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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
This is precious. 
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Don't worry, I'm much more perturbed by the lack of proper Cthulhu'ing than sweet, heretical xenos action. Well, since our chastity remains intact: in root I trust, time to see how Deep this rabbithole goes. If this leads to combat, we're way more prepared for that than whatever they're expecting. If it's nothing special, Senya's creative thinking will allow us to bullshit our way out. I just hope that if it's gas in there, it won't work on us.
Bloodshifter
Educated
Deleted my last post I got drunk and somehow made it to a computer forget that ever happened please.
Sun+Heat+Booze+Females=Lucid Sunburnt Drunk.
In other news now its C and D gods Treave please just flip a coin this is becoming stupid.
Sun+Heat+Booze+Females=Lucid Sunburnt Drunk.
In other news now its C and D gods Treave please just flip a coin this is becoming stupid.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Azira - B
m4davis - C
Zwist - A
Bloodshifter - D
Stygian Lurker - B
Rex Feral - A
ScubaV - D
aleam iacis - D
Lambchop19 - D
Esquilax - C
Baltika9 - D
Kipeci - C
Tigranes - C
Storyfag - D
TOME - C
Smashing Axe - A
root - D
GreyViper - C
A - 3
B - 2
C - 6
D - 7
D wins it but barely.
m4davis - C
Zwist - A
Bloodshifter - D
Stygian Lurker - B
Rex Feral - A
ScubaV - D
aleam iacis - D
Lambchop19 - D
Esquilax - C
Baltika9 - D
Kipeci - C
Tigranes - C
Storyfag - D
TOME - C
Smashing Axe - A
root - D
GreyViper - C
A - 3
B - 2
C - 6
D - 7
D wins it but barely.
Dun dun dunnn...
aleam iacis
Liturgist
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2012
- Messages
- 115
I hope he feels a little guilty, but I'm sure he is managing to go on with his movie star lifestyle.
Next time we see him, I doubt his current situation made him into a bro, more likely he'll just get in our way again and we would become bad guys if we killed him
Also, he would be a good choice for a captain america/shinari superhuman project thing so he might become an even bigger hindrance to us. Or as massive trolls we could set one up(or infiltrate one in progress) and make him(and any others) into our mind controlled slave(s) ? Or just fake such a project and take the chance to blow everyone up or make them look ridiculous.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Case of the Missing Lawmaker, Act II
“Break it.” I say. Erika nods, a smile on her face.
“Wait, this is crazy. We'll get discovered immediately,” protests Yua in my ear.
“It's the fastest way to get to the bottom of this.” I reply, “If the victim is still alive, we need to get to her as soon as possible. That means taking a gamble.”
“But-”
Yua is interrupted by a loud crack, as Erika punches the mirror, her arm moving so fast that it is a blur to my eyes. The mirror doesn't shatter noisily, but splinters inward. Erika frowns as she retracts her fist. “There was something sticky inside.”
Sticky?
“Sir? M'am? Are you alright in there?” I can see the shop attendant's feet under the red curtain separating our chamber from the outside, her voice full of worry. The last thing they needed was probably more rumours about mysterious events happening in their shop.
“It's fine,” I call out. “Just... a bit of an accident. She got too excited over your excellent selection.”
I turn back to Erika, who is gently shifting away pieces of broken glass. Looking within, I see that the underside of the mirror is coated with a slimy black film, sticky enough to hold the pieces together. The film wriggles and begins to writhe, accumulating itself near the back of the secret compartment. There is a strange, small rod-shaped device within that appears to be secreting the black substance from its center, where it's almost broken in two. The impact of Erika's punch must have damaged it.
There's a brief flash of purple from the rod. My tendrils begin to form and writhe uncontrollably under my skin, yearning to break free.
“I think we better run.” I mumble, while Yua just sighs and says, “This will all end in tears, I just know it.”
Neither I nor Erika manage to throw aside the curtain to escape in time. The black substance from the rod shapes itself into sinuous tendrils similar to mine. They shoot forward at a great speed and sink into my wrist. The rod's appendages meet my own tendrils, undulating just under the surface, and melt into them seamlessly. I get sick and nauseous as it happens. My brain feels like it is being tossed about in a mixer. At the same time, the world appears to divide into smaller fragments of itself, multiplying endlessly at a rapid pace. Besides me, Erika grips my arm, her fingernails digging in painfully and her eyes unfocused; she appears to be seeing it too. My environment shifts as colour is bleached out of the world. Everything turns a curious shade of white. The fragments of reality begin to form patterns; floors, ceilings, structures. A great pale hallway of mirrors begins to build itself around me, stretching off into the distance as far as the eye can see. I stare into its endless shifting corridors and twisting staircases that each lead to a world similar - but not identical - to mine and realize that I will lose myself very, very soon in infinity if I do not regain control.
I will myself back into a state of utmost concentration, seeking to understand what lies before me.
As my brain grows more able to process the myriad worlds, I find myself able to tap on the remnants of information in the shattered rod. The black substance had brought that to me when it poured into my body. I still do not understand fully the principles behind the rod, but I know its function now. I focus, trying to see the way out – where the rod would have led me. The constant, amorphous movement of the hallway slows to a halt. The corridors and stairways stop branching off into uncountable paths, stabilizing into a state of utter stillness. Then, the hall begins to break apart, reality reconstructing itself to my will. The changing room we were in reappears around us, bit by bit, piece by piece. I am certain it is not the exact room we had been in, but anywhere is better than getting lost in the infinite labyrinth.
Finally, the task is complete, as the world stitches itself back together. I sink to my knees, exhausted. My breath is ragged, and my ability has been drained from the effort; I just hope there are no more surprises coming my way. Erika shakes her head, panting. She gets up first, recovering quickly, and helps me to my feet.
“What just happened?”
“Some sort of dimensional transfer.” I mutter. Damaging the rod had caused it to go out of control. I was extremely lucky that I had managed to harness the last of its power and direct us where it was supposed to send us in the first place. Looking at the cracked artifact, I can see that it won't be of any use anymore. I pocket it just in case, shoving it into the front pouch of my hoodie. This will be an interesting thing to analyze later. Still, of all the unexpected, batshit insane things to happen... I sigh. My life is truly cursed. Things can never be just normal, like maybe uncovering a crime syndicate trafficking in women, can they?
“Can you tell where we are, Yua?”
“Negative. I have lost all data connection. Wherever we are-”
“I've a feeling we're not in Kyoto anymore.” Erika quips. I'm surprised. That sounds like a line from a rather recent movie – I didn't peg her to be the sort to watch films.
“Well, that remains to be seen,” I reply. “Let's have a look around this place.”
As we make our way out of the dressing room, I note that everything appears to be identical to our world, except this one is deserted. Upon closer observation, everything is also fake and exceedingly grey. The curtains, racks and lingerie – coloured various shades of monotone grey – are all joined seamlessly where they meet. It is as if someone had taken a plastic mould of the entire store. I touch one of the racks. It is hard, smooth and surprisingly warm to the touch. There is light coming in from the translucent grey display windows. Silently, Erika and I head to the rooftop of the mall. Her kick opens the grey door easily, breaking the lock. She heads out first, sniffing the air. A suspicious look creeps into Erika's eyes, but she does nothing else.
As I step out onto the roof, the familiar vista of Kyoto stretches out before me. It is almost identical, but greyer and lifeless. Here and there, I see strange structures that appear to have melded with the skyscrapers, half buried into the ground. The architecture is definitely not Higashi, but one of the silhouettes of those buildings looks familiar. A tall obelisk dominates the skyline not far away from us, towering over the world. The sky itself is cloudless and pure, featureless white. There is light and heat emanating from somewhere up there, but I can't identify the source. The air is still, with not the slightest hint of any breeze - it is breathable, but stale and unpleasant. One thing is clear, however; this would explain the mysterious disappearances. The women could have been brought into this world by whoever was controlling the device. As it had appeared together with us when we arrived, it is possible that the rod somehow exists in both worlds at the same time, perhaps as a bridge. No one has reported people mysteriously appearing in the shopping mall, so there is probably another way out somewhere in the city. I'll just have to find it.
“Senya, look at this.” Erika speaks up suddenly, peering at the ground. I turn to see what she's talking about. She holds up an empty can of instant coffee, bright red in this monotone world. At the same time, I hear the door slam behind us. There was someone up here when we arrived.
“I caught a bit of a scent, but it was unclear. This world is playing havoc with my senses.” complains Erika. She crouches, preparing to sprint after the mysterious interloper. I'm too weak right now to keep up with her; if she goes after the person, we'll be temporarily separated.
***
A. I let her go after whoever just ran away. That's probably a crucial suspect in this case; who else would be hanging around here? Erika's physical prowess should allow her to catch up and capture the person easily. Letting him or her get away might even allow them to set up an ambush for us later on, as they now know our position and can get prepared for our arrival.
B. It's too risky to get ourselves separated in this place. We should stick together – who knows if they already have an ambush ready and are just luring us apart? This new environment we find ourselves in is too strange for me to take any further risks. I'll just have to trade the disadvantage of them knowing about our arrival for the advantage of knowing that Erika is watching my back and vice versa.
***
1. I stay where I am. It's safer to move only when I've recovered – that might take the better part of five hours or so, but I can spend that time investigating the shopping mall before heading out into the city.
2. I head towards the obelisk. It is too unnatural looking and too noticeable for it to be of total unimportance. Whatever I find there will definitely be close to the center of all this strangeness.
3. I head towards the half-buried building; I remember what it reminds me of, now – the Imperial palace in Ankida. What a fascimile of that is doing here I don't know, but it should be worth checking out.
“Break it.” I say. Erika nods, a smile on her face.
“Wait, this is crazy. We'll get discovered immediately,” protests Yua in my ear.
“It's the fastest way to get to the bottom of this.” I reply, “If the victim is still alive, we need to get to her as soon as possible. That means taking a gamble.”
“But-”
Yua is interrupted by a loud crack, as Erika punches the mirror, her arm moving so fast that it is a blur to my eyes. The mirror doesn't shatter noisily, but splinters inward. Erika frowns as she retracts her fist. “There was something sticky inside.”
Sticky?
“Sir? M'am? Are you alright in there?” I can see the shop attendant's feet under the red curtain separating our chamber from the outside, her voice full of worry. The last thing they needed was probably more rumours about mysterious events happening in their shop.
“It's fine,” I call out. “Just... a bit of an accident. She got too excited over your excellent selection.”
I turn back to Erika, who is gently shifting away pieces of broken glass. Looking within, I see that the underside of the mirror is coated with a slimy black film, sticky enough to hold the pieces together. The film wriggles and begins to writhe, accumulating itself near the back of the secret compartment. There is a strange, small rod-shaped device within that appears to be secreting the black substance from its center, where it's almost broken in two. The impact of Erika's punch must have damaged it.
There's a brief flash of purple from the rod. My tendrils begin to form and writhe uncontrollably under my skin, yearning to break free.
“I think we better run.” I mumble, while Yua just sighs and says, “This will all end in tears, I just know it.”
Neither I nor Erika manage to throw aside the curtain to escape in time. The black substance from the rod shapes itself into sinuous tendrils similar to mine. They shoot forward at a great speed and sink into my wrist. The rod's appendages meet my own tendrils, undulating just under the surface, and melt into them seamlessly. I get sick and nauseous as it happens. My brain feels like it is being tossed about in a mixer. At the same time, the world appears to divide into smaller fragments of itself, multiplying endlessly at a rapid pace. Besides me, Erika grips my arm, her fingernails digging in painfully and her eyes unfocused; she appears to be seeing it too. My environment shifts as colour is bleached out of the world. Everything turns a curious shade of white. The fragments of reality begin to form patterns; floors, ceilings, structures. A great pale hallway of mirrors begins to build itself around me, stretching off into the distance as far as the eye can see. I stare into its endless shifting corridors and twisting staircases that each lead to a world similar - but not identical - to mine and realize that I will lose myself very, very soon in infinity if I do not regain control.
I will myself back into a state of utmost concentration, seeking to understand what lies before me.
As my brain grows more able to process the myriad worlds, I find myself able to tap on the remnants of information in the shattered rod. The black substance had brought that to me when it poured into my body. I still do not understand fully the principles behind the rod, but I know its function now. I focus, trying to see the way out – where the rod would have led me. The constant, amorphous movement of the hallway slows to a halt. The corridors and stairways stop branching off into uncountable paths, stabilizing into a state of utter stillness. Then, the hall begins to break apart, reality reconstructing itself to my will. The changing room we were in reappears around us, bit by bit, piece by piece. I am certain it is not the exact room we had been in, but anywhere is better than getting lost in the infinite labyrinth.
Finally, the task is complete, as the world stitches itself back together. I sink to my knees, exhausted. My breath is ragged, and my ability has been drained from the effort; I just hope there are no more surprises coming my way. Erika shakes her head, panting. She gets up first, recovering quickly, and helps me to my feet.
“What just happened?”
“Some sort of dimensional transfer.” I mutter. Damaging the rod had caused it to go out of control. I was extremely lucky that I had managed to harness the last of its power and direct us where it was supposed to send us in the first place. Looking at the cracked artifact, I can see that it won't be of any use anymore. I pocket it just in case, shoving it into the front pouch of my hoodie. This will be an interesting thing to analyze later. Still, of all the unexpected, batshit insane things to happen... I sigh. My life is truly cursed. Things can never be just normal, like maybe uncovering a crime syndicate trafficking in women, can they?
“Can you tell where we are, Yua?”
“Negative. I have lost all data connection. Wherever we are-”
“I've a feeling we're not in Kyoto anymore.” Erika quips. I'm surprised. That sounds like a line from a rather recent movie – I didn't peg her to be the sort to watch films.
“Well, that remains to be seen,” I reply. “Let's have a look around this place.”
As we make our way out of the dressing room, I note that everything appears to be identical to our world, except this one is deserted. Upon closer observation, everything is also fake and exceedingly grey. The curtains, racks and lingerie – coloured various shades of monotone grey – are all joined seamlessly where they meet. It is as if someone had taken a plastic mould of the entire store. I touch one of the racks. It is hard, smooth and surprisingly warm to the touch. There is light coming in from the translucent grey display windows. Silently, Erika and I head to the rooftop of the mall. Her kick opens the grey door easily, breaking the lock. She heads out first, sniffing the air. A suspicious look creeps into Erika's eyes, but she does nothing else.
As I step out onto the roof, the familiar vista of Kyoto stretches out before me. It is almost identical, but greyer and lifeless. Here and there, I see strange structures that appear to have melded with the skyscrapers, half buried into the ground. The architecture is definitely not Higashi, but one of the silhouettes of those buildings looks familiar. A tall obelisk dominates the skyline not far away from us, towering over the world. The sky itself is cloudless and pure, featureless white. There is light and heat emanating from somewhere up there, but I can't identify the source. The air is still, with not the slightest hint of any breeze - it is breathable, but stale and unpleasant. One thing is clear, however; this would explain the mysterious disappearances. The women could have been brought into this world by whoever was controlling the device. As it had appeared together with us when we arrived, it is possible that the rod somehow exists in both worlds at the same time, perhaps as a bridge. No one has reported people mysteriously appearing in the shopping mall, so there is probably another way out somewhere in the city. I'll just have to find it.
“Senya, look at this.” Erika speaks up suddenly, peering at the ground. I turn to see what she's talking about. She holds up an empty can of instant coffee, bright red in this monotone world. At the same time, I hear the door slam behind us. There was someone up here when we arrived.
“I caught a bit of a scent, but it was unclear. This world is playing havoc with my senses.” complains Erika. She crouches, preparing to sprint after the mysterious interloper. I'm too weak right now to keep up with her; if she goes after the person, we'll be temporarily separated.
***
A. I let her go after whoever just ran away. That's probably a crucial suspect in this case; who else would be hanging around here? Erika's physical prowess should allow her to catch up and capture the person easily. Letting him or her get away might even allow them to set up an ambush for us later on, as they now know our position and can get prepared for our arrival.
B. It's too risky to get ourselves separated in this place. We should stick together – who knows if they already have an ambush ready and are just luring us apart? This new environment we find ourselves in is too strange for me to take any further risks. I'll just have to trade the disadvantage of them knowing about our arrival for the advantage of knowing that Erika is watching my back and vice versa.
***
1. I stay where I am. It's safer to move only when I've recovered – that might take the better part of five hours or so, but I can spend that time investigating the shopping mall before heading out into the city.
2. I head towards the obelisk. It is too unnatural looking and too noticeable for it to be of total unimportance. Whatever I find there will definitely be close to the center of all this strangeness.
3. I head towards the half-buried building; I remember what it reminds me of, now – the Imperial palace in Ankida. What a fascimile of that is doing here I don't know, but it should be worth checking out.
Uh-oh. This reminds me of the shadow world in the Prisoner of Life CYOA..
B3
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
You discover the rod without breaking it and try to retrieve the artifact, but you are detected doing so, and the culprit(s) activates it to bring you to the other side so they can silence you. You're not forced to use your ability to steer your way out, though, so you arrive with a full charge. Also, you leave behind far less of a mess compared to D. B and C are more spoilerific so I'll refrain from explaining those.
The inside of a sphere anyone?
Personally I assumed he either merged with the Concordiat World Tree or was slaughtered by Naram-Master along with Sekhenun's other followers.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
This. Slaughter was the exact word I was about to use, coincidentally.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Hah! We're in R'lyeh!
You spoil me, treave.
B3
Getting separated here sounds like a terrible idea, unless we want to get rid of Erika (which I don't), and considering that we're exhausted from bending a dimension-shifting Gieloth artifact (or possibly a Gieloth) to our will, we either need rest or backup.
I'm open to checking out the Obelisk, but I'm thinking we should look around some first. We don't get to visit here every day.
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