Outside 50: Meeting nature halfway

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2]

Mari pats the step next to her, opposite of where she tossed the wraps.
"Take a load off, you're making me feel weird being all tall over there."

Regardless of taking her offer or not, she mulls over his question for a good few moments before seeming to pick her words pretty carefully.
"Only if they knew what they were looking for, which isn't everyone in town. I think it'll be more obvious tonight."
There's a pause after this, before she appends another thought.
"I think any that didn't before, might have suspicions after this morning's talks, but wouldn't know until they tried to strut their stuff for the first time. If that makes sense?"

That's strange.

[Deathkeeper]

A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2

G'nichi nods and sits down.
"Well I guess I've just been trying to figure out what's actually been going on or not. What if there was supposed to be a victim already and the Spider already caught it? Jeb told me that he thinks 'people will take this more seriously when someone's dead' but what if someone already should be? In that case someone else would probably be targeted and there's no way to even know who the Spider is to tell them to pick someone else! It's frustrating. I just want to hit something. And I know that doesn't say much when I look like this but trust me that wasn't exactly my first option for most of my life." He wipes off his glasses again. The stupid fog keeps mucking them up.
"I'd almost like it to be him because that'd be the obvious thing. Just go for anyone who's mean. But that's not how real life works."

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2]

"Heh. Jeb would kill himself before he played out the demon role. He's a huge *******, but he wouldn't bat for the other team."
There is absolute confidence in this statement.
Still strange.

"Well if you want to hit something, I've dragged over those bags for punching, which you're welcome to. Just don't tell Fudo or he'll get grumpy."
Mari is trying pretty hard to keep this at least vaguely light, but it's hard to keep that going for too long.
"There's not a lot to go off right now, which is pretty frustrating, yeah. You're kind of literally trying to solve a murder before it even happened. No weapons or bloody fingerprints to work off of here.
Kind of unlikely that the spider and demons would have happened to pick the same probably random person on the first night though, don't you think? Random target might not be that weird for the demons who just want everyone dead, but the spider would have no info to work off of, really, as far as 'maybe that person isn't a horrible murdery jerk and maybe ticked off enough people to be a possible victim'.
Well. Except for you or Jeb."
A pause.
"Not going to read into that too far today. So.. To maybe guess a little at your intent here, it's possible everyone knew what they were and last night was a lucky spider/demon catch. Also possible everyone knew what they are and the demons are playing nice for...whatever reason. We can only hope an enduring reason.
Or...maybe they don't know for sure yet and tonight is going to be as nasty as Jeb expects it to be. I'm not sure what we can really do to stop that, short of doing something real drastic."

[Deathkeeper]

A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2

"You seem pretty confident in your answers today. I'm glad someone is." he shakes his head.
"I don't know anything, really. So I'm just throwing ideas at the wall." he pauses.
"Why did you ever come back to this place, anyway? You certainly don't seem to like it here."

[Rebonack]

[iDungeon]

Nothing is popping out.

At least not yet.

Jeany is watching that meyete pretty cautiously, though, just in case this is one of those bosses where it looks small and mostly harmless but actually isn't.

So!

The mouse-sized creature is going to try skittering right up to Linus and bite him on the toe of his shoe!

Will he allow the beast to engage in such an action?

He probably shouldn't.

It might be up to something tricky.


[Found a Fortress]

Yeah Spako might have trouble putting on a mage's robe if he's currently a dragon. Frankly the robe would be kind of awkwardly large for a kobold, all things considered. Maybe it's magical enough that it can resize?

Pepper pulls out the book, peers at it, then offers it to Spako.

"Spell book for Frost Bomb? Must be a mod-spell, I don't recognize it," Pepper admits. She'll pull out the robe, too. And the potions! "Looks like two health potions and an invisibility potion? Not bad."

Fancy stuff.

After removing everything that isn't the beacon Pepper boots the chest closed again with a hoof.

"I'm going to admit that I don't know how magical metals work. I don't think the people who make up these ideas really think about them very hard," she says as she begins heading around the wall and toward a flight of stairs leading out the back. Should our heroes follow the stairs they'll make their way up to a stone wall with a REALLY BIG OBVIOUS LEVER sticking out nearby. Pepper gives it a pull, causing the stone to slide down into the floor revealing a rocky shelf overlooking a small chamber with a shrine in it. The shrine consists of a small alter with a skull sitting atop it surrounded by dried flowers. At its base is another treasure chest that looks less fancy. There's also a large basin full of oil that isn't lit at the moment. And, of course, a cave entrance leading outside.


[Mountain Peak]

That Guy freezes mid-getting-ready-to-poke the bramble of stone vines at the center of the room.

No touchy!

There's some sort of divination magic associated with each of the pedestals. Chances are they're meant to react somehow when someone places a particular object atop them. Like, maybe, the glowing thing in the center of the chamber. Another magical trigger seems to be built into the floor in front of the stone cage. The object inside is a potent source of divine lightning magic not terribly unlike the club the knight had.

"Am I going to get zapped?" That Guy asks.

Maybe.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2]

"We could all stand to know a bit more, I guess."
Mari frowns and leans back on the stairs.
"At this point, I don't really know. It seemed like the thing to do during school break. Go home, visit the folks I used to know. I forgot that I don't like most of them, I guess. If I got that do over, I guess I wouldn't."

[Deathkeeper]

Found a Fortress

Well Pepper half of the time magical metals have a very long and confusing etymology and history. Like the one named after the original thought experiment of Atlantis that was just a mildly valuable alloy and didn't have any supernatural properties.
"Ice isn't really my thing but I'll take it." Any and all treasures can be deposited into Spako's little bag. It's not as nice of a bag as Sylvess' but it's still a good dragony bag that also small when he is.
"You know, this is my second time going on a quest to help a friend in regards to mithril." Did he mention that already? He might have. Spako noses about the other chest while they're there.

iDungeon

Well. If nothing else this seems like a good time to test Linus' new sword power. He does his best dramatic pose and tries to see if he can shoot out that energy blast thing he got from the second gem.
Pew!

A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2

"Someone might call it fate, but that would only make me more mad.
Did...did people hate you for something, Mari? I can't imagine anyone calling you something so nasty. But then again, these people want me dead for being born fifteen miles away so..." At this point G'nichi would very much like information on grudges since the demons might simply go out of their way to target people they don't like first. Hence why he's a bit afraid for himself. But if he really can save someone, he would never use that shield on himself.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2]

There's a weird look on Mari's face for a moment. Like it can't decide whether to be sad, angry, or resigned.
It doesn't take long to brick itself up behind her more standard almost-cheerful smile.
"Well, you know how kids are, sometimes they do stupid stuff and make people mad. Sometimes they do things that make people extra mad. We'll say I was column B and stick a pin in that for today?"

Don't need one of the weapons to tell G'nichi that she isn't entirely comfortable with that topic at the moment, for whatever reason.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2

G'nichi stands up and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, Mari. That was terrible of me to ask like that. You stay well out there." He slips his glasses back onto his nose and gives the sack a good right hook before moving on.
The last thing he wants to do for the day is find a good vantage spot to put Ken for the night for some night-time spying.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2]

If everyone lives in this town as a matter of exile, it stands to reason there was something bad that happened along the way to put them here.
Maybe it was a dumb question.

"It's cool...you be safe too. Make sure you're back here before sunset, so I don't have to deal with a mushy pile of you too, huh?"
She makes no particular moves to stop him from leaving, watching him punch the bag before turning to go back up to her own room by the time he's walking away.

She seems haunted by something.
For your plan though, might I recommend just tossing me up onto the shrine rooftop? It is as good a spot as any, and the fog should keep me visible from others.
If I see something before my dismissal, I should be able to reach you at your room easily enough.

[Deathkeeper]

A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day 2

Wait, did anyone actually tell Mari about the condition of the bodies? That's a lot to dump on someone. Jeb and Fudo did suggest something this morning. Something to remember. But even then he knows that the Demons didn't get those librarians.
G'nichi's only other idea would be to toss Ken into one of the trees around town but there's too much risk of him botching the throw and Ken being blinded by all the leaves instead of the spot he wants. So he'll use the suggested spot because why not? And as for the rest...well he doesn't have anything planned. He wishes he had more clothes. At least he doesn't sweat so they're not going to start smelling as fast as all these humans. He's not sure how they manage with just these basins of water instead of actual showers.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Jog - Day Night 2]

Maybe everyone here actually has soap stockpiles in their rooms they're not telling G'nichi about?
It's a possibility.

Moving on, the chakram is tossed up onto the temple, where it manages to pull off a relatively quiet landing despite being made of metal. The blanket of fog undoubtedly helps here.
Ken wishes G'nichi luck and so we move on to the day's conclusion.

Night falls almost unnoticeably, as before. The fog already leaves the world darker than the usual light of day, and being inside a room with no windows just kicks the whole keeping time process in the shins.
But that's why we invented watches, so that our little heroes can keep track of time regardless of outlier circumstances.
Hours pass, one after the other, with nothing particularly exciting happening. 9, 10, 11, tick tock tick tock.
That is until...strange. Slightly after midnight, he should think, but his watch is bizarrely unreadable at the moment.
It's there, and what look like numbers are there. Just not in any comprehensible fashion. Arcane hieroglyphics.

The mist seems to have penetrated the room as well, visibility has become hazy in the room. Not enough to be a true visibility problem, but definitely noticeable.
On the ground near his cot, the mist swirls just a little and seems to highlight a piece of paper and a piece of charcoal that definitely weren't there before. A long-legged spider can be briefly seen skittering away from it, into the haze.

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

Well, that confirms that, doesn't it?
"Welcome to the vellllvet rooom." drawls G'nichi as he picks up the paper and charcoal.
But who to choose?
Eiko is the priestess of the god causing all of this, but no one seems to actually question Shimono. In fact, their fear of Shimono might keep them from acting out against her. Of course, being here means she was exiled, but that counts for everyone...
Mari? She's his friend but other than today's display he doesn't know anything she might have done to anger anyone. In fact the two of them theoretically helped the Demons today by stopping the vote. Though he still does not regret doing this: there's very little chance they would have guessed correctly. And the town was on the brink of choosing him anyway...
Jeb? As he said, killing Jeb first would be a good arrangement as he's a solid voice in the town and it would neatly pin the blame on G'nichi. But are there no greater scores to settle in town?
Sumiye and Atsushi seem like good people but he just doesn't know anything about them.
Himself? No of course not, he cannot take something that could save someone else.

With a sigh, G'nichi writes JEB on the paper before flipping the bird at the darkness around him. He's an insufferable xenophobe but his death might throw people into a frenzy. And as stated, his death after this morning's argument would neatly frame him and Mari. And Mari, well...he wants her badly to live through all this...but she more than anyone else set off Ken's lie detectors. He cannot discount the possibility of her guilt. Really the only people he's sure are innocent are himself and the person he's saving.
But he doubts he's going to be extending this favor to the man a second time.

[Earl of Purple]

Steelbite Canyon

The two bikers pull up just outside the smoke cloud offering the hiding heroes cover. "Hey, Fido? Boss man? We got the runner for you. No way another chapter's gonna find out about this till you're ready for 'em. " It's possibly outside both Atreyu's and Calm Reed's knowledge that different branches of one motorcycle club are termed 'chapters'. The speaker is the woman, and she gestures to the orc. He turns off his engine and moves his carbine into a position where he can use it before marching into the fog. The woman stays outside on her dicycle, but she pulls her revolver free.

Wrecked Motorway

This old, abandoned stretch of road is marked with potholes and rusty old cars, leading into the Nexus from a variety of worlds that fell victim to man's hubris or natural disaster. Currently, perched atop an old van with a ladder bolted to the back door is a dirty young man with long, unkempt brown hair, weather-beaten tanned skin and pale green eyes. He wears an old urban camo army jacket, the worn material patched with material cut from other clothing, none of it appearing to be of military origin. On his legs are a pair of denim jeans, though they've also been repaired several times. A pair of canvas basketball shoes are on his feet, the soles worn smooth and using garden string as laces. He's also wearing some improvised armour; a pair of battered cricket shinpads, a roller skater's elbow-guards and a dirty white hard hat. Resting on the van's roof next to him is a claw hammer and a mostly empty rucksack.

He can't easily get down, as seven zombies surround the vehicle, all of them desiccated looking corpses with vines growing around and through their torsos, bright yellow flowers decorating the plants. Nearby, a large shopping cart has overturned, spilling a fold-away tent, a half-empty plastic jug from a watercooler, a sleeping bag and a box of deodorant across the cracked road surface. Also of interest nearby is an old car with faded red paintwork, a boat-trailer complete with boat hitched behind it; a yellow snowplough that has shoved a lot of vehicles out of the way, partly clearing the road for traffic before finally being abandoned after breaking its axel and a dark green sports car on the back of a flatbed truck.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

The name is written and the mist freezes.

"Velvet Room, hee. Next time maybe."

G'nichi's room shifts, like someone is slowly rotating a kaleidoscope in front of his eyes, and he finds himself in what looks to be a highly modern security office.
He now finds himself in a dark (but distinctly not foggy) room, illuminated by the glow of dozens of computer monitors. Most of the screens are incomprehensible in much the same way his watch is, clearly portraying something, but his eyes can't seem to translate it into anything useful for his brain.
There are two that are clear enough, one showing G'nichi passed out on his cot, and another showing simple static.

Between him and said monitors, a woman in security guard dress reclines in a comfy chair, spinning what looks an awful lot like his Bracelet of the Celestial Arms around one of her fingers. At first glance, her precise features seem to suffer the same inscrutability as the monitors, but like a thousand tiny rotating mirrors, the kaleidoscope effect passes over her too.
Syncope, as indicated by the name tag penned to her uniform's breast, bears a dark complexion, darker hair, and a body frame scarcely more than a skeleton with skin.

While her smile is welcome, her eyes show a predatory intrigue.
"Hello there, my champion."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

Well, this might be able to take the cake as the most confusing thing that's happened this week which really must be commended as an achievement.
G'nichi squirms in his little office chair. His tail thankfully has enough room to do its thing as he tends to lash it around when stressed.
"Ah, hello, Ma'am. Madam....Syncope. I assume that I have you to thank for some of my recent happenings? Or am I here at the office of Celestial Voyeurs?" he flicks one of his fin-like ears to the monitor showing him snoring in his underwear. He's trying his best to wrap his brain around what's going on as swiftly as possible. But he knows this is no god he knows of and well, there's not many things that would call him their champion.
He does seem to have a relationship with several beings that are notably not the god he actually worships...

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

If nothing else, she has a good sense of humor, laughing rather sincerely at his terrible voyeurism comment.
"Nothing celestial about me, I'm afraid. I am responsible for your current little predicament, however."

His bracelet spins a little faster around her finger.
"Though, your involvement is your own fault."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

G'nichi tenses but continues to keep cool. He doesn't know enough to make a move yet.
...and besides, he is well aware that he's out of his league at this point in time.
"Well, my involvement was mostly the fault of very specific rules I was not made aware of and the meddling of a very reckless sword. But I won't deflect blame that it was my own decision to listen to him.
I'm guessing you have something to tell me? I haven't been called into the office for any of the other trouble the Arms have gotten me into. And for today's little game, well, it seems like the ominous warnings and spooky animal messengers sufficed for everyone else." And frankly, while he's more personally horrified by Shimono's game if he's being honest the first monstrosity he struck down was probably more of a threat to the world than a small town death game.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

Syncope's grin grows.
"Oh, your involvement started rather before you set foot on that road for your 'jog session'.
You're the precise flavor of naivete this usually happens to, so no need to feel singled out."

The bracelet stops spinning, held up between two fingers in just the right angle to frame his sleeping form on the monitor, from where G'nichi sits.
This is almost certainly intentional.
"We'll come back to current events in a moment.
You've not been previously 'called into the office', as it were, because things have been complicated of late and it took me some time to find you, then some more time to assess you.
What do you think this little bangle is, exactly?"

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

G'nichi looks down at the golden accessory.
"Um. I assumed it was a repository of all the tools and weapons that have been collected and are then distributed to the 'champion' for...whatever reason."
He isn't actually sure why it does that but he assumes it's some sort of quirk of the designers.

[bc56]

Mountain Peak

Kothar's senses don't give nearly that much detail. He can tell the orb is divine power, and that's about it. "Maybe. Be careful." It might not be harmful. But not all gods are kind gods, and few would look kindly on the desecration of a shrine, no matter which side they're on.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

"Technically correct, in the most basic and boring way possible."
Despite the words, she doesn't look too disappointed by his answer. It's more or less what she expected.

Syncope pinches the side of the bracelet with the fingers of her other hand and pulls out a ghostly, shimmering image of the chakram.
"It is a collection of tools, an arcane key-ring, and most importantly a trap."
The chakram's image distorts and thickens, looking more like a shackle with every passing moment.
"This little device is designed very specifically for people just like you. A boon to grant your dreams of heroism and relevance, in one easy little wearable."

The now-shackle is released and snaps back into the bracelet.
"Would you say that your life has become inexplicably more...'exciting' since you took that trip into the sewers?"

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

"Well, properly speaking my life became significantly more exciting since I was dropped into that sewer. And I did take the bracelet to not die, not for some gambit for power. And Ken seemed nice..." he replies. He knows she isn't accusing him of anything but still.
"So...why exactly are you telling me this?"

[Rebonack]

[iDungeon]

Linus strikes and pose and-!

The meyete skitters to one side, neatly avoiding the projectile as it blasts into the floor and leaves a smouldering scorch mark.

Wow!

It's pretty fast!

It goes zooming around to grab him by the boot! Should it succeed it will toss him rather effortlessly across the room.

Well.

Apparently the tiny thing is, in fact, the boss of this level.


[Mountain Peak]

Kothar should invest in the ability to cast Detect Magic.

It's very useful!

"Okay I'm going to carefully maybe get zapped," That Guy replies as he takes the club and tries shoving it into the hole atop the plinth. Light begins crackling along the club, arcing between the vines and filling the air with a steadily growing white light. Brighter and brighter it grows until looking into the blaze becomes painful. That Guy shields his eyes mostly because he doesn't feel like getting flashblinded while maybe retrieving trinkets. When the light fades the stone cage has vanished with it, leaving only a small altar with a glowing pendant hovering above it.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

"I'm telling you this because I need you to win a game where both sides are aggressively cheating."
Syncope pauses for a moment.
"Also I don't get out much. Sometimes it's just nice to talk."

The bracelet is waggled.
"You are here because I have an inheritance and you are wearing part of it. You are here because you have (evidently for survival purposes) added yourself to a fairly long line of foolish heroes being used as chatty superweapons.
When this little device was designed, it was dubbed a 'keychain', to the fates of heroes and certain...tactical objectives. One of said tactical objectives lies about a mile under your sleeping body and needs to stay there."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

G'nichi isn't really sure about a lot of what she just said. "Um...in terms of the weapon part are you being literal or figurative?" Well he hasn't picked up a weapon with the voice of its last user at least...but then he hasn't wielded the sword he was using either.
"So is there another eldritch monstrosity sleeping under this town? Because it sounds a lot like something to add to the burgeoning list of reasons why no one should live here." His eyes narrow.
"Or are you here to tell me that my increasing desire to murder the beings responsible for all of this is something I'm going to have to give up on?"
Because he does not want to do that. He wants to take the sword that doesn't want to be drawn and smash it on that stupid death-game-maybe-fake god's head.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

"Figurative, by your meaning. Literal by the designer's, but she had a tendency to see your kind as more objects than people anyway."
This is a semantics point that no one really needs to waste their time arguing about.

So Syncope continues on away from it, resuming her nonchalant spinning of the bracelet around her finger.
"Yes, there's a fairly nasty entity imprisoned under that town. There's some fairly nasty entities imprisoned in a lot of places. That thing you met when you put on the bracelet for instance, was imprisoned there and in the process of escaping when you put it back.
There is a similar event happening here, but...worse. You were able to fight the prior entity due to some particular quirks of its imprisonment and the precise nature of its abilities making it a more localized threat than it could have been.

This one is not a local threat. It needs to stay in its box or no one within a hundred miles of this place will see the next dawn."
This probably isn't any particular news that G'nichi is excited about, so she tries to cut-off any immediately visible anger with a raised finger.
"But that's not to say you can't get your knocks in on someone who deserves it here, mister champion. The entity beneath the town is not responsible for the game you find yourself in. Sure, it is owed a certain amount of sacrificial offerings to keep it happily dreaming, but nothing on the scale of what you're seeing now. More like metaphysical sacrifices than blood sacrifices.
There it would stay in perpetuity, if not for an associate of mine.

So here's the part you're probably not going to like: this game is my idea. I made it, I set most of the rules, I have chosen most of the players. You hate it, but you really want me to win or a significantly larger number of people are going to die."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

G’nichi sits very still. Very still indeed. When he speaks it is slow and deliberate and with the sparks that dance along his teeth when his dragon fire gets uppity.
”Well. I’ll give you plenty of time to get to the part that explains why I’m supposed to take that sitting down.
But we’ll start with the contradictions here. If it doesn’t need blood sacrifice, why exactly does this game involve turning people into gore salsa?”
Hm. Yes I do believe she’s managed to upset him.

iDungeon

Of course. Linus scrambles away, narrowly avoiding its jaws but not looking particularly dignified in the process. He staggers to his feet and comes up next to Jeanie.
"Uh, do you have any sticky traps? Area stun things? Poking something that fast is hard." Linus might have played some baseball in his time but he's not sure he wants to try it with a ball that's literally trying to eat his face.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Night 2]

Here Syncope frowns.
"That would be my associate. They needed a certain amount of incentive to agree to my game in the first place, which is...most of the parts you don't like, if we're being entirely honest. I needed them to be interested, or this whole stalling tactic wouldn't have worked in the first place. Unfortunately for you and the other participants, the sorts of things they're interested in are, frankly, abominable."

She spins in her chair and points at the screen that had, previously, been only static.
It has resolved into Mari's room, with the young woman sleeping fitfully in her bed.
"For better or worse, the blood sacrifices are not entirely for the imprisoned entity. They're the bait for your actual target."

The things that burst in through Mari's door don't look like an stereotypical form of demon. No horns, red skin, or giant fangs and claws.
They look like people wearing skin-suits, in the most literal possible way. From head to toe, they have layers of wet-looking skin wrapped tightly around their bodies like grotesque mummies.
There are two of them, one shorter than the other by a notable degree, each walking with a somewhat stiff gait, as if their movement was restricted-

The video pauses here and Syncope speaks a little quieter.
"This game is in place to slow them down for any amount of time at all. It is horrible and not my most ethical choice, but without it, everyone in that town would have perished quite some time ago and in far more pain."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Night 2

G'nichi sighs deeply. He doesn't blame himself for his choice. He doesn't know these people. He didn't know if they would be acting to win or just to kill who they didn't like and die. He didn't know who they didn't like. He didn't know anything. So while guilt pierces his heart, he knows that at the end of the day he can't say that he did anything other than guess incorrectly.
"If you're saying that I can put and end to something that goes for this [EXPUNGED] on a regular basis then point me at them." he growls as he gets up out of his chair.
"But I made an oath that I intend to keep. Your game just killed a sad, lonely girl. So I'm going to ask you nicely if I can punch you in the face for her." Preferably onto the floor since he specified strike down.
"Yes, I know this is probably all an abstraction for my mortal brain to comprehend but let me have this."