I'll need bodybags... lots of 'em.
Sorry Joe, it's your unlucky day.
SPLAT
After that, the game automatically takes us to mrs Lauder's.
*the door bell rings 2 times*
A cold, sullen quited radiated from the wooden panels of the door. Call it intuition, call it boldness. Call it plain curiosity. I somehow knew that the door would be unlocked.
In this screen, Stone is standing in a passage to the left of the three pictures. Since it's behind the wall, you can't quite see him.
Rabbinical facepalm.
The interior of the apartment was a mess. Chairs were overturned, glasses were broken, and the telltale signs of a struggle were evident. This wasn't over yet, not by a long shot.
"Shalom, Rabbi Stone!
Evidently, my associate proved unable to complete his task, as he did not contact me at the usual time.
I believe we have business to discuss, do stop on by."
An address on the Upper East Side followed.
Zelig...
I could have walked away. I was getting Jack's money, I had solved the mystery. My conscience was clear. Yet, the angry cries of a dead man screamed in my soul
Jack...
I'm sorry, Jack.
As a man, I wished you all the happiness in the world. But as a Rabbi, as a religious leader, out of duty... I could not accept it. Can you understand?
Jack...
Jack... Forgive me, Jack. I'm sorry I cast you out, I'm sorry my actions sent you down this path. I...
I...
Get ahold of yourself Stone, this isn't your doing.
All men have reasons for doing what they do. Some reasons are good, while some others are definitely evil. But most lie somewhere in between. For once, my reasons were crystal clear.
Zelig.
You didn't leave me much choice, rabbi Zelig.
That's not entirely fair. I could have walked away
I made a commitment.
And you're so GOOD at those, aren't you?
Tell me what you want.
I only want this, Stone. You're going to walk over to the balcony, take a nice, long look at the view. Enjoy it, it costs a bundle (
In today's superspecial Rabbinical Villain offer, looking at the view costs ONLY 49.99$!! (taxes not included) ).
MORPHING TIME
Mrph?
And why would I do this?
How about...
Good heavens, he's got a gun!
And if I refuse?
I shoot her, then you, and throw you BOTH off the balcony. I'd prefer to avoid complications, but it's the same to me either way.
You think you'll get away with this?
You have NO IDEA what you're messing with, Stone. This goes way beyond you or me.
This mission may be more important than my life, or your life, or the life of this ship.
I don't claim to see what lies beyond. All I see is a man charged with leading his people.
And instead he leads them to their deaths.
It's not that simple, Stone. It never is. Pull your head out of the clouds and take a look around. This is how the world works. So are you going to jump? Or is this going to get messy?
Pfff, the faggot is bluffing. Let's grab his gun.
*bang*
I braced myself for the impact. I felt a harsh puff of metal whiz past my torso and jam harmlessly into the floor
My, my. Looks like I missed. How careless of me.
A twist of smirk revealed it was anything but.
You might want to rethink that move in the future.
Well, since refusing or trying to take his gun again ends with us lying on the floor with a bullet between the eyes, let's play along for now.
Alright. You win, Zelig. You hold all the cards.
Good boy. He can be taught.
There's one more thing.
He moved his gun off of me and pointed it straight at Rajshree Lauder.
MPHPH!
STOP!
YOU'VE VIOLATED THE LAW!!!
Headshot.
You shot her!
I decided to dispense with the formalities.
This is a subtle way of saying 'YOUR PREVIOUS CHOICE WITH JOE WAS A FUCK-UP, SUCKER'.
All this bloodshed sickens me.
Uh... let's try stalling him and see what happens.
Well, he made a step forward. Guess that's significant.
Nothing you can possibly say will change things, Stone.
Now that we're closer, let's try this gun-grabbing thing one more time
The bullet caught me in the left arm. The pain flared like a supernova.
Your bravado is irritating. Now JUMP!
Pfff, it takes more than a stupid gunshot wound to stop Rabbi Serious! Let's reach for the gun again
My right shoulder exploded into a fiery furnace of pain. Black dots dotted in front of my vision as I struggled to keep focused
Your capacity for pain is indeed impressive. I'm almost tempted to watch you bleed where you stand. But time is short. Now jump or die.
This time if we try to grab the gun this time, we get a bullet to the head.
What are you waiting for?
Just... admiring the view.
Alright, he seems to be kinda distracted. Let's go for the gun again.
Stone, you retard.
Weak from blood loss, I couldn't keep my hold on the gun. It slid out of my fingers like melting butter.
What's this? You think you can knock me out like some common street punk?
He was old, and certainly not as strong as me, but those two bullets had taken their toll.
Who do you THINK I am?
Those tricks won't work with me, Stone. I've been playing that game since you were knee-high to my tukhes. You think you can out-rabbi ME?
You call yourself a jew?
You call yourself a hero?
And here, ladies and gentlemen, we have a rabbinical insult fight.
You are presented with a few dialogue options and the option to throw a punch. The first time I played this, it took me a while to understand what this is about, but I finally got it - you have to choose such questions, to which Zelig *won't* respond with a question, and after that, hit him. If you try punching him if he answers with a question, he dodges and punches you instead.
How can you face God, knowing what you've done?
God knows more than anyone how the world works. I'm sure he understands.
Are you happy with this life, Zelig?
Yes. Are you?
Is this how a rabbi acts?
This is how the WORLD acts!
You REALLY call yourself a Jew?
You REALLY call yourself a hero?
Is all this worth your soul, Zelig?
I'm not giving up my soul for anything, Stone. Is all this worth your life?
Are there others like you?
More than you can possibly imagine.
Sometimes, even after choosing the 'correct' question, Zelig will hit you anyway. This happens once every 4-5 questions, I think.
Do you think you can win this fight?
Do you think you can shut up?
How can you live with yourself?
With power, respect, and money. I manage quite well.
You really think God will understand your actions?
God knows what is necessary. I'm sure he understands.
It would appear I forgot to take the previous question, but it doesn't really matter anyway, since most of them are just repeated.
I ask again: How can you live with yourself?
I have all the prestige and respect money can buy, Stone! I live quite comfortably!
COLLAR
GRAB
It's over!
What do you have to say for yourself?
I applaud you. To have come this far, you certainly are resourceful.
Just what are you saying, Zelig?
I do remember Jack Lauder very well. He came into my office eight years ago, looking to get married. It seems that his zionist, pig-headed rabbi was against it. Oh, the things he said about you! Imagine my surprise when you showed up in my office.
Yeah, I bet you were shocked, all right.
I've done some checking up on you. In all these years, you've never learned to make concessions.
Concessions?
Concessions?! The Jewish people are slowly becoming extinct! For thousands of years we've struggled to keep our place on this planet, and you talk of concessions! As a rabbi, I can do everything I can to help (
tearofAbraham). And if that means refusing to conduct an inter-faith marriage, then SO BE IT! I can still look at myself in the mirror and call myself a rabbi. What are YOU, Zelig? You're nothing but a common criminal who consorts with gangsters and assassins.
We all have our place in the big machine, Stone. And you? You're just a tiny, squeaky wheel. Now be a good cog and just let me go. I *know* you don't have the guts to throw me over.
And here we make it to our second important choice that I leave for you to decide.
Will Rabbi Zelig pay for his crimes with his life? Or shall we knock him out and inform the authorities?
The decision is, once again, yours.