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Shellception posted:Current stage: Nightfall // Last Stage: Wednesday 30th May, 3 pm US Central/10 pm EU [Endgame] To Simon You watch the cat leave, a bit confused by his reaction, and contemplate your options. A rain demon by the river, that sounds like your jam, and you're itching for a bit of action anyway. A stray thought passes you by, one that says you should, probably, get dressed - but who has time for that, really? There are two of you anyway, and you've seen Hendrick shoot before, and maybe he can lend you a knife even. Good enough. You try to ignore Miu's chirping in the direction of the hotel. It'll be fine, really! Short pajamas are like sport clothes, anyway. And who needs shoes to bathe into the river? You check your phone. Nothing from the others. If they needed you, they'd surely call, right? As you get up from the bench, signalling to Hendrick to follow you, something comes flying by your side and lodges itself on the ground in front of you.  It's... a paper plane? You quickly snatch it up, and notice there is a message inside. Elbowing Hendrick for attention, you unfold it, holding it so both of you can read.  You look at the sky. Sun is starting to get lower, it's probably early afternoon. If you had to guess, five hours or so of light remaining? Unless... what latitude are you again...? "It all makes sense" Hendrick says, sounding really serious all of a sudden. "The empty city, the concentrated void. But I did not know it was so... close" He checks his watch. "It's 2 pm. We might still have some time to prepare for the worst" What to do/Where to go? Shellception fucked around with this message at 09:13 on May 16, 2024 |
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May 16, 2024 08:53
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To Ray, Leo and Maeby The loud gunshots echo all over the room. One, then another - then a third, for good measure. As Ray retreats a bit, you all get ready for a comeback... that never comes. After a few seconds in the dark, it's pretty clear that whatever it was, it now is no more. From the back, Leo manages to find a light switch and turns it on. The remains of a pretty large shroud, with a few bones scattered here and there, are spread around at Ray's feet. A lot of dust fills the room, as if the monster had disintegrated on impact. A bit further away, you notice in alarm someone seems to be lying on a small pool of blood - very recent blood, for what it looks like. A quick, and definitely very unpleasant, examination tells you you've seen this man before, and that you're probably not going to be doing much here; even though the monster didn't seem to manage to fully do its thing, alive people definitely have more... meat on them. Apart from calling the precinct and dropping the bad news on Ryan, that is. What to do/Where to go? To Leo As the danger seems to have passed, you sit down on a chair and try to get a hang on your situation. You seem to have a gash on your shirt and a pretty big open wound underneath it, near the lower part of your neck's back - if you had to guess, that thing bit you somehow. It seems to be bleeding a bit more than normal. You recall Hendrick's wound, and how the cut was weirdly resistant to closing down, too. It's making you a bit dizzy, but nothing you've not endured before. Still, it might be good to get it checked. To Maeby To your major disappointment, this monster definitely doesn't seem like it has any useful blood on it. The dead cop does, but you are not sure he qualifies. You've developed a keen nose, though - being the Chosen of a God, even if you can't really remember what god or why did they chose you, has its perks. And something here is triggering it. As the other two are distracted here and there, you take a furtive look around. Leo is bleeding, you know that already. But he is... well, he is Leo. Human blood is a no for you. And he may be aloof, and a bit of a show-off at times, but he is your teammate. You don't go around drinking teammate blood. That's not polite. And still, it smells... weirdly good... Roll Act under Pressure to try and resist the bloody impulse here, or any other action you want to take. Shellception fucked around with this message at 14:07 on May 16, 2024 |
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May 16, 2024 13:57
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Leo "...The gently caress was that?" Wincing Leo touches the back of his neck. "Think one of you could put something on the this?" While waiting for some assistance Leo pokes a shoe at the bones and dust on the floor, trying to figure out what it had been (and hopefully no others like it still around) Investigate creature: 2d6 7
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May 16, 2024 14:23
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To Leo It's definitely the creature Hendrick drew earlier, or at least one like it - and given the circumstances of your fight, it's pretty probably it was also "Sally". You don't readily recall what kind of name could a shapeshifter, meat-eating vampire skeleton be called, but you'd think someone does. You recall Hendrick's vision, and worry a bit. Was this just the one... or are there more of them around?
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May 16, 2024 15:00
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Ray Ray takes A Moment. His knuckles were white around the grip and barrel of his shotgun, his open mouth providing short, panting breaths before catching a stray bead of sweat that had rolled down from his temple. The smell of cordite and corpses were something he could deal with - he had before - but the television shows and comic books and animes never did an accurate job of portraying the sheer, post-kill adrenaline rush Ray was currently experiencing. He stares down at the... 'remains' of whatever it was he had just helped shuffle from this mortal coil, and his brain automatically begins trying to search it's mental databanks for a match. Investigate a Mystery: ... the gently caress is that?: 2d6+2 11 Maerlyn posted:Leo Thankfully, Ray is not green, and on hearing Leo speak manages to swiftly snap himself back to his full senses. "Yeah, here," he says, the distraction starting to fade from his voice as tucks the shotgun back into his trenchcoat and instead retries a large handkerchief from within. Ray makes his way toward Leo to provide some quick triage. "We can patch you up a little better once we get back to the van." Ray provides first aid to Leo as best he can. "Maeby?" he calls out from over his shoulder, focused as much on Leo as he can be given the circumstances; as she hasn't said much since his entrance, Ray has made the assumption she's alright, but it never hurts to check. "You ok over there?" My Second Re-Reg fucked around with this message at 16:26 on May 16, 2024 |
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May 16, 2024 16:19
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To Ray (and Leo, and Maeby) You study the remains carefully and, this time, something connects. A skeleton. The catfishing. The light. The... well, the eating people alive. It's a loving long shot, but thousands of hours of anime watched means you are definitely an authority in the matter. It's a Nikusui - famed from taking the appearance of a woman and preying on young, lonely men, which it lures to dark spaces and then devours. Though, in reality, you can't imagine any vampire restricting their diet like that; no Hollywood tales here, they tend to be violent hungry bastards, feeding on whatever passes by. And this one, clearly, was no exception. A quick look at the photos on a nearby table also tells you this wasn't even her house, but the apartment of the poor bastard lying half-eaten on the floor. Which, you reason, makes sense if he was asleep after a night shift. In the dark. With a darkness-loving vampire living probably just next door over. You can't help but feel a bit for him, rear end in a top hat and all. To Leo's call, you snap out of your thoughts, and move up to the chair he is sitting on. The clothes around the wound are tattered and the cut itself looks nasty, as if he had a bite taken out of his own flesh, but it isn't deep and it'll heal fast. You do your best to stop the hemorrage with your handkerchief; he winces once or twice, but takes it well. Leo: Heal 1 harm to a total of 1 harm.
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May 16, 2024 21:00
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Simon With an odd glance at the retreating man and the demon-cat, Simon turns to Hendrick. Let's compare notes? he suggests, exchanging the laser pen for his phone to text the latest update to the rest of the team. Miu nestles atop his head, a weary chirp barely audible. When all is in order, Simon beckons for Hendrick to follow him. River, he indicates, before pausing to rethink his choice of attire. Maybe he should change out of his pyjamas and put on some shoes. He herds his colleague back to the hotel for a quick stop, and dashes back out with renewed energy and a fresh set of clothes. The ground transforms from a dry, earthy texture to a wet, slushy tract as they trudge toward the riverside, and Simon is glad he's put on his shoes. The sludge squelches beneath their feet as they approach the area he scouted earlier from the treetop, and he slows as he nears it. Roll on Sharp, 2d6+2, Result: 9 The hummingbird leaves her perch to flit cautiously around the area, staying ahead of the investigators to keep an eye out for any imminent danger.
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May 17, 2024 13:55
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Shellception posted:To Maeby Maeby Something about the copper scent of blood makes the synapses in Maeby's brain do a shuffling little dance. drat, I could really go for some... And she halts the thought shamefully as she looks upon Leo's wound with desire, not unlike those cartoons where a starving person looks at their friend like they're a big talking hot dog. To distract her thoughts she digs her thumbnail into her palm and raises that hand to her mouth to lightly bite the knuckles. I'm cool, I'm good, no thanks... Maeby understands a social faux pas when it floats through her head, and fights to Act Under Pressure, rolling herself an 8 Tea Party Crasher fucked around with this message at 16:37 on May 17, 2024 |
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May 17, 2024 16:32
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To Maeby You bite your fist and try humming a song between your teeth at the same time (with admittedly little success) and distract yourself by taking another look around the room while Ray takes care of Leo's wound and helps him towards the door. Your eyes fall on the mishmash of scattered bones on the ground. Still trying not to think much, you decide to pick up three or four of the more entire ones and put them on your backpack. They might be useful as clubs or something, you reason. Most of them, however, have been ground to dust by Ray's shotgun shots. As you carefully close your backpack to avoid unnecesary questions and follow the other two, you notice something red and sticky on your left hand's index and middle fingers. Reflexfully, you put them in your mouth, not even thinking about it. You feel a small electric tingle and pull your hand back, alarmed. Looking around for the source of the red stuff, you notice that you seem to have accidentally swiped the back of the wooden chair Leo sat on with your hand. +1 to your next Charm-based roll.
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May 17, 2024 17:49
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To Simon and Hendrick You both walk past the small park where the first body was found, leaving it behind, and alongside the wilder and muddy riverside as Miu scouts ahead of you. To your left, the river has carved its way onto the mountain rock; there's a few feet of fall from where you are. The sky has darkened, and a light, cold drizzle is starting to fall on your heads, sliding over your coats and onto the ground. At some point, the bird chirps loudly and buzzes a couple times around Simon's head, pointing at something by the river itself. It looks like a thin, vertical crack in the rockside, barely wide enough for a person to pass through, assuming they're not too big. A small stream of water comes out from it; it's possible this is just a natural underground tributary that finds its way to the main river here. But, you notice, there are also several tracks on the mud in front of you, as if someone... or something, had been moving around recently. If you hang down carefully, you may be able to slide onto it from the top of the rocky outcrop. Inside? Or keep exploring? Shellception fucked around with this message at 21:17 on May 17, 2024 |
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May 17, 2024 19:47
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Simon Squinting at the suspicious stones, Simon ventures closer. If his years of training have taught him anything, it's to examine the details that seem out of place. The mud looks fresh coming out of the rock, something that Simon would not expect to see ordinarily. He peers down at the tracks and pokes the ground, testing if it's stable — and if it's a new lead. Roll on Sharp, 2d6+1, Result: 9 The loamy soil makes a sound as Simon prods it, evident of new tracks. He motions for Hendrick to follow and climbs cautiously toward the recess in the rock.
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May 18, 2024 00:18
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To Simon and Hendrick Carefully, you both lower yourselves and slide inside the opening and onto a narrow cave, about the width of a person and only slightly taller than you. You are standing in water: it seems like there is indeed a small river current flowing from here. It also feels damp, and smells strongly of plants and soil. Here and there, you can see small roots coming out from the stone. Apart from the small amount of light coming in from the entrance, the whole place is pitch dark, but you can clearly feel your way following the walls. Do you have a light source? Or do you prefer to move on in the dark? Shellception fucked around with this message at 09:30 on May 18, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 08:50
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Hendrick Hendrick shakes himself a bit as he feels almost like he's been sleepwalking. It felt good to know where he was going again. He lightly frowns at the realization that he didn't get prepared in advance, but it quickly vanishes as he shrugs and scrabbles around in the dark, hoping to find something. At first, he finds something, but it feels.. wrong. It takes a bit longer than he'd like to admit to realize that it's a bone (a long one, maybe a humerus or femur). Bad sign, but... ...his only choice is to try again and hope he doesn't find something else even more unpleasant. This time he finds a flashlight. Thankfully, it's not being death-gripped by a hand! Rolled an initial 6 and rerolled a second time getting a 14 to find a flashlight.
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May 18, 2024 10:29
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To Hendrick The muddy, slightly rusty lamplight doesn't look like it should work at all, but when you click the button, a bright white light illuminates the cave, causing Simon to jump in surprise. Under the light, you realize you've stumbled upon what looks like a small cavity carved out in the rock at around waist height, carefully protected from the water flowing underneath. You inspect it and find a handful of carefully folded papers, a small, unlabelled brown glass bottle half-filled with a dense looking liquid, and a couple still wrapped syringes. You take a look at the papers. To your surprise, you instantly recognize the stamped logo on top. It's a monster hunting contract, exactly like the ones you all have. The name on it is also really, really familiar to you; you never met this person, but this name definitely was on a "Missing - Presumed dead" list back when you were working office a few months ago. It is, however, too recent to be the unfortunate owner of the bone, even in those humid conditions. The rest of the contract is pretty inespecific: three disappearances recorded in the area ranging from a couple decades ago to a couple years, attributed to unprepared spelunking accidents; bones from a victim found washed out after a flood, bite marks found on them, with one of the laboratories reporting traces of an unknown chemical in the HPLC analysis. Considered of minor importance, although caution is advised. A trembling hand has scribbled a word nearby: POISONOUS! To Simon The sudden flash of light startles you, and you turn back to see Hendrick checking something on the wall, but you can't see what. Looking ahead under the newfound light, the tunnel continues upwards and seems to widen a little bit: there are a couple sandy banks to the side of the current. You decide to wander a bit further, Miu keeping watch around your head. As you walk past, you notice something moving to the corner of your right eye, and turn your head, but there seems to be nothing there except for a pile of river-washed rocks in the sand. Shellception fucked around with this message at 11:59 on May 18, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 11:47
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Hendrick Hendrick quickly puts everything away in his coat. It was only a guess that it was a healing/protective agent, but there weren't any alternative explanations that would make sense for a hunter that got this far and who'd identified a poisonous compound. Simon could read it... The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He'd needed to check his find thoroughly and he was sure it would come in handy, but time was short and they were too close to the enemy to leave each other alone too long. He first checked to make sure Simon was still there, and then he saw Simon looking for something. This must be what he'd felt. At first, he saw nothing. He looked again at Simon's face to confirm what he'd seen in it, a bit of confusion at seeing nothing where his mind had told him something should have gone. He looked again. This time, he noticed it. Rolled a 6 first, rerolled a 12. Gained 3 holds, first question is "Are there any dangers we haven't noticed?" under the presumption if the critter in the rocks is a danger we have noticed it and it'll be something else I get info on. Ignatius M. Meen fucked around with this message at 16:47 on May 18, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 16:40
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To Hendrick and Simon As you approach the pile of rocks, one of them, the size of a medium dog, jumps in the air and starts running on what looks like tiny tiger legs - you'd swear you even saw a tail. Some smaller ones follow suite, running behind the first. Apparently considering themselves safe, the group of rocks drops down again on the sandy bank a few meters forward, once again looking unconspicuous. You two look around, but apart from that, there doesn't seem to be anything else around. Whatever is hiding in this cave, you don't think the tiger rocks stole a baby. As you are moving forward, Hendrick notices a small bump on his leg, and looks down to find a small rock, the size of a kitten, carefully hitting his boot. It doesn't seem scared, rather looking at the both of you with as much curiosity as a cave rock can muster.
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May 18, 2024 18:40
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Hendrick "Well, this is different," Hendrick thinks to himself. He kneels down and slowly blinks at the curious kitten, then carefully puts out one hand for the kitten to sniff, then moves a little to scratch under its chin.
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May 18, 2024 19:39
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To Hendrick The rock doesn't seem to emit any sounds, or have anything to make sounds in the first place, but you feel it vibrating happily upon being scratched. Apparently satisfied, it climbs on top of your foot and looks up at you. You pick it up; it's a bit smaller than your hand, slightly heavier than expected, and it stirs softly, turning around a few times with curiosity. Then it folds down, looking like a completely unremarkable pebble, until you notice the tiny striped legs and tail carefully tucked underneath.
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May 18, 2024 23:02
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To Ray, Leo and Maeby A carefully placed call to the precinct and many explanations later, the three of you leave the apartment, letting the door open just in case. By the time you get out into the veranda, the day has turned cloudy and gray, and it's raining lightly. You all can hear the siren of a police car in the distance, getting closer to where you are. A look at the group chat tells you Simon and Hendrick are after the child kidnapper - one of the two has even dropped a location in, a preventive measure that's nevertheless often overlooked. There is also a handful of texts about a known nekomata, a cat spirit, and the picture of a handwritten note warning you all of demons coming by night to take "everyone". It is evident that whatever is going on in this city runs deeper than just your friendly neighborhood catfishing vampire, but you still aren't fully sure of all the ramifications of it. Where to go/what to do? Shellception fucked around with this message at 00:03 on May 19, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 23:54
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Simon Curiously, Simon peers at the seemingly sentient stones, noting their movements. They don't seem to pose a threat, at least, but they're definitely not average rocks. He taps a finger lightly on the bird atop his head, signalling her to stay put while he scopes out the situation with Hendrick, before snatching the laser pen yet again from his colleague. Approaching the gathering of camouflaged creatures near the water, he crouches down to observe them calmly before switching on the laser pointer in full view.
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May 18, 2024 23:57
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Hendrick He thinks a bit about the little rock and gets out a clear plastic baggie jury-rigged to hook onto his shoulders from his coat, then gives the rock a couple more scritches for good measure as he sets it in the baggie and secures it to his back. It shouldn't have any issues coming along with him this way and while he wasn't entirely sure it would be a good idea to take it home with him, he knew he'd feel like a jerk shunning it or making it keep up with him being so small. He looks over at Simon and takes care to face the pointer so as to make sure the pebblecat can't see the shenanigans Simon's attempting.
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May 19, 2024 00:12
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To Simon You aren't sure at first if the stones can even actually see the pointer, catlike as they are, but they clearly can perceive your presence, so it is definitely worth trying. They clearly have some sort of light sensitivity, because after a bit, a couple of them carefully slide off the pile and get closer to the moving pointer, as if watching it curiously. To your amusement, one of the medium-sized ones actually runs up to it and drops itself on top of the dot, clearly considering the matter settled as the laser dances on its side, causing a few of the others to pile up on top of it in turn. None of them seem too bothered by the situation, and you get the impression they consider it a game of sorts. You think walking close to them will probably just startle them off again, but, given their reaction to the pointer, you might be able to herd them around with it.
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May 19, 2024 00:12
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To Simon and Hendrick Going uphill, the tunnel widens up and becomes a bigger cave - you can now see the ceiling is way higher over your heads than it was before. A couple cracks on it now let some measure of daylight in, and also water. It's clearly still raining outside, and that's probably how the stream refills, you'd guess. It is running strong by your feet, with sand banks around both sides, and some plants growing in the wet walls. In the distance, all along the banks, you can spot a few more groups of stones carefully positioned, in the way you now know betrays their not-fully-stoney nature. Hendrick's pebble seems to like the walking around, and is hanging out in the clear baggie, reacting to Simon's curious pokes with a tiny paw bop in turn. As you progress, you start noticing something strange over the water surface. It starts isolated enough - one or two bright lights that appear to be floating over the water, like strange, fireball-shaped lotus flowers. But as you go on, they seem to multiply, bathing the dark corners of the place on a warm yellow light. There is, also, the distant but loud rumour of a waterfall humming in the background. You both wonder how a small stream can make such a big noise, but there is none on sight for now. Once or twice, over the waterfall sound, you'd swear you've heard something different - it sounds like something moving, but you can't be sure where it is, or what it is. Shellception fucked around with this message at 14:51 on May 19, 2024 |
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May 19, 2024 14:48
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Hendrick Hendrick takes a moment to stop and focus on the strange sound that's overpowering the waterfall. Spending a second Bad Situation read hold to find out what's moving around.
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May 19, 2024 22:48
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To Hendrick (and Simon) You stop and listen to the background sound carefully, and you feel a bit of a shudder. It sounds unnerving, like that of a bug running very fast over a surface. A very, very big bug. You follow the source to the sound up to the nearest wall and notice a giant centipede, thicker than your leg and around ten feet long, with a big ornate head ending in two long horns, not dissimilar to that of a dragon statue. It moves very fast through the lights and shadows of the rock crevices, and it's clearly seen you, because you notice with alarm it's making a beeline down the wall and towards you both. 
Shellception fucked around with this message at 00:10 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 00:05
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Hendrick Having prepared for danger in advance, Hendrick was ready for this. He began by channeling the memories of the universe. quote:You are an adrenaline junkie who loves to defy death constantly. You've paraglided with cloth you knew had holes in it, you've been shot out of a cannon, you've learned how to stop a bullet with your teeth; you name it, you've done it. You're now preparing to set a world record for longest stretch of the Grand Canyon parkour'd across. It won't be easy but you're sure you've plotted out your training regimen and starter mountainsides fairly well based on a lot of research on the topology of the sides of the canyon. The few people who you've discussed this with instantly called you nuts, but since when has that ever stopped you? You take a good look at the first mountainside you intend to conquer on your journey after having gotten the basics of making it more than a few yards across what would stop most people in their tracks and grin madly before you start to run towards the wall. He felt focused and prepared for what he had to do. He ran along the cave wall to evade the centipede and turned to bound off so as to land behind it, ready to strike. He had thought he'd be able to pull his gun out in the same motion, but while he landed well, the impact threw his aim off horribly and his shot at the centipede went wide. Got a 10 on the parkour to get behind the giant bug! ...and then a 5 to shoot it  +1 experience at least
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May 20, 2024 09:36
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To Hendrick It was a good jump. And it was a good shot. But as it echoes off, lost somewhere inside the cave depths, you realize you are in trouble. With an agility that shouldn't be possible in a bug so big, the centipede instantly turns around and runs you over, throwing you down onto the ground. As you struggle with the unpleasant sounds and feelings of a handful of giant bug legs running all over yourself, desperately attempting to get a second shot ready, you feel a burning pain on your chest, eerily followed by the ice cold sensation of something entering your bloodstream. Took 2 harm to a total of 3 harm and poisoned - poison will tick 1 harm down every two actions until properly healed. Shellception fucked around with this message at 10:53 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 10:30
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Simon His reaction too slow, Simon jumps in front of Hendrick to guard him from further harm. Miu chirps out a panicked flurry of instructions as she whizzes around his head like a satellite orbiting out of control (she really doesn't like the giant bug). The monster moves too fast to properly aim with his rifle, so Simon pulls out the knife instead, baring his teeth in a manner not unlike a cat who feels threatened. Pointing the blade in wrath at the giant centipede, Simon watches its every move before rushing into range, slashing with a mighty sweep of his arm. Roll on Tough, 2d6+2, Result: 12 Whatever creepy bug noises this creature is capable of emitting, it's definitely emitting them now.
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May 20, 2024 17:03
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To Simon Reacting instinctively, you kick the monster off Hendrick, and notice with a bit of alarm that he doesn't get up immediately. Resolved to keep it off your fallen comrade, you slash at the centipede with all your might - it sinks its jaws on your arm in return, but you don't care much. The knife blade slides harmlessly off its caparace as you push with enough force to slam it against a wall. The impact seems to have been enough to make it a bit dizzy, and you realize you may have an attack advantage here... if you can find its weak point. 1 harm. +1 forward to all hunters on attacking it. To Ray, Leo and Maeby The walk to the van is a quick one, as the cold rain starts falling even harder on your heads. Ray unlocks it quickly and the three of you bounce inside, making yourselves comfortable on the available space while you decide on a plan. Shellception fucked around with this message at 19:34 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 19:31
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Ray Between checking the group text, calling the police, and entering the van, Ray takes a few minutes to quickly scope out the other apartments from the outside, phone at the ready to take notes or photographs as the individual case may warrant. Investigate a Mystery: Check the other apartments real quick: 2d6+2 10 From there the general consensus between the three seems to be meeting back up with the rest of the crew. Once everyone is loaded inside, and Ray has put his various weaponry in a fairly easy-to-reach location, he puts the keys into the ignition and... pauses behind the wheel. "I don't like... any of this. Which sucks, because quite frankly if it wasn't for all of the dead bodies I'd be pretty excited right about now. It's like we got sucked into an internet creepypasta about some bootleg copy of Yokai Watch." He lets out a small, wistful-sounding sigh. Ray knew well by now that the romanticized versions of myths and legends - your 'gentlemen vampires' and 'loving ghosts' - were mostly societal copium, themselves often more fake and fantastical than the original, blood and morbidity-filled tales meant to serve as genuine warning. And really, deep down inside, Ray knew that extended to every culture; to every cryptological creature ever to exist. But dammit if he wasn't still a little bit disappointed that for whatever was happening in this town, it was turning out to be more GeGeGe no Kitarō than Spirited Away. "Could at least give me a kitsune to cross blades with or something," he mutters under his breath, before finally putting the van in gear. Wheels move, and they begin to roll out. He clears his throat, and does his best to move past his grumpy disappointment/frustration. "Anyway, if somebody wants to try to give Hendrick a call and see where they're at, it's starting to sound like a good idea for all of us to group back up and get on the same page? Whatever's going down sounds like it's about to get really real, really quickly." My Second Re-Reg fucked around with this message at 19:56 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 19:54
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Shellception posted:
Maeby If the sound were not emanating from her center, Maeby would have assumed the growling of her stomach was rattling from another monster. Thankfully she hadn't given into the munchies and lapped up Leo's She doesn't ask permission to start going through Ray kitchenette. Friends share right? Thankfully Ray's appreciation for Japanese culture and her limited cooking knowledge overlap in this instant, and she's able to cobble together the base components for a broth which she heats up and brings to a boil. Her hands shaking from low blood sugar she forgets to be self conscious about tossing in the bones she collected from the crime scene. After some simmering and the rise of an aroma someone would call interesting to avoid hurting her feelings, Maeby pours a generous helping of blood of the mountain into the broth in this final stage to avoid boiling it out. And of course, she garnishes with green onion. For the culture. She transfers the liquid to a large mug and takes a deep gulp. Feel Leo's eyes on her, she holds up the mug and says "Want some?" With her primary task taken care of, she dials up Hendrick.
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May 20, 2024 20:27
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To Ray The quick search, aided by a sneaky lockpick tool, confirms what you already knew: no one alive seems to remain here. The dead, decomposing body of someone too unfortunate to have anyone care for their disappearance is found in the apartment you found out first. Probably, judging by the sparse decoration and the still not fully unpacked luggage, one of the workers that arrived looking for some quick seasonal tourism work. The stench still turns your stomach upside down, and after a quick check, you are happy to leave it to the police. The last apartment is interesting, in that it seems to have been vacant for a while. No dead bodies, but someone's belongings still linger here, apparently unreclaimed. Mostly personal stuff - clothes, toiletry items, and no ID at all. It reminds you of a hotel room, if the person had left in a hurry, that is. Scribbled on an open notebook, a pen still lying around as if its owner could return at any time, something catches your eye: カタシハヤ, エカセニクリニ, タメルサケ, テエヒ, アシエヒ, ワレシコニケリ Your duty done, you rejoin the others on the way to the van. To Maeby You sip the hearty liquid - it'd be better with some more boiling, you think, but a quick fix is a quick fix. It's filling, definitely beefy, and it falls on your hungry stomach with ease. You can feel yourself absorbing the vampire's strength over there, and the world starts turning very interesting as the sounds get a definite color component to it; looking at Leo feels all warm and fuzzy to the touch, and the lingering smell of the soup evokes visions of geometrical patterns on your mind. Mostly spirals, though it also smells of squares here and there. And there are fun lights all over, too, but those are to be expected. You take a second helping, offer some to Leo, and then get to the task of calling Hendrick. All Kick rear end and Protect (Tough) rolls get a natural +1 while the soup is still in effect; every other one will require a successful Cool roll to avoid misidentifying your target and attacking a different one. To Hendrick You feel the bug be pushed off your chest as Simon charges out, and push yourself onto a sitting position while your partner corners the bug against a wall. You don't feel particularly good. The bite is bleeding, though way less that you'd have expected; your coat and jacket took the blunt of it, though it still managed to tear off your skin. But you also feel feverish, and break on a cool sweat as you slowly recall the words on the page you just found. POISONOUS. You don't have much time to dwell on it, though; in the middle of all of it, an almost refreshingly mundane gesture in the sea of pain, you feel your phone ringing on your pocket.
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May 20, 2024 21:32
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Ray said nothing. Ray said nothing. His hands were gripped tight enough on the wheel that his knuckles were sheet-white, and his inner monologue kept repeating lines he had learned in therapy, things about letting go and learning how to take it in stride when others failed to match his own sensibilities. But Ray said nothing. He was proud of himself for that. On the inside, though, he was already planning a "List of Van Rules" to hang on the interior walls. Maybe a little chibi of Yukari Tanizaki down in the corner. She could have a little pointer stick, and it could be tapping on Rule #3, which would be "Do not, under any circumstances, touch Ray's things without asking permission first." Yeah. Yeah, that would be cool. Ray would have to work on that.
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May 21, 2024 00:21
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To Ray You drive the van to the approximate position of the location marker. Rain muddles your view from the windshield, the road has given way to an unpaved track long ago, and the bumping around in mud isn't helping your bad mood at all - nor is the fact that, once there, you can see nothing but dirt in front of you, a mountainside with some sparse trees to one side and river to the other. No sign of human life anywhere to be seen. Of course. Hearing the other two open the doors and get out, you take a second to yourself to calm down, hitting the vaper as if it was its fault while you try to not think of the mess you'll indubitably have to clean up later. Deep breaths. The nerve of some people. Deep breaths. From your vantage point, something catches your eye - there are a couple people, a fair bit away from the van, sitting on a turn of the riverside, backs to the stone wall, apparently having a chat under the rain. They remind you of fishermen, but you can't see any fishing equipment anywhere. Shellception fucked around with this message at 10:18 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 10:00
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To Leo Being a bit more in touch with social rules, and also probably slightly more adept at reading people's moods in general - not that Ray's face needed much social awareness to be read - you've opted to remain silent the whole trip. The bone soup, you think, was bad enough before the... whatever the blood red liquid was. You feel slightly dizzy just from being trapped in the closed van with it, and as soon as you hear the handbrake, you open the doors and welcome the rain in your face, smells of wet mud and vegetation invading your nostrils. You seem to be at the riverside now. It's running fast now, and you wonder if it's an effect of the rain. Getting closer, you blink twice as you notice the small fireball-looking lights lazily floating on top of the water. You turn to ask Maeby if she can see them too, but a quick look at her tells you she's not going to be much help right now. To Maeby You sip your soup carefully, taking care to leave the now empty cup on the sink, and jump off the van after Leo. The world seems to be neon pink with piano speckles right now, which is par for the course in your experience. At least there are no hares around. You hate the drat bastards. They always look like they're judging you. The water looks cool, you decide. A bit like molten lava. And hey, no sign of the other two - maybe they're underwater! This merits checking, you decide as you slide yourself carefully off the rocky side and onto the river. It feels cool, and you notice yourself chilling a bit. You close your eyes and enjoy the relaxing bath. It is only slightly spoiled by the black, steel-spiked whale that decides to choose this exact moment to jump off the water, engorging you in a wave of cabbage-smelling green flames. "BOW BEFORE ME" the whale bellows, in the voice of your first grade teacher. You let out an exasperated sigh. Hate when this happens.
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May 21, 2024 10:46
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Simon Unfazed by the giant bug's retaliation, Simon concentrates on finding its weak spot. The armoured exoskeleton is too hard to drive his knife in, but perhaps the underside is vulnerable. Meanwhile, Miu zips over to where Hendrick lies, twittering in concern and clearly disgusted by the centipede. As the oversized crawler wriggles its feet dazedly where it's pressed against the wall, Simon prepares to strike again. This time, he aims for the soft belly underneath its tough shell... Roll on Tough +1 forward, 2d6+3, Result: 7 (I accidentally put 2d6+2 in the roll cause I immediately forgot about the +1 forward from the last roll, sorry about that!) ...but to no avail. It doesn't seem that his hunch was correct. Roll on Sharp, 2d6+1, Result: 3 WindwardAway fucked around with this message at 14:31 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 11:09
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Hendrick The reprieve from the monster was extremely welcome, but relaxing was out of the question between the poison, chest wound, and terrible centipede still attacking fiercely. Hendrick knew where he would start first; while he did have the likely cure on hand, he could feel that there were energies he should be tuning into beyond the ordinary realms before using it up. So his first work, laying back down on the ground and intentionally avoiding further attention, would be to neutralize the poison. He slowed his breathing, channeled as usual, and asked nicely for the poison to be removed. He knew something was very wrong quickly. He made an effort to fight, the same one he'd used several times before, and it clearly had an impact.. but it wasn't obvious what it was. He tried desperately not to think about it and instead focused on asking for healing as well. He felt the universe was still impaired; the void was clearly determined here to try and take him out to weaken Simon's chances. Luckily, this was a familiar restriction, and he asked again for more healing. He got his wish and this time, he felt much better and felt the wounds closing up. Then that stopped far shorter than it should have and he knew that the poison wasn't gone. His final effort was to look deeply at the creature to assess its weakness. Wellllllllp. Bear with me, these were rolled with the wrong + per talk with Shell, but the actual dice used are right so their results stand. Using magic to clear the poison: Base of the roll is 2. +1 from Weird stat makes 3. Rerolling the first attempt: Base of the roll is 4, +1 from stats makes 6. Can't spend luck on the reroll, didn't know this earlier along with messing up the applicable + or else I'd have made different choices. Such is life. +1 experience and I get to level up at the expense of visualizing Shell tenting her fingers with a smile on her face over how the magic goes wild here. I got +1 weird for a total stats bonus of +2. e: Not counting this until after these other rolls though, but even if I did it wouldn't change how they were solved. Using magic to heal: Base of the roll is 6. +1 from stats makes 7. Glitch is duration, temporary point of healing that can be solidified on another attempt that succeeds. Using magic to heal again: Base of the roll is 9. +1 from stats makes 10. No glitch, temporary point is sustained along with second point of healing. Per earlier, three actions which means I take one point of damage plus have one more action left before another point of damage occurs, which is still +1 HP to 2 prior to assessing what happens with the magic failure. Also last Read hold spent to figure out the centipede's weakness (I've read about this sort of thing before, it's gotta be its belly, right?). Ignatius M. Meen fucked around with this message at 17:16 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 17:12
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To Hendrick You feel like the poison is affecting your senses badly - you definitely didn't use to blunder magic that badly before. Nevertheless, after a brief second of panic, you notice your chest wound bleeding a lot less, and feel again strong enough to stand... Failed to heal poison, so still poisoned. Was previously hurt 3 and healed 1 with a short duration glitch, which turned onto 2 after a second Magic roll, but then substracted one due to poison effects, so healed 1 harm to a total of 2 harm. I think. ... before the poison makes you feel lightheaded again. Simon doesn't notice, and you make an OK thumb sign to the concerned bird around your head. Hoping that's enough to convince her, you discretely lean on the stone wall, close your eyes, deepen your breath and try to concentrate and ignore the tiny scratches on your back. And this time, it works. This same place, at a different time posted:You open your eyes and see a hunter. You can't exactly pinpoint the era, but they are wearing leather padding and carrying a knife. To your alarm, a bug just like this one sneaks out from the shadows and takes a gash at them, but they are ready - you see the centipede miss its target for a hair's width as they sidestep expertly, knife held on their mouth. With a gesture that seems born out of practice, you see them licking the blade carefully before grabbing it with their hand and driving it straight through the bug's caparace, apparently effortlessly. The vision fades away and you yell at Simon, but you don't hear your own words. Weird. To Simon The blade of your knife slides away yet again over the creature's belly as it revolves against you, but your push has unbalanced it enough that it misses. You take a step back, glaring at your prey, as you hear a yell by your back. "Simon! Lick it!" You're perplexed for a moment as the centipede tries to sneak again into the shadows. Lick what? The bug? You're kind of repulsed at the idea. But as you see it running away, your instincts take over - you jump over it and bite its neck as hard as you can, grabbing it in your mouth for a second. It panicks, and you feel a painful sting in your leg and instinctively let it go. It hides from view, and you're left limping. But, sure enough, that seemed to work... 1 harm to a total of 2 harm. To Hendrick (part 2) You look up, and there is a constellation of stars over your head. You are pretty sure those are stars, at least. Almost as sure that you absolutely shouldn't be seeing them during the day and from inside a cave. You look down and see yourself, crumpled against the wall, and also Simon... biting the bug? You scream at him to not be dumb, but this time you're absolutely sure he didn't hear it. There is a light path in front of you. It shines and dances around, changing shapes as if made of gas. It reminds you of galaxies. You can't see where it goes - everything is kind of dark apart from it. But you have a feeling it might be important. Maybe. Down there, the bug has disappeared again, but you can somehow see it - it's circling around Simon, looking for a chance to strike. Onwards? Or down?
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May 21, 2024 18:36
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Hendrick As before and always, his friend would be fine, and he had a good feeling backup was on the way given the missed phonecall. There was something he needed to see and he wasn't going to start ignoring the universe now. Onwards he went.
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May 21, 2024 18:46
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 03:30 |
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To Hendrick You follow the path of stars. Gradually, darkness engulfes you fully. Except it's not all dark; somehow, you know you are surrounded by everything that has ever existed. You see the birth of stars, and the death of universes, and all the stars that exist and all the ones that will, or did way before any living being was around to observe them. Except you do, because you are here now. Wherever "here" is. You keep walking, trying to not be distracted by the sheer beauty of it all. You could just sit down, lie there, watch it move like clockwork, all the little pieces clicking onto place like a carefully built machine - chaos within chaos giving birth to order, something just a handful of chosen ones will ever be able to contemplate. Or maybe it's just yourself, maybe it was you all alone, all along. Darkness pierced by light, and light engulfing darkness. But now it's not the time to sit down. You have something to do. You keep walking. There is a portal on your way - it shines red, with the warmth of old memories. As you cross it, you see your old life: your childhood, your teen years, your adulthood before the Revelation. Before it all changed. Who were you? What did you give up? The question bounces around in your head, coming from no one. It is actually a bit painful. But you feel like you should face it now. Maybe you should have faced it years ago. You keep walking. There is a second portal - it's green, like a cool morning. Crossing it, you see your current life: the hunters, the work at the office. New friends. A new start. Hope. Who are you? This one is shorter, but definitely not easier. You pass by, and arrive at a third portal. It's blue, and it shines with a cold sheen. You try to cross, but it seems to be solidly closed. Nevertheless, as you approach it, a third question pops up in your head. Who will you be? Who do you want to be? --- You can answer and go ahead, or try to sever the connection and go back to your body.
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May 21, 2024 23:43
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