[LP CYOA] Spiral

[Kz3r0]

B.

 

[Nevill]

As the others rush towards the door, and see what you see, they gasp. In front of them, the hallway stretches on so far that you cannot see its end

Spoiler

"But what about the rest of it!?"

 

[TOME]

C>A

 

[treave]

The next chapter will start Tuesday, need to settle up some pending work first.

 

[GreyViper]

Let B part Resident Evil esque adventure start. IF get elected first thing would be to beeline to armory for some 12 gauge shooty love.

 

[Nevill]

Tuesday!

 

[ChumBucket]

I come out of lurking to say: Where's the update?

 

[treave]

Mark

Not one of them leaves the lounge. Not one of them seems to have the desire to explore the new form of the darkness beyond the creaky wooden door. Whatever sense of normalcy they still gathered about them, like rags to shelter against the storm of the unknown, has been blown away completely. They resort to restlessly pacing around the room, casting the occasional glance at the door – now closed until further notice – and at you – for electing yourself leader – and muttering amongst themselves.

Is this place safe? You converse with Ei in your mind, hoping to find a way forward.

It would be safer if you created a barrier, but without a medium as an anchor, it would not last once your concentration wavered. The fraud’s string would serve as a good medium. Remember when she was trying to ward the lobby in her adorably inept, incompetent, and ineffectual way? She probably still has some stuffed in that garbage can she calls her bag.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t already safe as it is, right?

Maaaaybe.

You could probably ask Amanozaki if she had any string to spare; having her try to ward this room could add to the residents’ ease of mind. You could even increase their security by casting the barrier incantation yourself – it has proven to be quite effective, after all – but that would necessitate revealing the book in front of them. Still, hiding in this room will not solve anything in the long run. That much you realize. Sooner or later, you will have to leave. Whether it is for food, for the washroom, or because you want to do something about your situation, you will have to leave. As the leader, the timing of that decision is down to you… already, you are regretting the choice to nominate yourself.

You look around the room, wondering if you should try to talk to someone else.

Sakimura, Kozaka and Shiba are sitting in a group, with Uehara close to them, but still off to the side, by herself.

Murano and Sawada are walking around the room, trying fruitlessly to search for clues.

Kayano seems to be talking to the girl in the maid uniform, but you get the feeling that she is glancing over at you whenever you aren’t looking.

Amanozaki is alone, as usual.

***

You talk to:

A. Sakimura’s group.

B. Uehara, again.

C. Murano and Sawada.

D. Kayano and the maid.

E. Amanozaki.

F. Ei-chan.

G. No one.

***

Suddenly, a yell of surprise breaks the restless atmosphere. It is Murano, the security guard. He slaps at his forehead, as if to brush away something. “I-I think something bit me,” he mumbles self-consciously when he realizes every pair of eyes in the room is focused on him. As he lowers his hand, you see it: a tiny, black bruise, the size of a coin. At the same time, you notice Kozaka tugging at his collar uncomfortably, staring at Murano’s forehead, then down at his own neck.

“It… doesn’t look like a bug bite,” muses Sawada, peering closely at Murano’s bruise. “What do you think, Leader?”

***

A. “It’s probably not a bug bite… it is something worse.” Nothing seems innocuous in this place. There is no point pulling any punches – that is most likely the mark of some form of curse. You tell them straight up that it means trouble, even if it might stir up even more anxiety amongst the others.

B. “I don’t know… perhaps Murano-san accidentally bumped into something, and the bruise only formed now?” There could be a more mundane explanation for this. You don’t see any need to raise a panic when you are unsure of the bruise’s origins, not when they are already stressed.

***

By the time you finish addressing Murano’s bruise, you have decided on your next course of action.

A. You ask Amanozaki if she has any string, and if she can use it to ward the lounge. You don’t feel there is a need to go any further than this.

B. You ask Amanozaki about the string, and use it in conjunction with the barrier incantation to ensure that this becomes a safe place for you to rest in should you explore the hospital further.

C. There is no need to do anything: you will save your spells, and Amanozaki can save her string. You don’t plan on staying in here long anyway.

 

[Azira]

FBA

 

[Kipeci]

DBC

 

[Rex Feral]

EAC

 

[Baltika9]

EBC

 

[Grimgravy]

EAC

 

[ERYFKRAD]

CBC

 

[Kz3r0]

EBC

 

[oscar]

EAC

 

[Nevill]

Remember when she was trying to ward the lobby in her adorably inept, incompetent, and ineffectual way?

Ei-chan, you are not making your case any better with that attitude, you know?

Is she jealous someone else is able to do the things that she exists to do? It might tug at her sense of self-worth, considering that she can't do much else, what's with her being a book.

Unleash the Amanozaki! All hail our Kansai-speaking psychic!

And tell her that she looks better without the glasses. Seriously!

At the same time, you notice Kozaka tugging at his collar uncomfortably, staring at Murano’s forehead, then down at his own neck.

It looks like Kozaka may have been bitten/cursed, too, as he seems to recognize Murano's mark.

In those circumstances I don't believe it is wise to try and smooth the issue - several people are already affected and there may be more victims if we do not warn them. Some people, like Kozaka, may not come out until it is too late if they think it is nothing serious. Maybe Amanozaki has some talismans to help them?

It is interesting to note that so far it only affected the 'secondaries'. Perhaps they are already dead?

I would prefer to make a safehouse while we can, but it might be prone to sabotage. I wonder if the barriers can't slow down the spread of the black bruises, similarly to how it stopped the pain in our ankle during the third night.

EAB

 

[Baltika9]

Let B part Resident Evil esque adventure start. IF get elected first thing would be to beeline to armory for some 12 gauge shooty love.

treave, can Ei-chan conjure up a shotgun for us?

 

[treave]

Shotguns didn't exist when she was made, so you'll need to be at the level where you can upgrade her with new pages to do that.

You can have a katana if you want though.

 

[Nevill]

How old is Ei, exactly?

Do we have a personality that can use katanas?

What would Liam Nii-san do?

 

[treave]

How old is Ei, exactly?

You can ask her if you choose to speak to her.

Do we have a personality that can use katanas?

You need to have either the Soul of the Minamoto or the Soul of the Sword Saint in your collection.

What would Liam Nii-san do?

He would scowl and go off to look for Mori-senpai, his heterosexual life partner, before shooting and CQCing his way through the hospital to rescue his imouto.

 

[Baltika9]

Unlike our Nii-san, we can't punch ghosts. Does Ei-chan have an incantation for that?

 

[treave]

Unlike our Nii-san, we can't punch ghosts. Does Ei-chan have an incantation for that?

But you can, albeit after weakening them.

You tighten your grip on the ghost’s head and push him down, pinning the spirit to the ground. Fighting off the malice seems to have weakened him, making him corporeal enough for you to handle physically.

There's a spell to be able to do that immediately, of course. But you'll need to unlock it by feeding the book more.

Final tally:

B - 1
C - 1
D - 1
E - 6
F - 2

A - 6
B - 5

A - 1
B - 1
C - 9

 

[GreyViper]

FAC By the look of it our opponent might have planted some un/willing pawns into our group already.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Bac

I wonder if Uehara can tell us if this happened before?