In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

Kind of refreshing, though, isn't it? Not being specced into talk magic and actually having to suck it up every now and then. At least it's different.

 

No. Despite all of my protests, I think ItsChon and Lambchop19 summarized the group's general sentiment: we don't want to play a diaper-changing CYOA. Fair enough, but I don't like half-assing things; it's either full-ass, or no-ass. We chose a life of adventure when we decided to come to the ruins, so I will embrace the YOLOFISH. But I insist that we do it right.

Also, @ thinking that jumping in the water without swimming skills is a responsible choice.

 

It's not a responsible choice, it's a fish choice.
...we need a fish smiley.

 

The Ancient Jungle (I)

You cough and splutter, blinking your eyes slowly. What happened? Your head is still fuzzy, but your memories come back to you soon enough. You had found a way to an underground river that coursed swiftly, but then… there had been things lurking above you, crawling on the cavern’s ceiling. Far more adept in hiding themselves than your ability to sense them, the unseen creatures attacked you and the girls the moment you got to the river. The sudden ambush forced your hand – unable to fight them in the dark, you had no choice but to grab the girls and escape into the water, letting the currents take you where they may.

It was a gamble, but it has paid off. You are no longer underground, as evidenced by the dark sky above you. You realize that you are still holding the girls tightly to you by the waist. They are still unconscious from the rapid trip down the river, but at least they are alive. Not a bad result for three people who were not all that accustomed to watery jaunts. Loosening your grip, you sit up and take the measure of your surroundings.

The trees around you are unfamiliar. That is the first thing you notice. The air is more humid, and the chirping of insects fills the night. You are on the bank of a shallow river at the moment, half-submerged in the water. Unfortunately, your bag was lost in the scuffle. There goes your supplies – hopefully you are not too far from Scotsfield, even though you are certain no such trees exist in the village’s vicinity. How well Sophie and Elizabeth would hold up in a prolonged journey through the wilderness is yet uncertain.

Resisting the urge to sigh, you drag the two unconscious girls up from the river. The wet fabric of their clothes clings to the lines of their bodies, and you do your best to avert your eyes. Not that it matters in Elizabeth’s case, as she has about as much curves as Rain would, but Sophie has started to fill out in places rather noticeably. For a second, you are rather certain that if the girls could read your mind, your reputation would plummet.

Putting thoughts of bodies and the like out of mind, you check your surroundings again. The temperature is not too cold, but it might still be a good idea to start a fire to warm the girls up. You begin looking for any wood that could burn… and then, you stop. The bushes are rustling. Keeping still, you slowly reach for the knife at your side, the only weapon you have left.

A dark shadow bursts out of the bushes, leaping at you. Without hesitation, you draw your knife and slam it into the figure’s side. Its momentum manages to knock you down, and at this distance you manage to see what your assailant looks like.

It is a lizard your size – the largest you have ever seen. It snaps at you with its jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth. Your knife is firmly embedded in its neck. As the giant lizard claws at you with its limbs and continues its attempts to chew on your face, you twist the knife and jerk it downward. Blood spatters all over your face. Leveraging yourself against the ground, you kick the lizard away. The reptile convulses on the ground, bleeding out, scrabbling in the dirt as it squeals.

You back away from it and crouch besides the girls, your dagger at the ready. The rustling has yet to stop.

There are more of these things.

Three more lizards crawl out of the bushes on all fours. You glare at them, wondering what you should do next. Taking them on all at once while still protecting the girls would be impossible. Will you go down fighting? Or…

The lizards screech and hiss, their gaping maws drooling. You can tell that they are about to attack. Your body tenses up and you tighten your grip on the knife.

Suddenly, a large, spotted cat drops down from the trees above, smashing the back of one of the lizards under its paws. It bites into the lizard’s neck and twists it hard enough to tear the head off. Before the other lizards can react, a human figure appears as if from thin air, swinging down a large club on one lizard’s head. The last lizard turns to flee, but a burning, winged snake flies from the person’s outstretched fingers, wrapping itself around the lizard and reducing it to ashes.

“Children, all the way out here?” mutters your saviour. Though obscured by the darkness, you can tell by the voice that it is an old woman. The winged snake coils in a circle on the ground, and a perfectly serviceable campfire is formed immediately. The old woman walks into the light of the flames, revealing her features. Her face is wrinkled and her hair silver, tied in a tight bun. A pair of half-moon glasses is perched on her nose. The tan colour of her skin is darker than any you have seen before.

You keep your knife up, unsure whether or not she is a threat. A ragged brown cloak covers most of her body, but at her waist you spot a slim, earthen jug, from which the smell of alcohol wafts. That alone makes you wary.

“Hah, interested in my drink? I’m not sharing,” cackles the old woman as she misinterprets your stare at the jug. She sits down on a fallen log. Underneath the cloak she is dressed lightly, and you can just make out lean, sinewy muscles on her limbs – she looks far stronger than someone of her age should be. She rests her strange club – a long, wooden affair lined with polished black stone – against the log, and rummages through her pack. Her skinny fingers produce a chocolate bar from the pack, and the old woman starts eating it. “There’s no need to be afraid of me,” she snorts. “In truth, as long as you aren’t some changeling or gremlin in disguise. Are you? If you are, I’m afraid I would have to split your head open.” She cackles again, laughing at her own joke. The spotted cat comes to her side, curling up besides the fire.

You wait in silence, as does the old woman, enjoying her chocolate bar without offering you any. Her cat purrs contentedly, its eyes closed.

“By the way, boy,” she speaks up suddenly after a while. Peering at you from behind her glasses, she asks, “Do you hunt?”

You nod. The old woman seems pleased with herself, saying, “I guess my old eyes are not totally lost. I thought you might.”

Sophie and Elizabeth decide to wake up at that time. They are flustered about their current location, but the old woman quickly cuts through their confusion by introducing herself.

“You can call me Tlalli, and I saved your lives,” she says briskly, in a manner that brooks no argument.

“I-I see,” replies Sophie nervously. “You have my thanks, Madam Tlalli. My name is Sophie. Sophie McClellan.”

“Indeed, I would thank you too,” follows Elizabeth soon after. “I am Elizabeth Bayther. Not to be confused with Bathory, do remember that, please.”

“Charmed,” grins Tlalli. “And the boy here, what is your name? Or do you have none?”

“Oh, we just call him Wrinkly,” quips Elizabeth.

“Wrinkly?” Tlalli cackles. “I can see why, but are you really fine with that?”

You shrug. “It’s just a name.”

The old woman tuts at you, shaking her head. “Names have power, boy, especially in the Tower. But, well, it is your choice. I have nothing to say about it.” She pets the large cat behind the ears before asking you another question. “So, what are you doing on the twenty-sixth floor of the Tower with two girls in tow? You are too young to be eloping with your lovers, aren’t you?”

That question is met with sputtering disbelief by Sophie. “Ma’am, that is most assuredly not the case! Why would you think that he was my lover?”

“Ah, to be young,” laughs Tlalli. “He was protecting the two of you from some rather terrible lizards, you know? What man would do that if not for someone he loved?”

“Lizards? How terrible were they? Were they really big?” Elizabeth, on the other hand, seems to be more interested in the lizards.

You decide to change the subject before things get any weirder and answer the old woman’s question. “Well… We were attacked, and we jumped into the river, and we ended up here,” you explain briefly, without giving too many details – not that you would be able to give much details about how exactly you arrived on the twenty-sixth floor, of all places. How did you jump into a river underground and end up higher than you were?

“Towerspace,” shrugs Tlalli, sensing your confusion. “These things happen from time to time. Best not to think too much about it, boy. What floor are you from?”

“The twentieth,” Sophie answers. She looks tremendously stressed, mumbling, “We’re on the… twenty-sixth floor… oh no…”

“That’s quite the way down,” she frowns, adjusting her spectacles. “It would be at least two weeks of travel without an airship, even if you knew the way. At any rate, you were attacked, you say? By what?”

She did not ask by whom, you notice. “I did not see them clearly,” you admit. “We were in a cave, and the creatures caught us by surprise.”

“Cave dwellers,” mutters the old woman under her breath. “Which stories might those be from, I wonder? Thurston will want to know of this. The twentieth floor has been of concern…”

“Stories?” you ask.

She nods. “That’s right. Stories. Tales of fancy and fiction. That is what we do, child. As the light of civilization grows within the Tower, so does its shadow. Many strange and terrible things are born in that darkness, things that bear malice towards humanity. It is our job to hunt them… well, the blasted Jesuit can explain why all this is happening better than I can, but thankfully he’s not here to bore us all with his droning exposition.” Tlalli snorts and shakes her head. “Let’s just say that I’m a monster hunter.”

“Monsters!” squeals Elizabeth. “You mean, like vampires? Werewolves?”

“I have killed a few of those in my time, yes,” says Tlalli proudly.

“So, Madam Tlalli, is that why you are here?” asks Sophie tentatively. “To hunt a monster?”

“Indeed, my quarry this time is a shapeshifter. Do you want to know more?” Tlalli leans towards the girls, grinning ferally.

“Yes!” “No!”

Elizabeth and Sophie both give different answers, causing Tlalli to be extremely amused. “The two of you couldn’t be any more different, could you? Oh, but oft times the most repressed ones turn out to be the wildest! Tough times await you, boy!”

You only give Tlalli a wry smile, not really understanding what she means. You suppose it would be a tough time attempting to mediate between the two girls, but it’s not like that’s your job.

“Anyway,” continues Tlalli, "What you need to be worried about is how you’re going to get home.” She takes out some biscuits from her pack and tosses them at you and the girls. “Eat up, and then sleep. In the morning I will have Bernard here escort you to our outpost on this level. If you wait there until I return, I’ll see if I can’t find some time to bring you three back to the twentieth floor. It’d make my drink taste bad if I just left three kids to die in the jungle.” By Bernard, it seems that she is referring to the giant cat.

“Um, pardon me, Ma’am, I do not want to be rude, but how long will it take?” asks Sophie.

“The trip to the outpost? Just a couple of hours. Bernard will keep you safe, don’t worry. If you mean how long I’ll be taking… well, I can’t say. I still need to track the thrice-damned shifter down,” shrugs Tlalli. “You don’t really have any choice in the matter, girlie.”

“N-No, I understand,” says Sophie meekly. “Thank you.”

“Or maybe we can help you instead?” offers Elizabeth. You did not peg her as the type to go exploring at first, but she seems to have quickly become more and more adventurous ever since getting a taste of it in the ruins. “We do have Astras, you know? Would things go quicker then?”

“Elizabeth,” cries out Sophie, shocked at her offer. “What can we do against monsters? We can hardly fight them, can we? I just want to go home, please.”

You can understand Sophie’s feelings – you want to go home to Rain too. On the other hand, Elizabeth might be right; Tlalli’s hunt could go quicker with your assistance.

Tlalli looks as if she is seriously considering Elizabeth’s offer. She asks about the Astras that each of you possess. When she finishes hearing your explanations, a brutal smile spreads across her lips. “Oh, that son of a bitch would be an easy mark with these. This will save me time.”

Sophie covers her ears at the sudden swearing coming out of the old woman’s mouth.

“Alright, children, if you want to help out I’m not going to say no. You certainly have the tools to be of assistance. But I’ll warn you this – leaving you to die on your own is one thing, but I won’t take any responsibility if you willingly follow me into danger and lose your life,” Tlalli says solemnly. “I’m not that kind of person. Once you embark on a hunt, there is no unfairness in death.”

“Let’s do it,” says Elizabeth. “We have Astras, so we should make full use of them.”

“But…” mutters Sophie, unconvinced.

***

You get the feeling that Elizabeth will want to go. You are not so sure about Sophie. And as for yourself:

A. You agree to help Tlalli out. If she finishes the hunt more quickly, she can guide you back more quickly.

B. You decide to go to the outpost and wait there for Tlalli to finish her job. You really should not be taking any unnecessary risks in such a dangerous place.​

 

I was right. Again.

A. YOLOFISH needs friends to bail him out, and I want to get back home ASAP, and I want to get recruited into the monster hunters. Hopefully, they know things about elves. You better not pussy out this time, bros.

And Elizabeth, once again, shows herself to be Best Girl.

Remember Father Rasputin's words:

 

Kitty!

A. You agree to help Tlalli out. If she finishes the hunt more quickly, she can guide you back more quickly.

Here, kitty-kitty! Ah, what? I didn't notice when I voted.

I renounce the beard-dream! Teach us, Tlalli-sensei!

Eliabeth is the sweetest girl there is and nothing would convince me otherwise.

...it'd be nice if we could leave Sophie somewhere safe since she doesn't want to go, but she has the essential Astra to detect the changeling. Let's make sure we don't get our squishy cleric in harm's way.

You think he meant being stranded all alone in the jungle with a stepsister and a kinky girl?

P.S.

Charsheet Snapshot (open) Charsheet Snapshot (close)

 

Voting A. Lets not pussy out on this.

 

B sounds smart. We owe the lady a fair turn, but that's one dude with an iffy leg and a senior citizen against a sneaky git.
I don't like it, but it's damned stupid to risk the other two. They're no good in a fight.
If the boy says no, will Elizabeth volunteer to help anyway, treave?

 

I'm not voting for B though. Fuck no.

 

A. You agree to help Tlalli out. If she finishes the hunt more quickly, she can guide you back more quickly.

When I talking about a test, I wasn't expecting travelling so far

 

A

 

Oh boy. I like this monster hunter a whole lot more than Raspy. Which isn't saying much by the way.
But yes. Take risks or not?

I'm game. Let's do this. A

 

Mindreading powers confirmed.

Called it.

Uh oh. Hopefully one of our girls hasn't been replaced already. Liz is sounding uncharacteristically gung ho about all of this.

*sigh*

I supposed we do need to gain some power and what better way than to apprentice ourselves to a genuine monster hunter with a heart of gold?

Once more into the breach: A

 

Father Rasputin is also a monster hunter, lol. But Grandma Tlalli is awesome, we need to introduce her to Rain.

Among other things, yes.

There is to be no thottery.

 

A

 

Lambchop19, Tigranes:

 

Baltika, buddy, you're off your rocker. Soon you'll be writing Rasputin erotic fan fiction every single upda- who am I kidding, you're there already.

As I thought, we aren't showing up back in the village anytime soon. That's not a terrible thing. I'm sure people will talk about Wrinkly kidnapping two girls or some nonsense, but the knights should be long gone by the time we get back. If we get back.

For now, might as well focus on what we can do. The woman seems to think that us tagging along doesn't mean certain death, at least.

A

 

In before the knights are off to explore the jungle for another reported lever.

(Wild speculation: is the shapeshifter a Nazgul? Are there elves sightings on the level? Maybe elves have something to do with the gates after all!)

 

Eight years, and our relationship hasn't changed a bit.

 

A but let's focus on protecting the girls. If one of them dies we're in deep shit. Still, we're a hunter that's fought monsters, so I feel like a monster hunt led by an expert should be within our capabilities.

 

Though if the hunt is successful, we'd be back at the village much quicker than if we just wait at the outpost

 

A.

 

A

 

Can't say. Maybe, maybe not.

 

treave

Can we change our name now?

Seeing as names have power in the tower, I suggest Strong. Now no one will laugh at us.