Ruh-roh... 
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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Capture
Track 9
I'll just have to make it to the stairs. Once I'm inside the building they should stop their pursuit. Julius picked this place and time because he probably didn't want to attract too much attention. His hand was still firmly grabbing my collar, but he isn't that strong. I should be able to do this.
Thinking that, I give Julius a sudden shove. He stumbles back in surprise, his fingers loosening their grip. Had he really thought I would just stand here petrified, waiting for his pets to take me? I use the chance to run past him.
“F-fuck you!” howls Julius. “Get him! Now! Now!” His screams get more angry and desperate, but I am almost at the door. As my hand closes around the doorknob, a shadow falls over me, along with the putrid stench of rotting meat. One of Julius's monsters had clambered atop the entrance to the stairs. I had noticed too late. This one was some weird combination of ape and gigantic frog legs. Its powerful thigh muscles tense for a brief second, coiling up – and in an instant, it smashes me into the floor. I feel my bones reverberate from the impact. The beast screams an awful gurgling cry, a white worm bearing a single human eyeball slithering from its mouth as it does so. It whips around in the air before fixing its malevolent stare on me. I can hear Julius laughing in that peculiar manner of his.
“Uhihihihihihihi! Take him! Do it now!”
The monster complies; the white worm moves towards my mouth. I was pinned down by its strong limbs. Should I wait and bite at it, like I did last time? Probably not – I have another option. Increasing my perception now would not help much, but if I use my tendrils...
Though I have less fine control over their movement in this state, they rise to my command. The tendrils swarm out of my wrist, wrapping around the undead monster's furry arm. Then, they begin to suck away the warmth from its body. The creature rears back in agony, its purpose forgotten. The tendrils crumble before I can manage to kill it, but that is fine. Another swarm bursts forth, anchoring themselves tightly around the one-eyed worm. This time, the thing dies, its body shuddering in rapid convulsions.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the only monster I had to deal with. Before I could get to my feet, long, spindly fingers close around my throat and lift me up. My feet leave the ground and I kick helplessly at the air.
“Shit. This is fucked up!” curses Julius. “You're a Third Hierarch? What the fuck? How did you find us? You guys weren't supposed to know!”
I can't answer him, struggling to even breathe as the monster keeps its tight grip on my throat. Julius grimaces, an expression of worry on his rat-like face. “I thought Relius was making sure none of the Third Hierarchs came here. No matter. He'll want to speak with you personally. Take him alive, my dears.”
Struggling to focus, I finally manage to wrap my tendrils around the thing's bony wrist. It snarls and drops me immediately, pulling away. The thick black strings tear as the creature leaps away. Gasping for breath, I send more after it, but the creature manages to scuttle away on its long, spidery legs. I'm not fast enough to track it. Yet, before I can even think about heightening my senses, I'm slammed into the floor. Then, I am lifted up and slammed into it again. Two more monsters had blindsided me, and I'm becoming fast friends with the floor of the rooftop, meeting it again and again in a short span of time.
There is a loud crack, and everything goes dark.
***
Track 15
My consciousness returns gradually. The first thing I feel are the aches and chills all over my body, and a sharp, throbbing pain at the back of my ankles. I appear to be suspended by my arms, which are tied up above me. My toes can touch the ground, but barely. I try to lower my body. A stinging pain shoots up both of my legs as I do so. My feet are limp, flopping beyond my control when I try to flex them. Did the bastard cut my Gursu's tendons?
It looks like running is out of the question. I should devote my time to something more useful than attempting to get my feet to work through sheer willpower. Cursing my poor judgement, I try to survey my surroundings.
The room I am in is dark and dank. A strong smell of medicinal alcohol permeates the place. Water is dripping in a rhythmic manner – I could tap my foot to the splashes... if I could tap my feet. The fading light of the sun filters in through some privacy windows set high up on the wall. It is still sunset. I'm probably somewhere on the academy grounds. Security must be terribly lax if Julius had managed to set up shop here; perhaps I should write some strongly worded letters to the administration and have Kyrie sign them. As my eyes regain their focus, more details become clear to me, along with the reason I feel cold; I'm not really wearing anything at the moment.
In the corner there is a pile of body parts. They appear to be human, though some have been mutilated beyond recognition. From the lack of blood and flies despite their fresh look, they must have been preserved. Glass tanks line the far wall opposite me. In each floated an animal part, though I have never seen insectoid limbs or amphibians of this size. On a wooden table near the glass tanks lay one of Julius's pets, its rib-cage pulled and held open with large steel forceps.
This is probably his laboratory.
Several other things that look like consoles of some sort are scattered the room. There is a weird round machine with arrays of lights and wires stretching to every console near the wooden table. Whatever he is doing here, it isn't magic. If I could get closer and take a look at the computer on one of the moldy old desks, I might be able to learn more.
I hear a slight moan from besides me. Turning my head, I see Keiko, hung from the ceiling in much the same way that I am. She seems to be unconscious, her eyes gently shut. Ugly bruises are splashed all over her face. Like me, she is not wearing any clothes. I resist the urge to stare, but what little I see of the numerous wounds on her body tells me that Julius really loves knives. Still, what is important now is thinking of my next step... If I continue draining the heat from my bindings I should be able to freeze and crack them. Even though I am unable to walk, I might be able to crawl my way around.
***
A. I take the chance to escape immediately. I can always come back here later to satisfy my curiosity. Preferably with an army in tow.
B. I spend some time checking out the computer before I try to escape. I can also do something about Keiko.
1. I wake Keiko up and try to get her to help me. After all this, she can't be an ally of Julius's. Together we should have a better chance to escape.
2. I don't wake Keiko. I still don't trust her enough to do so.
C. I wait and rest. I am still able to activate my ability and use it to its fullest when I want to. Julius said Relius would come to talk to me personally. Once the two of them are here, I'll surprise them and take them out together, neatly solving this entire problem in one fell swoop.
Track 9
I'll just have to make it to the stairs. Once I'm inside the building they should stop their pursuit. Julius picked this place and time because he probably didn't want to attract too much attention. His hand was still firmly grabbing my collar, but he isn't that strong. I should be able to do this.
Thinking that, I give Julius a sudden shove. He stumbles back in surprise, his fingers loosening their grip. Had he really thought I would just stand here petrified, waiting for his pets to take me? I use the chance to run past him.
“F-fuck you!” howls Julius. “Get him! Now! Now!” His screams get more angry and desperate, but I am almost at the door. As my hand closes around the doorknob, a shadow falls over me, along with the putrid stench of rotting meat. One of Julius's monsters had clambered atop the entrance to the stairs. I had noticed too late. This one was some weird combination of ape and gigantic frog legs. Its powerful thigh muscles tense for a brief second, coiling up – and in an instant, it smashes me into the floor. I feel my bones reverberate from the impact. The beast screams an awful gurgling cry, a white worm bearing a single human eyeball slithering from its mouth as it does so. It whips around in the air before fixing its malevolent stare on me. I can hear Julius laughing in that peculiar manner of his.
“Uhihihihihihihi! Take him! Do it now!”
The monster complies; the white worm moves towards my mouth. I was pinned down by its strong limbs. Should I wait and bite at it, like I did last time? Probably not – I have another option. Increasing my perception now would not help much, but if I use my tendrils...
Though I have less fine control over their movement in this state, they rise to my command. The tendrils swarm out of my wrist, wrapping around the undead monster's furry arm. Then, they begin to suck away the warmth from its body. The creature rears back in agony, its purpose forgotten. The tendrils crumble before I can manage to kill it, but that is fine. Another swarm bursts forth, anchoring themselves tightly around the one-eyed worm. This time, the thing dies, its body shuddering in rapid convulsions.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the only monster I had to deal with. Before I could get to my feet, long, spindly fingers close around my throat and lift me up. My feet leave the ground and I kick helplessly at the air.
“Shit. This is fucked up!” curses Julius. “You're a Third Hierarch? What the fuck? How did you find us? You guys weren't supposed to know!”
I can't answer him, struggling to even breathe as the monster keeps its tight grip on my throat. Julius grimaces, an expression of worry on his rat-like face. “I thought Relius was making sure none of the Third Hierarchs came here. No matter. He'll want to speak with you personally. Take him alive, my dears.”
Struggling to focus, I finally manage to wrap my tendrils around the thing's bony wrist. It snarls and drops me immediately, pulling away. The thick black strings tear as the creature leaps away. Gasping for breath, I send more after it, but the creature manages to scuttle away on its long, spidery legs. I'm not fast enough to track it. Yet, before I can even think about heightening my senses, I'm slammed into the floor. Then, I am lifted up and slammed into it again. Two more monsters had blindsided me, and I'm becoming fast friends with the floor of the rooftop, meeting it again and again in a short span of time.
There is a loud crack, and everything goes dark.
***
Track 15
My consciousness returns gradually. The first thing I feel are the aches and chills all over my body, and a sharp, throbbing pain at the back of my ankles. I appear to be suspended by my arms, which are tied up above me. My toes can touch the ground, but barely. I try to lower my body. A stinging pain shoots up both of my legs as I do so. My feet are limp, flopping beyond my control when I try to flex them. Did the bastard cut my Gursu's tendons?
It looks like running is out of the question. I should devote my time to something more useful than attempting to get my feet to work through sheer willpower. Cursing my poor judgement, I try to survey my surroundings.
The room I am in is dark and dank. A strong smell of medicinal alcohol permeates the place. Water is dripping in a rhythmic manner – I could tap my foot to the splashes... if I could tap my feet. The fading light of the sun filters in through some privacy windows set high up on the wall. It is still sunset. I'm probably somewhere on the academy grounds. Security must be terribly lax if Julius had managed to set up shop here; perhaps I should write some strongly worded letters to the administration and have Kyrie sign them. As my eyes regain their focus, more details become clear to me, along with the reason I feel cold; I'm not really wearing anything at the moment.
In the corner there is a pile of body parts. They appear to be human, though some have been mutilated beyond recognition. From the lack of blood and flies despite their fresh look, they must have been preserved. Glass tanks line the far wall opposite me. In each floated an animal part, though I have never seen insectoid limbs or amphibians of this size. On a wooden table near the glass tanks lay one of Julius's pets, its rib-cage pulled and held open with large steel forceps.
This is probably his laboratory.
Several other things that look like consoles of some sort are scattered the room. There is a weird round machine with arrays of lights and wires stretching to every console near the wooden table. Whatever he is doing here, it isn't magic. If I could get closer and take a look at the computer on one of the moldy old desks, I might be able to learn more.
I hear a slight moan from besides me. Turning my head, I see Keiko, hung from the ceiling in much the same way that I am. She seems to be unconscious, her eyes gently shut. Ugly bruises are splashed all over her face. Like me, she is not wearing any clothes. I resist the urge to stare, but what little I see of the numerous wounds on her body tells me that Julius really loves knives. Still, what is important now is thinking of my next step... If I continue draining the heat from my bindings I should be able to freeze and crack them. Even though I am unable to walk, I might be able to crawl my way around.
***
A. I take the chance to escape immediately. I can always come back here later to satisfy my curiosity. Preferably with an army in tow.
B. I spend some time checking out the computer before I try to escape. I can also do something about Keiko.
1. I wake Keiko up and try to get her to help me. After all this, she can't be an ally of Julius's. Together we should have a better chance to escape.
2. I don't wake Keiko. I still don't trust her enough to do so.
C. I wait and rest. I am still able to activate my ability and use it to its fullest when I want to. Julius said Relius would come to talk to me personally. Once the two of them are here, I'll surprise them and take them out together, neatly solving this entire problem in one fell swoop.
Can't walk, can't very well run. Naked, tendons cut. Yeah. Sure. Sticking around to take out two adversaries sounds like a peachy idea! 
Let's be pragmatic, shall we? Not using our powers in a life-threatening situation turned out to be an unwise decision...
The most pragmatic choice seems to be A, for which I am voting.
The B varieties means more time spent here, time in which our foe might return. While I can appreciate gathering intel, now is really not the time.
Unless. Our protagonist seems to have a knack for telling time. Does that extend into time spent unconscious? If we knew how long he'd been out, it'd be a bit easier calculating the risks of being caught here. Denied that, I vote for as expeditious a retreat as possible.
Let's be pragmatic, shall we? Not using our powers in a life-threatening situation turned out to be an unwise decision...
The most pragmatic choice seems to be A, for which I am voting.
The B varieties means more time spent here, time in which our foe might return. While I can appreciate gathering intel, now is really not the time.
Unless. Our protagonist seems to have a knack for telling time. Does that extend into time spent unconscious? If we knew how long he'd been out, it'd be a bit easier calculating the risks of being caught here. Denied that, I vote for as expeditious a retreat as possible.
Bloodshifter
Educated
A- we know what we are good stuff actually better then winning (I hope you guys understand what happens now).
Run if Reg finds us we ARE screwed no questions asked.
I am still for killing Keiko out of Mercy...
Find Ol' Uncle Shulgi? And Contact our AI.
Run if Reg finds us we ARE screwed no questions asked.
I am still for killing Keiko out of Mercy...
Find Ol' Uncle Shulgi? And Contact our AI.
Still think we should scoot ASAP. We want some help here.
Soo, can't we have Yua summon the cavalry?
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
By the way, you guys are one choice away from a BAD END, having avoided a particular combination that would've led to one in the past update. In the finest VN tradition, you get to reload after reading a skit where certain members of the cast discuss the bad ending and how to avoid it.
Edit: Yua's probably sent out a call for help, but you're not sure if they can find you and when. Phone's not with you right now, but you can search for it if you free yourself.
Edit: Yua's probably sent out a call for help, but you're not sure if they can find you and when. Phone's not with you right now, but you can search for it if you free yourself.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
So much for mercifully ending Senya. Ean was built to withstand us. Dio was built to withstand us. Shulgi and Naram were built to withstand us. But this guy...damn, I disliked him up 'till this moment. Now I just pity the poor bastard.
Still, since we're in this mess, might as well explore: B2, because we should seize opportunities as they come. Right now we have a chance to go through Gallardo's files and dig up all sorts of interesting info on him, these monsters, Relius and the Golden Womb, info that we may not otherwise get.
Keiko I don't trust, she's either "broken in" by Boy Wonder here, hence his loyal slave, or she's a Slaaneshi daemonette sent to observe us.
ScubaV
Prophet
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,022
We dun goofed. I'm guessing the BAD END in the previous update would've been to attack Julius without our powers. Anyway, unless he somehow hasn't sent in a report already (which I doubt) we can kiss our anonymity goodbye. I'm gonna jump on the A bandwagon. We need to get the hell out and storm the place with reinforcements ASAP. The time for stealth is gone with this particular storyline. Hopefully we can scoop up Julius for interrogation and grab evidence from his computers/the lab. If Keiko can be saved, great. If not, too bad, so sad and our weaboo loses some naivete.
Flop to B1
Flop to B1
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
That seems like an extreme kneejerk reaction "shitshitshit we're about to get screwed, run!" Chances are, in our condition we won't get far
(Gursu's tendon, nice one, treave
) and I doubt someone like Gallardo would leave this room without some surveillance and/or protection. We'd be better off utilizing our abilities to their maximum extent: physical prowess(ahem,
) and willpower are not among them. Hacking and critical thinking are, as soon as we begin panicking, we're done.Edit: never thought I'd say this, but: I miss Dio. He would've Tzeentch'd himself outta here in a second.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
*sigh* I feared this sort of thing would happen more often without real offensive powers. So much for our superior intellect giving us hints. 
edit: I guess we really should have asked how fast the creatures were moving. I just assumed they were limping and sloshing along like slow zombies based on the description.
edit: I guess we really should have asked how fast the creatures were moving. I just assumed they were limping and sloshing along like slow zombies based on the description.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
I can't give hints all the time.
To be fair C1 combination was almost as ill advised. Your ability is best used in one go to achieve what you want to do, because of the time limit and side effects. You could have successfully taken out Julius and the monsters, or easily escaped the roof. Taking a keep away mindset would've been wasting time, and when the ability runs out...
Edit: I believe even the first one that attacked you in your house could pounce, and if you look back, they can keep up with you running home without much difficulty. Means they can at least run, so slow shambling zombies are a mistaken assumption.
Did you guys get sidetracked by the animu? :-/
To be fair C1 combination was almost as ill advised. Your ability is best used in one go to achieve what you want to do, because of the time limit and side effects. You could have successfully taken out Julius and the monsters, or easily escaped the roof. Taking a keep away mindset would've been wasting time, and when the ability runs out...
Edit: I believe even the first one that attacked you in your house could pounce, and if you look back, they can keep up with you running home without much difficulty. Means they can at least run, so slow shambling zombies are a mistaken assumption.
Did you guys get sidetracked by the animu? :-/
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Well, at least I wasn't completely off with wanting to avoid C1 then.
Ak! So A1 would have worked?!I can't give hints all the time.
To be fair C1 combination was almost as ill advised. Your ability is best used in one go to achieve what you want to do, because of the time limit and side effects. You could have successfully taken out Julius and the monsters, or easily escaped the roof. Taking a keep away mindset would've been wasting time, and when the ability runs out...
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Butterfield would've appeared in a helicopter. Wouldn't have made it in time in C1 because while you can run around easily when the ability is active, once it ends it turns you into a sitting duck. You would've been forced to use your ability in C2 as you begin to tire, buy that's different from using it from the start. While with B2 (and A2) you don't get a chance to use it because you're distracted by fighting. Get in a few more life or death situations and it should become easier though.
Hint: What Bookstore Shulgi taught is an offensive gamechanger.
Hint: What Bookstore Shulgi taught is an offensive gamechanger.
Okay, let's see. We're naked with our tendons cut in some abandoned facility; getting out of here is not going to be a piece of cake. Remember, blindly running away is what led to us getting into this mess. While I'm not going to deny that we'd be pretty screwed if Relius showed up, some help would be nice, and one of the only possible candidates for that right now is Keiko. If nothing else, she could probably help us to shamble faster.
It's also evident that while she was probably threatened and tortured into giving us that message, she had enough free will to change up her script, so she's not some sort of mindslave. I'm not even sure she really has the means to betray us at this point; we're kind of boned right now, anyway, and she's just being suspended in the air and naked with no pockets for any tricky gadgets or the like. I really can't think of a way she could betray us from here that couldn't have been covered by some sort of more obvious and trustworthy mechanism that's probably running as we speak, and she really has no logical reason to be going against our escape attempt.
C is out of the question; while it would be pretty great if we managed to pull it off, I don't think we're good enough to beat Relius in addition to whatever guard and monsters they might be bringing.
B1.
It's also evident that while she was probably threatened and tortured into giving us that message, she had enough free will to change up her script, so she's not some sort of mindslave. I'm not even sure she really has the means to betray us at this point; we're kind of boned right now, anyway, and she's just being suspended in the air and naked with no pockets for any tricky gadgets or the like. I really can't think of a way she could betray us from here that couldn't have been covered by some sort of more obvious and trustworthy mechanism that's probably running as we speak, and she really has no logical reason to be going against our escape attempt.
C is out of the question; while it would be pretty great if we managed to pull it off, I don't think we're good enough to beat Relius in addition to whatever guard and monsters they might be bringing.
B1.
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