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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
aleam iacis
Liturgist
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2012
- Messages
- 115
I agree with Baltika. I think Senya has been going through a transformation from an antisocial computer nerd with issues into a mature, heroic, badass like Ean. And just like Ean he should be making calculated risks and be pragmatic in how he does things, but he should let principles and a sense of humanity guide him. For the most part.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
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- 2,835
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Conversation in a Funeral Hall
“No, there's no need to get you two in any more trouble,” I smile. “I'll handle it. I can hide out inside the hall while he is there, and leave after he does.” If they get caught helping me out, losing their jobs would be the least of their worries. Of course, I have no intention of leaving Julius alone. I would just have to be discreet about it.
***
The palace is large enough that Rose and Babs sneak me into one of the hall's antechambers without anyone noticing, a few hours later when the crowd has thinned. They're clearly not expecting anyone to do anything to the body; security is quite lax.
“We're posted just outside this room, so just give a knock when you're ready to leave. No one else will be coming through here anyway.” says Rose, scratching at his shoulder. I give them a nod of thanks, leaving them standing outside the antechamber. Julius should be here soon – I need to take a good look around before he arrives. Rose had lent me some of his spare clothes, which fit snugly on my tall frame. It wouldn't do to appear in my dirty rags. I had also prepared something else; a black, full-face motorcycle helmet. I put it on as I enter the hall.
Kyrie lies in her open coffin, at the center of the empty hall. All around her grand statues of past Emperors gaze down at her; some sternly, some kindly. This had once been a hall for festivities, a few hundred years ago, though as with all large, old buildings rooms in the Imperial Palace tended to fall into disuse depending on the mood of the decade. It had been cleaned up and set up for Kyrie's funeral due to its easily accessible location to the public.
Resting my mechanical hand on the edge of the coffin, I look down at her face, peaceful in her rest. Still, I have to be sure. I did not come all this way to merely watch.
I stretch my good hand out, towards her chest, and pull down the elegant white gown gently.
After a second, I return her clothes into position, making sure they look undisturbed.
Her torso is entirely unblemished, perfect and pale as marble even in the dim, warm lighting of the hall.
Well.
That's all I need to know.
Under the helmet my teeth are bared in an uncontrollable grin. A strange mixture of feelings wells up within me, a mishmash of emotions that I am unable to identify. All I am familiar with is this feeling of exhilaration that causes my heart to speed up.
There is a noise from the main doors. I step away from the coffin calmly, putting my excitement under control as I slink behind one of the great stone pillars. The main doors are opened and relocked with a click, and then there are footsteps, pattering in an uneven, excited beat. He is alone, at least. The squeak of wheels on the floor seem to indicate that he has pushed in a trolley of some sorts.
“Uhihihihi! Oh, man, you still look so fucking good no matter how many times I see it. It's a big damned waste to have you buried and left for worms to fuck. I've gotta get that hag to let me have you somehow.” giggles Julius Gallardo. “Well, before we start, my precious... let's have the usual course, shall we? Gods, I can't wait to do it tonight.” By the sound of it he appears to either be more insane than before, or high on something.
There's the sound of fabric dropping to the floor, as the coffin rattles slightly.
I count to five, and then speak.
“Julius.”
The helmet muffles my voice, disguising it. He gives a slight shriek when he hears me.
“Wh-what? Who? Who the fuck is there?” says Julius shrilly.
I peek around the pillar – as I expected, he climbed inside the coffin. The body's bare legs are up in the air; I caught him at just the right time.
“You know who I am.” I venture.
“W-wait... hey, why are you here? I thought you were with the Empress doing whatever fucked up stuff you guys get up to? Why are you hiding anyway?”
“I needed to speak with you in secret. I did not expect to find you doing... that.” He's the last person in the world I want to hear complaining about fucked up stuff.
“Oh. Oh fuck. Shit. Sorry. Couldn't help myself. You know how it is, Relius.” blabbers Julius incessantly. That's an interesting name to hear. The last I saw of him, he was most certainly dead, his head and body having parted ways in a less than amicable – but exceedingly orderly – manner.
“I certainly do.” I say coldly.
“Oh come on, Relius. I said I'm sorry. It's not like this dead broad you gave me is going to be harmed by this, right? It's all consensual.”
“Are you certain it will not affect our plan?”
“Of course. What do you think I am, an amateur? As long as I keep the body nourished it'll be as pretty as fucking the real thing. I mean, the real fucking thing. After I give her today's supplement it'll serve as a good enough substitute until the burial tomorrow, while gods know what you do with the real one. But honestly... I'm thinkin' this girl here is prettier, and softer too. The real Kyrie never let me touch her like this. Soft! Uhihihihi!”
“I would prefer it if you did not touch the real one, Julius.”
“Well, you're certainly doing a good job of not letting me know where she is.” spits Julius. “You goddamn secretive chucklefuck... I don't even know how you came back from the dead, and you never tell me anything.”
“I have my ways. Well, one as smart as you would be able to figure it out, eventually. Do you remember what happened when I first reappeared? There is a hint in there, somewhere.” I try to lead him on.
“Huh... well, I heard you got your head cut off. Then you called me out to 'renew our relationship'. Fuck, I almost shat my pants when I received that message from you. What's the hint there?”
“Weren't you suspicious of me?”
“Of course, you fuck! That's why I sent the familiars to scout you out. Then you crushed the familiars without lifting so much as a finger. Coming back from the dead with superpowers... that isn't fucking fair, man.” says Julius resentfully.
“There's your clue. Do you want the answer?” I laugh.
“Well...” replies Julius in a sullen manner, “If you're going to teach me, that'd be great. But I'd prefer finishing my work here first.”
“Do what you have to do. How is the state of the body?”
“She's holding up just fine, considering that she's only a shell with most of the organs removed. Whoever you got this from did some extremely fine work in reshaping the stiff to look just like the dear Princess. I mean, it probably wouldn't be practical to reanimate this lovely girl without extensive renovation on the innards to construct the structures required to supply the required nutrients... I don't think I would be able to do it without distending her fucking beautiful body. Which would make me sad. Where did you get this, anyway?”
“I have my ways, as I said. I also have faith in your ability. You could probably awaken this if you wanted to.”
“Nah, not doable, Relius. I hear the Higashi are doing some pretty nifty things with cybernetics nowadays that could probably make things much more compact and smoother, but I'm an artist, y'know. Using machines just ruins the purity of the art.”
“True, true. That is not what we want here anyway.” I muse.
“You got it, man. Now, can I finish my fucking work already? I'll chat with you afterwards. Maybe you can come out from behind that pillar while you're at it. Sheesh, it's like your secretive nature got magnified by a thousand times nowadays.”
***
A. I do not do anything to harm Julius.
B. I knock Julius out.
C. I murder him.
***
A. I prevent the corpse from being injected with the nutrients – it will likely decay rapidly during the parade tomorrow. I can use this to expose the Empress's lies in public, before the eyes of the mourners – no human body would rot that fast.
B. I allow Julius to finish his 'fucking work' with the corpse and then steal it. Having more time to examine it carefully might provide me with some insights. Even if it doesn't, I'll have disturbed the Empress's peace of mind. Also, I could have use for a corpse servant of my own, should I be able to freeze it somewhere before finding a way to reanimate it...
C. Julius can do whatever he wishes with the corpse – I have no interest in it anymore. Let them have their proper burial; whoever this poor girl was in life before being turned into a substitute, she deserves as much.
“No, there's no need to get you two in any more trouble,” I smile. “I'll handle it. I can hide out inside the hall while he is there, and leave after he does.” If they get caught helping me out, losing their jobs would be the least of their worries. Of course, I have no intention of leaving Julius alone. I would just have to be discreet about it.
***
The palace is large enough that Rose and Babs sneak me into one of the hall's antechambers without anyone noticing, a few hours later when the crowd has thinned. They're clearly not expecting anyone to do anything to the body; security is quite lax.
“We're posted just outside this room, so just give a knock when you're ready to leave. No one else will be coming through here anyway.” says Rose, scratching at his shoulder. I give them a nod of thanks, leaving them standing outside the antechamber. Julius should be here soon – I need to take a good look around before he arrives. Rose had lent me some of his spare clothes, which fit snugly on my tall frame. It wouldn't do to appear in my dirty rags. I had also prepared something else; a black, full-face motorcycle helmet. I put it on as I enter the hall.
Kyrie lies in her open coffin, at the center of the empty hall. All around her grand statues of past Emperors gaze down at her; some sternly, some kindly. This had once been a hall for festivities, a few hundred years ago, though as with all large, old buildings rooms in the Imperial Palace tended to fall into disuse depending on the mood of the decade. It had been cleaned up and set up for Kyrie's funeral due to its easily accessible location to the public.
Resting my mechanical hand on the edge of the coffin, I look down at her face, peaceful in her rest. Still, I have to be sure. I did not come all this way to merely watch.
I stretch my good hand out, towards her chest, and pull down the elegant white gown gently.
After a second, I return her clothes into position, making sure they look undisturbed.
Her torso is entirely unblemished, perfect and pale as marble even in the dim, warm lighting of the hall.
Well.
That's all I need to know.
Under the helmet my teeth are bared in an uncontrollable grin. A strange mixture of feelings wells up within me, a mishmash of emotions that I am unable to identify. All I am familiar with is this feeling of exhilaration that causes my heart to speed up.
There is a noise from the main doors. I step away from the coffin calmly, putting my excitement under control as I slink behind one of the great stone pillars. The main doors are opened and relocked with a click, and then there are footsteps, pattering in an uneven, excited beat. He is alone, at least. The squeak of wheels on the floor seem to indicate that he has pushed in a trolley of some sorts.
“Uhihihihi! Oh, man, you still look so fucking good no matter how many times I see it. It's a big damned waste to have you buried and left for worms to fuck. I've gotta get that hag to let me have you somehow.” giggles Julius Gallardo. “Well, before we start, my precious... let's have the usual course, shall we? Gods, I can't wait to do it tonight.” By the sound of it he appears to either be more insane than before, or high on something.
There's the sound of fabric dropping to the floor, as the coffin rattles slightly.
I count to five, and then speak.
“Julius.”
The helmet muffles my voice, disguising it. He gives a slight shriek when he hears me.
“Wh-what? Who? Who the fuck is there?” says Julius shrilly.
I peek around the pillar – as I expected, he climbed inside the coffin. The body's bare legs are up in the air; I caught him at just the right time.
“You know who I am.” I venture.
“W-wait... hey, why are you here? I thought you were with the Empress doing whatever fucked up stuff you guys get up to? Why are you hiding anyway?”
“I needed to speak with you in secret. I did not expect to find you doing... that.” He's the last person in the world I want to hear complaining about fucked up stuff.
“Oh. Oh fuck. Shit. Sorry. Couldn't help myself. You know how it is, Relius.” blabbers Julius incessantly. That's an interesting name to hear. The last I saw of him, he was most certainly dead, his head and body having parted ways in a less than amicable – but exceedingly orderly – manner.
“I certainly do.” I say coldly.
“Oh come on, Relius. I said I'm sorry. It's not like this dead broad you gave me is going to be harmed by this, right? It's all consensual.”
“Are you certain it will not affect our plan?”
“Of course. What do you think I am, an amateur? As long as I keep the body nourished it'll be as pretty as fucking the real thing. I mean, the real fucking thing. After I give her today's supplement it'll serve as a good enough substitute until the burial tomorrow, while gods know what you do with the real one. But honestly... I'm thinkin' this girl here is prettier, and softer too. The real Kyrie never let me touch her like this. Soft! Uhihihihi!”
“I would prefer it if you did not touch the real one, Julius.”
“Well, you're certainly doing a good job of not letting me know where she is.” spits Julius. “You goddamn secretive chucklefuck... I don't even know how you came back from the dead, and you never tell me anything.”
“I have my ways. Well, one as smart as you would be able to figure it out, eventually. Do you remember what happened when I first reappeared? There is a hint in there, somewhere.” I try to lead him on.
“Huh... well, I heard you got your head cut off. Then you called me out to 'renew our relationship'. Fuck, I almost shat my pants when I received that message from you. What's the hint there?”
“Weren't you suspicious of me?”
“Of course, you fuck! That's why I sent the familiars to scout you out. Then you crushed the familiars without lifting so much as a finger. Coming back from the dead with superpowers... that isn't fucking fair, man.” says Julius resentfully.
“There's your clue. Do you want the answer?” I laugh.
“Well...” replies Julius in a sullen manner, “If you're going to teach me, that'd be great. But I'd prefer finishing my work here first.”
“Do what you have to do. How is the state of the body?”
“She's holding up just fine, considering that she's only a shell with most of the organs removed. Whoever you got this from did some extremely fine work in reshaping the stiff to look just like the dear Princess. I mean, it probably wouldn't be practical to reanimate this lovely girl without extensive renovation on the innards to construct the structures required to supply the required nutrients... I don't think I would be able to do it without distending her fucking beautiful body. Which would make me sad. Where did you get this, anyway?”
“I have my ways, as I said. I also have faith in your ability. You could probably awaken this if you wanted to.”
“Nah, not doable, Relius. I hear the Higashi are doing some pretty nifty things with cybernetics nowadays that could probably make things much more compact and smoother, but I'm an artist, y'know. Using machines just ruins the purity of the art.”
“True, true. That is not what we want here anyway.” I muse.
“You got it, man. Now, can I finish my fucking work already? I'll chat with you afterwards. Maybe you can come out from behind that pillar while you're at it. Sheesh, it's like your secretive nature got magnified by a thousand times nowadays.”
***
A. I do not do anything to harm Julius.
B. I knock Julius out.
C. I murder him.
***
A. I prevent the corpse from being injected with the nutrients – it will likely decay rapidly during the parade tomorrow. I can use this to expose the Empress's lies in public, before the eyes of the mourners – no human body would rot that fast.
B. I allow Julius to finish his 'fucking work' with the corpse and then steal it. Having more time to examine it carefully might provide me with some insights. Even if it doesn't, I'll have disturbed the Empress's peace of mind. Also, I could have use for a corpse servant of my own, should I be able to freeze it somewhere before finding a way to reanimate it...
C. Julius can do whatever he wishes with the corpse – I have no interest in it anymore. Let them have their proper burial; whoever this poor girl was in life before being turned into a substitute, she deserves as much.
Hm. That's a lot of useful info. I'm more tempted to do AC. This isn't Kyrie. Just let this thing die and be buried. As to our freak here, he's just a small fish. We got the info we came for plus some extra.
This isn't Kyrie, she's somewhere else. Apparently people can come back from the dead, so it seems plausible that Kyrie shouldn't be written off yet.
If we start running amuck here, we will have tipped our hand already. Leave as cleanly as possible, leave no traces, and that includes bodies that weren't here already.
This isn't Kyrie, she's somewhere else. Apparently people can come back from the dead, so it seems plausible that Kyrie shouldn't be written off yet.
If we start running amuck here, we will have tipped our hand already. Leave as cleanly as possible, leave no traces, and that includes bodies that weren't here already.
CA
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
Absolutely. We shouldn't let anybody know where we've been or what our next move is: fuck petty revenge on Julius and the Empress, we have to take up the mantle of Ean!
AC
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
So you agree, then?
Azira said all I would say.
AC
To everyone thinking of CA: guys, that is a stupid action right now. Not only do we show off that we're here and ruin our chances of finding Kyrie (whatever it is they're planning, I'm not keen on letting them do that), we'll also get a ton of heat on ourself and ruin the Empire's stability. Sure, Relius' resurrection makes me think the Masters already sent their Immortals here to infiltrate our planet (that, or a Gieloth), but even if that's true, I'd rather we remove the parasites withour killing the host. This Empire is the best chance to unify our planet, not to mention our Bro's legacy.
Edit: that, or someone's posing as dear old Relius.
And that Gallardo guy... dude, what the fuck? I'm glad we chatted him up, but still. What the fuck?
Edit 2:I'll laugh if they'll lock her up on Crete.
Bloodshifter
Educated
Stygian Lurker
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 577
AC
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
AC - Now aren't you guys glad we didn't drag the fake away?
edit:
edit:
PS - Gallardo is using the drug.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
AC I'd prefer it if they didn't know we're on to them. Although if this is shulgi working behind the scenes he'll already know due to our diverting the plane and disappearing at ankida
aleam iacis
Liturgist
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2012
- Messages
- 115
You guys seem to think that by not letting them know that we know about their plot with "Relius," Julius, and the Empress, we can use this against them and surprise them, or at least remain under their radar. While it's true that they might not know that we were here specifically and know about the princess being alive(?) elsewhere, they still know that we are out there and against them, and if Julius happens to remark that Relius was here when he wasn't, "What was with that stupid helmet last time?" (By the way, the helmet was cool, both Power Ranger/Kamen Rider and Durarara/Dullahan shoutout whether intended or not) they will probably guess it was us.
I'd rather actually screw up their plans here by killing Julius and either taking the body or exposing it as a fake(and hopefully making people look into where the real princess is, and perhaps cover/aid our own investigation).
CA or CB.
PS: Senya's not Batman, is he? Because then... we win. Also we need to become a super influential billionaire if for whatever reason we don't become a god-king (excluding heralding the return of Ean or humanity's ascension into the singularity, but including becoming the Emperor-consort).
I'd rather actually screw up their plans here by killing Julius and either taking the body or exposing it as a fake(and hopefully making people look into where the real princess is, and perhaps cover/aid our own investigation).
CA or CB.
PS: Senya's not Batman, is he? Because then... we win. Also we need to become a super influential billionaire if for whatever reason we don't become a god-king (excluding heralding the return of Ean or humanity's ascension into the singularity, but including becoming the Emperor-consort).
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
Yessss....
What we should now do is rebuild Yua, have her infiltrate the Empress' databanks, build a new Anhur with our own custom modifications, and then whenever we have reports of wrongdoings, fly out of our cave in our mechsuit and fuck shit up. Our colour's black after all.
What we should now do is rebuild Yua, have her infiltrate the Empress' databanks, build a new Anhur with our own custom modifications, and then whenever we have reports of wrongdoings, fly out of our cave in our mechsuit and fuck shit up. Our colour's black after all.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
So, we become Ankida's resident superhero, fighting injustice and inequity wherever we find it? Not the freeform Rogue Trader/Space Pirate I was hoping for, but this just may turn out for the better. Not to mention that being a Batman/Punisher is pretty cool in ajd of itself.
Actually, guys, exposing the Empress' lies could make sense if we want to rescue Kyrie and have her ascend to the throne over the discredited Empress. For them that want it, anyway.
I'm personally hoping that they'll implant her with superpowers, after which we promtly save her and blackmail the Empress into giving us all we could ask for: a fleet, a crew and cutting-edge technology with a piracy license against the Shinar's enemies. And then we'll take up the life of larceny, exploration and Robin Hoodship across dimensions. Ah, the things that will never be.
Actually, guys, exposing the Empress' lies could make sense if we want to rescue Kyrie and have her ascend to the throne over the discredited Empress. For them that want it, anyway.
I'm personally hoping that they'll implant her with superpowers, after which we promtly save her and blackmail the Empress into giving us all we could ask for: a fleet, a crew and cutting-edge technology with a piracy license against the Shinar's enemies. And then we'll take up the life of larceny, exploration and Robin Hoodship across dimensions. Ah, the things that will never be.
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