[LP CYOA] Spiral

[treave]

The Ei route in Beirut, a treave CYOA.

Biruta. Berytus. Beirut. The city had stood for millenia under the auspices of many names, and had been burnt and rebuilt countless times. Tonight, the city burned again, and below it, the guardians shivered. Karim took a drag on his cigarette, the embers glowing even brighter than the dim yellow bulbs lining the walls of the rocky tunnel. Were they the last? He did not know. He did not know anything anymore. Not why things had come to this, not why he was here, not why he had not yet fled the country with his family. Well, with what was left of his family that had not yet been turned into ravenous ghūl.

Even then, with the undead ravaging the world above, guard duty was tedium. Karim yawned in spite of himself, the rifle slung around his shoulders almost slipping off.

“Whoa, careful there, Karim.” A sudden greeting jerked Karim back into a state of alertness. It was the other guard, as tall as Karim was short, and as bearded as he was clean-shaven. Which is to say, not very.

“Ah, I’m okay, Nabil. Just… does it matter anymore?”

“Does what matter?”

“You know. Guarding… this.”

Nabil shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Karim. I’m just a fresh initiate. I have no idea what we’re guarding. I wish I could commiserate, but…” He shrugged, and Karim slapped his own forehead. They had shared some meals and some women in the past few weeks, before things had all gone to hell, but Karim realized that he just did not know Nabil all that well.

“That’s right. Sorry, I forget that you are not from around here.”

“That’s alright. So, what are we guarding?”

“The… tablet of Minet ehr Mohr. The Necromancer is searching for it.”

Nabil’s eyes opened wide, and he asked, “The Necromancer? The one that the Grandmaster fears?”

“Yes. That’s the one. He’d cause the deaths of millions without a pang of pity, as you can see from what has happened to our beautiful city,” spat Karim hatefully.

“Actually… you can blame that on your masters.” A polite voice rang out from the shadows, almost apologetic in its interruption. “They unleashed the power of the tablet all by themselves. My assistance was not required.”

Letting out a curse, Karim immediately turned his rifle towards the voice, shouting out, “Who’s there! Show yourself!”

A sigh of assent followed in response, and a young man stepped out of the darkness. An ebony cloak with a golden trim was wrapped around him; the fabric shimmered as he moved, reflecting speckled light in a way that evoked a brilliant night sky. Karim was suddenly reminded of that night with his wife and child, at the peak of Qurnat as Sawda. Happier times. More peaceful times.

“You can have those times returned to you yet, if you put your weapon down, Karim al-Jabbar.” The man spoke quietly, not a trace of emotion upon his bespectacled face.

Karim snarled, angered at the invasion of his thoughts. “I know you. Necromancer. I will not let you pass through to the sacred ground! Not on my life! Nabil, let us take this heretic down!” His grip tightened, he aimed at the man through the rifle’s iron sights, and his finger hovered over the trigger.

There was no affirming battlecry, no joyous thundering of gunfire. Instead, Karim watched his hands slide off, cut cleanly at the wrist. The rifle tumbled uselessly to the ground, the metal and wood gleaming darkly with the spray of his blood. He turned, looked at Nabil and saw that it was not Nabil any longer, but a formless shadow wearing his clothes. It laughed the clear laughter of a child, and the shadow coalesced, gathering into the shape of a short, young girl. Her long black hair flowed down to her knees, and the ragged guard’s clothes dropped to the ground, instantly replaced with a shimmering cloak similar to the Necromancer’s. Karim fell back, a curse on his lips. “The puppet. The Necromancer’s puppet! How… how did…!”

“It took you long enough, Acchan,” smiled the girl mischieviously, ignoring Karim’s surprise.

“I would have been here sooner if you did not waste your time playing around with the cult, Ei-chan,” shrugged the man, the faint hint of a tender smile flickering across his pale lips. “Liam and Mori-senpai are waiting for us at the airport. We will be flying out of here as soon as I have concluded my business here with the Order.”

“Aw, come on, Liam nii-san is flying again? I still remember that last flight… it was scary!” pouted the girl, stomping her feet.

The man in black sighed, said, "What can I do?" in a manner implying that it was a problem even his powers over life and death could not solve, and walked over to Karim.

“W-What are you trying to do, Necromancer?” Karim growled with the last vestige of his strength. “Don’t touch me!”

“I would rather not,” said the man serenely, taking off a black glove to reveal his bare hand. “But in the absence of better candidates, you will have to suffice. Do not worry. In death you will serve a far greater cause than you have ever known. There will be no need for thought, no need for fear. You will know only obedience.” He reached out for Karim’s forehead, and clasped it with his hand. His palm felt cool to the touch; somehow, it soothed the pain of Karim's missing hands.

No matter how Karim tried to struggle, he could not move any longer, and his vision began to darken. As his consciousness began to waver and slip away, he heard the Necromancer’s puppet speak.

“You’re going to make him moonwalk naked into the Council Chamber where the Grandmaster and his elders are, aren’t you?”

“Hush, Ei-chan.”

And then, for Karim, everything went black.

What travesty is this?!

The travesty of the Codex's choices.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

 

[Nevill]

He turned, looked at Nabil and saw that it was not Nabil any longer, but a formless shadow wearing his clothes. It laughed the clear laughter of a child, and the shadow coalesced, gathering into the shape of a short, young girl. Her long black hair flowed down to her knees, and the ragged guard’s clothes dropped to the ground, instantly replaced with a shimmering cloak similar to the Necromancer’s.

Hmmm, where did I see her before..?

The wall explodes inward in a burst of concrete and ceramic fragments. As the dust clears, a couple walks through the newly formed entrance. The taller of the two, the man, has a cheerful, cocky grin on his face, while the short girl, her face almost invisible under her long bangs, looks impassive even in the aftermath of the destruction. She is the first to speak.

Is that the same character, treave?

Anyways.

LAAAAAMBCHOOOOOOP!!!

Ahem. Lambchop19. Lend us your Bankai powers, bro, to make flesh and blood Ei a reality.

 

[treave]

He turned, looked at Nabil and saw that it was not Nabil any longer, but a formless shadow wearing his clothes. It laughed the clear laughter of a child, and the shadow coalesced, gathering into the shape of a short, young girl. Her long black hair flowed down to her knees, and the ragged guard’s clothes dropped to the ground, instantly replaced with a shimmering cloak similar to the Necromancer’s.

Hmmm, where did I see her before..?

The wall explodes inward in a burst of concrete and ceramic fragments. As the dust clears, a couple walks through the newly formed entrance. The taller of the two, the man, has a cheerful, cocky grin on his face, while the short girl, her face almost invisible under her long bangs, looks impassive even in the aftermath of the destruction. She is the first to speak.

Is that the same character, treave?

Well, their personalities couldn't be more different.

 

[Nevill]

Well, their personalities couldn't be more different.

Well, 'our' personalities are exact opposites, too. They match as a pair, though: a cheerful and a dispassionate one. Perhaps once our bond is high enough, we could learn to swap psyches?

But I'll take it as a 'no'. Man Tiger Pig and Cao'er, then?

 

[Kipeci]

A1, we need to get Ei to have a proper form.

 

[Nevill]

Uh, guys, I think there is not enough proper DISCUSS.

It has to be either A1 or B. The barrier is the only thing we know for sure will work, but we don't know if we have the time for it (though Ei implicitly promises us to buy some), while B is nearly instantaneous (compared to the ritual) with zero guarantee it will work.

I am surprised so many people are going for the stabbity stab. With that kind of situation on our hands, I'd thought the distribution would be more equal.

“The Knife of the Eight Devas, blessed by the eight million gods for protection against demons,” a blunt, flimsy dagger with mystical inscriptions in (fake) gold leaf along the blade. The sheath is at least made of solid wood.

The dagger is clearly a fake and all of its supposed powers will have to come from its symbolism and/or our conviction/belief/hope/what-have-you.

Anyone has any insights in what is most likely not to deprive us of two thirds of our harem?

 

[oscar]

I'm open to good arguments.

 

[Nevill]

Well, then I have a question.

Why wouldn't we want to summon Ei? What use is our lifespan if we do not manage to escape the hospital?

Even if she does not return it and retains her human form, it is still one more set of hands. A set of hands who also knows what she is doing. I suppose she represents a certain liability, especially if she gets herself killed, but I assume it would be up to us to watch her back, and more importantly, she can watch ours.

Is there a reason to ignore her now, besides her, ah, general untrustworthiness? What exactly are we wary of?

I don't know if A or B is the way to go, but I feel the situation is critical enough to warrant some dire measures.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

LAAAAAMBCHOOOOOOP!!!

Ahem. Lambchop19. Lend us your Bankai powers, bro, to make flesh and blood Ei a reality.

A1

I'm a still a little peaked from back when I summoned an MHD into the lp (I thought The option I voted for lost, but it really won. Oh well. treave ps where's mah mhd?)

Anyway, if I were to use my bankai now it might rebound and then Ei might and up taking the form of a young boy or something.

Also, wtf were you all thinking opening the door ffs!1?!

 

[oscar]

Does this life-force stuff mean we're only at half strength, willpower, vitality etc or just that we're probably gonna kick the bucket around age 45?

 

[treave]

treave ps where's mah mhd?)

Waiting.

Does this life-force stuff mean we're only at half strength, willpower, vitality etc or just that we're probably gonna kick the bucket around age 45?

In the real world, with a normal person, it'd be closer to the latter, but things could be a bit more uncertain when you're in this world and also a fragmented mess of a soul.

 

[oscar]

So I think we should be partially weary of potentially permanently castrating ourselves to win one encounter.

 

[Baltika9]

Uh, guys, I think there is not enough proper DISCUSS.

To be honest, the only two reasons I'm voting for B over A is that I would rather deal with the nurse now and I want us to start stabbing things.
As for summoning Ei-chan, I doubt either A or B have any chance of success without her help. We will need someone to either delay the ghost while we cast or help us stab it and then delay it long enough for us to cast. The alternatives to putting our own life force on the line are dying or abandoning the rest of our group to die, and I'm not keen on letting the people who give enough of a damn about us to intervene die.
Therefore, B1.

 

[Nevill]

Also, wtf were you all thinking opening the door ffs!1?!

How about 'not being confined to a closed space with something we can't deal with'?

It would have been perfectly fine if it wasn't a freaking pool ghost on the other side, y'know.

The ghost is incorporeal (our hand passed right through it), and is able to teleport, I doubt she needs doors. She might have seeped in with the water under the door for all we know. The only thing that can hinder her reliably is the barrier spell.

So I think we should be partially weary of potentially permanently castrating ourselves to win one encounter.

I'd think people would give more consideration to what happens if they lose one encounter. But then I remembered this is the 'Dex.

Uh, guys, I think there is not enough proper DISCUSS.

To be honest, the only two reasons I'm voting for B over A is that I would rather deal with the nurse now and I want us to start stabbing things.

Stabbing things I understand, but how come B is considered 'dealing with the nurse now'?

Last time I checked, we don't have spells to deal with her permanently. All we are trying to decide is to how best to slow her down.

I am more and more warming up to the barrier spell. Why did we pick it up if we don't use it?

 

[Baltika9]

Didn't we already use it?
Anyway, A explicitly states that we are casting the spell in order to escape, while in B we will be using Amanozaki's dagger to focus our exorcism spell, whose purpose is making ghosts digestible for Ei-chan. The risk with B is that it may not work.
But in Amanozaki I trust.

 

[Nevill]

Didn't we already use it?

Not the physical one.

Anyway, A explicitly states that we are casting the spell in order to escape,

Yes.

while in B we will be using Amanozaki's dagger to focus our exorcism spell, whose purpose is making ghosts digestible for Ei-chan.

You attempt to get one of Amanozaki’s trinkets – you remember that she had a dagger of some sort. It might be able to focus your exorcism spell. There’s no telling if it will be strong enough to work, but hopefully you can still weaken the ghost and escape.

'Dex. 'Dex never changes.

Escaping is the only thing on the table now.

 

[Baltika9]

Reading comprehension=fail. I still want to stab things, though.

Isn't that exactly what we're doing, technically? All that's missing is the omnomnom sound.

 

[Nevill]

Isn't that exactly what we're doing, technically? All that's missing is the omnomnom sound.

With lesser ghosts, yes.

And the omnomnom sounds are only missing because we specifically prohibited it. Apparently, no fun is allowed while eating.

 

[Baltika9]

I don't know who we're trying to convince of our decency with that.

 

[Nevill]

We are Ei's Onii-san. It is our duty to ensure that she grows up into a fine and proper young lady.



Anyway, I'll probably rethink my position about all of this. As much as I love stabbing things, I don't feel like gambling too much. Even if it weakens it, the ghost would still be able to pursue us afterwards. What if it works, hurts the ghost, and just enrages it? Too much variables with no clear goal of what we want to achieve by our actions.

My only fear with the barrier is that while Ei kinda promised us to prevent a situation where both Uehara and Amanozaki die, one of them still might.

A1>B1

 

[Baltika9]

Then we failed already.

 

[Nevill]

Why?

And isn't it cruel of you to call a child a failure? She is just several thousands years old! She has plenty of time to grow up!

 

[Baltika9]

Cussing, horrible manners, antisocial behavior. And the company we keep!
We are a horrible role model.

 

[Nevill]

And the company we keep!

What about it?

We are a horrible role model.

We need Mori-senpai to straighten us up.