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[LP CYOA] Spiral

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
So, we wasted five hours fixing our hand instead of gathering information, and we have an hour left to gather information before night ends and our hand will grows back. That is some great time management.:hmmm:

A.
 

Rex Feral

Prophet
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,300
No, we spent 5 hours hitting on Maeda.

Also 5 hours? Einsteins relativity at it's finest:

“Get chased by an angry ghost for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a Maeda for 5 hours, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.”
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Since when is Senya's demeanor so cheerful and EXTREME?
Isnt that actually MTP?
"Right. Exorcism. I can do that. What do I need to kiss here, the walls?"
Sound like nod to toad spirit exorcism from my point of view.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
track: courtyard

You run through the courtyard, Maeda close on your heels. She shouts at you to explain what is going on, and where you are headed, but you are entirely focused on the tree ahead of you, at the end of the long, winding path. Even though it is not in sight yet, you can feel it. The grass sways silently. The breeze is picking up, and drowning out the singer. The song fades gradually as you draw closer to your destination, until the only thing you can hear is the whistling of the wind. Your pace slows down. There is an electrifying prickling running through your skin, from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.

You are here.

Huffing and puffing, Maeda comes up behind you. “Shinoseki! What are you thinking, taking off like that? Hey, are you listening-“ She stops, staring at the tree. Her reaction is no surprise. It cannot be helped. The Juunimon, massive and bowed with age, weighs down the entire landscape with its presence. The clearing around it looks almost normal to the naked eye, but there appear to be transient oddities that are there one second and gone the next. There is a strange sensation of gravity centered around the Juunimon, that the land and air surrounding the large tree are being warped and distorted in a higher plane... one felt, not seen. The falling pink petals swirl around the clearing in a downwards spiral, passing through each of the wooden archways formed by the tree’s twisted branches and trunk until they finally come to rest on the ground only to be blown upwards again by the wind and repeat the motion all over again.

You do not pay much attention to any of these, however: your eyes are drawn to the long-haired girl sitting in the branches, her bare-footed legs swinging idly. She flickers in and out of existence… an entity that is not entirely here. Her eyes stare blankly at some faraway scene. Though you must have made some noise making it here, she does not seem to notice your presence at all.

Why?

----

Her name.

You should know her name, but it flashes through your mind only as a burst of static.

“That girl… isn’t that Uehara? What is she doing up there?” gasps Maeda.

That’s right. She looks like her. ---a.

Wordlessly, you take one step forward, then another, walking towards the girl as if drawn by some unseen force. Maeda grabs you by the arm quickly, jerking you back. The touch of her fingers is warm; it seems to heat up your very core. It is as if some spell has been broken, and you regain your wits. You don’t know what possessed you to move towards her, but it seems to have vanished, leaving behind only a faint urge to rush towards the tree.

“Shinoseki, what’s the matter with you? That’s probably not Uehara, you know?”

“Y-Yes, I know. I’m sorry.” You apologize for your moment of weakness. Who knows what would have happened if you had wandered too close to the girl? But if I do not get close, I will never know. But- A burst of static sends you reeling, your vision, sight and mind temporarily blanked out by it.

track: unease

As your sight recovers, you see the colour gradually fading away from the world. A ripple spreads outwards from the center of the tree, as if the land itself were water… and perhaps it is. The surface begins to shimmer in the moonlight, and you realize from the wetness seeping into your shoes that water is coming out from the ground, rising gradually. Maeda clings to you, surprised at the sudden flood. “W-What is this… broken plumbing?”

You can only hope that it is the case. A shadow begins growing in the water, a dark, irregular patch with ill-defined, waving borders. Hair… then a head… begins to rise from the shallow pool that can be no more higher than the base of your feet.

“Maybe…” whispers Maeda, “we should go.”

She is right. You should go. You turn, and try to lift your feet. They do not move. Wrapped around your ankles are thick, matted, tangled black strands of hair, tightening in a vise-like grip. Maeda lets out a scream, trying to pull away – her legs, too, have been tied up. There is a splashing sound coming from ahead of you, sporadic and broken… as if someone is attempting to stumble through the water to get to you.

Before you realize it, wet, clammy fingers are wrapping themselves around your neck. The thing in the water is twining itself around you. When did it get behind me? Maeda is screaming. The stench of water-logged death fills your nostrils; you gag, trying to shake it off, but more and more rotten hair begins to wrap around your neck and mouth and nose and eyes. Your spectacles are crushed by the force, the jagged edges of the broken plastic cutting your cheeks and brows. You begin to choke. The girl in the tree is still sitting there without a care in a world, swinging her legs.

You gasp for breath.

die

die

die

die

die

A woman’s voice, unfamiliar to your ears, fills your mind with its vindictive insanity.

The world begins to fade.

betrayer

Suddenly, it – she – shrieks.

You feel the pressure loosen, and vanish entirely. You fall to your hands and knees, coughing and sputtering in an unsightly manner. Something darts in front of the field of your blurry vision. You squint. Is it a beast, or…

track: struggle

You can barely make out what seems to be a man, crouched on all fours. His elbows and knees are bent at unnatural angles, and his spine is broken in two, forcing him to drag himself along in a strange, shambling crawl. He is clad in a dirty, bloody doctor’s coat. With a clacking noise, he turns his head abruptly to stare at you. Dr. Usui. The dead corpse bares his teeth in a mocking smile, the lips stretching wide enough to split. He lets out a low, disturbing chuckle. You can tell that he means you no good. Crouching down, he prepares to pounce at you. You shake your groggy head and splash about in the water helplessly, attempting to fall back to a better position.

As the dead doctor leaps, a black mass of shadows erupts from the water and strikes him right in his sides. The watery shade rises again, forming herself seemingly from the pool itself. The tendrils of hair tunnel themselves under the corpse’s flesh, creating writhing channels all over his flesh. The body shudders as it is shredded apart from the inside, but it seems like Dr. Usui is not going down without a fight: he lashes out, with claws and teeth, flailing ferociously at the shadow imprisoning him. But to no avail. He is strangled and torn apart in a mist of blood and flesh.

Maeda helps you up, her once well-permed hair now a wet mess. “Come on, let’s take this chance to run!”

The laughter of the dead echoes all around the clearing, as if answering her. From the darkness between the trees, they crawl out, closing in on the Juunimon’s clearing – the ones who had been massacred in the hospital, staff and patients alike. Their lifeless, blood-shot eyes gleam with madness and pain.

***

?????

A. You attempt to climb up the tree. The girl that is sitting there, the one that looks like Uehara. You know her… somehow, you have a notion that she is connected to your past. If you can just reach her… maybe something will happen. You will just have to pray that it is something good.

B. You run for the archways. The glowing petals seem to be vanishing slowly, dwindling in number as they fly through the tree’s gnarled branches. There is a strange sensation from the gaps. Perhaps that is your way out. There was that ritual, wasn’t it? You have a strong feeling that passing through the archways now will take you somewhere… hopefully somewhere safer.

C. The dead corpses seem to be focused more on the ghostly shadow and the tree than they are you at the moment. You should be able to get past them if you move quickly, heading for the research facility. You dare not tarry here any longer.

***

1. You grab Maeda’s hand and drag her along with you, whether she wants to come along or not.

2. Maeda can take care of herself; you let her make up her own mind as to what to do.
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I think the ritual is our way out.

If there is a border between the world of the living and the world of the dead, we can't be on the right side. So, logically, the side we would like to be on is the other one.

But still. The girl. Can't... resist... a pretty... young... girl... :stupid::negative:

I just have no idea how to climb the tree with Maeda, or if she is even welcome to be present at our little reunion.

Is it where we have to choose between heroines? I think if we decide to climb the tree, we should do it alone (likely leaving Maeda to die), and if we go through the ritual, we should take her with us.
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I can't leave Maeda for a ghost.

Fuck my life. B1. And have her sing along.

Also, can anyone picture how we would climb a tree without arms, seeing how we lost one just recently, and how we are going to drag Maeda with us. Unless it is not an arm we will be grabbing her hand with.

:hmmm:
 
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treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
You drag her to the tree and tell her to climb, of course. As for climbing a tree one-handed, you did awaken the skills imparted by Liam nii-san, so it shouldn't be a problem. :M

Anyway, upcoming update might only be out next week.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
On the other hand, the ritual does not say it will transport you anywhere.

There are few still living here who remember the old tales, but I have discovered that this tree used to be worshipped as a gatekeeper to the underworld by the locals. Their unique beliefs regarding the dead have been well-documented elsewhere, and there have been interesting rumours suggesting that this tree, the Juunimon, as they call it, may have actually influenced the arrangement of the Twelve Gates of the old Heian palace.

But that is neither here nor there… it is a tale for another time. Moving on, the Juunimon plays a central role in the distinctive mythology of the village that used to stand here, and it is said that a particular ritual can be performed here to reveal the realm of the dead to a believer: The Ritual of Opening.
It says it reveals something to you, and the ritual is one of Opening. Sounds like it has something to do with entering, not so much with leaving. :?

Does anyone know what happened here?
The world begins to fade.

betrayer

Suddenly, it – she – shrieks.

You feel the pressure loosen, and vanish entirely. You fall to your hands and knees, coughing and sputtering in an unsightly manner. Something darts in front of the field of your blurry vision. You squint. Is it a beast, or…
[...]
Dr. Usui. The dead corpse bares his teeth in a mocking smile, the lips stretching wide enough to split. He lets out a low, disturbing chuckle. You can tell that he means you no good.
[...]
As the dead doctor leaps, a black mass of shadows erupts from the water and strikes him right in his sides.
Why did the ghost back down? Why did she start fighting off our attacker? What is happening - is someone trying to protect us? Someone who has power over a ghost? Who can it be, Amanozaki? Uehara? Sakaki? The Witch?
 

Rex Feral

Prophet
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,300
Why did the ghost back down? Why did she start fighting off our attacker? What is happening - is someone trying to protect us? Someone who has power over a ghost? Who can it be, Amanozaki? Uehara? Sakaki? The Witch?

Sakaki? :lol:

Let me sumarize in a phrase what we know of Sakaki:

Absolutely nothing.

We never even talked to him.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Let me sumarize in a phrase what we know of Sakaki:

Absolutely nothing.
Studies occult and writes books about it for a living. Has a notebook dedicated to the hospital and the legends around it, complete with murder news from a 40 years old newspaper. Has a long time collaboration going with Hidetaka Matsui, whose notes are guiding us through this mess. Got Amanozaki involved in her line of business through one of his works.

May have knowledge or at least a suspicion about our supposed role here as well, judging by a few comments and/or looks he made.

Quite a bit more than 'absolutely nothing', don't you think?

If he thinks that helping us may solve everyone's (or just his) conundrum, he might help. He is one of the very few that have the means to do it. That is all I am saying.
 
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Rex Feral

Prophet
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,300
Let me sumarize in a phrase what we know of Sakaki:

Absolutely nothing.
Studies occult and writes books about it for a living. Has a notebook dedicated to the hospital and the legends around it, complete with murder news from a 40 years old newspaper. Has a long time collaboration going with Hidetaka Matsui, whose notes are guiding us through this mess. Got Amanozaki involved in her line of business through one of his works.

May have knowledge or at least a suspicion about our supposed role here as well, judging by a few comments and/or looks he made.

Quite a bit more than 'absolutely nothing', don't you think?

If he thinks that helping us may solve everyone's (or just his) conundrum, he might help. He is one of the very few that have the means to do it. That is all I am saying.

Those are very broad things you mentioned. Yes we know who he is, what he does for a living and that he probably is personally involved with the plot, like all the rest of the characters. But what do we really know about him? About his intentions or motivations or goals or anything personally about him? Nothing, we never even spoke to him.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
But what do we really know about him?
That he can, potentially, do something about the predicament we found ourselves in.

Does not seem like a lot, but that is the reason why he is on the list of characters I've listed.

It's like when there is a murder by shooting, the suspicion is cast not just on someone who has a motive, but also on people who have a gun. Even more so on the latter than on the former, in fact.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
B1.

We don't know if the water-attack is instigated by the Uehara-girl, but we know Uehara and the hair-woman are part of the same narrative, and together with the Charm spell we were under at the beginning of the update, I don't think anything great will happen by contacting the girl.

Escape is not a bad option given the current conflagration, but we're near end of a night, we don't have a hand, who knows when we will next see Juunimon and arch. Let's try it.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
You drag her to the tree and tell her to climb, of course. As for climbing a tree one-handed, you did awaken the skills imparted by Liam nii-san, so it shouldn't be a problem. :M
Now this I must see.

Ok:

Prodded from behind, you stagger forward, ending up in front of a messy desk. The prison guard at the station looks up at you, his porcine face twisting into a scowl. There is a row of shiny bars across his left pocket, and his cap is a lot better polished than the others you have seen. A man of some importance, you presume. He barks out in Spanish, at his comrade standing behind you. “What is this? Why have you brought me a chino?”

“He’s a new arrival, jefe. We were paid very well to take him in. Shi… Shino… something, his name is. Some strange chino name.”

Were we?” The fat chief snorts, rolling back in his creaking chair. “Funny, I didn’t see that report.”

“You never read any reports, you fat fuck…” mutters the guard behind your back.

“Did you say something, Pedro?”

“No, nothing, senor Salas. The payment was good. Juan has the details.”

“I see, I see. So, payment is good. Great. Why are you still standing here then? Bring him in, you idiot! Do I pay you to shit around?”

Guard Pedro gives his boss a lousy salute borne out of laziness and a grumpy mood. Then, he jabs you sharply in the small of your back. “Walk, chino.”

That is definitely your cue to move. You raise your cuffed hands slightly, defensively, and begin shuffling your feet along. The heavy chains binding your ankles together are slack, but not so slack that they would allow you enough room to run. As you travel down the corridors, you soon realize that you are probably the only person in this prison yet restrained in any way. The other inmates have an astonishing amount of freedom, to the extent of being allowed to lick their jagged knives lustily while they stare at you. New blood, they holler. You’re going to get fucked, they scream. Your presence is surprising to them. They can hardly be blamed; it is not everyday that a Japanese person is sent here.

La Sabaneta.

A sprawling prison complex of grey concrete blocks, housing some of the most dangerous men in South America. For the pranes, the bosses of the various gangs that have carved out territories within the prison compound, it is less a jail and more of a fortress from which they rule, conducting their unsavory dealings with the outside from a position of security. It is into this world that you have been sent. Unfinished business, as some would say.

“There. Go there, to the yard. There, you dumb chino. It’s part of the payment package.” Pedro makes an exaggerated gesture, gesticulating at the open air. You frown wordlessly. You were not aware that the ‘package’ had also included a welcoming party from the natives. He should be bringing you to your cell, not making detours. Pedro sighs and speaks slowly, in broken English: “Other prisoners. Welcome you. Icebreaking. Party. Have fun!” He gives you a hard shove, causing you to stumble out into the prison courtyard with your wrists and ankles still shackled.

The heavy beats of a popular hip-hop song by a local artist fills the air, powered by a large boombox that looks like it spun right out of an 80s catalogue. You glance around: there are perhaps a dozen or so prisoners lounging around here, tanning themselves in the hot South American sun. Their topless and tattooed frames take on an aggressive posture at the sight of you, posturing with full-blooded machismo. Chino, they shout, taunting you. Yet they are content to merely keep away in a relaxed circle, closing off all paths of retreat.

A stringy, wiry man breaks off from the circle and saunters up to you with arms held out to the sides, his baggy pants barely hanging onto his skinny hips. “So, chino. What are you doing here? You even speak our language, huh?”

You raise your cuffed hands in an attempt at conciliation, shaking your head.

The man gives you an angry grin. “Hey, Spanish, motherfucker! Do you speak it?” The tattoos across his chest flex as he shoves you violently. You fall down sitting onto the dusty ground of the yard, throwing up a small cloud of sand upon impact. The crowd around you laughs mockingly. Some of them begin hollering for a fight and for your blood to be spilled across the ground. “You think this is some tourist attraction for you to gawk at?” shouts the man, bending over and bringing his face in close to yours. You manage to avoid his spittle by leaning back, but just barely.

“Well, no. Not so much a tourist spot, but I was taken by an urge to visit a zoo. See how the animals live in their own filth. That’s why I’m here.” You reply smoothly in Spanish. Your dialect is different from theirs, having learnt it in the streets of the United States, but it is similar enough that your words are not misunderstood.

The man takes those words very seriously. “Fuck you!” His face twists into a mask of rage, and he draws his fist back, getting ready to punch out your teeth.

You throw your legs outward, using the chains to trip him. As he falls, a surprised look etched on his face, you roll over, maneuvering yourself on top of him before he can react and pressing him down with your body weight. With one hand you hold his jaw up, exposing his throat. Just as Liam nii-san taught you. A swift blow to the center of the trachea. You feel the cartilage crumple. The man chokes and wheezes, his eyes bulging. With the flow of oxygen cut off, you estimate that he will expire within minutes.

Taking only a short moment to admire your handiwork, you stand up, staring at the encroaching crowd. Some of them have guns, some have machetes, and others have shivs. You wrap the chains closer around your wrists and sigh. When you first started helping out your friend in university with her compensated dating business, this is not where you thought you would end up.

***

As the dust settles, you wipe the blood away from your split lip. What a troublesome place, forcing you to get into a brawl on your first day here. You turn your attention to those still able to crawl. They whimper, trying to scramble away from you, crying out that they have mothers and fathers and siblings and offspring that still need their help.

“Your message has been received quite clearly, hermano. Rest assured, the pranes will take notice of your arrival.” Before you can conclude your business with them, a voice interrupts you. It is deep, rumbling and confident. You turn around and look at the speaker. He must be the largest black man you have ever seen, easily towering over you even in a relaxed posture. He grins, showing off a shining, golden row of upper teeth. You recognize him from the file: Diego Hernandez, the right hand man of the top pran in La Sabaneta, and the most powerful enforcer in the prison. He seems to be sizing you up with an easy smile on his face.

You return the smile politely, wiping the blood off of your fingers. “I am grateful for the effort, senor. It was a very lively welcome party. I hope they will not make a new guest take care of the clean up?”

“Not a worry. That is what we pay the guards for.” The man shrugs. Turning away, he fades into the shadows of the prison’s corridors.

You tear the tattered remnants of your shirt away and wrap it around your fists. The few survivors of the brawl huddle together in fear as they stare at the newly revealed tattoo on your back…

***

A. A large pyramid topped with an eye: the mark of the influential Illuminati.

B. A tiger and a dragon, battling: the sign of the well-organized Japanese Yakuza.

C. A fiery, one-eyed snake swallowing its own tail: the emblem of the enigmatic Chinese Triad.
 
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Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
B>C>A
treave, you are the best. :love:
 

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