the only firm positive out of this situation, and that is to streamline your work.

“Will do, sir. Like I said, no point in wasting our time.” Hanno leads the way to the elevator at the end of the hallway.

The little sunlight that goes through the windows dim, the shadows get duskier, the static going through the lights makes noise. Hanno stops, and looks up to them. There’s a conflicted look on his face. Everything turns back to normal as quickly as it changed. Someone’s ability was triggered.

“What an odd thing to happen, the curse triggered for a brief moment.” Hanno seems more curious than concerned. “You’re not feeling light headed, are you, sir?”

“Not at all.” You feel exactly the same.

“Hm, I’ll ask Uzziel about this later.” Hanno casually continues his course.

As you ride the elevator, Hanno outright tells you that there’s another *secret* elevator somewhere inside Lloydington’s fake office that should lead you to the actual hideout. The one caveat is that he doesn't know where it is or how to activate it. Only Uzziel knows.

Hanno suggests that, by tagging along with a friend of yours (so you feel safe), Uzziel could find the elevator and the curse won’t trigger. You ignore the idea. You haven’t seen the place just yet to get that desperate.

Like stated before, this office *officially* belongs to one of Lloydington’s cohorts. The place is decorated to appear as such. Including her name plate and family photos on the desk, her credentials on the walls, and lackluster artistic decorations. You investigate the desk to find any sort of switch, and find it inside a secret compartment inside a drawer. The bookshelf opens to reveal the elevator.

“I knew no little tricks would keep you occupied for long.” Hanno claps with childish awe covering his face. Despite all, you can’t shake the feeling that it is sarcastic. “From this point onwards, I have little clue on what we’re going to encounter. I recommend you to prepare.” Does he know you have allies nearby? “And use the bathroom. I’d be shocked if there’s one down there.” He points at it.

You don’t need to waste your time, but this will be the most appropriate time to call for help before you get to a point of no return.

>>Do you bring someone along?

>Yes. B-WORM.
>Yes. Dorothy.
>Yes. Billy.
>No.

>>If you bring someone along, who do you want them to be tagging with?

>Velenius.
>Uzziel.';

'>>6004080
>>Yes. Billy.
>Uzziel.
So we can have his entity to scout';

'>>6004080
>>Yes. Billy.
>Uzziel.
Yeah having an eye on the latter is a good plan.';

'>>6004080
Hey that lady looks like that stalker from the bubble when we returned the keys for the truck and I guess our new best friend from getting Nariko’s keyboard is her daughter.';

'>>6004102
Can you post which exact part that was in? If that's true, you've got a good eye or memory';

'“I will contact one of my backups, officer Buonanotte, prepare your friend Uzziel to bring him here. He’ll be by the entrance in a few minutes.” You walk up to the bathroom with your phone out to get some privacy. Even if your backup is watching, you believe you should contact them directly to dispel any doubts of a misunderstanding. You actually want Buonanotte here.

“Will do, sir.” Hanno sighs in relief. He’s scared about something.

“If any of you mishandle my men, you will face the consequences.” You passive aggressively adjust your tie to remind him what could happen to him.

“Naturally.” Hanno raises both hands, one holding the phone. He’s left-handed.

You kept your call short. Both of you gave orders to their respective teams. Eventually, the backups arrive at the office together.

“Groovy…” Billy is impressed by the secret entrance. He wants one despite it serving no purpose for him, he doesn’t have anything to hide.

“Behave, Officer Buonanotte. We’re conducting a police investigation.” You demand decorum.

“Yes, boss!” Buonanotte can’t help to sound like a thug.

“I don’t know whether to commend or ridicule you for bringing me along, policeman.” Uzziel is *glad* to be here.

“If that’s how you feel, you’re in for a rude awakening.” You have him exactly where you need him.

“Good to have you around, my friend!” Hanno walks up to him for a hug. Uzziel isn’t interested in sharing a moment. “Hey, at least a fistbump?”

“…Always so childish.” Uzziel does fist bump him. Idiotic. “I understand you’re oversharing once again. Did you learn something useful back?”

“Absolutely. We need to be careful, he’s the real deal.” Hanno nods. Uzziel is sending *some* kind of information with that question.

“Now what, Mr. Wright?” Uzziel is expecting your next move.

You need to make some definitive moves.

>>What do you do? [SP: 30]

>Choke Uzziel out. Get rid of the curse. Flying Referees don’t go inside buildings. [SP Cost: 5] [Normal Roll]
>Tell Buonanotte to send his entity alone down there, its range is absurd. Trust his exploration skills.
>Take the elevator down with everyone.
>Write In.';

'>>6004171
>>Tell Buonanotte to send his entity alone down there, its range is absurd. Trust his exploration skills.';

'>>6004174
Does the "curse" effect also affect entities splitting off from their hosts? If so, it could activate and attack on Billy's entity. This could be a trap';

'>>6004171
>Tell Buonanotte to send his entity alone down there, its range is absurd. Trust his exploration skills.';

'>>6004174
And I had the thought just now that choking Uzziel out might also be a trap if the curse effect counts unconscious people as unattended. If so, then the curse will activate and target either Billy or Richard since Hanno is accompanying only one person here. And how can we be sure choking Uzziel out will stop the curse effect?';

'>>6004171
>Request (NOT ask) Hanno to summon his entity and make it travel away to its maximum range if it has one.
I want to shittest this before I send Billy's entity to scout ahead. If the curse does work like I think it does, it might target Hanno's entity in this case. The moment he hesitates or starts making excuses or stalling, he'll give it away';

'>>6004180
>>6004183
Well, I think it's a permission thing so I assume it can go ahead, And I also doubt we'll have permission anymore if we try to choke him';

'>>6004197
Then I'll trust in that until we're proven wrong. Still sticking to my vote regardless';

'>>6004154
Ch 130 for the stalker ladies first appearance.
Ch 158 for new our best friends look change';

'“Nothing to do with you.” You sit on the couch, pull out your phone and headphones in preparation for your next move.

“Hmm? I’m merely here to be taunted?” Uzziel likes your decision.

“Not quite.” You need someone else before getting your plan underway. “Everyone is forbidden from leaving this room until further notice.”

“Are you expecting us to accept your terms?” Uzziel sits on the couch in front of yours.

“I’m imposing my authority as a policeman.” One of the few positive aspects of having your badge back is that you can abuse your power. “If you defy the law, you’ll face the consequences. Buonanotte, bring your entity out.”

“Fair enough, sir.” Hanno sits next to his friend, making the couch bounce.

“Here’s my tin can: Cohelby!” Billy summons his… entity. It’s abstract, has a robotic look, one eye on the center, and his limbs aren’t connected. It’s quite interesting, makes you believe Buonanotte has a compelling artistic streak within if he influenced its appearance that much. “You want me to send him down?”

“Intriguing fellow!” Hanno finds the abstract entity quite funny.

“Yes, but before that…” You indicate the entity to stand next to you, then you grab Ghost the Cat. “*Don’t move.*” You whisper to it as you place him on the entity’s back… He successfully didn’t lose his invisibility. You believe the cat is asleep at this point. “Now it’s good to go.”

“Fresh and crisp, baby.” Billy likes this. The entity rearranges itself to hold the cat at its center.

With this, you’re going to tell the others to describe the situation through the cat’s camera, so Buonanotte doesn’t have to reveal any information to those two. You give the others a call and plainly state your orders.

“Describe what you’re seeing.” You relax on the couch. “Buonanotte, just put your efforts into investigating.”

“Right on, boss.” Billy goes to the elevator and opens it for his toy entity. It enters, salutes, presses the button, and goes away.

Dorothy describes what Cohelby and Ghost are scouting. The elevator only has one button: B10, and it leads underground. The elevator door unlocks to show a gigantic circular garden field. Beautiful flowers cover the ground. In the middle is a statue illuminated by rays of sunlight. On the walls are doors with barred windows. The ones directly behind the statue are double sized with a plaque on top that reads: Arena.

The one to its right says: Gallery.

The one on the left of the Arena says: Library.

The one on the left of the Library says: Office.

The others are only numbered. Peeking through the closest door, Cohelby finds a large hallway with prison cells on both sides. This place is an underground prison facility. An empty one so far…

“I wonder what’s down there.” Hanno distracts everyone since it’s all too quiet.';

'>>6004283


This annoys Uzziel since he’s trying to listen to what's going on through your headphones’ noise.

>>What now?

>Go down there.
>Cohelby investigates the Arena.
>Cohelby investigates the Library.
>Cohelby investigates the Office.
>Cohelby investigates the Prison Cells.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>6004284
>>Cohelby investigates the Arena.';

'>>6004284
>Cohelby investigates the Arena
That combined with prison cells is not a good sign. This building is dusty and not very well maintained up here, but they have all this stuff down there? There must be some secret freight passage to bring in supplies and captives maybe? On seconf thought no. They must really clean up after themselves once using all this. The elevator is secret already so there isn't much sense in another utility or maintenance way. The dust and low-maintenance state of this upper building area must be intentional, artificial.';

'>>6004283
The face and hair on that statue looks familiar. Also the QM really loves his Battle Network designs if it wasn't apparent by now with Cohelby's look';

'You instruct Buonanotte to set his sights on the Arena.

“Not to witness the place with your own eyes is such a loss...” Uzziel rests his arm on the couch. “It will lose the impact.”

“Can you tell me what is in there? Pretty please?” Hanno nudges his friend for an answer.

“A gift.” Uzziel grins from ear to ear.

Buonanotte gulps before closing his eyes to watch the surprise.

There’s a spotless oval white marble court, flowers filling the crowd, stands circling it, banners hanging on the walls with symbols with meaning lost to time. At its very center, the bloody body of a brawny man with elephantine arms fighting for dear life. He has been left here to die.

“M-Masterson…” Buonanotte stammers as sweat drops from his forehead. Legs shaking. You knew that imbecile got in trouble, but it’s even hard for you to believe how much he royally screwed up to be here.

“That’s the White Tiger you fought? Cool name for a kitty.” Hanno has no clue what’s going on.

“At long last you’re aware.” Uzziel chuckles like he’s the most cunning man in the room. “Do you like my present, Mr. Wright? This is the brute who categorically obliterated you, isn’t he? Did it bring a smile to your face hearing he has been beaten to a bloody pulp?”

“No comments.” You won’t entertain this fool.';

'>>6005450

“You’ll have to amuse me this once, Mr. Wright. The man won’t last forever in the state he’s in. Or are you telling me that you find no intrinsic value in human life?” Uzziel openly mocks. “It’s about time we get these negotiations underway.”

“Negotiate what exactly? I have no relationship with the man you’re holding hostage.” You roll your eyes. Did this guy even do his homework right?

“Not even interested in dealing the final blow?” Uzziel’s haunting laughter is decent. You prefer the Doctor’s. “Our only desire was to showcase our potential. We’re aware you used to be one of us. I don’t blame you for believing our powers diminished to the point that abandoning our ranks felt like a wise idea. But look now, I have defeated one of the most powerful Will-O’-Wisps in a competition.”

“Congratulations!” Hanno claps.

“It’s time to reconsider. Give up your investigation and join the Creator.” Uzziel opens his hand towards you.

“T-That’s not g-good…!” Billy is the biggest moron in the room for believing you’d accept.

“Not interested.” You won’t even entertain the idea.

“...Shame, you didn’t take a moment to consider.” Uzziel grabs his hair with one hand.

“Why would I join you freaks? What kind of idiot would root against your own world? But if you want to negotiate, I’ll tell you…” It’s the moment you make the most important decision here.

>>What do you do? [SP:30]

>“...I’m never giving up my investigation.” Walk down there. You’re going to explore the place yourself.
>“...You’re talking to the wrong man.” Choke this fucker. No surprise factor, but it’ll feel good. [SP Cost: 5] [Hard Roll]
>“...I’ll give up this part of the investigation if you hand Masterson over safe and sound.” You better bet correctly on this idiot, or else everything will be for nothing.
>“...I need some time to think.” Gain time for Billy and the others to help Masterson.
>Write In.

(Only Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>6005451
>>“...I’m never giving up my investigation.” Walk down there. You’re going to explore the place yourself.';

'>>6005451
>“...I’m never giving up my investigation.” Walk down there. You’re going to explore the place yourself.';

'>>6005453
>>6005457
I feel like asking Hanno "Lloydington is down there, isn't he?" might be a wise play since the truthful answer he'd get from Richard is "I don't know that's why I'm asking you". Or maybe it causes him to walk into the room and then we're doomed. What do you think? The way they're doing this just to show off and impress Richard, even think Richard would want to finish Flint off, is insane. I feel like the moment Uzziel's out shit hits the fan so KOing him is a trap. Is going down there alone going to trigger the curse? We could have Uzziel escort us and Hanno stays with Billy, but if Hanno rushes and KOs Billy then Cohelby drops the cat down there and that's our eyes to the outside';

'>>6005451
>“...I’m never giving up my investigation.” Walk down there. You’re going to explore the place yourself.
Stay determined';

'>>6005603
Adding to this';

'>>6005451
Add >>6005603 to my vote in >>6006053 please';

'“...I’m never giving up my investigation.” You’re done with these ‘negotiations.’ Billy feels reassured.

“I guess I overestimated you.” Uzziel is underwhelmed by an innocuous response. You bet his life is a constant of disappointment after disappointment.

“Shows how lousy of a tactician you are.” You’re too pragmatic to be considered hard to understand.

“Me? A fool? You’re the one rooting for a rotting world.” Uzziel finds YOU foolish for being so headstrong about a ‘bad’ idea.

“It’s the only one we got.” You had a decent time once, nothing says it won’t happen again.

“Not with our powers.” Uzziel retorts. “On its current course, it’s destined for doom. We can revive this rotten corpse for something anew.”

“*People* will still be in charge.” You have no reason to believe it’ll be any different. And that’s not even counting for the fact that the Creator will be in charge if he gets his way.

“You’re just unimaginative.” Uzziel looks down on you.

“And you’re deluded.” You break physics to look down on him as well. You turn your sights to Hanno. “Lloydington is down there, isn’t he?”

“I have heard that’s the case, but I’m not entirely sure.” Hanno says with all honesty.

“He is...” Uzziel believes this will intimidate you.

“We’re going down there.” You have decided.

“A suicidal move, no matter how surprising, is *still* a suicide move.” Uzziel believes you’re trying to show bravado. It appears he’s the most unimaginative of you two.

“My decision is final. But you’re not coming along, you’re staying here with Buonanotte.” You need to keep your enemies away.

“H-He is?” Buonanotte didn’t like hearing it.

“Alert me if you’re in danger.” You’ll be next to his entity in any case, and the phone call is still going.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Buonanotte! Uzziel won’t hurt you!” Hanno promises.

“I have no obligation to go along with your plan, Mr. Wright.” Uzziel points out, but his eyes turn to his friend. “But, Hanno, this is the perfect opportunity to get in Lloydington’s good graces. I’m relying on you.”

“You won’t regret this decision, Uzzy.” Hanno pumps his fist.

You and Hanno board the rather slow elevator, you two have enough time to exchange some words.

“Sir, can I confess something to you before we get down there?” Hanno breaks the ice.

“I’m not going to stop you.” You’re hoping your phone doesn’t lose its signal.

“I don’t agree with Uzziel in the slightest. I love being here, it’s my home. How can someone look around and find it all a waste? All the life? All the love? All the kindness? It’s incomprehensible, really. I believe this world is wonderful.” Hanno looks up, face still in a perpetual grin. “As long as its heart still beats, I want to preserve it. It’s like you said — it’s the only one we have.”';

'>>6006530


“And yet you’re working with the people who want to dismantle it.” You couldn’t help but entertain the conversation. Even at its worst, you find something to look up to. You can’t give up now that your cousin is reconnecting with you…

“That’s true, but I have a plan.” Hanno taps his forehead. “Changing everyone’s mind is practically impossible, right? But changing one person’s mind isn’t that impossible, don’t you think?”

“Explain yourself.” You’re about to hear something stupid, aren’t you?

“If Lloydington wins, I’m pretty confident I can convince him to change his plans.” Hanno grins like the fool he is.

“No comments.” You have felt this idiocy somewhere else before…

“You can laugh if you want; Uzziel did.” Hanno doesn’t mind. “Velenius said it was cute.”

“I laughed at an inopportune time once, and I swore to never do it again.” You won’t ever admit you felt guilty afterwards, even if it was really funny.

“Woah, thanks for sharing!” Hanno didn’t think he could befriend you. The elevator doors open and the garden of madness is upon you.

“Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t trust you.” You want him on his feet.

“That’s all right, you shouldn’t! I already lied once.” Hanno walks off first… “What a place.” He doesn’t like it, even though he grabs one of the floating flowers to smell it. “Should we try to find Lloydington? Or the Masterson Tiger?”

The Statue welcoming you belongs to the first Monarch of the Baochang Dynasty, who united all the chiefdoms in the region to create the greatest army in humankind’s history. Tremble at his might, as he stands above all the land he conquered. That’s what the plaque says. Ironic.

This place doesn’t sit well with you.

>>What do you do?!

>Find Masterson.
>Find Lloydington. Tell Cohelby to help Masterson.
>You’re here to find evidence, and that's what you're going to do.
>Write In.

(Only Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>6006531
>>You’re here to find evidence, and that's what you're going to do.';

'>>6006531
>You’re here to find evidence, and that's what you're going to do
Eyes on the prize. Wonder if there's still a way to help Flint out to get medical help';

'>>6006531
Add to my vote in >>6006695
>"When you told me 'I already lied once', what was the one thing you lied about?"
I hope this doesn't backfire. Did Richard lie at any point to Hanno for it to be turned back on him?';

'>>6006737
I feel like he said that to bait us';

'>>6006743
Then ok

>>6006531
Ignore my addition in >>6006737 then';

'“None. We’re finding evidence.” You look at the plaques to find the best place for such a prospect. Dorothy’s narration was on point, quite surprising.

“Where to, sir?” Hanno lets the flower fly away. There’s a breeze blowing them in circles. You two watch it go around and around. Oddly hypnotic. It loses its luster fast.

“The office.” You walk up to it with the big man following your pace. With Yomiel’s help, the lock provides no struggle. You turn the knob, and push it open [SP -1]. No traps were triggered. With the kind of man Lloydington is, you expected a vault securing his most important valuables. “You first.”

“Excuse me! Going in!” Hanno shouts as he enters and turns the lights on.

The Office takes the form of a repurposed throne room. Framed paintings of long past landscapes, of festivities that are beyond recall, of miscellaneous figures, all adorn the place. The regalia on the walls are in a good state, even if they’re making space for bookshelves with no historical relevance. Plastered notes on them, these archives are recent. Armor Knights standing in front of a red carpet leading to the throne with a desk on top. A whiteboard full of schemes by its side, with a modern meeting table and chairs.

You won’t get too thrilled just yet, but this might be what you’re looking for.

“So this is the place where they usually meet. Had no idea!” Hanno has his eyes set on the armor. You stare at him, expecting him to elaborate. “How can I be so sure? There’s a fridge over there.” He points to the left side of the desk. Above said fridge, there’s a wine case. To repurpose a place like this by making it a winery is certainly a choice you can make.

“I’m more interested in hearing the *who* rather than hearing an explanation of your deductive skills.” You’re upfront about it.

“His friends! You wouldn’t share a glass of wine with your enemies, right?” Hanno has no idea of who exactly.

“I have shared my fair share of drinks with people who I don’t respect or enjoy their presence.” You bitterly reminisce of those damn poker nights. Those bastards make entertaining what should be an excruciating experience… you’ll find a way to win without cheating. You’ll take the ugliest trophy in the world from Johnny Ando’s hands no matter what, and give Bradford a better memento to be remembered by.

“In that case, wouldn’t you join me for a cup?” Hanno is interested in drinking on the job. He would’ve been a fine policeman in your precinct before Leitgeb’s arrival.

“I decline. We’re investigating.” You remember what you’re here for. Besides, you can feel Giorsal’s annoying complaints in your head.

“Thank you for including me!” Hanno smiles and changes his mind. “Then later it is.”';

'>>6007605


You take a gander at the throne desk and surroundings. Schemes for company takeovers, media campaigns, investment plans, and other strange ideas like a beach resort are on display in the material. It’s all business meeting bullcrap from people who don’t understand how the real world works anymore. You take some pictures since the cat isn’t here yet. Then, since apparently the desktop has all the details you need, you turn it on and put the hard drive that T_T Neko gave you that should automatically copy all the information inside it upon insertion. You’ll seize the computer too, but you rather have a safety backup.

The copying process is done.

“Richard, Buonanotte is requesting orders.” Dorothy dryly informs through the phone. You had one headphone on the entire time listening to the reporting. B-WORM is the one holding the call with Buonanotte. “A monster is trying to abduct Masterson.”

The ground trembles, bits of dust fall from the ceiling. A loud noise comes from the Arena.

“We can leave our exchange of drinks for another time.” Hanno is wary of what’s out there.

...

>>What do you do?

>Go to the Arena with Hanno.
>Tell Billy to get out of there. You’ll make your own escape too.
>Stay patient and witness the events through Cohelby.
>Write In.';

'>>6007607
>>Go to the Arena with Hanno.';

'>>6007607
>Go to the Arena with Hanno
Can't get the computer in time, so we might have to make do with the backup copied. We could use Yomiel to lift it with us all the way out, but then Uzziel will see and make a scene over it. Flint might have valuable intel on what he went through since he went missing, and he's a great fighter to have on our side. If we can extract him and the comp together (Yomiel carries the computer, Richard and Hanno carry Flint) and escape alive, that's a big success. If we can't get Flint out, knowing who or what is abducting him is still intel for later.';

'>>6007626
If we heard that commotion in the Arena, Lloydington will have heard it too if he really is down here. The moment we see Lloydington and he hasn't noticed us, we might have to go all out incapacitating him before he kills us. If it's a direct confrontation, we're dead. This guy is THE final boss of the quest, most likely';

'>>6007607
>Go to the Arena with Hanno.';

'“I’m going in.” You inform Dorothy without thinking twice. Now you turn your attention to Hanno as you pocket back your hard drive. The marble ball is still there. “To the arena, now.”

“Let’s head out then...” Hanno isn’t particularly on board with the idea out of concern for you.


You two rush to the Arena. As soon as you step in, Billy’s tiny entity rushes to hide behind you, it’s holding a bottle of water — you have no clue where he got it. The description of this place fits what you heard perfectly from the narration. But where it gets interesting is in what wasn’t there before.

Flint is standing on his two feet, blood dripping from his forehead, fending the supposed monster away. He’s in awful shape. As for his opponent, the shadows conceal his appearance, but you can see multiple eyes gleaming through the darkness.


“Get away from me, you freak…” Flint can barely muster his breath. He seems to have pushed his opponent far away into the wall.

“Guhaha#4… I’m just here to help ya, h3lp y4.” Whatever is in the dark retorts in a calm demonic voice as it steps into the light. Its long arms with multiple joints stretch out first, the demonic head with multiple eyes and long hair comes out next.

“Masterson.” You grab his attention solely for him to know you’re around. You’re not allies, you don’t know how he’ll react. But probably pleasantly since you’re not an incomprehensible being.

“Who are ya?!” Flint retorts. You’ll pretend he didn’t recognize you because of the blood in his eyes. “Oh, fucking shit…” He collapses onto the ground. Not surprising with the shape he is in.

“So weak…” That’s what the screeching radio sound informs that, allegedly, comes from the throat of this thing. He gets closer to Flint’s body, his joints make a clicking sound when he moves.

“That is Velenius’ buddy...” Hanno says it out of surprise rather than any intention of letting anyone know. Is he talking about the monster? It’s a person? And it has friends? Hold on, does Hanno think his friend is calling this thing over on purpose? But why?

“I’m taking him away. 4w4y. I was told he has one of the supposed gods. But his body is too frail to showcase its full potential.” The creature laments as he plays with Flint’s unconscious body, now in full view. “You two are new. D0n’t stand in my way. Or else. *3L$3.*”

The monster is carrying an apparition on his back. He triggered Uzziel’s ability.

You can feel it. Lloydington is coming over. And Dorothy let you know that Billy and Uzziel are on their way here as well. This could be a disaster if you don’t do something.';

'>>6007745

>>What do you do? [SP:29]

>Let the monster go. He doesn’t seem interested in killing Masterson. It’s this or letting Flint die before you can get him to a hospital.
>Make time for everyone to show up. You’ll escape in the chaos.
>Face the Monster yourself. If he’s human, he can die.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)';

'>>6007747
>>Let the monster go. He doesn’t seem interested in killing Masterson. It’s this or letting Flint die before you can get him to a hospital.';

'>>6007751
+1
We need to GO';