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The very first Laverna update actually has Baldera commenting on Laverna's 'grey eyes'.
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Feb 18, 2024 16:27
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While all these perspectives don’t have to take place at a particular date, they’re clearly at least close to each other in time. I just don’t see how they could possibly have had enough time to do everything. Maybe they didn’t sleep?
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Feb 18, 2024 22:08
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lol so my game crashed while i was taking screenshots for the next update and i had to uninstall/reinstall which also wiped the LP's save data (this VN only has one save slot to prevent you from savescumming the bets, since it autosaves after each card ends), so next update will be a little bit longer than it was supposed to bc i have to go back and re-do each card/bet 
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Feb 20, 2024 00:44
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The real Zodiac Trial begins?
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Feb 20, 2024 02:54
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Obviously, this was one of the traps that Devon failed to avoid in his haste to reach the target! ...Best of luck fending of the LP Curse as it takes it's usual course o/
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Feb 20, 2024 03:24
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But hey, on the plus side, Devon just discovered that he isn't losing it and suddenly incapable of killing people. He's just really, really bad at killing this one particular person
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Feb 20, 2024 04:24
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 [BGM: Danrasu]  There was really nobody I could blame this situation on other than myself. The instant I realized what was happening, I was instantly awash with an acute sense of just how dumb I was. I mean, nobody should be in this apartment... if I thought I heard movement, why would my response be to just walk out and look for the source? Obviously, the sound would mean someone had invaded my apartment; likely someone with ill-intent... probably a threat. In this situation, I should be hiding. I should be desperately thinking of possibilities. The last thing I should do is blindly walk out of the restroom without a care in my goddamn bones. Stupid. So stupid. Stupid on a lot of parts, really. I mean, just relying on the fact that nobody should be able to find this apartment as a security measure? How simplistic was that. My whole deal was supposed to be having a dozen back up plans, half a dozen 'what if' protocols. I should've had some extra security on my apartment beyond the lovely lock provided by the hotel. Well, even still, it was dubious if such security would've actually helped me in this particular situation.  After all, facing me down was unmistakably Mystery Man. The same Mystery Man who was working with Governor Aija. Likely the same Mystery Man who had tried and failed to kill me that night I failed to swindle Odin Deisma. Definitely the same Mystery Man who would have killed Polly Deisma were it not for my interference. That was enough to know I was in real poo poo – because this was a professional assassin facing me down. In the past, I had survived based solely on the element of surprise. But the one caught with my pants down this time was me. I tried to instantly take in as many details as I could. The door to my apartment was closed. The window was covered with blinds. To get here, Mystery Man probably entered the normal way and lock picked my door. In that case, did they know about the sewer entrance? ...No, they couldn't have. They shouldn't have. They must've come up the normal way. In that case though, they should've been caught by the camera. Seen by the staff. Then... surely they wouldn't murder me, right? Not when there was evidence linking back to them. However, that conviction of mine crumbled pretty quickly. Obviously, Mystery Man wouldn't be that sloppy; he was an assassin, he could've gotten around that any number of ways. Maybe he used a fire exit to get in the window of another apartment. Maybe he had used a disguise. Who knows? I should focus on details I could ascertain. Each one might be the difference between life and death. How was the Mystery Man dressed? Like before, he was wearing a grey hoodie – however, the hoodie wasn't zipped up, nor was the hood up. He also wasn't wearing a face mask, so I got a pretty good look at his face. His hair was unkempt, his eyes red. This was the face of someone unhinged, someone who had not been getting enough sleep, someone in a manic state. He had a phone still sticking out of his pocket. ...Had he just been on call with his employer? Most importantly, I saw the gun he was holding. It wasn't an assassin's gun... it was a standard six-shooter pistol. No silencer. I saw how unstable his finger was. It was clutching the trigger, and not in a stable way. The real danger of the situation continued to dawn on me. Oh. This guy was not okay. And he planned on shooting me dead. He was ready to do so any second. If I didn't come up with something fast... I gulped.  A second had passed since I started doing my analysis. My mind was speeding along at unnatural speeds. Even still, I had no indication how many lengthened seconds I would get. I needed to think. What could I do? How could I get out of this situation? My mind defaulted to physical solutions. Unfortunately, there weren't many to be found. I didn't have any weapons in close proximity. Additionally, I was at the exact worst range for this sort of confrontation. I wasn't close enough to the man to make a move – he would be able to shoot me far before I could make contact with him. However, I wasn't far enough where the bullet would have long to travel. If I tried to dodge, it would be laughable. The man would just slightly move his hand and shoot me regardless. What other options did I have? Could I somehow block the bullet? ...Possibly. Unfortunately, there was nothing on me that served that role. Nothing within close range that could serve that function either. Okay, let's start doing some desperation thinking. Maybe getting shot was fine. If I moved in the right way, got shot non-fatally, I could survive. It would take a second to load the next shot. I'd use that time to close the distance, fight off Mystery Man. Get the gun from him, finish him off, voila! ...Yeah, right. I think I might've gone for this option had I not run into this guy twice before. But those encounters were enough for me to know how impossible this scenario was. This guy, despite being bested by me twice before, was very good. If he shot, he wouldn't hit a non-lethal area. And even if he did, he'd easily be able to beat me if I tried to fight him. Hell, he'd win the fight even without my gunshot wound. It was at this point a very frightening realization was beginning to dawn on me. A terror that moved through my bones. There was nothing I could do. If this man wanted it, I would die, right here, right now. Which meant, functionally, I really only had one option. ...Lucky for me, it was an option I was reasonably good at.   Who... who are you?!Okay, great. Step one was handled. Mystery Man was open to talking. I had to use this.  ...I can explain.Slowly, I tried pacing to the left. If I could just reach m– Freeze!Mystery Man held the gun higher, right at my head. Don't you move another muscle! One wrong move, and I swear to God, I'll blow your brains out! I won't hesitate!poo poo. Woah, woah, relax! Take it easy there. I'm not trying anything. You've got me right at gunpoint. You clearly know what you're doing. I'd have to be insane, frankly, to try anything. So you know, ease up. I'm not easing up any time soon. That's fair. That's very fair. Okay then, let's talk. You strike me as an ambitious guy. I've got a lot of knowledge; I think I can be of help. Hm. Start telling me what you know. After that, I'll decide whether it's actually useful. Maybe, if you're lucky, you tell me everything I need, I decide I don't shoot you right here and now. Sure thing. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he was lying. He had no intention whatsoever in letting me get out of this alive. His plan was simple: extort me for all I was worth, then put a bullet between my eyes. Well, that was fine. I didn't really care about that, to be perfectly honest. What matters was that he was deciding to give me a chance to talk. That was an opening. All I needed to do was change his mind by the end of the conversation. True, I currently saw no clear path towards that. True, if I wandered off the subjects he wanted me to talk about too far he'd likely shoot. True, if I slipped up in any way I'd likely be as good as dead. Details, details. I had survived worse. Just needed to focus up and find the way out. You asked who I was, right? Well, that's... a more complicated question than you might first think. Uncomplicate it. I was! I was getting to that, I swear. Okay, so... hm. How should I put this?I wasn't posturing for time, I was actually trying to figure out how best to explain this when I didn't know this guy's motives. What could I assume? Considering everything, the thoroughness of it all, how he appears now... I decided to make a bet. Ultimately, there were two most likely motives Mystery Man might be acting in the name of. Money, or ideals. He could just be an extremely well paid killer. Or he could be a (reasonably paid) killer who legitimately believed in Aija's vision. My biggest clue as to which motivation may be correct was the overheard conversation I caught in Aija's office. I concluded that Aija would not be taking that tone when talking about a pure contract killer.  I... am working for the people. The people? Who's 'the people'? I don't mean literally. I'm not literally employed by, well, anybody. But I'm here because Panthea is broken. You have to see that, right? Olympo is run by devils. The Duats run the streets. There's death and tragedy and anger all around. I've come to this city to try because I knew... because I was told that this place was broken. And now, I'm doing the best job I can to fix this city, in the way that only somebody like me could. You want to know who I am? I'm the person trying to help. You're annoying as hell is what you are! I'm not asking for some bullshit. I'm asking for a name. I'm asking for details. Now, try again. Who are you?Mystery Man was on edge. However, the anger wasn't stemming from some deep hatred, not right now. It was the product of a type of confusion. He wasn't actually close to shooting me. In fact, he was further from that than ever. I still had quite a bit of leeway with him. Why don't you try telling me? Huh? You're quite knowledgeable. I've seen you around more than once. You broke into my apartment. You're looking for a name? Guess. You...  Come on, just go for it! It'll be fun. I just want to know how observant you are. … Lock... at first glance, I'd peg you as Lock. This is what this apartment suggests, any rate. It's the type of place a low rate scammer would occupy. So, if I had to guess one name, Lock would come up first. But? But, you definitely don't look just like Lock. And your eyes, they're silver. Silver eyes are pretty rare. But Laverna, that detective, she has silver eyes. Very observant. What else? Your arm tattoos. They match Vels'. They're like a perfect match. And considering I had trouble finding a picture of Vels, I kind of doubt you'd be able to copy them perfectly. Right! Quite right, in fact. Okay, so... who are you? You haven't said anything wrong.[BGM: Tsumo]  I am Lock. ...Just like I'm Laverna. And I'm also Vels. I'm a lot of people. If you're looking for a name, though, you can just call me Mercury.Mercury was the fake alias I defaulted to, the one most of my false papers were connected with. I named all my phony identities after trickster gods. A little on the nose, perhaps, but it'd worked so far – besides, Panthea was full of strange names, so nobody had even batted an eye so far. I am all those people and more. I'm a hidden entity, changing Panthea for the better. I'm like you.I tried reaching out to Mystery Man. However, instead of absorbing anything I was saying, their face was sour. They didn't quite get what I was saying. I couldn't exactly blame them - it was a pretty confusing concept. And I had done my job carefully. But that doesn't... how can you be three different people? You've got different jobs, different personalities! I mean surely... well, okay, I didn't see any of you at the same time, but still I... wouldn't I have...He kept trying to run into contradictions, but each time he tried to bring something up, he was at a loss for words. Made sense. If he looked into Laverna, looked into Lock, looked into Vels, then he probably knew more than most how none of them had traces leading back to them. Yeah, now you're starting to get it. I admit it's a bit much, at first. Certainly confusing. But it's just my process, it's how I work. When I decided to infiltrate Panthea, I knew I needed different identities to work with. One that could get in good with the police. One that could be used as the face for my scams. One that could navigate the streets of Panthea, get on-the-ground info. It was a complicated process, to be sure, but... I'm a pretty thorough person. I made sure to give each of my identities a completely different wardrobe, with ample makeup to boot. They all had different postures, different personalities. Each one of them had a distinct voice. That made sure I could be anyone I want. After all, people primarily use voice to identify others. Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at acting. Of course, hearing everything back to back like that, you can probably place that they're all coming from the same person. But that was also a big part of it! I made sure that each of my identities rolled with different people. I tried to avoid people who knew one of my 'selves' bumping into another one of them, and if it had to happen, I made sure to obscure things with darkness, or excuses, maybe make the encounter brief. I had a lot of tricks, and in truth I came pretty close to screwing it all up more often than I care to admit, but in the end I made do.Honestly speaking, things had gone off the rails more than once throughout my crusade. Eris was someone I had to come up with completely spur of the moment. I was still amused the cops actually bought the 'twins' line, but that phony phone call probably helped reinforce things somewhat. And the Thane persona, well, I completely just fell into that ordeal. ...Though, looking back, it had ended up being a pretty useful get.  That's... you're insane! Possibly. You'd need to be to pull off what I've done. But that's just it! If I could fully commit, treat them all as different people, stay consistent with the lies, I could create a false reality. And that false reality gave me power over every other person in this city: the power of information. Oh, come on! Surely this was unnecessary. Maybe.Absolutely not. I was hunting a multi-faced opponent who made use of proxies and lures, someone wise to the workings on every level of Panthea. Only by throwing out a similar amount of disinformation was I able to tear rifts in the fabric they had weaved. Tch. Fine. You've pulled the wool over the eyes of everybody else. Well, guess what! That only got you so far. Now I know. And guess what? You're three of my bullets! So, thanks! You just made my job a whole lot easier. Uh, you're welcome? Heh, you know, I wanted to gather all five of you in a single room and end things in a single blur. I thought that goal was impossible. But really, three out of five isn't that bad.Ugh. This was kind of what I feared. My explanation could buy me some time. But if, at the end of the day, Mystery Man still wanted to kill me, revealing the truth would only do me so much good. I felt confident there was some escape sequence possible. This guy was unhinged, but the fact that he was talking this much clearly indicated that he was willing to accept new information, willing to have his motivations warped. But... I still couldn't find a strong angle. For now, I needed to keep myself alive in the short term. Find new things to talk about. Woah, woah, let's hold on a second. If you kill me now, things are going to go bad for you. That pistol? I can see that it doesn't have a silencer. Which means, once you shoot, a lot of people are going to come running here. You may not have seen it, but there was a camera set up over there. Without moving my arms, I pointed over towards the door. Leave now, you'll definitely be caught. There was also a camera down at the front desk, as well as a witness. I'm aware.poo poo, so he did enter normally! I'm sure, soon enough, this murder'll catch up with me. But your apartment has a window. I'll be able to get away for now. I'll live long enough to complete my mission. That's all I care about. Oh, come on now. Doesn't that seem, uh... a bit short sighted? It is. But you made it so that I didn't have a long-term future.poo poo. Hey, hey, is this about the Aija thing? Look, I still haven't put out those photos! You totally can...I stopped in my tracks. This was probably an argument I could win. But I thought ahead a bit, and realized that it probably wouldn't lead in any direction that was particularly helpful. ...In fact, it'd be more likely to cement my fate. I needed another out. Okay, okay, wait. You said I was 'three of your bullets.' But that pistol holds six bullets! So doesn't that mean there's another three targets? Two. Two targets, okay, well, still. As you now know, I'm a pretty resourceful individual. I bet I have a way for you to get to your other targets. Don't shoot me right away, I can help with that! ...Good. Let's do that. Good. Cool. Now, just tell me who your other two targets are, and I can help out. …I could tell Mystery Man was hesitating for some reason. He was clearly unwilling to give me information of any kind. Ugh. How unhelpful could he be? Whatever. I would just fill in the blanks myself. Doing so might win some points. Okay, I can guess, if you'd like. Laverna, Lock, Vels... well, you tried to kill two of them. I'm not quite sure how Laverna ties into this, maybe she's just a general nuisance. But if the common denominator is people you've tried to kill, well, I can think of at least two other people you've failed to finish. So then, are the other two bullets Krish and Polly? …Mystery Man just nodded. Okay, good. That felt like the most obvious answer, but I couldn't be certain. All right. Well, guess what? Normally, getting to either of them would be super hard. But I can help with both targets! Yeah? Yeah!  I haven't written it anywhere, but I do know where Krish is staying. And Vels has a good rapport going on with Polly. I can definitely lure him out for you. And what do you know? You can get your five-target party just like that! Isn't that exciting? Hm. Is that right? It is! Okay then. Let's start to see some proof. We can start with Krish. Tell me where they're staying. Sure. Will do, totally. But before that, I've got just one little question. Yeah?I didn't actually have a question. I was looking for an off-ramp. Complying with Mystery Man had bought me more time, but just playing into his hands would only get more people killed. If I actually wanted to change anything, I needed to start making affirmative steps in this conversation. The question was... what should those steps be? Think, think! The problem I was running into was a lack of knowledge on my opponent. This is the perk of being an unknown, I suppose. Hard to get a read on them. If I didn't know who they were, how could I convince them of anything? Especially when they didn't want to be convinced. I needed an in, I needed a hook. I needed to figure out just who Mystery Man was. ...Come on, think. Considering all the information I'd gathered, shouldn't I have some idea? Well, I knew he worked for Aija. Maybe that was a place to look? But no, I needed something better than that. What information did I have on Mystery Man? ...Ah! Polly's reaction, from when Laverna interviewed him after the assassination attempt. He hid it better later, when Vels bugged him about it, but back then, Polly was still frazzled. He clearly knew the attacker... but didn't turn on him.Who could fit that bill? Rather, knowing what I knew about Mystery Man, what connection could he have to Polly where Polly may recognize him, but wouldn't sell him out? After another moment's thought, it came to me. Back when Laverna was investigating the info theft, Art slipped up, referring to a brother who was interested in magic that clearly wasn't Polly. Additionally, in the text logs I found on Polly's burner phone, Art implied that Polly had failed a family member in the past, a sibling. The conclusion I reached was slightly wild, but it was the only thing that made sense. [BGM: The Pistol]  The question, ask it! You... you're a Deisma, right? …Mystery Man didn't look quite as surprised as I would've thought he'd be at my revelation. However, the reaction was still unmistakable. I had hit a bullseye. Right. The third Deisma brother. Figures. Odin's really a lovely parent, huh? ...Could I ask how you guessed? Let's just say having a bunch of identities to play off each other eventually pays off. Polly recognized you, but didn't turn you in. I wonder why that is. Is it, perhaps, because he feels guilty? Guilty about the time when you needed his help, and he didn't reach out? … Is that perhaps related to your current status as the forgotten Deisma? Odin's a real bastard, I know that much. And I can't imagine you've had a good life to end up where you are now. You were at a low point, and neither Art nor Polly reached out to help you. That can't have felt good. Odin, the psychopath father that he is, decided you didn't live up to his legacy, and tried to cut you out. Am I right? Odin's real sons are Art, Polly, and... Devon. The name's Devon. Devon, huh? Nice name. It's okay. I got to say, I feel bad for you. Growing up with Odin, with Art and Polly, that must've been real rough. But I guess, in a weird way, Odin disowning you helped out, right? Helped out? How do you figure? I imagine someone so obsessed with legacy did his best to erase you from as many records as possible. For an 'invisible man,' I'd think that an asset.I noticed a slight smile cross Devon's face. Not bad. You're right, I turned Odin's greatest insult into one of my greatest strengths. Clever. Real clever. So? Huh? So, I'm Devon Deisma. You figured it out. Good for you. What does that matter? What does that matter? Devon, you're killing me here. Not yet, I haven't. You. You're funny. That's funny. Keep talking. Right, look, so, growing up in the Deisma household was, I can only imagine, a complete hellscape, right? Odin was an abusive as poo poo father. Art was a competitive dick. Polly was a selfish dick. You were surrounded by opulence and wealth, and yet all that did was make you feel more inadequate. Am I getting any of this right?Devon didn't respond. I took that as a cue that I was more or less reading things correctly. That all sounds super warranted. I mean, your hatred of it. All three of those people are scum. I get separating yourself from them. And even still, you probably harbor a deep resentment toward them, right? Towards Olympo? Towards what it all represents? I mean, you tried to kill Polly without much reservation, and by my metric Polly might be the least offensive of the three. Surely, you want to see the people who've ruined your life suffer, right? If that's the case, I'm not your enemy! I'm your ally, Devon. Ally? Exactly! Like I said, I came here to tear down Olympo. And I'm well along the process of doing it. Just a bit further, and you'll see your brothers and fathers squirm as their company falls to ruin! Isn't that ideal? Don't you want your revenge?For a moment, Devon didn't say anything... but his hand trembled. His face was flush with emotions. Then, he took a deep breath out. He was past it.  I don't have any feelings towards my past family. That includes love, that includes hate. People can do whatever they want towards them. They can help them, they can hurt them. That won't sway me. You can't be serious! Do you take me for someone who jokes around a lot? That's not... after everything that family did to you, you're okay with letting them stay in power? You're fine to just let them continue destroying other lives? I have put the Deismas in the past. They don't motivate me anymore. If anything, I should be grateful to them. It was my time in their household that led me to where I am today: serving a higher cause, doing actual good.Yeah, my initial motive read on Devon was more accurate than I could've ever imagined. But this was good. I had gotten him away from talking about shooting me in the face. He was now discussing things like blame and better causes. At this point, I felt I had a pretty good download on Devon. He was traumatized and made to feel worthless by the Deismas. Something happened, he was excommunicated from the family. Then, broken, he was picked up by Aija and brainwashed into being her little killer servant. Wonder where she got that idea. Anyways, he wasn't being motivated by any semblance of logic at this point. He wasn't even being motivated by orders, I had to guess. His crusade was a self-destructive attack in response to a clash between his own beliefs and those that had been ingrained in him. Were it not these 'five targets' he was choosing to blame, I suspect he might've taken it out on himself. ...Anyways, this meant that most of the standard bargaining techniques I had up my sleeve were dead and moot. I could think of exactly one way to stop Devon from putting a bullet in my skull. I had to break him out of his devotion to Aija. Normally, I'd have no chance at doing that in a single conversation. But Devon was already acting on his own, already off-kilter. If there was ever a chance to break through to him, this was it.
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Feb 23, 2024 00:49
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 [BGM: The Pistol]  You're referring to Governor Aija, correct? Killing for her?Devon squinted his eyes. Yeah. That's right. Governor Aija is going to make this city a better place. A place worth being proud of. She was using me to do it... until you stepped in. You blackmailed her with those photos. You made her lose faith in me! Now... now I have nothing! Woah, woah, Devon. You don't have nothing. Yes, I do. I gave everything to Ms. Aija's cause. Not your life. Not yet, at least. And so long as you're still standing, you can find new things to live for! I mean, look at me. I... I lost everything. I fell into a pit of extreme despair. And look at me now! Better than ever! Being held at gunpoint. ...Valid. Look, my point is, you still can do good in this world. I know you want to, or else you wouldn't even be hearing me out. Honestly, I think it's a good thing Aija's let you go.Annoyance turned to outright hostility. And how exactly do you figure that? Because your life should be given to a good cause. And Governor Aija is anything but that. Shut up! Governor Aija is making Panthea a better place! Is that right? Okay. How? Huh? How is she making Panthea a better place? Give me specific policy details. Tell me how those actual policies will improve the city substantially for the majority of its citizens, to the point that it justifies the actions taken up until this point and the risks that they pose. That's... look, I'm not smart about all that stuff! It's completely not the point! Aija is cooperating with Olympo. She's keeping people like your father and brothers in power. Is that for the best? … What about the Duats? She's allowing them to exist. Hell, she's worked hand in hand with them. Dangerous criminals! Ones who don't give a poo poo about 'the good of the city.' Necessary evils! She's fixing this election, and yet she's still using you to assassinate potential enemies. Only a few. Only a few, huh? Right, because the Cock Robin Killings are largely consisted of Arrianne planting fake evidence on unrelated cases, right? Yeah![BGM: The Bomb]  All right, so what happens to those cases? Huh? Well, obviously they can't get solved, if they're the work of the 'Cock Robin Killings.' How many dangerous criminals were let free keeping this myth of yours alive? It has to be done! Why? Working with Olympo, allowing the Duats to roam, handling threats... it's all in the effort of eliminating conflict! Conflict is what gets in the way of progress! Conflict is the enemy! Conflict is the base of democracy. Gah! Your whole premise is backwards. Allowing titans like Olympo and the Duats to roam unfettered, killing people... you're not eliminating conflict. People are still being harmed by these practices and trying to fight it, all you're doing is removing the ability to resist! Thus, removing the conflict! That's... you know, we're getting into semantics here. My point is, I get it. Conflict can be painful. It can lead to truly disastrous results, believe me. But its also human! If conflict is absent, then things go unopposed, power is unchallenged. You're basically saying that the best, the ones who currently wield power, they deserve to shape Panthea how they wish. That's what your father, Odin Deisma, believes. Is it what you believe? ... Okay, okay. Let's say for a second you're right. There are downsides to democracy. In a dictatorship, which is what you're supporting, you do get things done faster. Sometimes you need strength to make change. Yes, exactly! To make change. What change has there been recently, exactly? There's... a bunch of changes that have been happening. A bunch more coming. You know the real danger of dictatorships? Of giving someone too much power? Because the truth is, most people can't wield that power responsibly. Even if they think they can, once they have it, all bets are off. You know, before Aija, there was another person who tried this whole 'faux dictatorship' racket. His name was Zahhak. Know of him?I got a blank look. I had to assume Devon didn't. Yeah, well, he also thought he knew what was the best for the city. He was a political theorist, see, and he had a lot of thoughts about what would do the most good for the most people. When he was in power, the city changed massively. It was transformed from a shithole to what we see today, just in the years he was around. See! Exactly! You need power to make change! Hm. Well, there's certainly an argument about Zahhak's morality, how much we can judge him. But I'm not interested in him. I'm interested in his apparent successor, Aija. What exactly is her vision for the city? One without conflict, or strife! One that supports the little guy! You mean, one without conflict that opposes her? Does propping up Olympo 'support the little guy?' You're not... shut up! Aija's not changing anything. She's maintaining the status quo. She's maintaining her power. Real change takes time! It takes careful deliberation! Aija's had time. Aija's had many, many years without conflict, and hasn't gotten much done. Stop talking! You know, I find your hatred of conflict interesting. I assume you got that from Aija? What's it to you? Well, I wonder if that philosophy has anything to do with Aija's husband's death, the result of a callous gang war. That would certainly bias you towards thinking an imperfect peace is preferable to a bloody war. Except, few who live in Panthea would call current times 'peaceful.' And maybe that's what motivates Chief of Police Arrianne. Maybe that motivated Aija, for a time. Maybe when she got into politics, she had ideals. But whatever those were, she has long since abandoned them. Shut up! Devon, think about it! What has she really been doing? If she has only taken the absolute necessary measures for a greater good, than okay, I understand that. But in that case, why does she have such a humongous sum of cash tucked away for personal use? What?! When I met with her as Lock, I tried seeing what my bluffing could uncover. Turns out, my hunches were spot on. She all but admitted to the fact that she's been stockpiling cash for herself for a long time. Which makes sense, you know. She's already got the will of the people, a rigged election, and an assassin on her side. She doesn't really need Olympo's help. If she wanted, she could make moves against them. But she doesn't, because she's forgotten whatever 'noble cause' she began her fight for, if she ever had one. I'm going to shoot! Keep talking, I'll shoot! I can't claim to know perfectly what's going on in her mind, Devon. But if you had to ask me, she's become blinded with her own power. Obsessed with keeping her cash, her position, her title. So obsessed she no longer knows why she clings to it. I don't think it's pure greed. If it was, she'd be enjoying it a lot more than she does. Clearly she works a lot, has a lot of care in her job. But at some point, Devon, she lost perspective. Getting this power was no longer a means to an end, it was an end itself. It's why she finds every single angle possible and exploits it. Why she goes over the top, kills any slight threat, takes any beneficial deal. She is a monarch defending her throne, plain and simple. I warned you! I'm warning you! That's why she's so opposed to change. Any change might threaten her reign. Sure, she might tell you, hell, she might tell herself she's going somewhere with all of this. But if serving some ideal always comes second to maintaining every inch of power she has, nothing'll ever be done.[BGM: Spot On]  Shut up, shut up, just be quiet! You don't know anything about her! Don't try and give me all of this poo poo when all you've ever been was against Ms. Aija! You've never once believed in her! You're just tearing her down senselessly! Devon, please, think for a moment. Why are you defending her? Actually, think about it. What made you so loyal to her? No, no. You're lying. You're a liar, that's what you do! Your whole M.O. is to manipulate people, to bend them to your will. Why should I trust a word that comes out of your mouth? This is all, it's all just bullshit trying to corrupt me! Corrupt you? Devon, hear yourself! Ms. Aija, she... she gave me a second chance. She saw the good in me, the use in me, that nobody else ever would. She depended on me, she needed me! She's not what you're saying. She's kind, she cares about people. You don't know how much she grieved when Secretary Gani died! You don't know the struggles she went through! If you're saying that all this time, she was just manipulating me... it can't be! That'd mean, that all these years, I've been...Devon didn't have the strength to finish that thought. Devon, you're right to be angry. You're a victim in all of this. But you're also wrong. Nobody else would see the good in you? You only think that because your only other real reference was the Deismas! I promise, if you told your whole, honest story to any other person, they'd sympathize with you and try to help you out. And quit it with all this talk about 'use.' People aren't tools. The only 'use' someone needs is to themselves, they need to be able to use their body to live a good life, end of story!  You only think this way because you've been warped by that asshat Odin into thinking of people as objects, but that's bullshit! And I know you already know this! That's not... you can't be... You know I'm right. You just don't want to accept it. Your mind, it's trying to trick you right now Devon. To make you doubt yourself, to question what I'm saying, to refuse the truth that you know. Because you know what? The hardest thing in life is to admit when you're wrong. Actually changing your mind takes strength. I know you think that after everything you've done, all these years you've wasted, if Aija isn't who she says she is, that all of that has gone to waste. That if it's true what I'm saying, then you're actually a bad person. That you have nothing left. But that's not true! For one, you're a victim here! Just like every other person! And the idea that since you don't have anything to cling onto now, that because you've spent so long working for Aija, that breaking away from that is useless? That idea is just, uh, the fallacy of sunk costs! An extreme example, I'll admit, but that's all it is! The past, no, your past doesn't really matter! The actions you took aren't tattooed onto your soul! Life isn't some competition, where you have to put all your years to good use! It doesn't matter one bit if for the last few years you've been in a coma, or a deranged serial killer, or saving lives as a humanitarian! The past you might as well be a completely different person. The only thing, the only thing at all that matters now, is how you choose to proceed from here. What you choose to do after this. If you do what you earnestly believe is the right thing, then nothing else matters. Not who you're of use to, not what you've done in your past, not what others believe. Because you'll be doing the right thing. End of story. Devon's aim at my head wasn't faltering in the slightest. His expression was stone cold, unflinching. But as he locked eyes with me, I could see the battle within him. And then, I realized a truth I really didn't like: in the end, I couldn't force him to reach the truth. This was something he'd have to come to himself. I get it. You think I'm just some sleazy trickster. That I'm saying anything I can to save my own skin, that nothing I've said is genuine. That's how you're trying to justify ignoring everything I've said. Okay. Then, don't listen to me. Don't listen to Odin, or Aija, or anyone. Just listen to your own heart. Earnestly think about what you want to do, what you think is right. I mean, you've worked for Aija far longer than I have. You probably know more. If Aija's lost her way, then you should be able to tell, if you think about it without averting negative thoughts. I just want you to really consider all of this by yourself. And if you come to the conclusion that I'm wrong? That Aija's still worthy of support, that I'm some scumbag that deserves to die? Then shoot me, right here, right now. I can't stop you. But. Make sure that that decision is actually yours. If you're going to kill me, you at least owe me the assurance that you're killing me yourself. ...I noticed the pistol begin to sway slightly. Devon had stopped looking at me. Instead, his eyes were clenched shut. I could see tears getting through his eyelids though. Technically, he had taken his eyes off me. ...The idea of making a move now that he wasn't paying as much attention did cross through my mind. However, even if his eyes were closed, his ears sure weren't. And I felt as though if he caught me taking advantage of this moment, he probably really would just shoot me. Instead, we just stood there. I waited with bated breath. Come on, Devon. You can be better. I had given it my all, with that spiel. Break free! Devon opened his eyes once more. [BGM: Challenger]  Then he turned around and began pacing away. Graagh!Oh thank God. I really thought I was dead just there. Like, I had no faith that that was actually going to work. I was really just throwing out anything I thought might placate him. Jesus Christ, I almost had a heart attack. Phew. drat, I was pretty good at this, huh? Devon circled back around, pacing. Thank you. Really, thank you Devon. You're doing the right thing. I'm glad. ...What should I do now? Huh? There's nothing left for me. What should I... what do I do? What should you do, huh? Don't you think that's a question you should answer yourself?Devon looked at me for a moment. Then he looked down, lost in contemplation. Finally, he looked back up, a glint of determination in his eye. Got it. Okay, good. What did you settle on? ...If you, uh, don't mind me asking. Aija... I'm not content to just walk away from everything. I need to speak with her. I need to figure out... no, she needs to answer for everything. I'll figure out what to do from there.I nodded. That sounds pretty good. Sounds like a plan. ...I'm not going to thank you. That's fine. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason I'm not killing you is because I don't see a good reason to, and I'd probably be caught. I still don't like you, and I still don't think you're a good person. Understood. You told me to try and ignore my spira... to ignore the misleading voices and really ask myself why I'm doing what I'm doing. If it's the right thing. I think maybe you should do that too. Oh, don't worry, I already went through that. I'm doing this to tear down the corruption of Panthea.And make a little cash all the while. Hm. Anyways, like it or not, I think you did help me get over something I think I've been grappling with for a while. So, I guess I should probably warn you. Warn me? Me coming here, this wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. I mean, yes, on my own I've been looking to kill you. Or at least, three of your identities. But I was sent here by an augmented voice. I was given the location, and told that if I just shot you and looked around your apartment, I'd get what I wanted. And they also said that they had other ways of handling you. Really?poo poo, the moves against me were becoming far more explicit. At this rate, it was only a matter of time. I don't know who this person is.But you have an enemy, Mercury – one far more dangerous than me. Thank you, Devon. That means a lot. Of course, I knew that already. But happy to know I could pin this particular life-threatening encounter on them as well. All right, well.Devon looked around awkwardly. I guess I'll get going now. Uh, okay. Stay safe. You too.And with this strange, strained encounter between two strangers over with, Devon left my apartment. I was alone again. Safe, for the time being. I collapsed onto my couch. Was this the closest I had come to death? ...No, the time on the Mandjet was still probably my closest shave. Still, this was pretty bad in its own right. I was really running out of time. I had to start tying up loose ends immediately. I mean, if the God had my apartment... ...Wait a second. How did they figure out my location? I had been very loving thorough in keeping it a secret. What the hell? I racked my brain for a possible answer. They must've learned it recently, else something would've been done sooner. ...Oh, motherfucker. I went over to my laptop and took out the USB. I grabbed a nearby knife and tried prying it open. Sure enough... mechanical things. Okay, turns out, I didn't actually know what a tracking device looked like. But I was pretty loving sure that this was how they located me. Mother fucker! Who the hell did they think they were messing with?! Did they really plan this whole thing out? Or maybe it was just the mix of an insurance policy and a happy accident. I couldn't be sure. All I knew for certain was what I had already known - I was dealing with a pro. What was even on the stupid USB anyways? I checked my laptop, and it looked like the file had successfully been transferred. I opened it up. ...Huh. Despite taking an obnoxiously long time to transfer, it appeared to be just a simple text file. ...A simple text file with an encrypted lock. loving... I didn't have time for this. Knowing what I knew, was it even worth opening? Ah, gently caress it. I was too curious. I'd just be fast.   [You got 7 chips!] It's... ...a bunch of gibberish. [BGM: Silence]  A text file full of gibberish. The only decipherable bit was at the top. 'Use the N-Key.' ...N-Key? The hell? Was this some sort of cypher? My mind began trying to put the pieces together. Then, I just shook my head. No. Thinking about it a bit closer, if this whole thing really was a trap, then this whole mess of letters was likely meant to stall me for long enough for Devon to get here. That could've been the reason for the encoded lock. And if it wasn't always meant as a trap, then I doubted there'd be anything useful. Whichever the case, I needed to just get ready. The next step of the plan should be kicking into action any minute now. I was a bit concerned at how my opponent was getting more brazen and dangerous. It felt entirely possible that they would screw things up further. But at this point, I was in too deep. I was already in the middle of fulfilling Jacy's last wish, her last request that she entrusted to me. Either Panthea's God would kill me... or I'd burn it down first. …   I have nothing to say here. All I have is my respect for Mercury. Mercury... is an elite breed. Mercury reminds me of myself.
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Feb 23, 2024 00:50
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Hmmmm.... you know ez, we never did see Jacy's body.
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Feb 23, 2024 02:48
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The title of the update being Mercury End implies that's the last Mercury story, but the Mercury card is still there at the end, do cards not disappear when you're done with them?
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Feb 23, 2024 06:03
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Marluxia posted:The title of the update being Mercury End implies that's the last Mercury story, but the Mercury card is still there at the end, do cards not disappear when you're done with them? No, you can go back and revisit any card you've already seen at any point (though the mini-games are automatically skipped, and you don't see Ez again on a revisit)
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Feb 23, 2024 06:12
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 [BGM: Ones Are Wild]  God drat it. Why could timing never work out in my favor? That probably wasn't fair. I was likely experiencing survivorship bias in action. If I were to take a hard look at everything up until this point, you'd probably find that I lucked out a number of times. But then again, I know you'd find just as many times where random happenstance has screwed me over. So... I think I am permitted a bit of grumbling. Normally, I could make time for keeping up the Thane act. I had done so up until now – with surprising ease, in fact. It hadn't really interfered with my other activities yet. But this was different. Today was important. I needed to be somewhere... and in all likelihood, I had to be there soon. So of course, now when I had a strict deadline, Yi would call me over for an official Duat business discussion. Three guesses as to what it was about. Again, the temptation to just ditch was present. But at the same time, I still needed to appear as Thane one more time for things to work out. I guess this would have to be that time. Normally, I'd be excited for this opportunity; it had come about naturally. But not now. Not today! I shook my head. Oh well. I had to play the cards dealt. I'd just get in, have the conversation, get out. With that assurance made, I entered the V-Hall.   Thane. Is the password really necessary every time? It is exceedingly annoying. Uh, well, you know, policy and all...The thug trailed off. Fine. Speak the dead, yadda yadda.Without finishing the quote, I just walked on through. I thought I might run into a bit of resistance on this. ...I thought wrong. So was the power of Thane. To be honest, I should've been abusing this a bit more in the past. Oh well. Might as well still make the most of it while I had it. As I entered the V-Hall, I noticed it being visibly more crowded than usual. What was this about? There wasn't an official meeting of any sort going on. With a bit more observation however, I came to a realization about the current state of things. This was a party. ...Or, half of one anyways. 'Party' might be too strong. But definitely a celebration. Lara had a lot of her supporters here to cheer on her triumphant return, having successfully pilfered a boatload of cash from Olympo. Given the tone of everything, I had to assume that went well with Marduk. At the same time, I also saw a number of Yi supporters around. A smaller number to be sure, but definitely people who I wouldn't peg coming around to celebrate Lara. If I had to guess, this was Yi also rallying the troops. For whatever reason (I could think of a few), Yi decided it wasn't a good idea to have the place packed with Lara supporters while he was on his lonesome. Mm. Given recent events, I couldn't imagine Yi was feeling good. And as I noticed him making his way over to me, I confirmed that theory. His expression was restrained. Yi was good at that. Probably would be poor optics if he went around scowling that the Duats had made a ton of cash. ...But I had been around Yi long enough at this point to tell. He was pissed. And with that angry emotion bottled in his heart, he made his way over to me, the person who had freed Lara. Great.   Thane. Yi. What's the occasion? Oh, did you not hear? Lara was able to sign away her claim to the inheritance for a lot of money. The Duats are now a significant bit richer. Marduk is happy, and Lara's supporters are celebrating. Oh. Oh, indeed. That's not good. Astute observation, Thane. I can always count on you for accurate color commentary.Yi reached into his pocket. He found a cigarette and lit it. After a long inhale, Yi shook his head. Things are bad, Thane. Quite bad. We're approaching end times. 'Time destroys the false opinions, but he confirms judgements of nature.' Know that one?I thought for a bit. Then I just shook my head. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Nice little piece of comfort, most of the time. Most of the time?[BGM: Challenger]  This outcome itself might be the effect of time. False opinions being destroyed. Nature's judgement. What are you saying?Yi shrugged. Perhaps this is for the best. You can't be serious. After everything, this is how you react? Yes, Thane. After everything. So many things. I'm starting to feel old. We have done so much to make sure that Lara winds up the loser... and even after an opportunity fell into our laps, we're still ending up a day late and a dollar short. At some point, you have to wonder. What if that's the point? Yi, you can't be saying what I think you're saying. Rousseau had a point, you know. All forms of governance, gangs included, derive their sovereignty from the consent of the governed.  If the majority of Duat members hold Lara in a positive light, then perhaps, regardless of actual qualifications, that grants her moral authority. Moral authority? The winner is right. It's the mandate of heaven. We could both run around, tiring ourselves out, trying to cling onto something we never truly had... ...or we could face facts, understand the shifting sides, and properly orient ourselves for a Duat life under Lara. …Yi finished his cigarette. Then he tossed it to the ground and smushed it with a foot. gently caress that. Yeah, no loving way is that happening. I'd choose death before kowtowing to that bitch. Lara's a dipshit, and so's Rousseau and Locke.  Democracy's got nothing to do with being a good leader; common opinion leads to common denominator opinions. The Duat headship should fall to who deserves it the most. That's one of us, and we'll prove it here and now. Glad you got that out of your system. It was weird seeing you like that.Yi shrugged. What can I say? I'm a strong proponent of frequent self-introspection. It's the only way to truly know where you stand.I just nodded at this, not fully getting what he meant. Jeez. Even after I said all that, it's not like I've got a good idea on how to actually go about changing things. We were so close. So loving close. Had Lara tied up and everything. You think Marduk would've gone for killing her then and there? It felt like that's where he was leaning, before the lights went out. I'm entirely sure that had Lara just stayed put, this matter would be behind us. True, true. Tell me, how did Lara get out of that again?Yi was looking at me, a bit of an edge in his eyes. I was hoping to not relitigate this. It's true, I had left myself an out when freeing Lara; plausible deniability. I gave my story back after Lara escaped, and people believed it well enough. ...But it was definitely a little odd. Yi was pretty sharp. Maybe it was paranoia talking, but I was worried he might've had an inkling that something was wrong with this. I already told you. Several times. I know, I know. Indulge me. I feel I do so too often. But fine, it's not as though there's much to tell. One of Lara's supporters went off and cut the power, creating a temporary darkness. Lara used this opportunity to cut her ropes with some bladed instrument she had hidden on her. A knife, perhaps. As she got free, she swung wildly, hitting Zaochi in the gut. Then she ran for the door. Since I was very close to her when she broke free, I gave chase. I was right behind her, but she remained slightly out of reach. Even once she got outside, I wasn't able to catch up to her. Eventually, I had no choice but to let her get away. See, see, that's the bit that always trips me up. Xia told me that from what he could see, you were right next to her by the time you got to the door. How did she put so much distance on you? You're a pretty athletic dude, if I do say so myself – feels weird that Lara of all people could outrun you. When will you quit underestimating her? She is a threat. Yeah, but a physical one? I don't know what to say. She's just got a better sprint than I gave her credit for.Yi's arms were crossed. I could tell by his glare that he suspected... something. I don't know what. I think he didn't know what either. But he smelt blood in the water, as he had done a number of times within our interactions. In other circumstances, this could be a problem... however, it seemed as though Yi would forcibly dismiss this cloud of suspicion. It's not like he had much of a choice otherwise. And he couldn't fathom a reason as to why I would be lying about this. So in the end, he decided to let it go. Yeah, yeah. Don't mean to blame you, just frustrated. Believe me, nobody is more frustrated at me than myself. I can imagine. Anyways, on the plus side, at least we got to see Marduk in a bit of action again. Punishing those supporters who cut the lights? Boy, was that a real show.A real show, alright. I thought I might get sick. Still, I had to stay around. Didn't want one of them ratting me out. And indeed, it looked like at one point one of them was going to mention my involvement. A single finger of mine put to my mask took care of that. He sure has a penchant for torture. Mm. Uh, well, point is, at least that's a bit of a morale hit for the Lara side. Who knows what would've happened to them had Lara not proven herself with the whole 'bringing a ton of cash' thing? Nothing pleasant, I can imagine. Yep. Ah, but then Lara had to go and throw a wrench in our plans. Classic Lara. Is it? Is it not? When you say Lara throwing a wrench in our plans is 'classic Lara,' it makes it sound like she throws a wrench in most of our plans. ...That is to say, that we're incompetent. Well, drat. You've got me there. Okay, point is, somehow, Lara fleeced a ton of cash from the Deismas. Don't ask me how she did that. Feels totally out of her wheelhouse, but whatever. Somehow, she made it happen, and somehow, she made Art call off the hit. He doesn't seem particularly happy about any of this, but not actively angry. That's a win for Lara.I just nodded. Honestly though, I don't give a poo poo how Art feels. Neither does anyone else. The problem's Marduk. He seems thoroughly impressed by how Lara handled the situation, in all respects. I mean, the biggest mark against her was her inability to bring in cash. Now, she's brought in cash! And like, it's kind of bullshit, because it's not like you can count on being willed a ton of shares by a bazillionaire as a reliable source of income. But Marduk tends to gloss over details like that. He just sees money and likes it. Real irritating. Marduk often fails to see the bigger picture. Jeez, you're telling me. And you know what's worse? I was talking with Lara earlier. The way she was talking, it sounds like she knows what we've been doing with the Mandjet. Seriously? I mean, she didn't make it explicit. But the implication was there. She doesn't know anything. We've been careful. Yeah, but we've been thorough. After this many trips out, it's plausible she could've caught on. Doesn't take a detective, after all.I shook my head. Still, I don't believe she knows. After all, if she had such definitive knowledge, she definitely would have gone to Marduk sooner. That's just too big an accusation.[BGM: Bidding]  Yi considered this. Maybe. ...Yeah, you might be right about that. At the very least, she definitely doesn't have any hard evidence. That's usually what would matter. Usually?Yi shot a glance back at Marduk's office. Marduk's a fickle son of a bitch. Forgetful, too. Forgetful of loyalty. Right now Lara's in Marduk's good graces. Being in his good graces, Lara's word is bound to hold a lot more weight. Even if she just has vague suspicions, in this state, that might be enough to sway things. That can't be right. I'd hope not. But that's what my instincts are telling me. Then we just deny. We hold the line together. It's two versus one. With no evidence, she's not going to be able to do anything. Mmm. I wish I had your confidence, Thane. But if Marduk's swayed by Lara, as he's want to do, then he could order a more official investigation. Look into disappearance times, scan the ship for forensic evidence. We covered our traces, but only so well. Things could go bad.I had no response to that. Yi groaned.  Even putting aside that, Lara's now got a real lead in the race for the headship. Marduk could go any day, and he knows that. He might make some sort of declaration any second now. Feels like if we look down, we'll see the bottom of the cliff. Right now, we're holding on desperately to a rope, trying not to fall. ...But every second it holds our weight, the rope begins to fray. Only a matter of time before it gives way and snaps. Perhaps. In that case, we may need to let go of the rope. And commit suicide? And jump to a nearby bluff. Ah, I see. Alright then. What's this 'bluff' you're thinking of? Oh, hey, look at that. Double meaning. Very clever. Did you think of that ahead of time? No, that just sort of happened. And it's not particularly relevant, because what I'm suggesting is no bluff. Aw. Aw? Hey, no, let me be clear - very happy if you've come up with a good idea. Just a bit sad because, you know, would've been quite clever if it was a bluff you were suggesting. Well, I apologize for not making a suitably clever metaphor. Can I resume explaining the plan that will save our asses? Right, right, sorry for derailing. It's simple. You've made it abundantly clear why Lara is currently in good graces; she has made a lot of money. But Lara isn't the moneymaker – you are. You just need to prove that in a big gesture. Okay, I like it, I love it. Any details? Our stash house. The place we keep all our dirty money. Have one of your guys set up a scene there. Hm. It's currently being guarded by some of Lara's people. That's good, make whatever happens look like their fault. I don't know and don't care about methods. You're the detail-oriented one, you mess with that. What I'm suggesting is that you do something that causes the police to investigate that scene. Then, you get your contact, Seth, to 'discover' the stash of dirty money. Have him do it discreetly, in a way that won't be a big deal; if other Duat members get wind that it was your contact who discovered the cash, they'll realize you were behind the whole enterprise. Anyways, once all the Duats dirty money is discovered, have your police contact be in charge of transporting the money to a more secure location. Have him choose the route. ...And along the route he chooses, set up an ambush for the armored car. If you know when and where a truck like that is going to be set up, it doesn't take a lot to hold a successful ambush – doubly so if the person driving the truck is in on it. In this ambush, you steal back and recover all of the cash. Your contact'll probably be disciplined for getting held up like that, but he'll have also found the money in the first place, so he should be fine. Then you deliver all the cash back to the Duats.  In one move, you've basically transferred the credit of all that cash, including the money Lara brought in, to you. It'll firmly establish how necessary you are to the Duats. That you're more necessary than Lara. If we can make that clear, then if you make it where if Lara becomes the head, you walk, Marduk can't appoint her head. Simple.I was talking far more than I should as Thane. But I needed Yi to go for the plan. The whole time while I explained it to him, he just watched me in silence. I had trouble reading his expression. And after I finished explaining, there was a moment of silence. Come on... go for it, Yi. Do the plan. You know you want to. Finally, he spoke up. Huh. Interesting idea, Thane. Wouldn't have expected something like this from you. I gotta say, it's pretty risky. If it goes wrong, if it comes out that I'm responsible, I'm going to be in a whole heap of trouble. The type you can't recover from. It's certainly a dangerous play.Yi shifted back and forth, as though physically weighing his options. Finally, a smile passed across his face. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm not really much of a gambler, but I'm sure as hell a soldier. And any good soldier knows that sometimes there are battles you've got to fight. Right now, the war between us and Lara is up in the air. This is the sort of critical strike that's needed to shift the tides. Good thinking, Thane.Thank God. Yi, for gently caress's sake, why did you always have to give me a minor heart attack every time we talked? Just accept the plan earlier next time. Regardless, it seemed like he was on board. Good – coming here wasn't a waste after all. Thank you. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was that good an idea. It was just the best one I had. No, no, it's a pretty smart idea all things considered. Could use a bit of refinement. But don't worry, that's what I'm for. This plan's pretty smart. But with this atmosphere, I'm worried. Marduk might make a decision any minute, honestly. So I say, we get this plan rolling into action, ASAP. I'm gonna go start gathering up people we can use for this, tell them what's up. That sounds good.Yi looked like he was about to turn around and walk away. However, we both paused. Approaching us was none other than Lara herself. Slightly surprisingly, she was not followed by any of her posse. But all the same, she wore a unmistakable smug smile... perhaps justifiably so. Yi grumbled under his breath. However, he stayed put as Lara approached.  Hey, guys. How's it going? Having fun over here by yourselves? Oh, just boatloads. Isn't that right, Thane? Indeed. I'm just raising the roof.Lara actually let out a chuckle at this.   Yeah, I'm definitely getting a festive mood from you two. Good to hear, good to hear. Okay, look, I'll just address the elephant in the room. I am sorry, Lara. Oh? What for? You don't know? Nothing comes to mind, no. In that case, I take it back. Nothing to apologize for. Wow, okay. He is sorry for tying you up and trying to have you killed. Oh, that! I knew I was forgetting something. As was I. Thane's right, I am sorry for that. Totally unprofessional of me, real dick move on my part. Just, you know, Art said so. You understand. I definitely do. Water under the bridge. I'm sure if our positions were reversed, I would've done just the same thing. As am I. I shifted around uncomfortably. In reality, I wasn't all that uncomfortable with tense atmospheres and false smiles, but Thane certainly was. Let's not linger on such gloomy subjects. This should be a fun time, a celebratory time! After all, I made the Duats a bunch of money in one fell swoop – that means bonuses for everyone! Who can possibly not be excited about that? Not me, that's for sure. I'm indifferent. Oh? I don't do it for the money. That right? It isn't, this guy just thinks saying things like that makes him sound cool. Oh, I see. Well, he's right about that. You're very cool, Thane. I feel patronized.Lara chuckled again. Ah, anyways. I know I'm in a good mood. Marduk was really happy when I brought in all that cash. Had a lot of nice things to say about me. Who knows? He might even make me the next leader of the Duats.Wow, someone was making things a lot more explicit. I looked to see how Yi would respond. That right? Good for you! Did he say that? In but so many words. So he didn't. Little thing called subtlety, Yi. I know it's not your strong suit – after all, you like to solve your problems with the end of a gun. Mm. Well, nice to know Marduk is happy. But I wouldn't rest on your laurels for too long, Lara. You never know what might happen. In this industry, fortunes can get reversed in the course of minutes. What's that supposed to mean?Tensions were steadily rising in this conversation, and I was looking for an out. Luckily, I got one... just not the type I was looking for. Fang walked out of Marduk's office. And then he called out.  Hey, Thane! Marduk wants to talk to you. ...In private. Oh, would you look at that. Thane, it appears as if you're wanted. Oooh, someone's in trouble. What are you, in grade school? I know you are but what am I? That doesn't work in that context! It made you mad, right? Seems to me it worked well enough.As the two squabbled amongst each other, I was just biting my tongue. Are you loving serious? What now? Marduk really had to call me over now of all times? Alone? Give me a break.
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Feb 24, 2024 22:29
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 [BGM: The Poison]  I didn't want to attend this meeting, for a number of reasons. But Fang had made that announcement publicly. If I didn't start heading over to his office now, people would get suspicious. I couldn't afford that. There were more Duats than ever. My only option was to go and have this meeting with Marduk. ...And to pray that nothing happened in there that would have him calling out to the minor army standing around here. After a couple of deep breaths, I started walking over to Marduk's office at a steady rate. No need to panic. I was Thane, a fearless robot. I met with Marduk every now and then. Nothing weird about this. Before I knew it, I found myself entering the office I had only stepped foot into once before now. ...And this time, I didn't have Yi and Lara. Even just sitting there, Marduk proved to be an intensely imposing figure. Well, no surprise there, I supposed. I had already seen him in his natural state like this. Only last time, I had buffers; no such luck this time. I'd have to stare down Marduk all on my own. That was fine. I'd just emulate Thane perfectly. I had a good download on him by now.  Instead of saying anything to me as I entered, Marduk just nodded at me. I nodded back.  Sit.He didn't need to tell me twice. I walked forward, circled around the couch, and sat down. So, Thane. Marduk. It has been a while since we've had a conversation. That's not true. We talked not too long ago in this very room. I meant a private conversation, jackass. It's been too long since we've talked one on one.I shrugged. Sorry. You've just been keeping me busy with Duat work. I remember the last time I gave you a direct order. It was a while ago. Well, you've been keeping me busy via Yi's command.Marduk nodded to this. Apparently, in his eyes, this was an acceptable answer. Still, that's not a complete excuse. You have my private number, after all, and a phone to call me on. Marduk's words confirmed a theory I had had for a while. The 'Old Bastard' referred to on Thane's spare phone likely was Marduk. The answer was kind of obvious from the beginning... I guess I was just overthinking things. Then again, this raised another question, but it was one I was pretty sure I had an answer for. True. Well then, I guess there just hasn't been much to talk to you about. You keep yourself busy. I don't believe there's not been things you could discuss. Communication's a two-way street. When was the last time you called me?A slight smile crept onto Marduk's face. Fair enough. You have me there. That said, I'm calling you over now, am I not? You are. And given your history, I have to assume it is not just a social visit. So then, what are we here to discuss?Marduk sighed. You always were clever, weren't you? You're right. I'm here to talk to you about Lara. Lara? I'll be blunt with you. What do you think of her? ...In what sense? Just give me your general impressions of her. She is... competent. She has the approval of many Duat members, the disapproval of others. She does her job well enough. But... she doesn't understand the true purpose of the Duats. She has things backwards. Oh? How so? She believes the Duats should serve the city, not the other way around. Hm...Marduk's eyes wandered to the ceiling. Do you agree with her? I don't know what I agree with anymore. The older I get, the more sentimental I begin to feel. … What would you classify Lara's strengths as? Let's cut to the chase. You're considering letting Lara succeed you for leading the Duats. Impatient as ever, I see. Fine – you are correct. She seems like an acceptable choice. To be clear, I am not so shallow a leader as to be swayed by this recent display of wealth. A lucky break that says nothing. No, this decision of mine has been deliberated for some time. You might think I am foolish for not considering Yi. It is true, he's a talented individual. I have been lucky to have him by my side for all these years. His insight, wisdom, and diligence is a large part of our continued success. However, his talents are not suited for the role of a Duat head. His disposition is more managerial. To be the Duat head, you have to be a leader. This involves seeing the greater picture, being able to inspire your men, knowing what wars to fight. Lara, despite being a relative newcomer to our organization and being in an environment prejudiced against her, has won the approval of the majority of my men. Ultimately, I'm not the one who really decides who will succeed me. The Duats will follow whoever commands their respect. If the Duats follow Lara, then in my eyes, that makes her the most worthy candidate. ...Is this decided? No, not quite. If it was, why would I be consulting with you?This was a tricky juncture. If my understanding of Thane was correct, I knew exactly how he'd respond to this situation. However, if I was mistaken... no, there was no time to be second guessing myself. I had gotten this far by believing in my skills. If the rational part of me thought this the best course of action, then I should follow through on it. Consulting with me, huh? Heh. Come on, Marduk. That's not what this is. It isn't? Not really. After all, you should know drat well how I'd react to this news. You should know I'd never willingly rescind that which by all rights should be mine. …Marduk just looked at me for a while. There was something sad in his eyes. Then he looked over to the window in the office. How did it come to this? I have an idea. ...Yeah. Yeah, so do I.Marduk turned back to look at me. Look, Thane... no, that's not right. Vidar. Finally on a first name basis, are we? Look, it... you know the last thing I wanted was for things to come to this. Do you realize how difficult putting you in that mask was for me? Didn't feel particularly difficult at the time. It's because I thought it was for the best. It was for the best. You needed to learn a lesson. … But you know, I always intended for you to eventually inherit the Duats. I still intend that. And yet you're handing it off to Lara. She has earned it. ...But her time shall pass. You are young, younger than most in the Duats. And yet you are already a Senior Officer. Give it a bit more time, and certainly you shall be given the chance to fulfill your destiny. You simply need to wait. ...'learn a lesson'? Yes. Heh. Rich, that. For once in my life, I was trying to live up to your expectations. Follow your rules. 'See the bigger picture. Take control by myself. Rule with force.' That's not...Marduk sighed once more. It was as though this conversation was taking a toll on him. I can appreciate your intent. But intent is not the only thing that matters. The consequences, the method, those are also important. And Vidar, you paid no mind to either. Oh, I paid both mind, alright. I just had a different idea of what Panthea should be. I guess I have a different idea. Vidar, listen. The Duats have their place in Panthea. An important one, one I have explained many times. But it is a defined place. There are sections of this city we simply shouldn't go, can't go. By our nature, we must exist in the shadows. Strike out too far, and those in power will no longer tolerate us. They've spent centuries building the hierarchy that currently exists. Do you really think they would allow it to be toppled so easily? It sounds to me like you don't have the strength to achieve true dominance. Against what exists? Nobody does. Instead, I make inroads where I can, concessions where I must. Let me be clear, if I had it my way, we'd storm the entire city, knocking out the windows of every government building and corporate office. ...But we have to be realistic. This underground monopoly we have accrued is the best we can hope for – and to keep it, there is a balance in place. One that Aija helps maintain. When you went off on your own with Gil, planning that whole assassination business, you almost undid that very precious balance. God only knows what would've happened had we not passed along the information to our police contact in time. Because of your half-baked scheme, Gil still rots in prison, managing our jailhouse division; in comparison, I'd say you got off light. …[BGM: Last Dice]  I understand your ambition, but going after Aija was a step too far. Had that worked, you'd have severely provoked the Chief of Police. We make do with our methods, but the real reason we've been able to thrive is because the police force has decided not to crack down on us. That they've tacitly accepted that our monopoly that keeps the peace is a better alternative to the gang warfare that used to cover the streets in blood. The moment we begin assassinating politicians is the moment that grace is snatched away. That would have been useful information to have at the time. Instead, you keep all the cards close to your chest. You claim to lead the Duats – leading means giving us a unified vision, not making your own decisions and telling us how to act them out. Hm. Yes, you might have a point there. But do you see why your plot could not be tolerated? Why you had to bear the risks and responsibilities that come with the Thane mantle? Sure. I can understand that. What I can't understand is why you did what you did before passing me the mask. ...I wish I could understand it as well. Try.To this, Marduk could only hang his head. A small part of me worried if I was pushing too hard. But at this point I had lost myself in the character, the mindset of Thane – or rather, Vidar. I could only continue in this direction, and see where it led me. After a moment, Marduk looked back at me. Vidar, you might not understand this. But to me, the Duats are my legacy. But not just the Duats; you, too, are my legacy. Naturally, I always assumed you would follow in my footsteps. A bit monarchistic, sure, but I was okay with that. So when you began acting out, misunderstanding what the Duat spirit was, it cut me to my soul. Maybe it was my fault in the first place. Looking back, you probably joined far too early. It would have been better if your teen years were spent normally, and you joined the Duats after you became an adult. Still, I was just so angry that you couldn't follow simple directions. So when you pulled that assassination poo poo, putting the entire Duat family in jeopardy, costing me one of my best Senior Officers? I was outside of myself with rage. I could barely control myself. The knife was already in my hand, and... ...Look, there is no good excuse. What I did was over the line. Hell, it'd still be over the line if I did it to Yi or Lara. I don't know what to say. An apology might be a place to start? I never did apologize, huh? ...You're right. You're owed that. I'm sorry, Vidar. I truly am. Neither of us are good people, and both of us know that. And I don't really need your forgiveness, not really. I just hope that you will grow from all of this.Without a word, I just nodded. Wow. What a touching moment. Thank God I actually bullshitted my way through it. All I needed to do now is begrudgingly accept Lara as the next head, but ask him to delay making it official for a bit longer, and my work would be done. See, this is why we should talk more often. I wouldn't be opposed to it. Heh, you little poo poo. Can't give a straight answer if your life was on the line, huh? Fair enough.Marduk scratched his neck, and then, it looked like he had an idea. That couldn't be good. You know, I've been talking with Thane this whole time. But that's not right. I want to talk to Vidar. I don't understand.I understood, I just didn't want to. [BGM: Silence]  Take off the mask. We should finish this conversation looking eye to eye.Whelp. This was the risk in bringing the conversation to this topic. Should've been more cold. Now, how was I going to get out of this? Marduk may be old, but he was still a fighter. ...More to the point, behind me, there was a room full of Duat members. My identity getting exposed here would be a death sentence. ...I'd prefer not to. Excuse me? I just feel more comfortable in the mask. Oh. Is it because of...I almost felt bad about this tactic, but it was sort of the only option I had available. ...Yes. That's not good. Look, I'm sure it's not that bad. It really is. No, it's not. And either way you should learn to live with it. Maybe you could view it as a good thing, a mark of being a badass. There's nothing badass about it. Just take the mask off, would you? I held myself back from cursing. I really had the worst luck. ...Or maybe I was lucky just for getting this far. Whatever – it was clear my time was up. Guess I had to put the backup plan into action. I... really didn't like the line of play. Definitely not what I had intended. But life rarely conformed to our expectations, rarer still our desires. If this is how Marduk wanted it to be, I only had one choice: I'd have to show my face. I slowly stood up from the couch. All the while, I began leaning forwards, closer to Marduk. My right hand rose. It gripped onto my mask. No, Thane's mask. My other hand casually fell to my hip. I wasn't an idiot. I'd never enter enemy territory without a weapon. At this point, I was gripping something with both of my hands. And I stood close to Marduk. Without any more delay, I slowly lifted up the mask. I could feel the air hitting my face. Just like that, I was unmasked. I locked eyes with Marduk. For a solitary second, he just looked at me, processing. That moment of shock was what I was counting on. [BGM: Danrasu]  My left hand, gripping the knife I had brought, shot out into the air. ...And then, it stabbed down, right at Marduk's heart. I expected a jolt on his part. Some reaction. But I guess age caught us all. Without so much as a shift in his seat, the blade struck true and pierced skin. I wasn't good enough at anatomy to know if I actually hit his heart – at the very least, however, I could tell that this was a mortal wound. Blood began to pour out the gash. I kept the knife firmly in place, my fist clutching it. With my other hand, I prepared to promptly cover Marduk's mouth and continue stabbing him if he decided to start shouting out for backup. Instead, however, he just looked down at the knife in his chest. Then he looked back to me. Huh. So that's how it ends. Then... is my son? Yep. He was a Duat member through and through. ...And by that I mean a murderous piece of poo poo. He tried to kill me, but he overestimated his skills somewhat. Him or me, you have to understand.Instead of responding to this, Marduk just looked down. There was a paleness to his face. That's that then. ...You know... I always knew I'd die like this. Suspected it, at the very least. And I was fine with it. I've made peace with my death a long time ago. One of... cough... the occupational risks of it all. I knew I'd accept death when it came. But Vidar... I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept him away from this until he was prepared. I should've kept him away from this period. They say the cruelest tragedy that can happen to a parent is to have their children die before them. In that case, maybe the humane thing would've been to just stab you with the mask on. You'd probably prefer to think that Vidar was killing you. Good thing, then, that I took the mask off. Marduk looked back up at me, with a new anger in his eye. Tch. So you must be the rat that's been running around, making a mess of this city. So you heard of me. That I did. You know you're not going to get off easy when they catch you. Murdering the Duat Head? That's not grounds for an execution. That's... *cough, cough, cough*... grounds for a torturous end. Yeah, you thugs sure like your torture, huh? Your son sure was good at it. Good thing that the Duats won't catch me. Sure about that? Heh heh heh, *hack, cough*, there are more dangerous figures than you in this city. More dangerous figures than me. Trust me, the one thing that grants me peace in this death is knowing that your days are numbered. That right? I've been doing pretty well up until now. Just a matter of time... before you roll poorly. It's not a matter of chance. Heh, you really are naive, aren't you? In everything in life, even skill based things, you're betting on yourself. Betting on your ability not to make a mistake, to slip up. Nobody's a robot. Everybody, no matter how methodical, is prone to errors that... could only be described as 'chance.' That's why I know your death... is inevitable. Because there's a chance you'll screw up... and you're not the type to stop. If a chance happens enough times, it's not a chance. It's an inevitability. Hm. Believe me, I'm the last person you need to be advising about gambling. That right? Well then, want to hear some advice I'm sure you need to hear? Not particularly.[BGM: Silence]  And with that, I pulled the knife out Marduk and slashed it across his throat. He began hacking, blood pouring out his throat. And in a few seconds, he went limp. That was that. I had killed Marduk. I took a few steps back, looking over my work. Well then. This certainly wasn't how I envisioned handling this. I knew I'd be bringing Marduk down, but to stab him with my own two hands? ...It was fine. At this point, I didn't even feel guilty. He was a dangerous gang leader, and it was practically self-defense. The only disturbing point was how much I enjoyed the process. ...That's probably not good. But I'd worry about that later. For now, I needed to consider my next action. I was standing in the room of Marduk's dead body, after all. What to do... [BGM: Tsumo]  I looked over to the window. It was a bit difficult from this side, but it should open. Maybe I could escape through there? ...After a bit of consideration, I decided against this option. If Thane didn't exit this room before too long, people would begin to get antsy. They might check the office, and find Marduk dead. If that happened too soon, that could get in the way of things. Alternatively, there was a much simpler option. If I left through the door, back through the way I came from, there'd be nothing odd about that. People didn't like to bother Marduk. There was no telling when someone would go and check on him. With my method of escape decided, I began covering my tracks. I left the knife on the couch Marduk sat on. I put the mask back on. I grabbed a pillow and used it to wipe off as much of the blood from my outfit as I could. Then I placed it back and turned it around. ...That was probably as good as I'd get it. Without a final look back to the corpse, I walked over to the door and left Marduk's office. Then I walked across the V-Hall, hoping nobody would call me over for anything else. Hoping nobody'd notice the flecks of blood I hadn't completely managed to wipe away. Luckily, it appeared as though everyone was thoroughly absorbed in their own machinations. I was able to get across the building and out the exit with nobody batting an eye.  There it was. Marduk dead. Not the plan for today, but I'd just have to work with it. I thought back to Thane – the real Thane. Or... Vidar, as it were. Arguing through his eyes had made me look at his case in a way I hadn't before. Thinking about it, wasn't it a little sad? I mean, he died in his early twenties, if that. Most of his life he spent in the Duats. Raised by a monster of a father who permanently scarred his own son. Was it really any wonder that he ended up how he was? ...Nope. No, no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't get there. I couldn't find myself being sorry for the demented son of a gang leader. Ah, well. Not like my sympathy one way or another would change things. The point was, I had now killed both father and son. There would surely be fallout from this. But for now, at least, one serpent had been slain. ...Onto the next one. ... [BGM: Silence]  Bye bye, Marduk! Aw, I'm a little sad to see him go like that. He seemed like my type. But hey, had to be done. Unintentionally or not, he had caught our Thane right in their tracks. Hey, speaking of... it's been 3 scenes! Time to check back in on that little bet between us. Now, this is a little bit of a tricky case, I must admit. But even still, I am going to count what just happened as Marduk discovering Thane's true identity. I mean, he did die shortly after. But hey, nobody specified that the discoverer had to be alive! And yeah, it was less 'discovering' the identity and more Thane 'revealing themselves.' But it still counts, damnit! Marduk was moments away from discovering it on his own before Thane had to pull that bullshit reveal move. Jumping off the map to prevent your opponent from getting a kill is a coward's move, and I shan't abide it! Which means... you win! Down to the wire, huh? Be grateful I ruled in your favor there. I'm not always so generous. But in this case? Yeah, yeah, sure. You won, fair and square. But all of that is in the past. We're beyond betting. We're in the endgame. Our dearest 'Thane' is racking up quite the kill count. Vidar, Milo, Gani, Marduk... they've become a bonafide murderer. For what? What has driven them so far? Survival, perhaps, to a certain extent. You could excuse a scene or two with that explanation. But at this point? It's clearly more than that. Something is driving Thane. Sure seemed like Marduk had an inkling of an idea. And since you already know about the whole, you know, Mercury thing, you also probably have a decent idea yourself. ...Though, I'm guessing you still don't quite have the full story. Well, one way to find out. We just have to keep going.
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Feb 24, 2024 22:29
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Well, I did not see that coming. It’s very “Thane”, but I don’t think it’s very “Mercury”. But I guess that’s the whole point.
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Feb 25, 2024 03:16
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So at this point the question is - who's god? If we go by meta conventions it has to be someone who we A: have seen a sufficient amount of B: not obvious This eliminates Aija Marduk Odin and the entirety of Deismas from consideration. Considering that all player characters do not exist, i'd say we only got the following candidates: - Kane Obvious one, because he's remarkably omnipresent in every story, even if Mercury's was as a backstory to mandjet infiltration. - Lara If she's god, then that explains Odin's odd move... which frankly might have been her reward for winning which she was smart enough to do. - Krish lol. -Ez that would...make sense -Us also...makes sense
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Feb 27, 2024 15:50
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It was actually secretary gani all along.
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Feb 27, 2024 16:45
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 [BGM: Silence]  Repost... repost... oh, what's this? A movie announcement. Let's check out the trailer. … That looked okay. I think the producers might have overestimated how excited we would get over Rudy Thespy's involvement. That guy hadn't had a decent flick in a hot minute. What else? ...More god drat... eh. Actually, you know, this one's pretty cute. Okay, not all cat pictures are the worst. ...What was I doing? Scrolling at Kamapa at a time like this? I mean, yeah, it was a stress killer. Yeah, I didn't have much to do. But still, I shouldn't be on my phone. I needed to be more attentive. Though, that was made harder by the aforementioned nothing to do. All I was doing here was waiting. Well, if I had to wait out, this was a nice enough place to do it. [BGM: Ante Up]  There was the whole spherical nature of the room. Three fancy looking god statutes. And a big black metal plaque in the center of the room. And then on top of that, a number of bags filled with cinder block bricks. That was a pain to drag in here. I really needed to work out more. I mean, I was actually pretty fit, all things considered, but raw strength? Definitely could use more of that. ...Or could I? Ideally, I wouldn't need to be carrying cinder blocks through fancy mansions too often. Oh well. The point is, I was able to completely cover that 'plaque' in cinder blocks. Sitting atop that pile was a nice, simple signal jammer. Surprisingly common, turns out. I had recently looked into them – pretty cheap too. Completely blocks out all things with signals like, say, a phone. Probably standard protocol when you didn't want anyone having the chance to contact outside help. It sat, powered on, at the top of the pile. That was my job done. ...Well, part of my job done. Anyways, looking around, I did have to hand it to Odin. This was a pretty nice room, even if it was never intended to be stayed in for very long. The problem wasn't the ambiance. The problem was that I was impatient. But... I had to wait. This was my best chance at getting a lead. My last chance completely went to waste. Meeting The Devil in person... ha. What a joke. It was a mistake to think either of us were being slightly genuine. Good thing I was appropriately cautious. Had I actually gone to that meeting place, I'd probably be dead now. 'The Devil' had never trusted me in the slightest. ...I mean, not like I could claim that I trusted him, but... I was proven right. Anyways, that meeting fell through, so now I was stuck waiting here. ...Which was annoying. It made me anxious, especially knowing what was going on right now. The culmination of quite a lot of work... a spectacular scene of intrigue and drama. And where was I? Squatting alone in a mansion, on babysitting duty. Tragic. I thought back to the setup I put into this part of the plan. Starting then... [BGM: Dance]   'Anyways, I think that's all we have to talk about. I'll keep housing Krish. Wouldn't want the Duats finding them, that'd be real bad. As for your part...' 'You know, I don't think you really need to do anything. You've done more than enough already.'*click.* That was the end of the recording. ...Well, not quite. But it was the end of the edited section I had just played. I didn't edit for any sort of malicious purpose – the main point of the recording held firm. I just wanted to get to the meat of the conversation. Going over every little interaction would just slow things down, and it'd be more effective if I jumped from bad section to bad section. ...Although, it's not like the recording had many good sections. I looked up from the phone.  Well? What do you think?  This is...Chara's face was flushed. She was very unclear on how to feel, which... was understandable. It was a lot to hit her with. She had been faithfully supporting Polly Deisma for so long, so to be faced with this? Naturally, it'd come as a shock. Hey, look. I get it. I know this is hard to understand. It might feel confusing right now, like you want to deny reality. I'll give you a moment to process it. But once you unders– You're taking the piss! ...Excuse me? You're loving with me! And not doing it well, mind you. You seriously think I'd buy any of this shite? I mean, good lord, how dense do you think I am? I don't think you're dense at all, Ms. Tucker, which is why I trust that after you calm down, you'll realize that you're acting hysterically. Don't! Don't loving call me hysterical. Apologies. You have lost the plot entirely if you think I am going to believe any of that. Where'd you find the impressionist? They were drat good, I'll give you that. I should introduce them to Polly, it'd be funny. Ms. Tucker, would you please think about this rationally? You are one of few people who know Mr. Deisma as well as you do. Surely you realize that this was no voice impressionist. That's... Denial was a powerful thing. Especially when faced with evidence that directly contradicted your beliefs. How would you react if you heard a recording of somebody you trusted near-confessing to a bunch of heinous poo poo? Even if it was somewhat plausible, you'd never be able to instantly flip, right? When you're faced with things that contradict your perceived reality, your subconscious goes into overdrive, trying to maintain your past beliefs. This can manifest in all sorts of excuses, ones said both internally and aloud. There was no way to get past this; I just needed to be patient. Usually, after a bit of time, if the person is strong-willed enough, their conscious mind starts picking apart those excuses. The time it takes to come to grips with the truth can vary based off of a number of different factors. How long the person's lived in the false reality, how important the issue is to them, how horrible the alternative is, how plausible the subconscious's excuses are, and how much they're willing to face the truth. Banking on that last factor, I was sure Chara would snap out of this before long.  Okay, fine. That was Polly. What was the context? He doing a script read or something? Mr. Deisma is not that talented an actor. ...Or, perhaps he is, but he certainly doesn't have the classical training needed for this sort of performance. And, would he really consent to read this sort of dialogue? Seems highly personal, not to mention the fact that the use for such a performance seems entirely questionable. Then, then... you know, he doesn't actually, like, say anything in that. He's just, you know, talking. It's super light on details. Do we need to rewind the tape? No, no we don't. Then perhaps I can remind you of some key phrases. Ones that seem fairly damning? I know there's the whole doctrine of 'innocent until proven guilty'. Beyond a reasonable doubt. But even in those contexts, you would be hard pressed to say Polly Deisma is not guilty of the things he was accused of. But it's not... it's not like that. Nothing was explicit, just implications. Oh, do you want things to be explicit? Do I need to spell out that this tape makes it sound like he sexually assaulted someone? Gh!At the phrase, Chara flinched. Her denial was in overload. You are correct that things were not spelled out. To be honest, I was rather hoping that Polly would offer more details on his own, rather than leave things as vague as they ended up being. It is possible that the incident did not quite amount to that. But it is equally possible that the incident went far beyond that. Either way, I don't see how it is possible to construe the event as anything but extremely morally reprehensible. And, his turn at the end of the recording is even more troublesome. You are free to choose whether to believe that he is, in fact, racked with incredible guilt or if the whole thing is an act. However, at minimum, he is still capable of acting calculating and cutthroat. Additionally, he has made it clear he has no intent to truly be held accountable. This is just the stuff we know. Look, is it really all that bad? Excuse me? We don't know what really happened. And I mean, Polly's charming. It's not... nothing here seems malicious. It's not like he's Art. It's really not that bad. Chara. Think about what you're saying right now. I don't believe that you can say what you just said with an ounce of sincerity. You are better than that. But... this happened in the past. People can change. Polly has changed! He's put in the work, he continues to put in the work. So it's like... why look to the past, you know? Why linger? It'd be better for me to move on, better for us all to move on. This isn't representative of Polly. He's a massive prat, sure, and a bit of a dick at times, but he's not... he's a good guy, you know? Chara, since the start of this conversation, you have been doing nothing but make excuses for Polly. That makes absolutely no sense to me! That's not your personality. You hold people accountable. You actively work to improve things. You're smart. You're not... whatever this is. Who are you doing this for? Why are you doing it? I mean, Polly Deisma? The shittiest son of a lovely family? You're right, none of this is new. Polly is an established train wreck. He can be nice, sure, but that's not even remotely the point. Why are you defending him? You have literally been presented with the truth, and you're still trying to back this horse. Why? Why him? Just cut him off, get it over with. ...Chara looked down. She was clearly pissed at me. But she was also angry with herself. No part of this was easy for her. ...Perhaps I should be gentler. Look... I get it, okay? This must seem impossible, right? It's like seeing a completely different person. No rational person could accept it in an instant. Polly is a good person. Polly is a bad person. These aren't beliefs that can co-exist, and yet you're trying to resolve them in your head simultaneously. Yeah? ...Ever hear of the theory of many masks? What? To put it simply, every individual has multiple 'masks' that they wear in different circumstances, like alternate personalities. There's how you act at work, how you act with your family, how you act in a certain toxic online game... They're all you, in a sense, just filtered through different lenses. They're you wearing different masks. Makes sense, I guess. Right, well, that's why you're having trouble rationalizing Polly right now. You've only seen him wearing the mask he puts on with you present. Maybe you've seen alterations of that mask, combinations where he has to wear many masks at the same time, but fundamentally, they're all the same mask. And it's probably a very nice looking mask. Polished excessively, bedazzled with, um, nice looking jewels, I don't know, metaphors aren't my strong suit, you get the point. He wants to look good in front of you. Maybe because he likes you as a person, I don't know. The point is, you've just seen him in one mask. This recording, however, is him wearing a completely different mask. Maybe the darkest mask that he has. It might not even look like the same person. But... you have to accept that they're both the same person. People can be extremely multi-faceted, believe me. I'm sure Polly has his good points, good points you've seen. But he also has his bad points, bad points you haven't seen. And if you ask me, this recording proves that the bad points are too large to be ignored, as preferable as it might seem. But... but what should I do? I mean, I can stand around acting gutted all day, but that won't change much. Exactly. You need to do something. This is proof. This recording, as it is, proves that you can not put your faith in Polly Deisma. Maybe he will be better than Art – maybe. Maybe he will be worse, though. Either way, he can not be trusted with the power Olympo wields. He does not deserve the power Olympo wields. For the good of the company... no, that's underselling it. For the good of Panthea, you have to put a stop to this. You can not let him ascend to power. Ha! You're serious?Chara continued chuckling, in spite of herself. Oh, you sweet summer child. That's what this is about? Well, lady, hate to let you in on a secret, but that's not happening. Excuse me? You're coming to me to try and put a stop to the Deismas? Good luck with that! Between Odin, Art, and Polly, they control a good 75% of the entire company. That's, like, absolutely unimpeachable. Maybe I can overthrow Art using Polly. Maybe. Longshot, but possible. You want to make it that none of the Deismas are running this place? Nope. Nuh uh. Not happening, not in a million years. How negative. I'm realistic. And you know what, you're right. I was being stupid. gently caress Polly. That loving rear end in a top hat! To think for a moment that I... well, look, you're right. I was dumb. He needs a kick in the groin, all of the Deismas do. But it's pointless. What can we do? There's still a way to break through their defenses. ...You talking about something criminal? Not currently, no. I appreciate the sentiment, honestly, but the thing about corporate entities is that attacking them through illegal channels can only do so much. As highly-legal entities, they're likely to survive it. Really, best we could do was kill the Deismas out right, but even then, the company'd likely fall to another rear end in a top hat. Right, so it's pointless. Not so. Oh?I could see the faint hint of interest beginning to spark in Chara's eyes. What are you thinking? First of all, how much stock in Olympo do you currently possess? Me? Personally? Uh, well, I've been able to temporarily get my hands on about 13% But I've got it on good authority that the full 25% of shares that aren't in Deisma hands belong to people who are willing to take down the current head. Good. That's all we need. Uh, you sure? Feel like we're missing a good 26% there. 13%, actually. Not 26%? What? Where'd you get that figure? I feel like we're on two completely different wavelengths. Agreed. Well, your wavelength apparently has a chance of making a difference, so let's call it my cock-up and move on. Alright then. To start, we do need to put a few more shares in your hands. Luckily, you have all the ammunition you need. Or... I do, rather. You've got it all worked out, huh? Yup. You just need to be my puppet. Can't say I care for the term. But if it'll get the job done, feel free to stick your hand up my arse. Let's save the flirting for later, there's work to be done. For now, time for a classic - pitting brother against brother.I didn't get to see what happened next, but it probably went like... ... 'You know, I don't think you really need to do anything. You've done more than enough already.'*click.* [BGM: Golden Point]   Well, well, well. Polly, you absolute troglodyte. I can't say I expected better of him, sad to say. What I didn't expect, Ms. Tucker, is that you would come to play ball with me, of all people. Quite the lovely surprise. You heard the tape. You think I'd let that poo poo pass unpunished? I'd imagine not. As is only right. My brother... it disgusts me at times to think that we're related. Perhaps I am not one to speak, given some of my personal foibles, but there is such a thing as responsibility. Polly knows nothing of it – hence, audio recordings like this. Hence indeed. So, you're giving me this to, what, take him down a peg? Teach him a lesson? I don't know. I don't care. You don't care? That can't be right. It is. If I was really just vengeful, I'd just leak the recording to the press. They'd do the work for me. Ah, instead you're opportunistic. Don't say it like it's a bad thing. It isn't. Honestly, I respect the instincts. Really, your talents are wasted working under my brother. Probably, but it's not like I'd like to be your assistant either. Now could we just get to business? I was simply making conversation. Very well then, how much will it be? 10%. Excuse me? 10% of your Olympo shares. That's my asking price. Hah. Absolutely not. That is a non-starter. Oh, come on. This recording is gold. It has Polly dead to rights. If he ever acts up, whip it out and show him what's up. Getting it for 10% is a bloody steal, you ask me. Hm... very well. I shall buy the recording. For 4%. 4%, huh? Sharp, real sharp. Making sure between you and Odin, you maintain a 51%% stranglehold on the company. That is a must. Everything besides that is simply optional. Fine. 4% will work, I suppose. You never intended to get 10%, did you? Do you want to make the deal or not? Right, sorry.And then, with Polly, it was like... ... [BGM: Dealing Hands]  You're joking. What? Stop it. No way. You're lying, you must be, you just gotta be! Stop overacting. But how? Art's not bad at math, he knows 6% leaves him vulnerable! I don't know. I guess he thought he could trust Herc. His loss, either way. In the upcoming shareholder's meeting, we will be able to claim victory. Yes! Now, that's what I'm talking about. I knew I could count on you Chara! You really are the best! What would I do without you? Yeah, so... I have an ask. An ask? Alright, hit me. 10%. Huh? 25% of the shareholders are willing to back you. But to get that set up, I currently possess no stock in Olympo. I want 10% of your shares. It's only fair, right? You said we were partners. And partners we are! But 10%... It's a lot. Polly... Eh, what the hell? You've been by my side for so long, you know I can't just deny you when you ask so straightforwardly. So then, I'll give you 9%. Wait, 9%? I've got 20%, you know? If I gave you 10%, we'd be equal. I can't have that! Gotta keep you under me, or else you'd find someone better! Ha ha ha! Heh heh, yeah......More or less, encounters like that took place. Which led to the next meeting with Chara. [BGM: Pip Count]  Ugh. I feel gross. Welcome to the wonderful world of corporate politics, Chara. If you don't feel sick, you're not doing it right. Mm. I don't think telling bald-faced lies is my calling in life. Well then, hopefully you won't have to tell any more after this. Point is, how did it go? Pretty much like you said. 4% from Art, 9% from Polly. To the exact numbers too, not bad at all. What can I say? Despite their posturing, I find the Deisma brothers exceedingly boring. They're quite predictable when you get right down to it. Well I can only pray you can continue to be right, because going forward from here, I still don't know what the plan is. Sure, I nicked a good 13% from the two, but that still puts me at 26%. 51%, it is not. And the next shareholder meeting is coming right up. That's our best bet to make a change, if we can't stir things up then... Relax, relax. The hard part's over. At least, for you that is. It is? Yup. Like I said, that was step one. Now, I handle step two. It's a two step plan – maybe I should've led with that. ...Uh, well, 'two step' is conflating things. Arguably convincing Polly and Art could each count as a step in itself... Whatever, I'm getting lost in the weeds on this one. Point is, I'm the one who has to do the heavy lifting from here on out. Your role in this is very simple......
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Feb 28, 2024 02:19
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 [BGM: Challenger]  Which brought us to now. ...Brought us to me, sitting here by myself. In an empty room, all by my lonesome. Doing nothing interesting. ...Sigh. Well, I couldn't complain much. It was important work, at least, of a kind. But I couldn't help but feel a little discontent. Right now, some real fireworks were probably firing. ...And I had to miss it all. I would've pushed for Chara to bring a bug so I could listen in from here if it wasn't absolutely not worth the trouble. Still, I could roughly imagine what the scene was like. I tried picturing it now. The meeting was calling to order. Company bigshots were all piling into one of the fancy looking meeting rooms. Art was already there, preparations made for the meeting, as usual. Polly would likely get there right before it started. I wasn't sure when Chara would enter, given the circumstances. Still, there'd be a lot of corporate chatter.  Jeez... I w-wish it would just start already. I hate being kept in suspense like this. Heh, what's the matter there, Percy? First time at one of these here meetings? Yes. Ah, you don't gotta worry none. You could chalk these up as Deisma speeches, wouldn't miss much. Folks like you and me hardly say a word. I find these meetings dreadfully boring. My time can be far better spent, and I have not enough of it on my earth. How I wish I could simply skip. No one's putting a gun to your head, Dar. Just don't attend if you hate it so much. Ah, but there's the catch. Who knows when there'll be something worth watching. When that happens, I fully intend to exert what little power I have.At around this point, Art will begin clearing his throat.  Attention, attention. Everybody settle down. The meeting will be starting shortly. There are a number of points to go through, so we should get in order quickly. Uh, though... I suppose waiting a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.Art would probably realize the glaring weakness at this point, if not sooner. However, he'd like to keep that to himself. Hey, wait a minute... where's dad?Polly would show no such tact. That is, well... it appears he is, er, running late. That's not like him, though. He never misses a shareholder meeting! As he should not, his 25%... Huh. And here I thought my birds were already lined up this meeting. This what you call a blessing from heaven?No, Polly, it's a bit more deliberate than that. Although, who knows? Maybe I could be considered an emissary from the heavens. ...Do heavenly emissaries use bricks this much? The truth of the matter was that it was Polly and Art themselves that had created this exact opening. ...Or rather, Odin's anticipation of how the two would act. After sending that video about the will to the two brothers, he must've known that no matter how it shook out, someone would want to speed things up. I still wasn't absolutely sure what the exact purpose behind that video was. But whatever it was, I doubted Odin was quite suicidal yet. Therefore, if he was going to wait out the chaos he had created, it'd likely be in a safe place he thought the brothers wouldn't be able to get to. Where would that be? Why, the secret bunker in his mansion, of course. I anticipated Odin would hide out there until the last moment. Good thing for me. Because as easy as it was to keep people out of that bunker... it was also easy to keep people in it. And thanks to a convenient fact about Panthea corporate law that I learned from an ironic source... well, I could imagine the rest of that shareholder meeting. [BGM: Doubling Cube]  The meeting has started. Neither Odin nor a representative acting on his behalf is in attendance in any meaningful way. The consequences of failing to attend a clearly scheduled shareholder meeting are very clearly enumerated. Odin waives his right to have influence on any decisions made in this meeting, and the shares under his control will be counted as 'abstaining' on all votes. Now, let the meeting get underway. Tch. I don't exactly know what the meaning behind this is. And frankly? I'd prefer not to. This is a farce, and I wish to dismiss the meeting now. Hey, y-you don't have authority to do that! What's the matter, Art? Afraid to play ball? See, this is what I was talking about. Hmph. Fine. I care not for this mockery of a meeting. The effects will promptly be undone regardless. Can we start then? If you must. Cool! I have an order of business! Actually, I would like to bring up a proposal. Oh? Oh, uh, if that's how you want to do it, Chara, go ahead. Chara probably then stands up, takes center stage. She might clear her throat. Olympo is a titan. It wields immense power. And that power can be used to create great good, or to energize great evil. That's why it is absolutely critical to make sure the person in control of the titan that is Olympo is the best person for the job. And unfortunately, I can't say that is currently the case. With the current management, Olympo is not just a titan – it is a monster. It wreaks untold damage on the city I call home, the city that I love! And thanks to its incredible finances, it is a monster that can only be slain from the inside. So then, it is only... ...Ah, gently caress it. I tried coming up with this whole fancy speach, but I guess what I'm getting at's pretty simple. I am proposing that somebody other than Art Deisma should be elected as Olympo's CEO. Hell yeah! I am nominating myself for the new CEO. Tha– What?In an instant, Polly's face would fall. Art for his part, would just look down disappointedly. Hey, yo, Chara, the gently caress's this about? This wasn't the plan! It wasn't your plan. Yeah, exactly, our plan! Your plan. Right, the plan that I made with you. Polly, I don't know how else I can communicate the fact that I have a different plan than yours. Oh. Wait, but why? I said what I said. Olympo should be led by someone who deserves its power. You aren't it. Chara, that's... I have made the proposal! Now, who is voting against the proposal?Art raises a hand. A moot point, I suspect, but I'll use my shares to vote against it. Got it. Art Deisma, and his 26% share, is voting against this motion. Who else will join him? Wait, 26%? Not 24%? Polly, why on earth would I have any less than 25% stock in the company I run? No, your assistant there bought 4% shares from me – a move that in hindsight becomes increasingly unclear. Huh, what was the point in that? I said, does anyone else vote against the motion? Look, I hate to do this. But Chara, you can't catch me off guard like this! On principle, I've got to vote against this. Right, then. Polly Deisma is adding his 11% stock to the vote against the motion. 11% stock? ...Ah, yes, that would do it. Currently, there 37% of the shares are acting against the motion. Anyone else going to join that?Silence in the room. Good. Then, who is in favor of the motion? Certainly, I am going to favor it, so that's 26%% right there in favor of 'Yes'. Who else? Um, sorry about this. Now this is what I call a good ol' fashioned coup! gently caress you, Art.One by one, the other relevant shareholders would vote affirmatively. Great! Looks like 38% of the shares favor the change in CEO, whereas 37%% are against it. ...And of course, 25% has chosen to abstain. With that, the motion passes. Thank you, everybody, for electing a brand new CEO! Come on, Chara, what are you doing? Very exciting, everyone. As a 26% shareholder, I motion for another meeting in, I don't know, five hours? Hold on.Chara raises her hand, capturing the room's attention once more. As CEO, I have something I want to say. … Gosh, I hope I'm not being daft with this. One way to find out, I suppose. Just get to it, Ms. Tucker. Remember what I said about Olympo being a monstrous titan? Well, I should have clarified. I don't believe that the pilot made the titan a monster; rather, I think it was the other way around. Polly, I said Olympo needs to be led by someone who deserves that amount of power. I wasn't referring to myself. Which is why... As CEO of Olympo, my first action will be to officially dissolve Olympo as a corporate entity, effective immediately! Wh-what?! That can't, that's not a... no, wait, no!! Chara, what the gently caress!! This isn't right, you're not acting rationally here! Hey, now, hold on missy. This here wasn't what I signed up for. I wanted a revolt, not a barnfire. Does this m-mean I'm out of a job? Ha! It's been a while since I've felt this alive. Good! Nechte horet![BGM: Silence]  In a single action, Olympo will be thrust into chaos. There will be arguments, accusations, and hardcore legal analysis. I was in no way sure how it'd all shake out. But in the inferno, Olympo would be severely weakened. ...Which brought us to what I was doing here. Playing gatekeeper to Odin wasn't my purpose, or at least, not my only purpose. See, there was an entity in Panthea which was pretty wise to things. An entity that didn't want Olympo to keel over. A figure... well, it was cheesy, but let's call them the God. Maybe it was a longshot. But depending on how they played it, I thought it was quite possible that the God... ... I heard it. It was faint, but I heard it. Someone was in the mansion. Somebody else. Which meant, it was time. I slowly, carefully moved over to the ambush spot. My gambit had paid off. The God was going to free Odin by their own hand. And this was a chance for an interception. I positioned myself right behind the door to the inner sanctum. I readied myself. One chance. ...Deep breaths. The footsteps got closer... And then, the door opened! A few more steps inside... Now! *slam!* [BGM: Crawford Game]  I pounced out, slamming into the figure from behind. Instantly, I put my feet over both of the figure's outstretched hands. I had them completely at my mercy. And then, after securing them, I got a good look at their identity. It was... Kane Shay!I loving knew it! God drat was I good, always trust my gut.  Argh! What the gently caress?! The hell's going on here? What's going on is that you're under a citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest my rear end! Oh, an arrest is light for a scumbag like you. There's a greater punishment in store for the God of Panthea! The God of Panthea? The gently caress are you talking about? You mean, you don't know the term? All I know is that you're screaming like a crazy person. By the tone of your voice, I'd say you were Eris, but this is the type of poo poo I'd peg Laverna getting into. Now, would you get the hell off me?Huh. Okay. This wasn't quite what I expected. Now, obviously, Kane could just be lying, that was a pretty easy answer. Except, I was pretty good at spotting liars. ...And Kane sounded pretty convincing. Of course, if Kane was the God, he'd be a pretty good actor. However, he had just been ambushed and knocked to the ground. Usually that would catch you by surprise, put you off guard, and yet pretty instantly Kane was putting up this front. Was it possible he could really bounce to this so instantly? I needed to know more. Not quite yet. I've got some questions for you first! Fine, fine, get them over with! Your shoes loving hurt. What are you doing here? This is private property, after all. I could ask you the same thing! I asked first. Wow. Look, ugh, if you have to know...Kane squirmed under my feet.  I was sent here. Really? By one of the Deismas? No. It was an anonymous source. An anonymous source? Yeah. They gave me directions, told me to find this room, apparently there'd be a puzzle and a bunker and something? I needed to find Odin and give him a ride to the Olympo building. And you just listened to this stranger? They offered info. They directed me to a manilla envelope stuffed in some tree near The Oracle's office. It had a USB inside. They said it had some juicy poo poo, and I'd get a second scoop after finishing the job. Oh yeah? Can you prove any of that? Check my pocket, you'll find the drat letter.Hm. I bent down and looked through Kane's pockets. Sure enough, I found the envelope he talked about.  I reached inside and took out a USB stick. This... complicated things. I had jumped to the easy answer when Kane walked inside. But I thought about it some more. Would the God really expose themselves directly like this? It was short notice, true, but their whole M.O. was getting other people to do their dirty work for them. And they also knew that, for whatever reason, Odin hadn't made it to the shareholder meeting. If Kane really was the God, it would be pretty risky to appear in front of me like this. What's on the USB stick? I don't know. Haven't checked it out yet, figured I'd just look at both bits of info when I finished the job. And you just trusted a random voice? You didn't think it could be a prank? Yeah, well... ...This isn't the first time the voice has contacted you, is it? You've done stuff like this before. You sure you're not Laverna? Watch it. Hard to from the floor. But yeah, you got me, I get a lot of my good info from this anonymous voice. Don't know who it is, and frankly, I don't care to. They haven't failed me yet, and that's all I care about. A lot of the time, the info comes no-strings attached. Every now and then, they ask for me to do something mild like this. Deliver this here. Get this bit of info. Innocuous stuff like that. It's sure as poo poo shady, but, you know, kind of makes it exciting. Beats the boring journalist racket, that's for drat sure.I considered this.  Did the voice ever make you do anything major? Dump a body, drug a rival, burn a house, something like that? Of course not! I'm info-hungry, not insane. No way I'd do any of it if it was illegal. Again, technically you're breaking into Odin's mansion. And technically so are you!I was taking my frustration out on Kane. Looked like I had just caught a tentacle, not the real beast. Whatever. I had gotten another piece of the puzzle. With this, I might have to revise some theories. For now though, I still had work to do. Okay. You're cool. ...I'm taking the USB though. Like hell you are! I wanna see what's on it. Then ask me! Don't have time for that, okay, thank you, you're the best, bye! Wait up![BGM: Silence]  Before Kane could object, I ran out of the room. Maybe I had let the God slip through my grasp... but I still took a chunk out of their precious Olympo. If I kept provoking them like that, then soon enough, they'd show their true face. ...  A lot to discuss. A lot happened there. For starters, how about Kane getting caught like that? That's crazy, huh? His whole story about 'being contacted by an anonymous voice' seems pretty sketchy if you ask me. Gives off big cop-out energy. Then again, Eris did bring up a pretty good point back there. This 'God' that she's chasing - from what we know about them, would they really risk appearing in the flesh like that? Seems like a massive and unnecessary danger. ...Well, even still, it's not impossible. There could be a good reason for it. Whatever. Olympo just loving exploded, and we're talking about some loser reporter, what are we doing? That was some slick maneuvering from the Chara/Eris tag team. I mean, granted, it worked because of a bizarre maneuver of questionable legality in physically preventing Odin from attending last minute. You know, Chara positioned dissolving Olympo as a corporate entity as some sort of high-minded sacrifice. As if she was coming at it from a position of nobility. That the power the position entailed was inherintly amoral and corrupting in and of itself. And maybe she really believed that. Maybe. But it's not like she had a choice, you know?  Her tenure as CEO was inevitably going to be extremely limited. Such an act was the only real way to make change, and even then, it's currently unclear if such an act will work. Like, legally speaking, can she do that? I don't know, I'm not a lawyer. Either way, my point stands. It wasn't a noble sacrifice, it was a calculated missile strike. I don't know why I feel like tearing down Chara's achievements. Not like I hold anything against her, and honestly, I respect the attempt to reframe things. Just sort of giving my two cents. Well, regardless, this gives our previous bet a rather unexpected outcome. For a minute there, it looked like the CEO would be Chara. But by the text of the bet, we were asking who the CEO would be at the end of the meeting. And as far as we know, Olympo doesn't have a CEO at the end of the meeting! It doesn't exist as a company. So, looks like you won. In fact, you didn't just win. You made 4 times your bet. Well, good for you. Glad to see the wild choice actually pay out for once. You know, I don't know how many bets we have left in us. Makes me sad. Feels a bit bittersweet. ...Ah, well, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. I promise, I've still got a few more in store for you.
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Feb 28, 2024 02:19
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Weird way to rule in our favor, but sure okay.
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Feb 28, 2024 03:22
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I like the simplicity of just bricking Odin into his silly little bunker, even if the rest of the share percentage shenanigans once again fall into my problems with the story. Kane was high on my list of suspects for being either God or the Devil, and while his explanation for showing up could just be Kane as God covering his bases with convenient excuses, it could also be that doing odd favours for God is exactly how Kane as the Devil knew that they existed in the first place. Or he could be both, playing both sides somehow. After having six characters turn out to be the same person, I'm not ruling anything out until we've literally seen them in the same room.
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Feb 28, 2024 10:04
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Wait, Kane claims he was given an USB with juicy info? ...dear Lord, is God/The Devil gonna be Mouse all along?
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Feb 28, 2024 12:26
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Darda is my favorite faceless NPC; gotta love someone whose response to finding out the company they're high up in is to laugh and go "I feel so alive!" Kane was, I think, too in the public eye to ever be the God of Panthea. He's too exposed and inserts himself into too many situations. It would be pretty fun if it was, in fact, Mouse, though that would suggest Mouse was thoroughly corrupted by the power she acquired. If we go by detective fiction rules though, and assume it's someone who has been introduced to use already, my money would be on Baldera. The kind of dopey seeming, too-helpful cop being the actual mastermind is something of a staple, after all. There isn't really any concrete proof to that theory; the only thing that I can really point to is that there was one time when Laverna showed up to a crime scene when Baldera hadn't been the one to contact her, and she seemed a bit upset by that--almost like she didn't want Laverna to show up unless she was the one who called. It would also make sense if she was, in fact, full aware that Seth was a dirty cop.
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Feb 28, 2024 15:50
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Who do you think'll be next-Laverna, Lock, Vels, or Devon?
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Feb 29, 2024 06:15
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It seems like the back of the decks never changes despite you 'going through them'. It always has Ace as the top card? Does this make it confusing or hard to know how far you are through each arc?
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Feb 29, 2024 18:48
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Tylana posted:It seems like the back of the decks never changes despite you 'going through them'. It always has Ace as the top card? Does this make it confusing or hard to know how far you are through each arc? There's a second menu page you go to to pick the individual card from; I just never showed it in the LP to obfuscate how many cards are in each stack when things were less defined 
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Feb 29, 2024 19:10
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 [BGM: Silence]  I walked down another city street in Panthea. From the outside, one would call it just another day in the city. Much like any other, in fact. The sun was still out, there was a nice breeze, but it wasn't too cold. I could imagine many people would consider this an idyllic day. ...As for me, well, it had been a bit too hectic for me to agree with that assessment. Still, as I walked the street, I appreciated the atmosphere, if only for a handful of moments. And sure enough, that peaceful mood was broken as I came up upon a real commotion. From the outside, it looked like the building was just some sort of metalwork shop. An old one too, judging by the outside. Made sense. Metalwork wasn't exactly a thriving industry. Anyways, the notable part about this building right now was not the fact it was a metalwork shop, but that it was currently crowded with a number of police officers. There were a number of police cruisers parked a fair distance from it, and right next to the shop was a large armored truck. Carefully, I made my way closer. [BGM: Danrasu]  They had tried to cordon off the area, but failed to do so in any meaningful way. Before long, I bumped into a familiar face.  Lav? Ah, Baldera. Pleased to see you. Uh, good to see you too, Laverna. It's nice to have a friendly face around right now. But, um, what exactly are you doing here? I mean, I didn't call you over. What, did someone else?I shook my head. Believe it or not, my appearance can actually be attributed to that fickle Lady, Luck herself. Uh... I just happened to be walking down the street. Then I saw a bunch of police officers gathered around here. And, well, you know how I am. Always curious. Oh, I see. Wait, Lav, you were walking around here? This part of Panthea is really bad. Baldera, I live near here. Oh darn, really? Sorry about that, me and my big mouth. It's fine. More to the point, care to explain what is happening here? Right, right. Uh, we were called over because of a report that there were gunshots heard in this area. Sure enough, we found two bodies here. A murder? Seems to be more an accident, actually. An accident? Stemming from two gunshots? Yeah, it's weird. But that isn't why things are wild. Then do enlighten me. You know, Lav, I think you're wrong about Seth. Huh?This was an odd change in topics. About him working for the Duats. I don't think that's possible. And what, pray tell, has brought about this change of heart? We were investigating the bodies, and Seth stumbled across this secret compartment. We opened it up, and found a huge cache of dirty money! This appears to be a Duat front. So, you have found a Duat stash?[BGM: Kicker]  We found the Duat stash. The centralized location they keep all the money they haven't yet washed. Wow. That's... certainly big news. Right? And Seth was the one who found it. I figure, after that, there's no way he can be an agent. Hm. Well, yes, that's certainly compelling evidence. Bit of an understatement, don't you think? It is.No need to fight this right now. That'd just make Baldera sad. Well, that is nice to hear. It's not as though I wanted Seth to be a Duat agent. Yep, nobody wants that. Good thing, too. I was getting awful suspicious after the recent data corruption. Data corruption? You know how we got a DNA hit at the Polly scene? One that matched some files from multiple other cities? Well, we were meant to get the report the other day. But for whatever reason, when we got the information, it was all jumbled. Jumbled? Look, I'm not hip to the tech talk, okay? I just know that something went wrong, and due to 'privacy concerns,' it's taking some time to sort it all out. Anyways, the Chief thought it must've been some sort of cyber-sabotage, and I went right back to thinking it was Seth. But if it wasn't him, then it must've been an accident. Must've been. Anyways, sorry to hear that happened to you. Ah, well. It's fine. Doubt there's any pressing information in those files, you know? Whatever's in there isn't urgently needed. I'm bored of that topic now. Tell me, can I examine the crime scene myself? Um, I guess I don't see the harm? With Baldera's approval, I moved further forwards, entering the shop. Inside, I saw another two figures.  Laverna?! Ms. Smyth. What, um, are y-you doing here? Ms. Vasquez, did we not talk about this? Hey, hey, don't look at me like that! This wasn't my fault. Laverna actually just happened to be walking by this time! Complete coincidence. And then you let her in. Uh.... yes? It is fine, though... her presence seems unnecessary. Yeah, uh, Laverna, you probably can leave. This isn't some sort of mystery. Just, you know, er, boring p-police work stuff. More procedural than anything. You'd be bored. Perhaps. But I always say the mysteries that don't appear to be mysteries are the greatest mysteries of them all! So, uh, y-you're sticking around? Just to see if there's anything worth my interest. Fine. Just do not get in the way of the removal procedure.[BGM: Raise]  The removal procedure? Wait, don't tell me. It has something to do with the officers loading all that cash into those briefcases. ...Oh! More inspiration has hit me. It also has something to do with the armored truck outside. Ah! I have it! The removal procedure involves gathering all the cash present at the scene, loading them into suitcases, and loading the suitcases into an armored truck! That is the truth! Correct. Why?Arrianne sighed. Ms. Vasquez, care to enlighten your friend? Sure thing! Basically, Lav, we're looking at a whole lot of exposed cash. Duat money, if we're right. Now, normally those types are too afraid to make any hard moves when us officers are poking around. However, when we're looking at this type of money, we can't be too careful. Not, um, just from the Duats. We have to b-be careful dealing with this amount of money in general. Lot of people like money. Who doesn't? Monks, probably. Anyways, we also need to start the process of identifying the bills, trying to trace where it all came from. Starting that process as fast as possible is a big priority. So basically, we want to transport all this money to a secure location as soon as possible. Mhm. Makes sense. Honestly? Probably could have guessed all that. But hey, now I get to know for sure! And I got to give an explanation! And I got to have my time wasted! So we all got s-something out of this, huh? Jeez, Seth, you're a real pro at killing the mood. The mood? Baldera, two men are dead in this very room.Sure enough, Seth was right. I hadn't paid much attention to them yet, but there were, in fact, two dead men lying around this somewhat-crowded room. Lying next to the hatch the money was being transported out of, Leather Jacket had been shot through the chest. And then, right by the door, Wifebeater lay dead with a bullet buried in the back of the skull. Two vaguely familiar faces, now dead. Both men had a pistol lying by their bodies. That, I supposed, told the story. Speaking of those bodies! I wish to get to the mystery, pronto! Lots of ground to cover. There is? Again, Laverna, n-no mystery here... but fine. These two men have been identified as Duat members. A preliminary examination of the bodies revealed that the man in the wifebeater shirt received a strong blow to the top of the head with a blunt metal object, strong enough to cause a concussion. However, the bullet that went through the back of his head killed him instantly. Obviously. Meanwhile, the man in the leather jacket was shot through the stomach, meaning he could have survived for a short period of time after the bullet entered his system. Oh, and there's also minor bruises on his wrists! Yes, I was getting to that, thank you Baldera. The point is, the pistols lying next to both men have been fired once. We'll check them for prints, send them to forensics, but it seems pretty obvious what we'll find.I had to agree with Seth on that point. Say, Seth, I heard that you found the money stash investigating these bodies? How'd that work? Oh, uh... so, the bullet that shot through the man in the leather jacket went into the nearby wall. And, well, it s-seemed to hit the magnetic lock that was keeping the hidden hatch in place, causing it to malfunction and be, er, not a lock. Woah, woah, back up. Magnetic lock? You haven't heard of these, Lav? Of course she hasn't.[BGM: Dealing Hands]  Ah, well, we've run into these a couple of times. You find them a lot when conducting raids on drug houses. You get some hatch that blends in with a wall or a floor, then you install a magnetic lock into it. They all have this red little keyfob which, when you hold it to the lock, causes the hatch to pop out. Without the keyfob though, you'd never know there was a hidey hole. You sound quite familiar with this setup. Mhm, that's because these are all pretty much mass produced and sold commercially from this one company overseas. No idea what caused this to be the go-to security for criminals with something to hide in Panthea, but its the reality of the situation. Anyways, we haven't technically looked at the lock in detail yet, but I bet you dollars to donuts that the safe over there keeps the keyfob to unlock that hidey hole.Baldera thumbed over to an unassuming safe sitting in the corner of the room. We, um, haven't been able to confirm that though, since we don't know the combination. We can bust it open, of course, but that's not exactly our top priority at the moment.I took a moment, then gave a single nod. Understood. I now have the necessary information to proceed. Hooray? I have but one question. If there are two bodies with gunshots, why are these deaths being labeled accidents? Excuse me? Uh, well, nothing's been labeled officially yet. Baldera, 'accident' isn't the right term. But, er, Laverna, for such an ace detective, shouldn't the situation be obvious to you? Pretend I'm dumb and explain your theory to me. I don't know, that's pretty hard for me to imagine.Keep taking shots, Seth. See where that gets you. Look, I don't know all the details obviously. These two got into some fight. Some fight? Awful light on the details there. Fights among low-level delinquents are often poorly thought out and unexplainable to a third party. This is not a valid objection, Laverna.Chief Arrianne was right. I decided to shut up and let Seth finish. If I had to guess? Maybe the man in the leather jacket was an idiot, wanted to steal some cash for himself. He knocks the dude in the wife beater over the head with something, tries to incapacitate him, then he goes over to the hatch to try and pry it open. The man in the wife beater gets up faster than expected, shouts out to the leather jacket guy. The leather jacket guy turns around and gets shot in the stomach. Having realized he just killed someone, wife beater man turns around and tries to run away. However, leather jacket guy is still clinging to life, and is a dick, so he shoots wife beater man in the back of the head before bleeding out. A dumb, mutual killing. End of story.I shook my head, a cocky smile already across my face. Not so fast, Seth. Your reasoning is weak. Take this! Where is this 'blunt instrument' you claim Leather Jacket used to strike his compatriot? I dunno. Then, what is the deal with the bruises on Leather Jacket's wrists? Maybe they are unrelated. Guh! Buh?I voiced my dissatisfaction with these answered, and gestured wildly at Seth. However, Chief Arrianne and Baldera were unmoved. Seriously? Small discrepancies, Laverna, explained by slight changes in the narrative. We are not concerned with such minor details. The fact is, testing will prove that one man's gun fired the bullet that killed the other man, and vice versa. That is the proof we need.Wow, they were really going to do poor Leather Jacket and Wife Beater like that? Not cool, guys. Seems like someone needed to step in and peer at the truth. I looked around, trying to find the piece of evidence I needed. ...There! That should be it. I walked closer to the body of the man in the wife beater, and bent down to look at the bullet wound closer. Sure enough, around the bullet entrance, I could see faint traces of burning. There we go! Hey, Lav, tip for the future? Maybe don't celebrate so vocally when examining a dead body. This man, there are burn marks by the pistol wound. Burn marks are created when a gun is fired at close-range. If the bullet was really fired by the man adorned in the leather jacket, these burns would not exist! Then, wait, what happened then?[BGM: Ante Up]  X + Y + X + Y + X. Y + X + Y + X + Y + X. [X] - Wifebeater was shot at close proximity. - Leather Jacket was shot first. - There was a third party. - Wifebeater pinned Leather Jacket. - The two victims' bodies are far apart. - He was hit with a bat. - Wifebeater was lured to the entrance. [Y] - But - After - Then - So - And Solution: Wifebeater was shot at close proximity but the two victims' bodies are far apart so there was a third party. After Wifebeater was lured to the entrance then he was hit with a bat and Leather Jacket was shot first. [You won 7 chips!] Let me narrate the true sequence of events! This was not a mutual killing, but rather, a calculated assassination by a third party who has slipped from our grasp![BGM: Double Down]  These two were on guard in this building, likely protecting the cash cache. The assassin knocked on the shop's door, and the man in the wife beater, not possessing the greatest intellect, went to check on the noise. Then, the assassin struck down with, let's say, a metal bat, rendering the larger man prone! Then, the assassin stepped into the store and fired a bullet right at the man in the leather jacket. After firing the bullet, they rushed forwards, holding the slimmer man's hands in place – hence, minor bruising. This was in an effort to prevent the man from fighting back or doing anything troublesome as he bled out. After one target was dead, he turned his attention back to the larger of the two. He walked up to the prone man, and lifted him up, aware that for the scene to remain plausible, the bullet angle had to line up. With one hand, the assassin held the man up by the hair, and with the other, they fired a pistol in the back of their head. ...Of course, being less skilled than I, they overlooked the contradiction they were creating. Finally, they set up the scene to their liking. Thus, a double murder in three parts.I took a slight bow. Baldera gave a slight golf clap. Cool. Okay then, that must have happened. Huh? That's it? I just pulled out some grade-A preconceived notion busting, and that's the response I get? Uh, Laverna, not meaning to burst your bubble, but at this point, the murders aren't as high a priority. Indeed. Lowlife Duat members die and kill each other every day. In the face of apprehending their wrongfully earned money, another two dead is hardly worth fretting over.Huh. I was far from a Duat fan, but the sentiment felt particularly crass, even for me. ...Well, nothing that could be done about that. [BGM: Kicker]   At any rate, your deduction was appreciated, Laverna. We shall handle this case more thoroughly later on. As for now, it appears that the convoy is prepared. Yes. I'll drive it to the checkpoint right away, Chief. Hold on, Seth's transporting the cash? Indeed. He found the stash, after all. Just felt fair. More like they unloaded the work onto me. I already said, I'd do it if you wanted! Whatever. I'll just get going now. Wait!Seth, who had begun to turn around, stopped in his tracks. I took a few deep breaths. Hold on. Don't rush into anything. This was a major step, one not easily turned back from. If I did this, I'd be burning a lot of bridges. This process might hurt quite a bit, as well. ...Not me, of course, but people. Was I sure about this? I wasn't questioning my conclusion, of course; at this point, that was painfully obvious. I was pretty sure I knew most of the details as well No, what I was questioning was whether or not exposing the truth right here, right now was the right thing to do. Would it really lead to the outcome I desired Maybe there was another way, a safer way, a better way... I needed to mentally give myself a slap. Since when had I become such a coward? I had come this far, what, to start getting second thoughts? I was smarter than that. I was stronger than that. When I came here today, I knew what I wanted to do. So now, it was just a matter of doing it. Sorry, Seth. But I've kept your secret for too long. You need to be exposed, and now is the time to do it. [BGM: Spot On]  Hold on. Everybody, freeze. Calm yourself. Stop speaking. You already have the floor, Ms. Smyth. Get to the point. Right, the point. Heh... it's funny. Usually pointing my finger, capturing the culprit - that's my favorite part of the job. But for whatever reason, this time, I'm circling the end result. Take that as a rare compliment, Seth. You were able to sway my pointing finger. Um, what? Simple. Chief, you can not allow Mr. Johnson to drive this armored truck. He can not be trusted. And why is that? It's simple. Seth is a Duat agent. He's been working with them for quite some time.The moment I said it, a hush fell over the room. The hush was partly satisfying, partly terrifying. Satisfying because it implied you had the full attention of every person in the room... terrifying because all eyes were now on you. Any mistake you made would be caught and exploited. Seth and I had now taken center stage. I had thrown my glove, as it were. He had no choice but to accept the duel. It was a duel that only one of us could walk away from unscathed – and it was a duel he was fated to lose. Just as soon as it had become silent, a murmur began to arise. People were muttering things to each other. Seth became acutely aware of the eyes on him, and tried taking a step back. The crowd, too, stepped back, denying him the ability to retreat.  Quiet.And just like that, an order was created once more. One thing Arrianne was quite good at. The Chief looked at me with menace in her eyes. Ms. Smyth. This is a serious allegation you just laid out. Accusing one of my officers to be working with a violent gang is not something the Panthean police force can take lightly. In most cases, I would kick you out of the room immediately. But... given your track record, I would assume you don't come to this unprepared? Of course not, your honor. Y-your honor? I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt Seth Johnson's guilt. I will lay out the undeniable fact that he has been collaborating with the Duat gang, and can not be trusted. I ask that you let me prove just that. ...Very well then. If this is true, I need to know. You have permission to make your case. Chief?! Quiet, Johnson.[BGM: The Pistol]  If you care for your place in this organization, see that you don't let these claims go uncontested. Lav... I'm sorry, Baldera. But I can't do nothing any longer. Seth is guilty, and he needs to be held accountable, here and now. Laverna, p-p-please. I know we never were the closest, but please, d-don't do this. I don't w-want to do this.I solemnly shook my head. No can do, Seth. I might be acting pretty uncool right now... but a crooked detective that shows bias in their deductions is even more uncool. ...Then, don't expect me to just let you do this. Of course not. Please, I ask that you give it your all.Then, Seth began speaking in a louder voice. I am a proud police officer of Panthea! I have served this force faithfully for many years, doing my best to stop criminals in their tracks and do good where I can. I can't say I've been the perfect police officer, but I have always strived to do my best. To imply that I would have anything to do with a violent, unconscionable gang like the Duats is an insult to my soul! Laverna, you've had your fun playing around our crime scenes, but your role as hack detective ends here and now. After I show this false accusation for what it is, I don't want to see your face ever again!No hesitation, no stuttering. Seth was standing up in full force. Good, good. I was glad I'd be able to have some fun with this showdown. Challenge accepted. Let the prosecution of Seth Johnson commence!
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Mar 3, 2024 19:45
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 [BGM: Showdown]  Now, as the one levying the claim, naturally I shall make the first attack. Laverna, could you quit it with the pageantry?! This is serious poo poo you're accusing me of. It is quite serious. All the reason for the pageantry.And with this, I took out one of my phones. I opened it up and showed the Chief of Police a photograph. This is... Laverna, how did you get this image? How, you ask? Why, I was gifted it by an anonymous benefactor. What? What does that mean? Let me see this!Seth walked over to try and get a better look at the photo. An anonymous number sent me this photo. It came with no message. I do not know the intent with which I was given the image... but I do see something quite curious in it.The image on my phone was a picture of one dead Governor Gani. There was no one around, he was just lying on the pavement, clearly lifeless, just as the body had been found. ...Except, there was one detail that stood out. It was hard to catch at first, but with a discerning eye, you'd notice it: under one of Gani's arms, there was a discarded cigarette. Do you see this, right here? A cigarette? Correct: a cigarette not seen at the scene of the crime. Laverna, I'm very confused by all of this. But, um, mostly I'm just confused as to what this proves? Alone? Nothing. But there is another thing I wish all to take note of. The photo was taken at dawnbreak – you can see the beginnings of shadows forming, with one being made of this tree right here.I pointed to a specific part in the photo. Yeah, and?Wordlessly, I swiped over to the next photo. It was a photo from the same angle, a photo of the exact same place, aimed in the exact same direction. Only difference was the fact that there was no dead body. ...That was the only difference. This is a photo I took myself as a part of this investigation. I approximated the first photo as identically as possible, and I took it right when the shadows aligned perfectly with the photograph sent to me. Ms. Smyth, I am failing to see the purpose of this evidence. Right! You can't, because I haven't told you the best part. I took this photograph after Aija purported to first discover the body.And just like that, a look of understanding flushed across both Arrianne's and Seth's face. Now, naturally pure Governor Aija, angel that can do no wrong, would not lie about when she arrived at the scene, so I can only assume she took this photo, and refrained from telling the police about it, due to the morbid nature of it all. However, when she noticed the cigarette, she knew it was her civic duty to give this photo up as evidence. But since she didn't want to admit she took a photo of a dead body, she sent the photograph to me, a private investigator, anonymously. I was bluffing, of course. There were many other explanations than the one I was leading up to, and most involved Aija being dirty. However, I was going to turn Arrianne's deference to Aija to my advantage in this instance. There was no way she'd let an argument that directly incriminated Governor Aija stand... and so, I could take the next step. That... must be what happened. H-hold on, you're making a lot of assumptions here! Correct, Seth. That's called 'deduction.' And I can also deduce one more thing. This cigarette was not discovered upon the examination of the body. This cigarette was likely smoked by the murderer of Gani, and... only two people had an opportunity to remove that cigarette from the crime scene. Now, naturally, seeing as Governor Aija was nice enough as to send this picture, it can only be deduced that the person who hid the cigarette is the officer who first had the opportunity to examine the scene before reinforcements arrived. That officer was you, Seth.All eyes turned to Seth, as he flinched. My first blow had landed true. The onus was now on Seth to respond. He eyed me with contempt. S-so that's what that was about... back then... how long have you been planning this? Did you know y-you'd get that photo? What? Forget it. I don't even want to acknowledge this accusation with a response. Seth. B-b-but I will, of course, just to point out how silly it is! First of all, why are we ruling Aija out of this? As you yourself pointed out, she's incredibly suspicious! She could have l-lied about when she arrived at the scene. Mr. Johnson. I would advise against accusing our Governor. I'm just stating facts! What, you think taking a photo of a dead body apropos of nothing is less suspicious? If you're buying into what Laverna's saying, then Aija's already untrustworthy! It is odd, but far from suspicious, to take a photograph to commemorate a dead coworker. The reason it didn't come up was because we failed to properly vet the witness, and Aija didn't think it was relevant. Don't push on this matter further. Bu– Don't. Tch.Seth was being stonewalled. If he didn't understand how fruitless attacking Aija was when Arrianne was around before, he certainly did now. Okay, okay, but still. What are we basing this on? An incredibly narrow timeframe, based on shadows? Seriously?! This is complete lunacy! Laverna, you didn't take this photo the day after the crime, right? Well, no. The day after that? No. Then why the hell are we even having this conversation?! Laverna is attempting to estimate a specific time by comparing the location of tree shadows. As though, uh, as though the sun didn't rise at different times on different days! As though the weather didn't matter, as though the angle she took this photo from was identical to the first photo, as though the shadows in these photos are perfectly aligned! I would remind the court that I took the second photo full minutes after Aija claimed to arrive at the scene. You would remind the court poo poo because we're standing in a metalwork shop, you nutcase! And I would point out that, like you said, the distinction being made right now is a matter of mere minutes. Extremely f-loving tight when you're measuring by s-s-sundial! Hm. A-a-and, uh, and even if what you said was right, you'd have to prove that Gani was killed by Duat members to say that me hypothetically lifting a cigarette means I'm working with them.Arrianne eyed Seth with some amount of suspicion after that last statement. It was clear that Seth didn't want to make that argument – the fact that he had was an admission that he lacked faith in his first argument. A sign of desperation. Still, Chief Arrianne shrugged her shoulders. It is certainly an interesting point you've raised, Ms. Smyth. Another display of your investigation work, which I do admire and respect. However, as Mr. Johnson has pointed out, it is lacking. When you are making a case against one of my officers, I would prefer if your evidence was far less thin. There are many oddities and obscurities with the story you've presented, as well as some alternative explanations. By itself, it proves little.I just nodded. Absolutely, Chief. I couldn't agree with you more. Seriously? Oh, Seth, you couldn't possibly believe this is all I had. When I come to duel, I intend for my victory to be flawless. This is far from the end of my assault; rather, I offered this up as a first course – no, an appetizer. I wish this to color your view of the upcoming evidence. You know, er, you shouldn't admit to trying to bias people. Argumentation is biasing people, Seth. I'd have thought you would know that. I... Just get on with it.I nodded. I have another photograph to present. Surprise, surprise.Seth's bitter comment did little to deter me from taking out the phone once more and swiping to another choice image. In it, a familiar vase was seen sitting in an unfamiliar accommodation. For your perusal, Chief.Arrianne took the phone, and looked it over, with Seth observing over her shoulder. Again, I fail to see the point immediately, Ms. Smyth. I imagine you will enlighten me? Brilliantly deduced, Chief! Now, this photograph was also sent to me anonymously. It comes from the private residence of one Mr. Yi, a suspect in a robbery case involving a late restaurant owner by the name of Milo, and also someone believed to be a high-ranking official in the Duat organization. Hey, hey, I o-object! How the hell are you getting all these photos? Is that not incredibly, uh, suspicious? That is not the point, Mr. Johnson. The method with which I obtained my evidence is irrelevant. I'd consider it highly relevant! Chief, you're not seriously going to let this slide, are you?Arrianne briefly looked from Seth to me, a grim look on her face. We will deal with the matter of the photographs at a later time. For now, I wish to hear what she has to say. Seriously? Thank you, Chief. Now then, with this vase firmly placed in the custody of Yi, I would like to re-examine that long closed robbery case. Once viewed as a low-stakes diversion, it now stands as the key to proving Seth's involvement with the Duats. At the time, I came very close to defining the missing vase as a robbery job done by Yi in cooperation with Thane, Shadow of Panthea. However, that accusation failed due to the issue of mismatched stickers. Excuse me? Oh yes, you weren't there for that one, were you? Well, it was a festive romp, fun was had by all, but in the end our targets got away. A rarity for me, I must admit.  The case perplexed me for some time after. However, I now ask that we turn our method of thinking around. The photograph firmly places the blame in the incident on Yi, as I suspected. Thus, the question no longer becomes who took the vase, but rather, how did Yi get away with taking the vase? While I circled the question for some time, I eventually found the answer. In fact, it was this answer that first got me to suspect Mr. Johnson as a Duat plant – though I would not get the proof until much later, I always knew Yi was behind that foul robbery. The sticker swap still stumped me, stupidly! And then, in a flash, it came to me! The argument rested upon the idea that the sticker could not be removed from the first safe in a quick manner. This was never disputed. In fact, we agreed at the time that had Yi or one of his men had the opportunity to get to the second safe again, they could have placed the first sticker in the proper place. The second sticker, of course, would have been carefully removed before the heist even began. I posit that the person who stuck that first sticker was no official Duat member, but rather an unofficial one! Seth! Oh, you have to be kidding me. Explain how I could be mistaken? As far as I see it, the method to steal the safe could only have happened as I outlined. And yet, the first sticker must have been placed on the second safe. The only people who had the opportunity to do that were the officers who diligently patrolled the scene. I believe when you got to the scene, you were contacted by Yi, and coerced into placing the sticker when you got the chance. In fact, he even created such an opportunity! Without explaining himself, he asked you to go check out the safe all alone. Laverna, is this what all your proof is going to be? Wild stretches that aren't remotely plausible? Mr. Johnson, as someone unfamiliar with the details of this particular case, Ms. Smyth's argument makes sense to me. Thank you, Chief. Now, what are you going to do, Seth? Try to pin it on someone else? Baldera maybe? Of course not! That'd mean buying into a word of your crazy b-bullshit! Then refute me! I will! This whole thing relies on the dumb idea that the stickers must have been swapped at some point. But that's only true if we buy into your idea that the safes were switched in the first place! Which I called crazy at the time. If the vase was stolen by any other method, this 'evidence' loses all possible weight! Very well then. Explain another method. Excuse me? I thought we exhausted the possibilities quite thoroughly at the time. My explanation of the heist was the only one that remained. If there was some other way that Yi could have stolen the vase, one that didn't rely on your help for the cover up, then enlighten me. How should I know?! It could be any number of things. You're expecting me to solve a case that old after all this time? I'm expecting you to acknowledge that if there was another way that the vase could have been taken, I would have found it at the time. Do that, and confess your guilt. You can't know that! There's always the p-possibility that there's just some method we don't know about!! You know, Devil's Proof! Hempel's Raven! That poo poo! Another, unknown, possibility? What a pitiful excuse. That isn't an affirmative defense. Affirmative defense?Seth took a moment to scream into his hands and pace in a circle. Then, he walked right back up to me with an angered look. Fine, how's this for an 'affirmative defense?' Why should we believe any of your poo poo? Excuse me? Did I stutter? Surprisingly not. Oh, gently caress you. All this evidence is being very suspiciously sourced by you. Well, if you're questioning m-my integrity, I can question yours! How do we know you're not a Duat agent? ...Are you serious right now? Or, I don't loving know, how do I know you're not something? That you don't have a secret agenda right now?! I mean, who even are you? I know so little about you, none of us really do. And yet, everything you have against me, it requires us to trust you. I don't! And nobody else should. Hm. So that's the angle you're taking. Somewhat... disappointing? Oh, s-so sorry I'm disappointing you. Okay then, if I bring up evidence that doesn't rely on my involvement, will you be swayed? Fine! Try it. You've got none.I took a moment to pause, thinking. I looked around the room. And then, I had it." I guess it's good that I chose to strike now. After all, you have given me the proof I need for my accusation to strike true. How do you figure that? I believe you are a Duat agent. I don't believe this murder scene was an accident. Therefore, I can only deduce, paradoxically, that the Duats wanted this stash of money to be discovered – and they tasked you with discovering it. Okay, sure, whatever you say. For it to work, they needed you to conceivably 'stumble across the hidden hatch', which means the bullet must have struck the magnetism device precisely. However, if the murder occurred as I hypothesized, such accuracy is likely impossible. They could reasonably get the bullet to be fired into the device in a broad sense, sure. But to cause such a specific defect? I find it unlikely. It'd be simpler to actually just leave the hatch open, just by a crack. And I believe they tasked you with setting up the scene. M-me? Why would they do that? I gestured towards the slumped over body by the stash spot. One dead body was slumped up against the hatch. It was possible that, after a prolonged period, the weight would close the hatch naturally. An easier method would be for you to come in later, check the dead bodies, go over to the safe, open it using the combination gifted to you, unlock the hatch with the keyfob, place the keyfob back in the safe, and leave. Then, when you 'discovered' the cash stash, the bullet provided a plausible excuse. And what part of this complete nonsense is s-supposed to be 'proof'? I'm banking that you made a mistake. I think you checked the dead bodies with your hands. Huh? Then, when you grabbed the white keyfob inside the safe, the red blood got your prints on it. We can force open the safe, check the keyfob, and see if I'm right. ...Heh. That's actually funny, Laverna. It's actually funny how clumsy that was. I mean seriously, you're trying to get me to say the incriminating detail only the culprit could have possibly known? Nice try! God, this is cliche, even for...Seth trailed off, realizing his mistake. [BGM: Silence]  Got him. 'The culprit accidentally incriminating themselves by a slip of the tongue?' Really, Seth? You think that low of me? I absolutely loathe that trope. It has no grace, completely removes the importance of the investigation, and namely, it comes across as cheap. However, now that you bring it up... what exactly was I trying to get you to say that 'only the culprit would know'? 'The incriminating detail,' as you so put it. I m-mean... how you emphasized that the keyfob was white, you know? Right, but you've run into these sorts of magnetic locks a ton of times in the past, they're manufactured. It would be totally understandable if you said that the keyfob was actually red, hell, just a couple minutes ago you talked about that in front of me. So then, why did you think I was trying to get you to say something only a culprit would know? What was this one incriminating detail? Your reaction should've been confusion, not annoyance. ... I've had another thought. I get using this mass-produced magnetic lock for drug stashes, but seeing that this appears to be the Duats' primary location for storing their dirty money, would they really use the same thing here? I mean, they had two guards stationed here. Surely they wouldn't rely on a system that's so flawed. So then, perhaps this magnetic lock is modeled after those mass-produced ones, but is instead a custom design...[BGM: Trick Score]  A custom design with a custom keyfob. You're not a– Then, did you think I was trying to get you to describe the keyfob as that custom design just then? Except, I don't know how you'd come to that conclusion, unless you had the exact same deduction I just made. Did you? You didn't, you would've said so if you did. It is only natural to think that you thought, just like Baldera, that the keyfob would be like all the others you've seen. That it's red. That there's nothing to 'catch' you on. Unless, of course, you did open that safe, finding a custom keyfob. I... Ah, darn it! I said I hated the trope, but what do you know? I ended up stumbling into it all the same. Oh well. That's... that's not definitive! That was just me, you know, being confused! You were wording things weirdly. Like, y-you were trying to get me to trip over something. That's the whole reason why I claimed you were doing the stupid detective trope. I didn't think it through! I didn't consider if your dumb ploy actually made sense. Come on, Seth. Is it not time to throw in the towel? I'm not throwing in poo poo! You still have nothing! Every single piece of proof you've brought up is too weird! It's obscure, it's loosey-goosey, it doesn't hold up! Okay then, do you want me to get into the hard proof? It's a lot less fun, but it's sure as hell damning. Want to go over your record, Seth? See how many cases involving the Duats you've been a part of? How many of those scenes you've gotten to early? How many of those ever had a conviction go through? Want to detail how you've been spending your free time? Want to audit your cash flow? Seth, it's pretty obvious that this has been a silent certainty for some time now; I'm just the first to say it. But anyone paying attention knows it, they just don't want to rock the boat. Hell, even Baldera knows deep down that you're dirty. Baldera?Seth looked over to Baldera, but she couldn't meet his eyes. This isn't some shocking reveal, Seth. We've all known for some time. Be thankful that you were able to be free for as long as you were... but that has to come to an end now, Seth. It's time to answer for yourself. I d-don't... It... Seth, honestly, you should view this as a good thing. A good thing?! Easy, easy. Look, you've got two options now. You can keep denying, like you are now, making desperate excuse after excuse. You'll probably get away with it. But just like before, everyone will know that you're dirty. Everyone will see you as criminal scum. And when an 'accident' happens to you, nobody'll come to your funeral. Ggh! Or, you can take this opportunity to do the right thing. Confess now. Let your story be heard. And just maybe, you'll find some forgiveness. I d-don't... it wasn't... I...I... I just... wanted to... protect everyone. I...'m sorry.[BGM: The Wire]  At this point, Seth had fully broken into tears. He just looked down, sobbing. No one else spoke. No one else had anything to say. I had broken through his defenses. This duel ended in my victory. ...Nobody knew quite what to do next. Mr. Johnson. It should not be a surprise for you to hear that this is deeply troubling to me. No... it is beyond deeply troubling. It hurts to hear, almost physically. Like Ms. Smyth pointed out, some part of me always had some suspicions... But for the truth to be this? I genuinely appreciated your company, Mr. Johnson. To learn that you are nothing more than a disgusting criminal is a betrayal I will not soon forget. How on earth do you intend to live with yourself after what you've done? You're an amoral traitor! Chief!Baldera stepped in. There was a sad, but determined look in her eyes. That's enough.She then turned to Seth. Seth... I'm sorry. What? I also... I should have known sooner. I should have done something. I should have reached out to you. Talked to you about this. ...But I didn't. Because I wanted to turn my head away from the truth, I didn't reach out when you clearly needed that from me. And... I'm sorry for that. I should've been there for you, and I failed.Tears were beginning to water in Baldera's eyes as well. I didn't want this to turn into some weeping fest – while I had the opportunity, I still wanted to get some information out of Seth. Seth. There's nothing that you need to hide at this point. It's all out there, so we may as well strip away the facades. I'd just like you to be honest with me. That's probably the best, for everyone's sake? The criminal's supposed to give the 'why-dunnit' speech, right?I smiled and nodded. I know you're not eager to do me any favors after all of that. But if you would, I want the one thing I have been pursuing this whole time: the truth.Seth considered this a few times, then nodded. At this point, he had mostly regained his composure. Looks like he was ready to tell his story. [BGM: Ura Dora]  ...I really looked up to Isa. Isa? What does he have to do with anything? Quiet, Baldera. Let him speak.At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but better to let Seth explain it. He was... this is going to sound super corny, but I'd almost call him like a brother figure. I don't know, maybe I'm being overdramatic. But, you know, I was an only child so, you know. It kind of fits. I don't know, he just stood out. He was charismatic, he was confident, he was competent... everything I'm not. ...And despite it all, he chose to be friends with me. Why, I'll never quite know. My running theory's been pity. Anyways, my point is, with apologies to Baldera, I think I knew him more than anybody else. Which is why I was able to see the signs. I've never been a great detective, all things considered... But even I was able to see how fishy things were after the 'attempted Aija assassination' plot was foiled. I wanted to be wrong. When I looked into things, I was trying to disprove my ideas – not confirm them. Honestly, this whole thing got out of hand because I was naive. Laverna, you say had these suspicions for a while? That you were waiting for the right time to spring them on me?I just nodded. Heh. You know, some people might think that's weird. Me, I just wish I had your level of foresight... because I just mindlessly confronted Isa about my suspicions. Privately, of course. And he denied them all, brushed them off. Because of that, things got out of hand. Suspicions? Seth, what sort of suspicions? ...I wanted to believe his excuses. But a few days later, Isa and I were out late, searching for a robber. Or at least, that's what I thought. No, the whole thing was a setup.[BGM: Last Dice]  Isa had been ordered to lure me there, bring me to his handlers. His Duat handlers. What? I don't know how to say it, and I don't want to say it, but... I'm not the first police officer on this force who's been a Duat plant.I could feel a collective wave of unease pass through the crowd as Seth dropped this little bombshell. A general understanding of how hosed things were. I still wonder, you know, how much of Isa's reputation as a 'star detective' came from him abusing his inside sources with the Duats? How much of that was intentional? The idea that Isa was just some fame-hungry opportunist with a nice smile... I've tried to throw away that idea. But what happened next certainly doesn't refute it. Isa, the good Duat plant that he was, had reported my suspicions back to his handlers. They were then trying to decide what to do with me. Isa, for his credit, tried to argue on my behalf. He exaggerated my ability as a detective, my sway with the force, made me sound like an awfully good candidate, despite that not remotely being the case. ...But the Duats bought it. That night is so crystal clear in my memory. Marduk was there, and he asked Isa point blank if I was worth recruiting. Isa said yes. Marduk considered it for a moment. Then he nodded. And then... He just said 'I don't need two corrupt officers to look after.' Right after that, he pulled out a pistol and killed Isa on the spot. No!Again, I just grimly nodded. Though it was an uncomfortable truth, there was evidence to suggest this reading of events.  I would later learn that Isa had recently gotten more aggressive in his negotiations, asking for a larger payroll, leveraging the fact that he was the only police contact the Duats had. That, combined with the fact that he was apparently sloppy enough that I could figure him out, probably sealed his doom. After that, I tried to get out of this job I had apparently been coerced into. But they... they threatened my life. They told me that if I didn't comply, they'd just kill me. And I tried to argue back. Told them I'd get them all thrown in jail. And to that, they just responded that more Duat members would take their place, that I couldn't arrest all of them. And that if I disobeyed, it wouldn't just end with me. They'd go after everybody I cared about. They'd go after anyone I was close to. And that includes... ...After everything, I still cared about Isa. And because I got him killed, I wanted to protect the people he cared about. So I just... It was a slow corruption. I tried refusing their payments. I tried ignoring their requests. But it started so small. ' Just don't patrol this street at this time. Just get to the scene of the crime a bit slower. Don't be quite so hard on this perp in the interrogation room.' They were minor requests, and the alternative was... I mean, I knew they could do it, they would do it. They loving killed their own police contact in front of my eyes, you think they'd pull punches after that? So... I mean, b-before long... we got to now. That's sort of it, I guess. ...Well, not all of it. But, uh, I think the gap from then to now goes without saying.[BGM: Silence]  And once more, it was silent. No one knew what to say. It was, of course, a lot. The story just felt empty. Not like it was fake or anything, just, it was without some big moral takeaway. It wasn't some dramatic reveal or cathartic tale. It was small and sad and kind of pathetic. ...Finally, Baldera broke the silence. [BGM: Stand]  Seth... I never knew you had to go through all that. Ms. Vasquez, I expected better than for you to fall for this act so quickly. And Mr. Johnson, the same applies to you. Do you expect us to simply absolve you of blame because you claim you were coerced?Seth weakly shook his head. Nah. I was... I am a coward. Just because it was a rough situation, that doesn't mean I didn't still support a horrible group of criminals. It doesn't mean I didn't do some pretty terrible things, when you look at it clearly. I just wanted to give Laverna what she won. The truth.I gave Seth a small smile. Ah, drat. I was going to feel a little guilty for breaking up this mood... but it had to be done. Thank you, Seth. But with all this in mind, I'd like to go back to the original point I was making. And that is? Seth can not be trusted to transport this cash to a more secure location. Yeah, uh, I think that one probably goes without saying. In that case, we'll ha– No! ...No? Chief, I mean no disrespect, but look what just happened! One of your most trusted officers confessed to working for the Duats. Who knows who else might be corrupt? I thought Seth made it clear he was the only Duat agent on the force. Sure, he might think that. But if I were the Duats, I sure as hell would at least have two, for situations like this. Ms. Smyth, what are you suggesting? I'm just saying, a little bit of added caution might be for the best right now. Seth, are the Duats planning an ambush on this convoy?Seth just meekly nodded. What? What's the point in that, having you bust them, and then having them take it all back? How am I supposed to know?! I just asked for your answer, Seth, not your commentary. My point is made. We need to be careful. I believe the safest choice is to have the truck be driven by the one officer that I can guarantee is not a super secret Duat spy.As I said this, I walked over, and patted my choice on the back.  Laverna? I say we let Officer Pandora drive the truck. Um, thank you? But why do you know that I can't be a Duat spy? You'll understand when you're older, sport. Anyways, as an added precaution, I'll also draft the route you'll take. Obviously, it has to be one radically different from the one Seth would have likely taken. It'll be a hectic maze no one could possibly predict!Arrianne just sighed, a defeated look on her face. Fine. Since you're seemingly so fixated on it, handle the transportation however you deem fit, Laverna. I have bigger issues that need addressing.[BGM: Silence]  And just like that, I was given free reign. I began to set things up, acutely aware of the drama happening just behind my back. *bzzzt.* But then, one of my phones began to buzz. ...Huh? What could that be? I took out the phone and looked over it. … God drat it, Yi. ...  Okay. A lot happened. A lot's gone on. We can't talk about it all. ...I mean, we could, but that'd kill the pacing. I really have but one thing I want to discuss with you: Seth. Now you see the whole picture, more or less. This wasn't really much of a twist for you, per se, but you got a much clearer idea of it all. Seth Johnson, Police Officer, Duat Agent. Something to hate him for. Two things to hate him for, really. Undoubtedly, he's done bad things. But he has good reason! ...Or does he? What counts as 'good reason?' I think you'd be hard pressed to call him a saint... but what about a sinner? ...No, that's too light. We're all sinners. What about a piece of poo poo? I'm not going to let you give me some waffling answer here. If you provide a middle path, people are going to walk it at times like these, and that's boring as all hell. Point blank, give me an answer. Seth: piece of poo poo, or not? Clearly, he's a piece of poo poo. Yeah, gently caress Seth! Bastard! But, I wonder why you think he's a piece of poo poo... I suspect the two of us might have different reasons. Do you resent him for how he's upheld the Duats? Because he didn't want to be murdered? Because he didn't want his friends, his family to be murdered? Because he didn't see another choice? I don't know. It surely wasn't heroic. But I don't think you can expect everyone to be a hero. But if you really think that doing bad things is bad, even if you're coerced... Well, I'll keep that in mind. Let's see how that holds up.
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Mar 3, 2024 19:45
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Well that's the end to Seth, I guess. Feels like Baldera is still being set-up for something, since she's one of the few people with an actual portrait that's only appeared in one path.
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Mar 4, 2024 01:10
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Mercury, you fool! Handing Pandoras boxes never works out in the end!
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Mar 4, 2024 01:35
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This entire bit goes a bit funnier when you remember that Laverna is Thane and thus was the one to pitch the entire plan to do this to Yi in the first place.
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Mar 4, 2024 08:18
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 content warning: intentional misgendering [BGM: First Rubber]  drat it. loving drat it. gently caress, gently caress, poo poo gently caress gently caress. What was I doing? I really didn't have an obligation to kill myself like this. Life was going well up until this point – quite well, in fact. You could almost argue this was the exact worst time for something like this to pop up. ...Which, of course, I couldn't help but feel was intentional. I internally cursed up a storm. I didn't want to do what I was about to do. It was stupid. It was unnecessary. It was irrational. I hadn't thought it out ahead of time. In all likelihood, I'd get myself killed for nothing. ...Whatever. To be honest, I didn't really have a choice. As much as I was grumbling, I wasn't so far gone that I wouldn't do anything in this situation. Still, it was pretty loving inconvenient, especially considering when it had popped up. I did my best to assemble a suitable disguise on short notice. A quick trip to a dirt cheap clothing store to pick up a hoodie, jeans, and a facemask. It would have to do – didn't have more time than that. I looked further up the street. There it was: the V-Hall. I could hear a commotion from inside the building even this far away. Yup, it was crowded. It was intense. ...Which meant it was insanely dangerous. Although.... in these particular circumstances, all of that probably worked to my advantage. If there were a lot of people, and if there was a lot of activity, then it would be far easier for an impostor like myself to be undetected. That would have to do. I walked up to the front door. The guard clearly looked distracted. His attention was mostly directed at the events happening inside. However, it appeared as though things hadn't completely become so chaotic that the Duats were content to leave the entrance unguarded. I almost wanted to just slip by while he wasn't looking at me... but that probably was more of a risk than it was worth. Instead, I just coughed. The guard looked at me, still distracted. Oh, right. Password? 'To speak the name of the dead is to make him live again.' Cool.This guy didn't give a poo poo. He was busy trying to see the main event happening inside. Which, fair enough. [BGM: Grand Slam]  Even from the doorway, it was clear that poo poo was going down. Serious poo poo. For one, the lights were mostly off. Not completely, like, it wasn't dark in here. But it was dimmed – created a grim atmosphere. There was also the fact that the Duat members had made something of a circle around the center of the room. There were a few stragglers in the back, but for the most part, everybody in the room was encircling one scene I couldn't quite see from my perspective... though, I could guess at it. I began making my way closer. However, even from my position on the outside of the circle, I could clearly hear the intense argument happening between two different voices. And watching silently were the Duats. Not, like, a collection of Duats, but the whole gang. ...Not literally, of course. There were almost certainly dozens of people not currently in attendance. Still, this was the biggest gathering of Duat members I had yet witnessed. Concerning, but understandable, considering the circumstances. Carefully as to not draw attention, I began pushing my way through the crowd. I needed to get a better look at the scene. Not just a better look, a closer position. Of course, if I drew too much ire, I could also draw attention. The Duats were a broad group, not like everyone knew everyone, but even still, I'd rather not chance an encounter. The good thing was, I was given quite a bit more leeway since everyone's attentions were focused in on the scene happening in the middle of the room. How could they not be? After all, the conflict playing out was quite captivating. On one side, stood Lara, face flushed with anger. Clearly, she stood passionately against what was taking place. On the other side was Yi. He had a cold, cruel look on his face. To the untrained eye, it appeared as though he was far less emotional about everything going on. However, I knew better. There was a simmering rage in him too. He was simply attempting to hold it in, for the sake of appearances. And then... there was the figure in the chair in front of Yi.  Tied up and looking supremely scared was Krish. Krish, you absolute goddamn moron. What the hell did you do? I was at a complete loss. Like, usually I had a pretty good bead on what was going on. Could make some general inferences. And I could still do that about some parts of this situation. But Krish's presence here? Just, what the gently caress? You just needed to stay put wherever Polly had squirreled you away. That was it. That was the only thing you needed to do! Whatever. I could cry and complain and scream later. Right now, I just had one objective: getting Krish the gently caress out of this confrontation alive. A difficult proposal, to be sure, but I'd just have to try my best. Part of that involved getting ready to make a move... and so, carefully, I continued to scooch forwards through the crowd. The circle had given the main actors a bit of space. However, only so much. The person currently closest to Krish other than Yi was only a handful of feet away, possibly even less than that. A well-timed rush... the timing would need to be perfect. For now, try getting into position. ...And in the meantime, try tuning into the argument happening. Might have some useful information.  Lara, I ask for the last time. What is the hold up? On what grounds are you delaying this? It's no– It's not complicated, yes! This little poo poo killed Marduk. An outsider snuck into our sanctum, murdered our boss! And Lara wishes to, what? Let him just walk away? Oh, the kid's young, it wouldn't be right to enact punishment. Boo hoo. That sort of weak poo poo is unacceptable. We are the Duats! We live by our strength! Our claim to Panthea is built upon violence! We don't pull our punches in any circumstance, and certainly not when our head has been murdered! The criminal will not just be killed. They must be executed!This speech elicited a fair amount of cheering; however, less cheering than such a speech would typically get. Probably because it was given by Yi, against Lara. While almost all the Duats probably agreed with the sentiment behind Yi's words, they struggled to directly endorse him with their cheers. And so, Yi did not receive the deafening endorsement that may have emboldened him to settle the matter there and then.  Would you shut the gently caress up, Yi?This one sentence caused its own bout of whooping and hollering. Obviously, I'm not saying we should let Marduk's death go unpunished. You'd have to be insane to suggest otherwise. It was Marduk who built the Duats up, who brought us to where we are today. We all owe him our deepest respect, and the coward who snuck in and murdered him will be given the harshest punishment possible! I don't dispute this whatsoever. My only concern, if you would actually listen to a goddamn word I said, was that we don't actually know if this is the person who killed Marduk. I don't want to convict the wrong suspect. Excuse me? There's no proof! It looks bad, I'll admit. I'm just asking that we proceed with a bit of caution. Caution, huh? No proof? Ha! Is everyone hearing this? We catch Krish inside Marduk's office with the dead body, and Lara's saying there isn't any proof? The hell is that about? The kid entered through the window. Which means somebody else could have gone in the window, gone out. At the very least, we should listen to some testimony, don't you think? Have the kid explain what happened? What he says happened. I am aware people can lie, Yi. I'm just saying, the slightest bit of due diligence might be called for when prosecuting the murder of our boss. I know you're not the biggest fan of being responsible, but that's why you don't get to call all the shots. What difference would it make? Excuse me? Murderer or not - and let's be clear here, murderer - Krish is dead meat. I already had a hit out on him. Plus, Krish intruded into our base – he's seen so many faces. There's not a choice to be made. The execution is happening. You can waste time with some pointless pleasantries if you want. As for me, I'd like to get justice. But maybe you don't understand such concepts. I understand justice more than you, jackass. Interrogating Krish is not just some 'pointless task.' The execution is inevitable. Fine. We'll kill the kid regardless, I'm not trying to dispute that right now. However, if Krish didn't kill Marduk, we still need to figure that out, in order to make sure the true killer can be brought to justice. Some testimony would help on that front. And I find it highly suspicious that you would seek to impede that process. It's unlike you. Excuse me, suspicious? The gently caress does that mean? I don't know, Yi. What does it mean? ...Say, wasn't it you and your gang that 'found the body'? Yeah, we loving did. I saw that jackass peek out the door and close it, so did a bunch of other Duat members around here. I was just the only person to loving do something about it. Had Fang come with me, went over to Marduk's office. Came across the scene, with Krish here trying to escape back out of the loving window. Got a problem with that story? I'm just saying, you were in there for a minute. Fang works for you, and you're not letting Krish speak. The possibility's open. Oh, you loving bitch. How stupid are you? What, you think Krish was just running around that office with a living Marduk? That I silently murdered the boss immediately after entering the room, in front of a random witness? That's how loving stupid you think I am? Well, if the shoe fits.Yi began chuckling to himself. There was no mirth in that laughter, though. It was a laughter that took the place of a scream. A few moments later, he recomposed himself. Ah, boy oh boy, you sure have a talent at ticking me off, Lara. I mean, making accusations like that... cheeky. Quite cheeky, that. I'm surprised, honestly.[BGM: Bidding]  I didn't think you'd stoop to those sorts of tactics. Tactics? What tactics? Playing dumb, huh? A favorite hobby of yours, it seems. The bogus allegation tactic. You know full well that I had nothing to do with killing Marduk, that the very idea doesn't make a lick of sense. You're just throwing out wild poo poo to make me look more sinister. Alright, give me one good reason why you wouldn't kill Marduk. One? I could give a dozen! Cool, give one. Well, for one, the Duat headship was up in the air. Who would succeed him was in debate. He hadn't clearly labeled a single person. I know we're not on the best of terms, as this big argument has made abundantly clear, but I would not kill the head when such a major question was unanswered. That's prime civil war material, and believe it or not, I'd rather not tear apart the Duats.There was a silence that followed this. Lara just took in this. Then, a smile crossed her face. So you admit it, huh? The gently caress? I just denied murdering Marduk, dumbass. Not killing Marduk. You admit that Marduk favored me before his death. What? I mean, that's what your defense boils down to, right? You knew that Marduk, and general public sentiment, favored me before the death. Therefore you wouldn't have killed him before you got a chance to prove yourself and take back the Duat headship. I mean, that's what your argument amounts to right? Tch. Really? This is how you want it to be? Want what to be? You know drat well what I mean. You're going to make this whole thing about that? This public argument's going to be about the Duat Headship? Come on, Yi. Don't kid yourself. This is what it was always going to be about. Hell, this is what it was about from the beginning. To think or say otherwise... Well, that's just delusion, isn't it?A cold air passed through the crowd. The tension only heightened. The feeling that a fight could break out at any moment was stronger than ever. I continued inching closer. Pfft. Not at all. We could've settled that matter more tactfully, when all parties were here. But fine, I'll make it clear. With Marduk dead, we need a new leader. As the Senior Officer who has been with the Duats for the longest, I believe I should succeed Marduk. Hah! Of course you would think that. Of course I would, it makes sense. Just think about it for a second. I have served by Marduk's side for the longest. I understand him the best. Seriously? You're saying that when Thane exists? Lara, Thane wouldn't be Thane if he understood Marduk. I also have the most accomplishments of all the Senior Officers. I understand the infrastructure the best. I make the group the most money. By all accounts, I have the greatest claim to lead the Duats. Greatest claim, my rear end! Look, Yi, even I'm not so blind as to say that you don't play an important part in keeping the Duats healthy. I'm not trying to kick you out of the gang. I should hope not! Here's the plain and simple truth. Public sentiment is on my side. Who gives a poo poo? The Duats, namely!This brought about a load of cheering, as well as a fair bit of booing. Shut it!And like that, the group was brought to heel. You're qualified, sure. But this isn't a matter of merit. There's a simple way to choose the next leader: we put it to a vote. gently caress that. Wow, openly denying democracy. Ballsy, I'll say that for you. Since when has the Duats been a democracy? Marduk wasn't voted into office. I didn't win an election to become a Senior Officer.  That poo poo goes against the Duat spirit, and the fact that you're trying to inject it in means you don't understand what this organization stands for at all. Maybe it doesn't stand for what it used to. Ever think of that? I'm sure you think that much. Besides, an open election isn't a fair way to decide things. If it was, I'd just recruit a bunch of low-rank losers to vote for me. Now that would be unfair! It's not much better than what you've done! What? If there were to be any sort of election, I would say it should be a decision made by the people who have proven their worth. People who are critical to keeping the Duats alive. The Senior Officers can vote for a leader amongst ourselves. gently caress that! Have a problem? Hell yeah I have a problem! Thane loving works under you! How on earth do you imagine that a three person election would even resemble fairness? It's made up of the people that Marduk entrusted. But fine. We can include Captains as well. That's not...Lara was faltering. Oh? Have a problem with that idea as well? Why's that? Is it possible because you know you'd lose that vote too? Face it, you might be popular amongst the grunts, but between everybody who's worth a poo poo, you're a joke! Nobody qualified would trust you! Yi, how forgetful are you? I'm not. Then I guess you're extremely disrespectful. And how do you figure that? Marduk himself, our leader, appointed me a Senior Officer. In fact, by your own admission, he clearly favored me. So I don't see how you can justify the statement 'nobody qualified would trust me.' The person who was most qualified trusted me! He thought I should succeed him when he died! You can't possibly know that. I can guess that. Yeah, well, that's just one moment in time. I bet his mind would change by the next day. Uh huh. Do you have absolutely any basis for saying something like that?Yi took a step back, waffling. You don't, do you! Actually...[BGM: Spot On]  According to my sources, your little money play didn't amount to poo poo. What? I heard that some grunts under your control made a mess of things, and the cops were called over to the shop where we're storing our dirty money. One of them found the stash, and the money was transported away in an armored truck. That's a poo poo ton of profit lost by people under your control! The gently caress?The whole crowd was now starting to worriedly mutter. That was their money on the line. Their money that had potentially been stolen. Yi's claim had certainly grabbed some attention. Yeah, it's a pretty bad situation. Luckily, you all have me. Luckily, I have a contact with the police. I'm sure we can come up with some strategy to raid and retrieve the money if we can get our poo poo together in the relative future. But that requires, you know, getting our poo poo together. ...This smells like bullshit. Oh? Yeah, no, you're full of poo poo, Yi! You're behind the money going missing! Wow. 'No, you.' An effective comeback. No, but for real, this doesn't make any sense! 'Sources' – what sources? When did you get this news? I haven't seen anyone come up to you recently! You haven't taken a phone call while we've been arguing. Gosh, Lara, it's almost like my life didn't start the moment we caught Krish murdering our boss! What would you think of that? If you got this information earlier, you would have said something! This is a big deal, you would have been rounding the troops. And yet, you didn't say it then. What can I say, it was poor timing. Things happened right after one another. I don't buy that excuse. And I don't buy that you'd come up with a baldfaced lie right here. So you must have known that our money would be intercepted by the police ahead of time. Which means, you must have arranged for it to happen! Wow, what a novel you're writing. Anything to shirk the blame, huh? Tell me why I'm wrong! Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that most of that money is loving mine?! Ever think of that fact? I am a Duat member – why would I sabotage the Duats? Hasn't stopped you in the past. I don't even want to know what you're on about now. No? Because I think it's pretty relevant to hear right now! Fine, bring it. What insane lie do you have now? It's no lie. It's a disgusting truth! You have been systematically killing Duat members!A flash of annoyance crossed Yi's eyes – annoyance that belied the fact that Lara was right. The crowd was already pretty wild before, but this accusation sent things into overdrive. ...Well, that worked out for me. The more hectic things were, the easier I could move towards Krish. At this point, I was right by them. I wanted to find a way to signal out to them, but anything I did that they'd notice, someone else would probably notice. No, instead I should wait for the right moment. Killing Duat members. Seriously? Yup! Not just any Duat members – ones aligned with me. Aligned with you? The hell's that mean? Look, it's no secret I've been trying to make inroads with the Duats. I've been trying to get people to my side. But almost each and every one of them has gone missing! Which is why, not too long ago, I followed Thane. He went to the Mandjet, and killed more Duat followers! But let's be real, conducting something like this isn't his style. He's been under your thumb for a long time. You were, at the very least, just as much a part of this as he was. This proves you are more than willing to undermine the Duats if it will help you rise up through the ranks. It proves you're a piece of poo poo that will even backstab your own allies. It proves you don't deserve to succeed poo poo!" ...Yi stayed silent for a moment, spurring on a ton of jeering from the group. You done? Can I point out how ridiculous this all is? Make excuses, you mean? Lara, you said you witnessed this a while ago? How long ago, exactly, did you sit on the fact that Thane was killing Duat members? Uh, that's...All of a sudden, it was Lara who was at a loss for words. Hm. Look, I just didn't have any hard proof, and s– And so you decided to tell nobody? Look, I don't know if this is true, maybe Thane has been doing what you claim independently. But if that's the case, you're admitting that you sat on some pretty loving huge information because you were scared, what, you'd get blowback? How the hell does that work in your mind? Even without evidence, you loving bring it up if you catch Duat members murdering each other!" No, no, your whole story's probably bullshit. The only thing you just proved is that, apparently, you have been making secret alliances with Duat members. Which sounds pretty god drat seditious if you ask me! Not at all the behavior I'd want from a Duat leader. Wh-what is this? How are you deflecting from the fact that you've been caught murdering members of your own gang? It's easy to deflect from obvious lies. What part of this is an obvious lie? There are so many problems with this stupid story! Here's a nice and simple one: if I were killing Duat members, I sure as poo poo would have killed you.Not that things weren't extremely intense before now, but an explicit threat from one Senior Officer to another only elevated the tension in the room. How the gently caress was I going to get Krish out of here safely? Ha! That answer's simple. You're too much of a chickenshit. That right? It is. You're fine killing people below me, but you know that actually killing me would be a problem. It would require showing some loving guts. Guts you only wished you had. Man, this is just pathetic. You're not even trying to make arguments anymore. This is provocation, and petty provocation at that. You want me to kill you right here and now. I'm not falling for it. Oh no! Whatever will I do, knowing that you won't kill me! Because that clearly was my master plan you so cleverly deduced. God, you're annoying. You should've died back when Art would've paid for it. Once this is over, I'm gonna kill the guy who helped free you. Hao? With a gun, obviously. What? No, I meant the guy who helped free me. So did I, who did you think I was talking about? I wasn't... Forget about it. Jeez, you're trying to lead the Duats and you get confused in a simple conversation? I didn't get confused, you did! Yeah, sure. You talked about killing my savior, and I tried to clarify which guy you were going to kill. No, you asked how. No, she asked you. Quiet, Zaochi. Zaochi, if you know Hao, explain it to your boss. He's clearly not listening to me. Okay, first up, he doesn't know how, he's chronically stupid. Secondly, I'm listening, you're just not talking straight! Holy poo poo, Yi, Hao is the guy's name. How should I know if I don't know it? You're joking. How are you this dumb? Why are you asking him, the dude's not even here? Zaochi, shut the gently caress up. Must be embarrassing, having your dumbest sidekick still be smarter than you. You know what? gently caress this.Yi bent down, then stood back up an– *BANG!* Before anyone knew what was happening, in one slick motion, Yi aimed his pistol right at Lara's head and shot her between the eyes. …What?! The room collectively went silent. The only sound was Lara's body hitting the floor. Just... just like that. Lara was killed.
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Mar 10, 2024 00:55
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 content warning: violent injury [BGM: Keep Hitting]  She died so unceremoniously. In a random instant of violence, she was... gone. It was unsatisfying. ...No, it was saddening. ...No, it was infuriating. ...No, it wasn't the thing to focus on right now. Compartmentalize. I was looking for an opening, and... Yi slowly began walking forwards, towards Lara's body. One particularly zealous Duat member began to walk forward, shouting up a storm. The instant that happened, Yi raised the pistol right at him, and the man went silent. Yi, you bastard. He was taking advantage of an important rule: only Senior Officers were allowed to bring weapons into the V-Hall. Which meant, the reason he was walking over to Lara... sure enough, he gave the corpse a brief pat down. Heh. Stupid bitch didn't even have a gun on her.Yi surveyed the group, which was now filled with both frightened and furious fans. So. We could've continued that pointless argument... but I think this is far more elegant. In case any of you were unclear on this point, it is now clear who is in charge. That means th–It took Yi this long to turn back around and realize what was happening. As Yi was facing the other side of the crowd, I saw my opportunity. In a furious instant, I stepped forwards from my spot and cut the ropes tying Krish to their chair with my knife. Just as soon as that was done, I grabbed their arm and began sprinting through the crowd towards Marduk's office. gently caress, stop! I imagine that Yi held up his pistol at me and Krish, but at this point there were too many people in the way. I also imagine the crowd would have been a lot more cooperative had Yi not just shot another Senior Officer. As it was, they were just sort of standing around. Still, there were far too many people in the way to get out through the front entrance – however, the path to Marduk's office was mostly uninterrupted. Zaochi, hold onto this.Yi tossed Zaochi his pistol. Keep the riff-raff in line, nobody leaves until I'm back. Fang, Xia, you're with me.And just like that, three Duat members were on our tail. Which, very unideal... but I just had to thank my lucky stars that Yi had alienated the rest of the gang with his random act of violence. Because of that, he didn't know who was truly still loyal, and had to resort to relying on his inner circle, while keeping the rest of the group contained. In truth, I thought the conflict between Lara and Yi might reach that point, knowing both of their personalities. I could only hope it would go so smoothly, though. I kept sprinting towards Marduk's office, and Krish kept pace. To their credit, they had caught on incredibly quickly. They even seemed to know who I was despite very clearly not getting a good look at me. I guess they were already anticipating that I would come to save them – that moron. Soon enough, we made our way to Marduk's office. We entered, and just as soon slammed the door back shut.   Why'd we go in here? Not the exit? Too many people that direction, wouldn't have made it. Now, start climbing to the window!It was a lot easier to enter Marduk's office through the window than it was to exit through it. However, it was still entirely possible. While Krish dealt with that, I pushed the nearby couch to block the door, trying to buy us some time. However, just as soon as the couch touched the door, it was knocked back as the door slammed open, and with it, so was I. Facing me down was the Goliath, Fang. Right behind him was Xia, who already had his iron knuckles equipped. The two walked further into the room, and behind them was Yi, a twisted scowl plastered across his face. After he entered the room, he kicked the door close behind him. Then he reached back behind his waist, and pulled out the mini-katana-knife-thing. I looked over to Krish. They hadn't made their way out the window yet. And seeing my predicament, they let go and dropped back down. God drat it. [BGM: Silence]  Well, well, well. If it isn't the hooded rear end in a top hat. Why am I not surprised? Really, it's my fault for not counting on this. I'll hand it to you, Krish, you're good at drawing sympathy. That's about all you're good for, but it's something. Yi... you live a sad life, you know?Looking to Krish, I sort of expected to see some of the sadness that filled their eyes the last time they had faced down Yi. But there wasn't any of that remaining. Instead, Krish kind of looked hollow... and more than that, disappointed. As though they had accepted who Yi truly was, even if they didn't like it. Ah, Krish. To you, it might look that way. However, many philosophers have posited that the only thing that matters about your life is how you view it. If a person sees value in their own life, then it has value. End of story. I don't care. Hey, if you want to cut the poo poo, that's fine with me. Just trying to give you a thought you can cling to when you bleed to death.Yi's nasty gaze then turned to me. And you. I guess if we removed those sleeves, I'd see some lighting tattoos?I gave Yi no response. Yi apparently took this as confirmation. Want to do me the honors of an introduction this time? I've spent enough time feeding you bullshit. Let's just get to it.A look of confusion crossed over Yi's face at that last comment. Then, he just shrugged his shoulders. Suit yourself. And just like that, Yi and his men began to advance. drat it... I had talked a big game, I had struck at the right time, but in the end, I still found myself in a poo poo situation. There were three of them. I hadn't gotten a good look at Krish, but I noticed that they already had some injuries. They were wincing through the sprint. I doubted they'd be in any real fighting shape. Fang and Xia... I had fought the two before, and held them off for a time, but that was a losing fight. True, last time I had to also contest with Zaochi and Jia. But this time, Yi was getting involved far earlier. I also didn't have the element of surprise, and the three surrounded me. I quickly flashed through scenarios in my mind. ...No, no, poo poo. Any way I thought about it, Krish and I were as good as dead if we tried to face these three head on. To be honest, I doubted I'd be able to take on Fang in a one-on-one setting. With Yi and Xia running support, it would be impossible. If only there was a way to gain an advantage, even take one of them out of the picture... I scanned through my memories. And then, I realized something. Xia. Yi killed your sister. Wh-what? She was going to ally with Lara, so he killed her.Xia looked back at Yi, with a mixed look of confusion and betrayal. Yi just looked back for a moment. ...Oh, god drat it.[BGM: Grand Slam]  And then, without a second's hesitation, Yi lifted up the knife and stabbed it down into the back of Xia's left shoulder. The blade plunged all the way to the handle, and just as soon as Yi had stabbed it into Xia, he pulled it out. Xia immediately dropped to his knees, crying out in pain. Yi just wiped the blood off the blade with one of his gloved hands. I don't know who you are, but you're a real pain in the rear end, you know that? Fang, kill 'em both.And just like that, with Xia rapidly bleeding to death, the fight was on. Get out of the way, Krish!I'd normally expect some resistance from this request. However, given that a man had just died before their very eyes, Krish seemed a lot more eager to listen up. They retreated towards the corner. Good. Now, how was I going to handle Fang? ...Whatever, I just had to do it. I ran up to him, needing to do something. But before I could do anything, Fang made the first move.  At the last moment, I was able to duck under Fang's arm as it swiped right at me. A brief moment of opportunity presented itself.  I began to wail on the side of his chest, multiple strikes hitting his exposed flesh. Perhaps expectedly, this didn't appear to have much of an effect on him. Instead of paying my attacks mind, he simply began to wind up his own counter-attack.  I needed to stay on the offensive if I had any chance of victory. With that in mind, I aimed a punch right at Fang's knuckles as he swung a downward fist at me. *crack!* Argh, that loving hurt. But it had to be done, and I couldn't linger. Immediately, I jumped up and took the opportunity to plant my other fist right in Fang's face. This one also connected with a satisfying thud. Ha! Got him! I rushed forwards, hoping to strike him more in his chest.  However, I overestimated how much time I had bought with that attack. Responding with brutal swiftness, Fang kicked me right in the chest. Argh! The one blow sent me stumbling back, into the desk on the other side of the room. How do I–  Before I could form a single comprehensible thought, I noticed Fang charging at me. poo poo! In a flash of panic, I jumped off the desk I was leaned against. This was a bad idea, but... too late now, I was already in mid-air, attempting to actually clear Fang by going over him. And, in a miraculous moment, it actually worked. Hell yeah! I had approximately one moment of victory before I noticed Yi brandishing his knife. I had just vaulted right into range.  Yi let out a long, wide slice, cutting through the air, aimed right at my stomach. At the last moment, I jumped out of the way, successfully avoiding the blade. But that was just one slash. Yi's assault was far from over.  As Yi lunged towards me, knife coming down at me, I spotted an opportunity. I just had to beat him to the punch – literally. I rushed forwards and slammed Yi right in the face with my clenched fist. He was completely taken off-guard by this maneuver, and stumbled backwards. I tried to rush forwards to press my advantage, but he began blindly swinging his knife in an attempt to keep me away. It was unfortunately effective. After a couple of seconds, Yi had recovered... and he was not pleased.  Yi rushed forwards, hoping to stab me right in the chest. poo poo! I had to avoid it, but dodging to the left or right might leave me vulnerable. On instinct, I jumped backwards once more, out of the knife's way. And it was at this moment I felt my arms start to be picked up. poo poo! Behind me, Fang was holding both of my arms out, pinned. I tried struggling, but it was no use. He was too strong. I... gently caress, I had lost. [You won 7 chips!] In front of me, a slightly bruised Yi wiped the blood off his face and brandished his knife with a dangerous look in his eye. He slowly walked up to me. This wasn't good. He was going to gut me! I had to... [BGM: First Rubber]  You know, some of my more bullheaded compatriots in the organization would say something like... 'I respect the fight you put up! You were a worthy challenger, I like that'. What a load of poo poo. I tried to kill you, and you hit me a lot. That pisses me off. So I'm going to enjoy sta–*wham!* It was at this point Yi was cut off as the back of his head received the swing of a fist. Realizing that I was in imminent peril, Krish decided to rush in and help. And honestly, I was in no position to complain. Yi turned around, with a furious expression. However, right as his face was facing Krish, they gave him a mean uppercut. Yi stumbled back a step or two, and Krish continued to pummel Yi. After a few punches, however, Yi successfully blocked Krish's other blows. With momentum back on his side, Yi countered with a kick to Krish's gut. Krish fell to one knee, and Yi began to lift his blade to cut down. ...However, Krish saw an opportunity there and they took it. They jumped up and kicked out at the hand with which Yi held the blade. Watching this from Fang's grasp, I could've screamed at Krish, to ask them what the hell they were doing. It was a supremely risky attack. But every now and then, dumb determination won out the day. The blow hit Yi right in the wrist, causing him to let go of the knife at the precise wrong moment. The blade soared back through the air. I quickly estimated the blade's arc and swung forwards from Fang's arms. I was able to catch the discarded blade between my feet. *shhck!* Instantly, I swung back, and with my legs stabbed Fang in his leg with the knife. He cried out in pain, releasing me from his grip. I rolled forwards out of the fall, grabbing the blade out of Fang's leg all the while. Immediately, I lunged out and slashed down at Yi. He blocked my strike with his arm, causing a major gash. Yes! Sensing blood in the water, I went for a straight stab at Yi. However, he wasn't out yet. He sidestepped my attack, and slammed down on the blade, causing it to fall to the floor. I thought fast, and with my foot pushed the knife on the floor to the other side of the room. Krish, who had been standing on the other side of Yi, immediately ran over to pick up the knife. Yi also rushed over in that direction.  On the other hand, I just turned around. I had a score to settle, and an advantage to push. Fang was still bent down, tending to the stab wound in his leg. *wham!* That was low enough that I could jump up and strike down at him with a punch. It connected with a sickening thud, and Fang stumbled backwards. *wham!* Immediately, I jumped again and punched his head with my other fist. *wham!* Another successful strike, which I immediately transitioned into an uppercut. *wham, wham!* I punched him twice in the sides of the stomach, before kicking him right in the center of it. *thud!* Recoiling from the punch to the gut, Fang's head was low enough that I could grab onto his hair and slam his head into the side of the wall. *thud!* Then I poked him right in both eyes, and as he lifted up his head, crying in pain, I took a step back and slammed my fist straight into his stomach with all my energy. *wham, wham!* Blow after blow after blow. I was running on pure adrenaline, not taking a moment to slow down. Every hit was intense, but more importantly, each blow was different. I was not affording Fang a moment to recover, or even get used to the type of attack I was hitting him with. He was a monster, but even he couldn't resist if I didn't let up on him for a moment. When I was running out of room for him to back up to, I decided to finally go for the kill. *thud* I reeled back and slammed my foot right in his junk. He couldn't even cry out in pain at this, he just silently toppled over. But not yet, not yet was I done. I rushed over and, with one hand, grabbed the hair on his head and held him up. *wham!* Then with my other hand, I made a fist and slammed his head directly onto the floor. *wham!* The blow made a satisfying thunk, and then I felt like I could relax. ...No, not relax. I was done with Fang. Goliath down. But not done. [BGM: Trick Score]  I turned around and began walking over to the other scum. On the other side of the room, it seemed as though Krish had successfully grabbed the knife. Using it, they were staring down Yi, who seemed only slightly deterred by the blade. I walked over behind Yi and grabbed the back of his neck. The hell?I pulled him over and threw him against the wall on the other side of the room. He looked confused and tried to get back to his feet, but before he could manage that, I grabbed the front of his head and slammed it into the wall behind him with all the energy I could muster. This sent him collapsing straight to the floor, face-first. A few moments later, he slowly got up to his knees... but it was clear he was done. The fight was over. I had won. But I wasn't done with him. Who are you working for?! What?I socked Yi straight in the eye. He shouted out, more in indignation than pain, and reached for his eye. Who are you working for? The Duats, you jackass, obviously!I reached forwards and punched him in the chest several times, culminating with a pretty brutal shot to the gut. Yi slumped over slightly, and began to wheeze. He was in pain. Good. Quit it with the clever answers. Who are you really working for? The gently caress are you talking about? I grabbed one of Yi's hands and held his arm out. Then, I stomped as hard as I could on the middle of his arm, bending it in a way that arms really shouldn't bend. There was a satisfying breaking noise, and Yi began crying out. I waited a few moments to let Yi slightly recover. Then... Who do you answer for? I... I guess, I don't answer to anyone? I don't really care about the Duats, I'm just out for myself.I reached forwards and grabbed the front of Yi's face, though not before I could see the mounting horror in his eyes. Then, I slammed his head against the wall behind him. Then I slammed it again. And then again. Again and again and again, I just slammed his head against the brick surface. Finally, as I saw flecks of blood, I let go and took a few steps back. Yi began coughing up a storm. To be honest, I was slightly taking a shot in the dark here. I had more or less reached two rough theories as to what was really happening in Panthea; recently, I changed my mind on which of those theories felt more likely, and the new frontrunner involved Yi as an active participant. Last chance. Who do you answer to? *cough cough cough...* gently caress you.Those two words were the trigger. Before I knew it, my hands were around Yi's neck... and they squeezed in. I was choking Yi. Harder... harder... Yi tried grasping for breath, but I wouldn't let the air enter his lungs. I was right up close to this gently caress. And for whatever reason, a memory came to me. A memory of my father... killed by a gang member piece of poo poo like this one. A memory of my mother... killed by a gang member piece of poo poo like this one. Yi... this fucker. This amoral dipshit. Maybe there were relative moralities to the people in this organization, but Yi had no excuse. He'd make plenty of excuses, sure. I was certain he had all sorts of clever things to say. But there was no true excuse. He was a sexist, selfish, poo poo-eating scumbag who would stab friend or foe to get ahead, and showed no signs of stopping. The world would be better without him. There was nobody who would miss him. He deserves to... suffer... My fingernails began to cut his skin. Yi's face was past red, starting to get blue. I could see his eyes turning bloodshot. More... [BGM: Silence]   Vels!All of a sudden, I heard a voice call out from behind me. Stop this! He deserves it. Maybe, but still, you don't! What? You don't have to do this! You shouldn't murder somebody, even like this. If you do that, how are you any better than him? Yi is defeated! He's no longer a threat! What you're doing now isn't helping anybody, it's just cruel, and hurting yourself in the long run. So just, stop it! Don't let him win. ... Would your dad want this? What?! Would he want you to lose yourself to revenge again? ...[BGM: Ura Dora]  I looked back to Yi. ...This gently caress. It wasn't like killing would be crossing a line for me anymore. Still, I didn't like the idea of being a murderer. It was probably good to keep killing as a last resort. And definitely, it would be bad to murder Yi in front of Krish's eyes like this. Yi deserved punishment; a lot of it. He was one of the most contemptible players in Panthea, and that was saying a lot. Still, he was thoroughly beaten. He had alienated most of the Duat members back there. He was out of options. ...And so, I let go. Yi began coughing violently the moment I took a few steps away. Well, that just meant he was alive. Hm. Given that, I think it was probably safe to chalk up Yi as an independently motivated factor in all of this. He definitely would've given it up if he was hiding something just there. So then... I felt like getting a headache. Was I being naive earlier? …More important things to deal with. For example... I turned over to Krish. Krish, what the gently caress are you doing here?It took a moment for Krish to process the whiplash of topics. Oh, uh! You mean, like, this specific room, or... I mean how'd you get caught for murdering Marduk, you idiot. Right, right. About that. I thought you were in trouble. Excuse me? Yeah, no, I was at my hotel room, and I got a message. A message? The phone in the room rang. When I picked it up, it was this weird automated voice. They said they were friends with you, but also a Duat member... and they said you had got yourself in a lot of trouble, the Duats had caught up to you. Wait, how did this voice know what phone number to call? I don't know, it confused me too. But, uh, I guess I had bigger things to worry about at the time. I asked what I could do to help, and they said that they were occupied, but somebody else could sneak into the room you were being held and, you know, stage a whole rescue attempt thing. They gave me a specific location and instructions on how to get into the room you were supposed to be in. I knew it was dangerous, of course, but, you know, I couldn't do nothing. So I followed what they said and made my way here. I entered this very office, like they said, through that window. ….Except, when I entered, I didn't see you. I saw, uh, that dead body.Krish pointed over to the dead body of Marduk, leader of the Duats, who had in fact been just lying on the couch in the same room this whole time. Obviously, this was very confusing and scary. I thought maybe, uh, you broke free yourself? I wanted to see what was happening, so I went over to the office door and peeked out of it. You what?! Look, we both regret a lot of my decisions, okay? Don't need to rub it in. Anyways, I guess somebody saw me open the door briefly. When I realized that there were still tons of Duat members around, I tried to flee through the window. ...But, well, they caught me before I could get out. I could do nothing but sigh. Krish... I guess it was nice that they had tried to save me, but honestly I was too disappointed in how they handled the whole affair to really appreciate it all that much. ...Anyways, it seemed like this 'anonymous voice' had been doing a lot of work recently. This was war, after all. A part of me wondered how they had access to where Krish was staying, but given all the information they seemed to have access to, that honestly didn't seem that implausible. The point was, I was still being hunted down – and my enemy wasn't above putting people I was close to in jeopardy to lure me out. That list wasn't very long, but god dammit, they had still found a way. I looked around once more. Yi was still far from recovering. The door to the main area of the V-Hall was still closed. It was... probably time to get going. I walked over to the window. Then, I turned over to Krish. Look, Krish. Escape through this window after me. Then, just go straight back to the hotel room you were at before and stay there. Lock the door, don't let anybody inside, even Polly. Maybe take Yi's knife with you, just in case. You just need to hide out a bit longer. Yi was the one pushing for you to be captured, and something tells me he's going to be out of commission after this. Still, we should play it safe, hide out for a bit longer. Got it?Slightly dazed by it all, Krish just nodded. Good.Then, I began climbing up to the office's windowsill. As I did this, Krish looked at me closer. They hadn't had an opportunity up until now, but they had a moment to really look at me. When I got up to the windowsill, I turned back to them. Vels... who are you?… [BGM: Silence]  Krish was smarter than they let on. A lot of my recent past had been incredibly calculated. The one thing, really, that I hadn't planned on was befriending Krish. They were a good person – still too naive, but they would grow out of that. They had charisma, ambition, and a genuinely nice personality, and that was a combination that tended to take you far. It was nice getting to know them. Loath as I was to admit it, they made my time in Panthea far more enjoyable. But from the start, our relationship was ill-fated. I couldn't be tying myself down with any connections. And Krish deserved better than to be dragged into dangerous situations they clearly weren't meant for. So I took a breath... and said my goodbye. Live well, Krish. ...Oh, and in the future, don't enter the headquarters of a violent gang because an augmented voice told you to.With that final remark, I turned around and hopped out the other side of Marduk's office. I began making my way away from the V-Hall. I didn't have time to look back. There was still so much to do ahead of me. …  Now that? That? I can get behind that. This is the poo poo I love. Almost don't want to dwell too long. Let the adrenaline speak for itself. ...Ah, but I suppose I should say some parting words. Not for Lara – girl had it coming. I liked her, but she went about everything wrong. Can't really sympathize. No, I want to say goodbye to Yi. I mean, 'Vels' didn't kill him, which is something, but let's be real: I'd be surprised if we see him again. It's interesting, though, that 'Vels' didn't kill Yi? Hm. ...In deference to Yi, I'll leave us off with a quote. 'If ever we witness or hear about some terribly violent act, we will be quick to think ourselves different from the savage that committed the act. However, what makes such violent acts possible is precisely that lack of empathy.' Something to chew on. Who knows if its relevant?
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Mar 10, 2024 00:56
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It was so satisfying for Yi to just pop Lara right between the eyes instead of getting stuck into another dumb roundabout argument, but then he had to go and spoil it by handing off his gun for the pursuit like an idiot. Also, Krish remains the single dumbest major character in the story, and that's saying something. I'm not sure what Vels/Mercury's theory is, but all around Yi's been looking out for his place in the Duats more than anything else and hasn't shown any sign of connection with 'God' or the 'Devil', except maybe if he was the one who got that recording of Marduk. Anyway, that seems to have been a bust, so presumably they have one remaining theory that ties everything together that'll appear in the remaining segments, which'll be Lock and Devon...does that mean that (looking at it from the meta perspective that they're most connected to the political characters, and what would be a shocking twist) in the end Bach will turn out to be one of our mystery figures? Playing the meek pushover would certainly be good cover.
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Mar 10, 2024 01:20
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I still love the "Hao"/"Who's On First" bit.
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Mar 10, 2024 01:24
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...Let's be real here: At this point I'm pretty sure Krish is God. Yes, you read that right. They're just... Too dumb. But also we previously established that Krish is terrible in a fight, and while sure, they were fighting Yi, but they still managed to basically perfectly save Mercury in spite of appearing bad at fighting.
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Mar 10, 2024 02:26
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Lara getting such an unceremonious end sure is something. Also drop Yi into a pit of snakes for intentionally misgendering someone.
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Mar 10, 2024 06:13
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hey just letting you know im not dead, just got hit with probably the worst sickness i've had since like 2019 (not covid, thankfully  just a really, really nasty cold thats hitting half the city lol), which is extra frustrating to happen right after I finished the next update lolshould be good to go in a few days tho
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Mar 19, 2024 00:58
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Take it easy and get some rest, Mix! As for the last chapter, yeah, Lara was being an idiot; she mentioned that Yi didn't have the guts to kill her, and yeah, that's because Marduk would've punished him for it. Don't taunt him into it now that the guy holding him back is gone! Maybe she was counting on riling the crowd up enough to jump on him first. Still, bad plan. Interesting that the point of the ship was to secretly kill off captains who were throwing in with Lara though. Guess the original Thane really was all in with Yi. Pretty funny that after all that worrying about it, none of them thought for a second that it was Thane that capped Marduk. I wonder if, as effectively the only remaining senior officer, if "Thane" will come back and take over?
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Mar 19, 2024 14:13
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ZCKaiser posted:I wonder if, as effectively the only remaining senior officer, if "Thane" will come back and take over? Yi isn't dead, so he could easily gently caress up THAT plan by just making Thane unmask under any pretense like "Oh the leader of the Duats cannot hide their face from them".
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Mar 19, 2024 14:32
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Regallion posted:Yi isn't dead, so he could easily gently caress up THAT plan by just making Thane unmask under any pretense like "Oh the leader of the Duats cannot hide their face from them". Our lovely guide suggested that Yi is basically done for and likely won't be seen again, I'm guessing because he both murdered his fellow officer in front of the entire gang and because he then failed to stop Marduk's killer from getting away (even if he is a little confused about which person that was). By the time her recovers, the shock of what he did is going to wear off. Oh yeah, and he stabbed his own guy, so if that guy survives you have a first hand account that Yi is perfectly willing to literally backstab fellow Duats if it's in his interest. Which isn't to say Thane wouldn't have problems if he came back, just that I don't think it'll be Yi who's in any position to question him. Someone is eventually going to figure out that A) Marduk was shot B) Krish didn't have a gun on them and C) Thane was the last person before to see Marduk before that, and definitely has a gun.
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Mar 19, 2024 15:15
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