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It isn't an official club yet, but that hasn't stopped you and your co-conspirator LORELEI LOVECRAFT from looking into the strange and unusual occurrences around your sleepy rural town of Trivia Valley. Granted, you... haven't exactly done much investigating yet either. That changes today!

Once the last bell had rung, you and Lorelei descended into the dark depths of your school's Forbidden Basement, so called because the door was locked and you had to come in through a slim window. It's also probably a safety hazard. You can smell dank must and old mildew, and you're pretty sure there's asbestos coming out of the long-neglected walls. Since you weren't allowed a classroom for your shadowy dealings, you've had to make due with what abandoned furniture and ancient schoolhouse artifacts were left down here to rot.

You and Lorelei stand beside a wobbly-legged table and look over a water-stained map of the town you dredged up from a locker that was eaten through by rust. Your witch of a companion sets a finger down on the woods to the north of town, which you have to stand on your tiptoes to see well.

"This is where that lady on the mom-site said we should look. There should be a path somewhere, I think, but this map doesn't say where it would lead."
Lorelei lets a hum of consideration through her nose, then looks to you with her sorcerous yellow eye.
"I've brought my Fell Grimoire, and also some stuff for in case we break for a snack. What'd you bring, Ace?"

She sets down her bag and lays out a worn old book of the occult, the remains of the bargain price sticker still clinging to the corner, as well as some cheap bottles of water, an insulated lunchbox with a bat on the front, and a small first-aid kit. Her gaze turns to your own bag as you fish inside to reveal...

>The Dagger of the Demon Lord
>The Crown of the Inferno
>The Torch of the Abyssal Eye
>Something Else... (Write-In!)

>>6121546
>The Crown of the Inferno
KING KING KING KING KING

>>6121546
>Something Else
>The Sceptre of Annúminas
The symbol of an ancient royal lineage, humming with otherworldy power!

>>6121546
>The Torch of the Abyssal Eye
Yo our companions last name is Lovecraft and she has ringed yellow eyes? Bail. Bail immediately.

>>6121546
>The Crown of the Inferno

>>6121546
>The Crown of the Inferno
King shit

>>6121546
>The Crown of the Inferno
Welcome back King, you forgot your crown though. Let's fix that.

>>6121546
>The Dagger of the Demon Lord
Glad to see this back and vote for the 1st time

>>6121546
>The Dagger of the Demon Lord

>>6121546
>>The Dagger of the Demon Lord

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>The Crown of the Inferno
You have a few things in your bag, most notably some snacks of your own, your demonic summoning poster, and of course the Crown of the Inferno! An old discarded Christmas wreath you found and cut into a laurel crown.
That's what it looks like at least, but in reality this artifact was the symbol of power of King Minos! The once mortal ruler who became the judge of the souls damned to the Inferno! You place it upon your head and grin at Lorelei, feeling rather pleased with yourself.

Lorelei nods and takes up her Fell Grimoire, leafing through a few pages before snapping it shut with a puff of dust. Mystical dust, of course.
"Fufu... Looks like we're all set then, Ace. I'll get a route plotted and pack our things back up for the journey, so could you go and make sure there's nobody watching the exit of our Dark Lair?"
She points to the slim window you and her use to get into the Forbidden Basement, having propped up a shoddy ladder to make getting in and out just a little bit more safe, if more splinter-filled. With your item of power securely on your head, you feel more confident than ever as you approach for some reconnaissance...

>Peek out through the almost opaque glass. If you can't see them, they can't see you, though it would sort of defeat the purpose.
>Slip through the high window to see the afternoon with your own eyes. A demon lord has no need for caution!
>Call out through the frame to warn any foolish mortals away. Your devilish voice is sure to drive them away in terror!
>Write-in

>>6121870
>Peek out through the almost opaque glass. If you can't see them, they can't see you, though it would sort of defeat the purpose.

>>6121870
>>Peek out through the almost opaque glass. If you can't see them, they can't see you, though it would sort of defeat the purpose.

>>6121870
>Peek out through the almost opaque glass. If you can't see them, they can't see you, though it would sort of defeat the purpose

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>Peek out through the almost opaque glass.
The film that covers it is thin enough to let some light in, but thick enough to obscure most vision, making the basement a rather secure place for privacy since the only door is always locked. On the other hand though, it means that trying to see anything on the outside is more of a challenge than your eyes can handle, and the dirt and grime that's been caked on over the years doesn't help. Though with the day over, you know that plenty of students will either be going home or heading to their after-school activities. Who's going to notice if you press your hands up to try and get a better look?

A few vague blobs of shadow move along outside, none paying any attention to your unremarkable little window. For a moment you think that one of them stops as your eyes fall on it, but it continues on soon after. Maybe checking its phone.
There comes a tap on the wood from the bottom of the ladder, with Lorelei smirking up at you with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Looking hard or hardly looking?"
She snickers through her nose. A low, breathy noise that comes from her chest with hardly any effort.
"We clear yet? Everything's ready for us to get this quest on the road."

Once all the blobs have disappeared, you tell Lorelei the coast is clear and open up the window to its usual groaning squeak. You clamber out of the stale stasis of the basement and into the fresh, cool breeze of the open air. With a clean breath in your lungs you help Lorelei out next, but your first steps of the adventure are suddenly met with an obstacle. A very big obstacle.

A schoolmate, towering over the both of you like a titan among mice, was stopped in her tracks as the two of you made your exit. She looks from your pair to the window then back at you. The colossus asks warily what you were doing in the basement, imposing in few words that she suspects another 'Janitor Incident' was taking place.

"N-No! Nothing like that, it was just- we were..."
Lorelei stammers, her incanting tongue tangling and twisting over itself until she gives you a nudge on the back to come in with an assist.

>Present your handmade club card and tell her you're the Mystery Investigation Club! This is your clubroom!
>Go for the vague approach. Oh you know, this and that, stuff and things, just... hanging out. In the basement.
>Flirt. Poorly.
>Write-in

>>6122043
>Flirt. Poorly.
There is no other choice.

>>6122043
>Present your handmade club card and tell her you're the Mystery Investigation Club! This is your clubroom!

>>6122043
>Present your handmade club card and tell her you're the Mystery Investigation Club! This is your clubroom!
>Flirt. Poorly.

Let's use our amazing charms to show off how amazing we are

>>6122043
>Go for the vague approach. Oh you know, this and that, stuff and things, just... hanging out. In the basement.
>Flirt. Poorly.

>>6122043
>Go for the vague approach. Oh you know, this and that, stuff and things, just... hanging out. In the basement.

>>6122043
>Go for the vague approach. Oh you know, this and that, stuff and things, just... hanging out. In the basement.
The most pocket spaghetti option

>>6122043
>Present your handmade club card and tell her you're the Mystery Investigation Club! This is your clubroom!
Be extremely enthusiastic because she did ask about our hobby. It's time to start yapping.

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>Go for the vague approach.
>Tell her you're the Mystery Investigation Club!
>Flirt. Poorly.

Through the catches in your throat you keep your dark dealings ambiguous to the giant. The two of you were just hanging out in the basement of the school. Like normal students are known to do. Doing totally normal things. No incidents and no messes that weren't already there.
After an awkward pause you cough and, in the smoothest voice you can muster, add that you wouldn't mind an incident with her though. At least you try to, it comes out jumbled a few times before you give up completely amid the syllable salad trying to rise like nervous bile.
She... should come inside the basement, then she'll see what the two of you mean. You fumble in your pocket for your card, but completely forget where you put it as you mumble something about your Mystery Investigation Club in your nervous state.

The titan turns an empty stare to the window and tells you that she doesn't think she'd fit. But as her gaze falls back onto your face, there's a small light that starts burning behind her eyes. A light of recognition.

"...Hey, I know you. You're Gloomsday, right?"
Her lifeless mouth starts to turn into an amused smirk as she leers over you and Lorelei, speaking that forbidden name. One of the nicknames you've had the misfortune of being stuck with. It's a foul poison to your spirit.
"Almost didn't recognize you without that depressin'-ass look on your face. What's with the goofy shit you two got on, Halloween come early?"

She starts reaching down to your head with a hand full of dubious intent. Whether going to grab the Crown of the Inferno or your natural-born horns, neither options sounds very good as her choice inches closer and closer! You can feel yourself and Lorelei shrinking back from her ever so slightly, your sixth sense screaming that danger is only a second away!

>Duck away and tell Lorelei to run! If you retreat now maybe you'll both live to see another day. It's simple survival 101, know when to fold 'em.
>Accept your fate. Everybody has their day to go to the underworld, and it looks like this one is yours. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow.
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.
>Write-in

>>6122112
>Duck away and tell Lorelei to run! If you retreat now maybe you'll both live to see another day. It's simple survival 101, know when to fold 'em.

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.
SUTANDO PROUD

>>6122112
>Accept your fate. Everybody has their day to go to the underworld, and it looks like this one is yours. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow.

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.

Stand on our toes, obviously

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.

Gotta develop that character eventually.

>>6122112
>Accept your fate. Everybody has their day to go to the underworld, and it looks like this one is yours. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow.
We are about to get folded, and lorelei will have to avenge us.

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be

>>6122112
>Stand tall and face the titan. Maybe fear is getting the best of you, and she's actually going for a third option... Whatever that could be.
time for the boomer shake

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>Stand tall and face the titan.
Quit your cowering, Paxton! How are you going to become the greatest Demon Lord of all time if you can't even handle this very, very large mortal...? You draw yourself up steel your courage. If your face doesn't show it, then at least your posture does as the hand falls onto your head...

It's a surprisingly gentle landing given that, by its size alone, she seems like she could easily crush your skull if she squeezed. She raises her hand up and down... patting your head?
"Heh, good for you. 'Least you're not ashamed of it looking like a couple dorks."
Her patting takes a rough turn as she pushes her palm against your head and suddenly ruffles your hair! The force pushes you a step or two back, a slim grin on her face. Your cheeks feel warm.

"What's a 'Mystery Investigation Club'?", the colossus asks.
Lorelei, seeing your own composure has rebuilt itself some, clears her throat and holds a hand over her eye to peer through her fingers.
"I-It's none of..."
But stops herself. You and her likely have the same thought, you do need a third member to become a fully fledged club. Demonesses from the underworld don't count, and Jubilee doesn't even attend your school anyways.
"It's... a club. We alone delve into the occult and supernatural happenings in our town, cataloguing all in our Black Library. Fufu, it isn't for the faint of heart..."

You don't have a Black Library, or even a ledger really, just a scrap of notebook paper you jotted rumors down on and tossed in your bag somewhere. For all the punching up Lorelei did to make your duo seem more impressive than it actually is, she neglected to invite this behemoth to join your ranks. Maybe she forgot, or maybe she couldn't muster herself to ask something of such an intimidating presence.

"Huh. So it's like... turbo nerd shit?"
Despite her coarse words, you catch that you have her curiosity. You might even have her attention, for better or worse.

>Try to recruit her for your team. You have a rogue and a mage, this big lady is clearly a fighter! The classic triumvirate, and just what you need to become a real club.
>Hold off on trying to bring her into the fold. She has a strange aura that you don't trust. Everybody does, except for Lorelei. And your sister. And Jubilee for some reason.
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.
>Write-in

>>6122495
>Try to recruit her for your team. You have a rogue and a mage, this big lady is clearly a fighter! The classic triumvirate, and just what you need to become a real club.
Fighter my ass though, sister is clearly a Tank.
Made for taking damage not giving it out.

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.
Is she really mystery club material? She might have the physical capabilities, but how would she be against literal hellspawn?

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.

>>6122495
>Hold off on trying to bring her into the fold. She has a strange aura that you don't trust. Everybody does, except for Lorelei. And your sister. And Jubilee for some reason.

>>6122495
>Hold off on trying to bring her into the fold. She has a strange aura that you don't trust. Everybody does, except for Lorelei. And your sister. And Jubilee for some reason.

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.
What do her parents feed her

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.

>She raises her hand up and down...patting your head?
"Heh, good for you.
Cute

>>6122495
>Pry a little more into the giant. She looks like she has somewhere to be, but you might have a little time to learn more before you consider bringing her in.
I'm thinking she's the school's star hooker for the varsity rugby team

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>Pry a little more into the giant.
You more or less confirm offhand that it is, in fact, turbo nerd shit for turbo nerds, but getting your verbal feet back under you also use it to ask the most basic question of all.

The kaiju of a woman points a confident thumb at herself, showing a fang in her wide grin.
"Tora Hobbes, heavyweight champ for the MMA team... Former champ. Former member."
While she looks pretty damned proud as she announces the title, the latter half takes the wind out of her sails and puts a frown on her face. Tora drops her hand back down to her side, and looks back to the direction she was intending to go.

"Former?"
Lorelei tilts her head as she steps from behind you to stand at your side.
"Yeah." Tora says with a slight nod. "Listen, I got uh... somewhere to be. Who were you two again?"

Your sorcerous friend seemed like she was about to give the first answer that came to mind, but reeled it back in with an ethereal swish of her hand.
"Lorelei Lovecraft, Dark Mistress of the Ars Arcana. No occult secret shall escape my all-knowing eye."
You give your introduction with a clench of your fist, telling Tora that you are Ace Archibald Paxton, Lord Over the Nine Hells! Monster and mortal alike bend to your iron will!

Tora stares at you both for a short moment more...
"...Got it. See you 'round, dorks."
Then snorts and turns to start heading off towards the school gym. Once she's out of earshot, you and Lorelei both give out a sigh of relief as the tension disappears. First obstacle dealt with!

>Set off for the woods on the north end of town. Enough dilly-dallying! Let's get this adventure started, for real this time!
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...
>Suggest taking an early break. You know you've barely started, but that whole encounter was a little draining. Weary is the head that bears the crown.
>Write-in

>>6122834
>Set off for the woods on the north end of town. Enough dilly-dallying! Let's get this adventure started, for real this time!

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...

A good run starts with good prep

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store..

>>6122834
>>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DFI6cV9slfI

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...

>>6122834
>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in. The messages you got the tip from said a path could be north of a hardware store...

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>There's still some gear you want to grab before going in.
You take a look at the map of the town, tracing your finger until you find what might be that family-owned hardware store the rumor mentioned. You've never been there yourself as you're still pretty new to Trivia Valley, and even more new to actually going out and exploring it. Lorelei taps her chin as you tell her your plan to head there.

"Brigit Family Hardware, hm? Father used to take me along on his trips there when I was a kid. I heard they closed down a few years ago..."
She tilts her head, but gives a nod anyways. It's not like it's out of the way, the path deeper into the forest should be somewhere north of it anyways. Might as well see what's become of it.

----------

The white paint on the wood of this shabby and cramped two-story building has long become yellowed and flaking, the canvas awning over the entrance sun-bleached and fraying at the corners. In summary, this store is old and withered, but still standing firm. The shutters over the windows only let slits of light shine in from the outside, and trying the handle of the glass pane door you find that it's locked up tight. If you were to put your eyes up to it though, you could see that it's still full of merchandise. Dust and air are practically the same thing inside.

Lorelei sighs as she looks up at the building, her arms crossed in a sense of longing.
"Figures... It was worth a shot. I guess it isn't a surprise an old place like this finally kicked the bucket."

Even though there are no signs of life inside, you can't help but notice the lack of any foreclosure or for sale signs on the windows. Not even an old going out of business banner, just ancient advertisements from days gone by. A relic from the past.

>Leave for the woods, there's nothing here.
>Knock three times. Might as well.
>Look for somewhere out of the way to get some gear.
>Write-in

>>6123120
>Knock three times. Might as well.
Maybe a ghost will answer or goku and vegeta

>>6123120
>>Knock three times. Might as well.

>>6123120
>Knock three times. Might as well.
If no answer
>Look for somewhere out of the way to get some gear.

>>6123120
>Knock three times. Might as well.

>>6123120
>Knock three times. Might as well.

>>6123120
>(Write-in/Knock three times...-) Have Lorelei knock. The owner may recognize her, since she said her father went here before. Plus, I can stand back and investigate for any activity while she knocks.

>>6123120
>Knock three times. Might as well.
Have Lorelei do it

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Supporting

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>Have Lorelei knock
Her knuckles rap thrice against the metal frame at your request. Lorelei leans in and pushes some of her hair behind her ear as she squints to try and see anything your eyes might have missed with her supernatural Second Sight. A moment more passes before she lets out a sigh and turns back to you.

"The only thing haunting this mausoleum are spirits. It's kinda sad, I always liked walking through those narrow little aisles. Could I see the map?"
She scans over the part you and her should be at, looking up every so often to see how faithful to life it still is.
"So from here to the woods means we'll cross the street here and-"

The crunching click of an old lock struggles from the door, and once the two of you look you find a looming shadow has manifested on the other side of the glass. A shadow with strong hands wrapped in white bandages that put away a key and slowly push on the glass to open the tomb just a crack. Dry, ancient air blows out from within, and the being speaks in a deep, coarse voice to address the two of you.

"...Is there somethin' I can do for you two...?"
A single eye that gleams a dull blue-green squints from the light at you and Lorelei, hanging on the witch for a moment.
"...You're Proctor's kid, ain't ya? He finally decide he needed new tools from me again? Keheh-"
The shadow's laugh is interrupted by a coughing fit, leaning further into the shade as it hacks in its dark domain. Lorelei gives you a quick glance, then rubs the back of her neck with an awkward sort of smile.
"Eheheh, yep. That's me, Mr. Brigit... But uh, no, I didn't come here for him. I kinda wanted to know if this place was still open."
"Damn cough... Well, sorry to say it ain't open for business no more, but seein' how I don't get customers either way, it's open to your and your funny-looking friend there if y'all wanna come in."

It pushes the door open a bit more for you, scratching what sounds like a beard... or maybe more bandages.
Ya know I gotta ask though, what's it that's bringin' a couple a' student here instead of one a' them chain stores?"

>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!
>We seek a mythic smith to craft arms for an adventure!
>We need some stuff from the hardware store for a trip in the woods.
>Write-in

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!

It’s a mystery investigation quest, after all.

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!
We need the hardest of wares

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!
Going into the woods by ourselves is in itself a daring quest, so that certainly isn't a lie. A hatchet, some firestarting equipment, maybe even a crowbar if we encounter some abandoned structure, they could all come in handy... that seem like a good idea?

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!

>>6123474
>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!
Toolmaker, I am going into battle and I need your strongest tools.

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>We seek to purchase items to help us on a daring quest!
As you step into the store, the shadow flicks a switch on the wall that springs to life yellowed and loudly buzzing florescent bulbs. They line the ceiling in groups like the barred windows of a cheaply radiant prison turned on its side. Their prisoner is shown in full by the glow, a mummy of a man whose meat is yet to wither, but he moves and speaks as if his organs have already been scooped into jars.

"A quest is it, boy? Been readin' too many fairy tales, ain't ya."
"Maybe a little..." Lorelei lets out a light and semi-forced chuckle. "He's Ace by the way, and um... Could you call me Lorelei?"
"Don't like the name your daddy have ya no more?" After a slightly pleading look, the apron-wearing mummy simply shrugs his wide shoulders. "Whatever makes ya happy."
"Thanks, Mr. Brigit... but um, not to sound like I got knocked on the head or anything, we really are on a sort of quest. We're going to look for something in the woods, so would you have anything that could help mess around safely?"
"Hell... I should have a thing or two 'round somewhere. So long as you ain't gonna go an' fight no windmills, I'm happy to lend ya a couple for a bit. Just don't go losin' or breakin' em, alright?"

With the two of you nodding in agreement, Mr. Brigit leads you through the many cramped shelves, all laden with dusty clutter that hasn't seen a mortal touch in a long, long time. Everything sort of blends together as you walk along, but every so often something catches your attention more than the rest. At the end of the day though, it's an old hardware store with a bunch of niche bits and bobs you couldn't even begin to imagine of what they're called.

>Grab an aluminum tube with a bulbous cap on the end. It isn't all that long, but it's nice and simple and looks a little like a scepter if you close your eyes.
>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as wel. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.
>Pick up a coil of sturdy rope. It's scratchy, durable, and fun to put your arms through. As any adventurer will tell you, you never know when you might need rope.
>Ask Mr. Brigit if he has anything else you could take a look at. Maybe something not on the shelves?
>Write-in

>>6123874
>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as wel. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.

>>6123874
>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as wel. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.

Wouldn’t want to prick our fingers

>>6123874
>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as well. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.
Pigskin gauntlets, how perfect! Now if only we had a matching set of greaves... nah. That'd be weird.

...wait, windmills? Why mention those in particular?
>(Write-in) Inquire about what the shopkeeper knows about 'windmills'. Maybe some place to explore if he's already mentioning not to fight them.

>>6123874
>Grab an aluminum tube with a bulbous cap on the end. It isn't all that long, but it's nice and simple and looks a little like a scepter if you close your eyes.
What mystical properties does this tool have to look like something even with our eyes closed

>>6123874

>Grab an aluminum tube with a bulbous cap on the end. It isn't all that long, but it's nice and simple and looks a little like a scepter if you close your eyes.

>>6123874
>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as wel. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.

>>6123874
>>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves. To most these are for the working class, but a demon lord can make use of them just as wel. They also feel pretty satisfying to slip on and off.
Make a note to take one off and slap someone with it in the future.

>>6123883
Supporting the write in too.
Maybe it's not just a Quixote analogy?

>>6124278
I wouldn't think so, either. Mummy-like appearance, the mentioning of 'attacking' and 'windmills' in sequence, old decrepit closed-down store yet the owner still lets us shop... obviously my first thought goes to there being SOMETHING going on here.

And anyway, if we get the location of the windmills, that also means if we get lost in the forest, find one or more windmills, we have a MUCH better chance at making our way back, as we now have a reference point to go off of whatever edits we make to our map with. So, it's a good idea to ask overall...

Can't say Ace will think as I do, but that's where my train of thought goes. Both investigative and survivalist motives; it's a good idea.

>>6123874
>Ask Mr. Brigit if he has anything else you could take a look at. Maybe something not on the shelves?
Also supporting the windmill question from the other anon.

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>>6123875
>>6123878
>>6123883
>>6123884
>>6123895
>>6123934
>>6124176
>>6124278
>>6124308

>Take a pair of thick, rugged gloves.
The inside of the oversized, well-worn workman's gloves itch at your hands and fingers as you slip them on, but clenching your fist gives out a leathery creak that adds strong weight to such a simple gesture. You can feel the power, the control, and the might to command legions in these gloves. With these, you could hold the world in the palm of your hand.

>Why mention windmills?
Mr. Brigit's glasses glance over you for a moment before he lets out a wheeze of a sigh.
"Kids don't read anymore, do they... Don't mind this old man, he's just makin' jokes."
He watches as you flex your fingers in the beaten old gloves like a kid playing with a new toy, a look of wonder on your face so bright that it lightens the rings around your eyes.
"Go on an' chase yer giants, Ace, but careful you don't go gettin' lost in yer li'l fairy tales, ya hear?"

Lorelei looks through the glass body of two metal-clasped mason jars, humming to herself with a smile pulling at her lips. She nods slowly before presenting them to you and the mummy in an apron. Mr. Brigit makes a sound that could be a laugh as he sees both of you beam at his unimpressive stock.
"Found what yer lookin' for then, eh? Can't say I get it, but I'm not the one doin' the pickin' now am I."
"So... How much do you want for them, Mr. Brigit?" The witch asks. "Nothing has any price stickers on them..."
The man in a cocoon of cloth waves a dismissive hand at the question. "I don't want nothin'. I'm lendin' 'em to ya, 'member? Just as long as they find their way back here in one piece once yer done with 'em."

>Thank the shopkeep and take your leave. Geared up with what you need, it's time to face the woods!
>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?
>Stay to chat a while with the old mummy. You've got time, and how often do you get to talk to the undead?
>Write-in

>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?

>>6124369
>>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?
>>Stay to chat a while with the old mummy. You've got time, and how often do you get to talk to the undead?

>>6124369
>>Stay to chat a while with the old mummy. You've got time, and how often do you get to talk to the undead?

>>6124369
>Thank the shopkeep and take your leave. Geared up with what you need, it's time to face the woods!
Later dude

>>6124369
Huh... perplexing... I still don't buy it, though maybe it's just a case of the guy doesn't wanna let on what he knows. Oh well, puzzles for another day! I'll remember the windmills, though.

>>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?
>>Stay to chat a while with the old mummy. You've got time, and how often do you get to talk to the undead?
Seems like a good guy. Maybe we could offer to help clean up the place a bit as our payment. We'd get to talk in the meantime, and who knows what else we'd find?

>>6124369
>Thank the shopkeep and take your leave. Geared up with what you need, it's time to face the woods!

>>6124369
>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?

>>6124369
>Insist on giving something in return. If not money, then maybe he has something he wants done?
Ask for a bowl to wear and a donkey for lorelei, after all we did see a giant earlier.

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>>6124378
>>6124384
>>6124404
>>6124420
>>6124429
>>6124449
>>6124458
>>6124811

>Insist on giving something in return.
Mr. Brigit adjusts his glasses with fingers like pillars of stone each given new skin. Another wheeze escapes him, resigned to your wishes of giving him something for the boons he's lent to the two of you.
"Well, you're right that I don't much want no money. Ain't like I got much use for it these days, I got everythin' I need already. Funny though... I ain't given too much thought to what I could want. Other than not needin' these wraps I got, but there ain't no helpin' that."
He takes a moment to scratch the bandages that cover his chin as he thinks.
"...Tell ya what, li'l fella. You don't much seem the type, an' I know, ah, Lorelei here ain't, but if ya ever find someone with a knack for workin' with their hands an' a real fire for makin' thin's ain't nobody seen before, why don't ya send 'em my way. Like ah... an' apprentice, eh?"
He puts the emphasis of a chuckle on the last part, likely hoping it would spur something in your story-dried mind. An apprentice to a hermit workman, learning the secrets of a craft known only to the few.

>Stay to chat a while with the old mummy.
"Now what'd you wanna hang 'round tthis dusty ol' place for, ain't got nothin' better to do? What happened to your li'l quest in the woods?"
Mr. Brigit gives out an amused wheeze as he pulls a stool from behind the counter and has a seat, grunting and struggling as the ancient are known to do.
"Hell, ain't like I don't got time. Sit wherever ya like."

You hop up and dangle your legs from the countertop while Lorelei takes a seat on a sturdy and decently sized crate. None of the three sitting places seem very comfortable for any of you, you and your friend shifting in place often, but the mummy seems used to it. Maybe he just can't feel his rear anymore. Rather than dwell on it too long though, Lorelei decides to speak instead.
"So... How have you been, Mr. Brigit? It's been a while, hm?"
"Can't complain. Well, won't rather. Wouldn't do me much good if I did, would it?" Mr. Brigit shrugs. "How 'bout you then, I see you've grown up tall, eh?"
Lorelei nods and straightens out her back, the flick of her hair even giving her an extra edge.
"Mhm. Not as tall as father, but I have mother beat by a few inches. I'm... doing good, I think. Actually having fun lately, yeah."
"Heh. Blink twice if your friend here's just draggin' ya a long."
She shakes her head pushes a laugh through her nose.
"And ah," Mr. Brigit continues. "How is your daddy anyways?"
Now it's Lorelei's turn to shrug, resigned as well to the way things are. "They're... you know. Father is father, mother is mother."
The mummy only nods, and the moment grows long.

>If you want an apprentice, are you a master craftsman?
>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?
>How do you know Lorelei, was her father also a warlock?
>Write-in

>>6125065
>>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?

>>6125065

>If you want an apprentice, are you a master craftsman?

>>6125065
>If you want an apprentice, are you a master craftsman?
Ya know... I'm immediately thinking about someone... let's find out more about what this apprenticing is... Maybe it'd be a good fit for them.

>>6125065
>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?

>>6125065
>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?

>>6125065
>If you want an apprentice, are you a master craftsman?
>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?

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>>6125117
>>6125118
>>6125123
>>6125186
>>6125644
>>6125778

>Why do you need all those bandages, were you cursed?
"Ace..." Lorelei gives you a look, but Mr. Brigit just holds up his hand with another wheezing laugh.
"I don't mind it, Lorelei, I could see the fella was wantin' to ask first second he saw me. Curse though, now that's a funny way to ask."
He reaches a hand out to give you a better look at his bandages. Meticulously wrapped for maximum coverage and minimum waste while letting him stay protected without hindering his movement. It's as if he treats wrapping himself up each day like creating a suit of mastercrafted armor, banded in cloth and reinforced by flesh and will of steel.
"Could call it a curse if ya want, but it's just 'cause of some old battle scars. Guess that'd make me a cursed soldier, even if my fightin' days are long done, eh?"
While he said it as a joke, you can't help but feel a little excited by that idea. A warrior of old bearing accursed scars from doing battle with dark foes...

>If you want an apprentice, are you a master craftsman?
"Master craftsman, huh? I wouldn't go that far, kid, but I do know a thin' or two 'bout makin' a thin' or two. I've had plenty of time to work my skills, but..."
Mr. Brigit rubs the back of his head.
"I s'ppose I'm just feelin' like it's 'bout time I pass on what I learned to someone else. Ain't got no kids of my own to teach, but ah, an apprentice would do well 'nuff I reckon."
Lorelei nods, though her eye trails the floor for a moment before it comes back to you.

>You were a warrior? Do you have any cool stories of valor?
>As a cursed smith, could you craft arcane armaments for us?
>Thank you for the stories, but it's time we set off on our quest!
>Write-in

>>6125833
>(Write-in) As thanks for your help on our quest, we shall certainly look for your apprentice... actually, what ARE you looking for in an apprentice?
We need to pay him back! We need to bring him hope! We need to unlock the true potential of this store!

>>6125857
+1
Trve

>>6125833
>As a cursed smith, could you craft arcane armaments for us?

>>6125857
+1

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>>6125857
>>6126174
>>6126282

>What ARE you looking for in an apprentice?
"I ain't too picky. So long as they got the basic chops an' the willinness to learn, they'll do fine. Hell, they don't even gotta know the basics. Passion for workin' with their hands, tinkerin', hammerin', that sorta thin'. That'll do a lot of heavy liftin' for 'em, at the start."
Mr. Brigit rubs his jaw for a moment longer.
"...Hmm, if ya still need it narrowed down though, I guess I could think of a few more, eh, criteria. They don't gotta be too strong in the arm, though it helps, but good control of their hands would be ideal. Hand-eye-coordination, ya know? An' beyond that... A bright mind. Creative type, someone who don't just see the metal an' bits in front of 'em. Like a... a painter or one a' them sorta abstract thinkers, yeah."

Lorelei scratches her head to think of anyone who fits what he's after, though seems to be drawing a blank for the moment. You don't fare any better. It's not like you know many people to begin with, and even less when they're narrowed down. Looks like you'll have to go on a hunt.

Seeing the both of you silent, Mr. Brigit takes the opportunity to slap his knees and start to stand.
"Welp, I don't reckon I should keep you two much longer, eh? Sorry 'bout all the dust. Just so ya don't get lungs like a smoker, I'll make sure the place gets a touch up 'fore ya come back. Have ah... fun on your quest."
He gives one last amused wheeze as he waves, his tone seeming just a touch brighter than he was when you first came to the store.

>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!
>Head off to one more stop. No, you aren't wasting time, you just have another idea! (Write-in)
>Maybe you should call off the woodsy adventure for now. No, you aren't scared!
>Write-in

>>6126597
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!

>>6126597
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!

>>6126597
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!

Enough loligagging

>>6126597
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!
Adventure awaits! Huzzah!

>>6126597
"Passion for workin' with their hands... lot of heavy liftin'... good control of their hands..."
Going to hold onto these until...

Though yes, ADVENTURE AWAITS!
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!
WE NEED TO FIND THOSE WINDMILLS!

>>6126597
>Onwards into the woods! Adventure awaits!

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>>6126641
>>6126646
>>6126649
>>6126698
>>6126717
>>6127042

>Onwards into the woods!
Bidding the mummy-smith farewell, you and Lorelei make your way to the edge of the woods...

The path that leads inside was easy enough to find, marked by an old wooden gate that threatened splinters just by looking at it. From the first few steps inside, you felt as if the crooked trees bent inwards and leered at you with branches like a thousand grasping claws. Holes in their trunks gaped like hungry maws, and even their shared canopy seemed to blot out the afternoon sun to trap you within its verdant darkness. The dirt path gradually becomes more and more overgrown until the two of you walk on nothing but the grass that clings to your shoes, just waiting for the right opportunity to pull you under and bury you alive. All that remains is the occasional decrepit wooden post or marked stone to guide your way.

Lorelei seems on edge as you continue deeper and deeper, squinting into the dark and checking over her shoulder at the many rustlings of leaves and snapping branches. Honestly, you're feeling the same way, but you're keeping a stalwart face as you lead the way. You've come out here to investigate the mysterious home of your school's long missing former principal, but if he lived out in a place like this... maybe it would be better if you found nothing at all.

"Hey, Ace, do you hear that?"
Lorelei stops and cups a hand by her ear. While you were expecting to hear the growl of some terrible and unknowable horror, what you catch instead is...
"Is that... water?"
Following the sound, you come across a deep and wide creek running through the trees. Moss and slippery foliage has turned the bank into treacherous footing and an even more dubious jumping-off point, not that you think you could leap it anyways. An old and decaying log, rife with the same damnable moss, lays across the two sides of the creek as a bridge. One you wouldn't trust to allow even a squirrel to cross, but one that bears some kind of wooden sign at the other end.
While the two of you look it over though, you swear you catch a pair of eyes blinking at you from your periphery. When you whip your head around to look at them though, all you see is a great and thick bramble of thorns with a few manmade stakes sticking out from their thirsty coils. They stretch across further than your eyes can strain in the dark, out into where you imagine many more eyes are staring back at you with hunger in their hearts. Not only could going around them take ages, but going out into the deeper dark could turn out... poorly.

Both seem to be a way forwards, but neither seem all that safe. You and Lorelei do have a few tools at your disposal though, and some might just come in handy for whichever path you pick.

>Try to cross the log-bridged creek.
>Try to go through the great brambles.
>Turn back and leave while you can still remember the way.
>Write-in

>>6127234
>Try to cross the log-bridged creek.
FORD THE RIVER

>>6127234
>Try to go through the great brambles.
"It's as if there is some awful truth out there in the trees. It's hiding in the branches. Look at them. Something that's been bothering you for a long time is out there. What is it?"

>>6127234
>Try to go through the great brambles.

>>6127234
>USE ITEM: Thick, Rugged Gloves
>Try to go through the great brambles.
We don't have too much to get across a very precarious log, and if the bank already looks treacherous, falling in the water could be deadly.

Thick bramble would be a problem if we didn't have gloves, though we do, and so they shouldn't placate us as badly.

Though...
>(Write-in) Do we have anything to mark our location thus far, so we don't get lost?

>>6127234
>Try to cross the log-bridged creek.

>>6127234
>>6127330
+1!

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>>6127238
>>6127243
>>6127256
>>6127330
>>6127408
>>6127533

>Try to go through the great brambles
You decide that the log bridge is too dangerous, and your current tools not up to the task of crossing the creek for now. Instead, you slip on your gloves with a satisfying fist clench and move to the sharp-thorned brambles!
Lorelei scratches her cheek, then pulls up her book and flicks through a few pages seemingly at random. She hovers a hand over it, muttering arcane incantations as your own hands start to grasp at the thorns to clear a path. You aren't completely sure, but you feel like the magic she's working is helping keep the treacherous vines at bay as you forge the way forwards! Through your handiwork and Lorelei's ritual, you eventually reach the other side of the great swath of danger with minimal pricks to your hands and legs!

Finally in the clear, Lorelei sighs and snaps her book shut with a flourish. She flicks her hair with a confident smile.
"Child's play. The hex of binding should keep the thorns in place until we cross through here again... Are your hands okay?"
Thanks to your gloves, your hands are just fine! The two of you check yourselves over to find no lasting damage. Seems like it was a good idea to stop by the hardware store after all!
"Good... I wouldn't want to waste my power on a healing spell so soon. Better to save it for when we really need it, hm?"
You decide not to bring up that she just used some of her magical power on keeping the brambles at bay. After all, it seems like a good enough use for when you make your way back.

The brambles and creek soon disappear into the darkness of the dense forest, the stakes and stones growing more and more sparse the further you delve. Eventually though you come to a clearing... of sorts.
The trees have become taller here, and even though they've mostly given way to a more open area of the woods their branches and leaves still block out the sunlight from reaching here. In the middle of the clearing is a great and twisted trunk, its bark gnarled and knotted with the dark wisdom of ages. Abyssal hollows seem to stare at you from the great tree, daring you to take another trespassing step into it's domain. Lorelei tugs at the collar of her uniform's turtleneck undershirt.

"U-Uh... Are you getting a bad feeling from this thing, Ace? Something's just... off."

>Approach the tree to investigate the feeling of dread
>Try to see more in the dark from where you are
>Leave. It's clear that's what the tree wants you to do
>Write-in

>>6127888
>Try to see more in the dark from where you are
Let's look around the clearing a bit. See if the entire tree is like this, or if it's just this side of it... maybe there's signs of... well, anything, in this clearing around, or even in the branches above? Inspect without needing to get too close, you know.

>>6127888
>Approach the tree to investigate the feeling of dread

>>6127888
>Write-in
See if we can call upon jubilee in case she knows something about it.

>>6127949
+1

>>6127888
>Approach the tree to investigate the feeling of dread

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>>6127914
>>6127949
>>6128354
>>6128387

>Approach the tree to investigate the feeling of dread
You quickly weigh the pros and cons of straining your eyes against the blackness, or taking the time to invite the spawn of the underworld into the woods, but ultimately decide to face the dread with your will and courage alone. Your breath has caught in your lungs without you even realizing as you take shaking steps forwards into the clearing. Each footstep is the tolling of a bell that forces the blood to ring in your ears until all you can hear is your heart thump in your chest. However, even that falls silent as death once the cracking of shifting wood and bark echoes through the overbearing pressure, jagged leaves raining down like funeral weather.

One bright yellow eye glares a baleful light at you from one of the knots in the tree. Then another. And a handful more, until a multitude of foul lanterns tighten their hold and stop you in your tracks. The trunk cracks like wet thunder, splinters splitting and twisting, turning inside out and upside down with the most foul of noises before a great hand gives out a tremor as it crashes and digs its terrible claws into the dirt just inches from your toes. You fall back into Lorelei who tumbles you both to the grass, and a head that splits a jaw of ruinous teeth follows you on writhing tendrils of tainted green.

Trespassers. Wretches. Fools.

The voice rumbles from the very depths of your fear in a cutting whisper, malice and cold fury laced into every syllable. Lorelei covers her mouth in terror. Your eyes are bleary, barely able to put the beast's form into an image you can fathom. You want to scream, but it's as if your mouth was sewn shut.

I will devour you. Your flesh feeding the greenery, and your bones given back to the earth that deigned spawn you.

Its jaws open wider than you though possible, a yawning chasm from which there is no escape.

Step into my maw. Accept your return to eternal darkness.

>R-Run!
>Accept death.
>L-Lorelei, do something!
>Write-in

>>6128855
AWW SHUCKS! NOT AGAIN!

>R-Run!
I don't know if Lorelei has anything- if she does, she'll use that instead of running. But if she doesn't, she better get her behind into gear cuz I'm pulling her up by her hair if that's what it takes to escape, damn it!

>>6128855

>L-Lorelei, do something!

Trust in our goth GF.

>>6128855
>Ask what it is.
Maybe we can distract it while Lorelei does something?

Do we have some way to make Lorelei's breasts bigger?

>>6128855
>R-Run!
>>6129725
pregnancy, but it seems too much of a step rn

>>6128855
>L-Lorelei, do something!

>>6128855
>Write-in
Stammer out something about being the lord of demons and refusing to be cowed by some hippie who lives in a tree

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>>6128881
>>6128887
>>6128913
>>6129725
>>6129774
>>6129846
>>6129956

>Stammer out something

Pretend all you like. Play out your pathetic fantasies. It won't change reality.

You hadn't even spoken out loud. Your voice was too caught up in quick, rapid breaths, but it still answered to your fear-stricken thoughts. Your heart is pounding in your ears, and Its great bony hand is reaching out to grab you. To squeeze the life out of you. It's silent apart from thumbing and the voice of the beast.

>Ask what it is.

I am the end. Embrace me. It's what you want, isn't it. In the depths of your puny soul.

Your hands are trembling. Tears are welling in your eyes. You don't think you could get up to run if you wanted to, your knees would buckle underneath you and you think your feet have gone numb. Its eyes have you in a formless vise, rooting you to the spot as its foul jaws inch closer at an agonizingly slow pace. It'll swallow you whole. Feet first so you can see yourself disappear into the well of endless despair.

>L-Lorelei, do something!
Your hand finds Lorelei's leg like a timber in a tempest storm. She's trying to speak, but the words never find your ears. Only the feeling of her voice hitting your hair, then her hands on your shoulders. The vibrations feel confused, panicked, but not at the monster. One of her hands rests supportively on your chest as the other roots through her bag. It's hard to breathe. A cold sweat is running down your back.

Give in. You won't have to feel like this if you just let go. You all do, one day or another. Why not let it be now.

>Lean into your friend for support
>Squeeze your eyes shut to hide
>Throw your horns at the beast
>Write-in

>>6130102
>Throw your horns at the beast
Aim for the eyes!

>>6130102
>Throw your horns at the beast
The best defense is a good offense

>>6130102
>Throw your horns at the beast

>>6130102
>Throw your horns at the beast

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>>6130112
>>6130146
>>6130152
>>6130153

>Throw your horns at the beast
After a few weary tries your fingers find your horns and slip them off of your head. It's an old plastic headband from at least two Halloweens ago. You can barely make out the details you know well through your watering eyes, but maybe it's for the best. The headband sails on a limp toss and settles discarded near the roots of some old tree in the middle of some wooded clearing. Even through your hyperventilation your throat tightens as you see the faded red accessory lay alone in the grass. It's the last image you have before your eyes close on their own.

----------

"Ar- Uh, Ace...?"
You're laying on the ground with your head propped on an uncomfortable school bag as a pillow. Your classmate is sitting next to you, hugging her knees as she waited for you to wake. The two mason jars she brought from the hardware store are sitting between you with a tea bag in them each, as well as a couple snack bars. A ratty book on phony magic, a cut up Christmas wreath, and some old gloves lay near her bag. And a pair of cheap devil horns for an old Halloween costume.
"Hey... You feeling better?"

You feel sick. You rub your eyes, and they sting a little. With sluggish blinks you see that you're still in a forest clearing. Trees surround one big tree in the middle, late afternoon light peeking through the leaves above. One beam keeps glinting right on your face. It's irritating. You scrunch your nose and sniff, then look to Lorelei and shrug.
"I made some tea- um, healing potions, that is. If you want one."
She offers you a jar with a half smile, and you take a sip. It wasn't made with anything boiling, so it's more just water with the taste of dried herbs in it. It doesn't taste like much, but you offer a thank you anyways. You were feeling a little dehydrated. Now you just feel drained.

After a few moments and a few bites of a dry cereal bar between the both of you, Lorelei rubs the back of her head.
"Do you, um, wanna head back? I don't mind, we can always come back a different day, right?"
She gives you an unsure glance with that yellow eye of hers. A contact lens. It makes her feel like someone else for a little while.

>Take a second to look yourself over. Not like there's much to see.
>Yeah, let's go... The sun is annoying right now.
>I guess we should look around for a little longer.
>Write-in

>>6130176
>Yeah, let's go... The sun is annoying right now.
Hug her

>>6130176
>I guess we should look around for a little longer.
Also supporting a hug.

>>6130176
>I guess we should look around for a little longer.
Hug her and measure her bust circumference with our body (discreetly) as we do, so that later on we can measure the length found on our body with a regular tape measure and thus calculate her bust size.

>>6130176
> Hug Lorelei... and get those horns back.

>>6130176
>Take a second to look yourself over. Not like there's much to see.

>>6130176
>Write-in
Ask what happened

>>6130176
>Take a second to look yourself over. Not like there's much to see.

>>6130185
Very much seconding this

>>6129774
Jokes on you! We're gonna hug and then she'll have be pregnant! t-that's how making baby works, right?

>>6130176
>Yeah, let's go... The sun is annoying right now.
>Hug her
Gimme a hug man

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>>6130185
>>6130241
>>6130282
>>6130386
>>6130404
>>6130432
>>6130449
>>6130452
>>6131032

>Hug her
You don't deserve a hug no matter how badly you want one, and that thought makes you hesitate. Lorelei sees what you're struggling to ask for though. You haven't been friends for that long, you wouldn't even say you know her all that well. Despite all of that, she still gives you a squeeze after a moment. It's an awkward, tentative gesture, but warm and well-meaning. It feels like a hug your sister.

"Hey... you're alright now, okay? It's just, um... one of those things that happens."
She pats your back in an attempt to comfort, repeating things she's heard before. You decide not to let the embrace linger too long and sit back on your heels.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, right Ace? Heh, even a devil may... you know."
Your classmate puts on a confident smile, but her eye says she's cringing inside at the corny line she didn't have the real confidence to finish. You faintly return the smile and quietly thank her.

>Yeah, let's go... The sun is annoying right now.
"Sounds like a good idea to me, the sun and I don't really get along either."
Lorelei hands you your horn headband, but putting it on just seems silly. Dumb kid stuff. Looking at it now just makes you feel...
You tuck them back into your bag along with your other junk as the two of you pack your things and start making your way out of the woods.

It's just a forest in autumn. Leaves have been falling for a while only to now crunch under your feet as you trudge along. The route you took, marked by rotten posts and old stones, is easy enough to follow back. You go around that small thorn bush and reach that mumbling little stream, then sigh through your nose as you go along the last stretch to the edge of the forest. Fun as it is pretending this place is more dark and dangerous than it really is, in the end it's just a forest.
You rub the back of your neck as the two of you step past the boundary of the woods, that big ball of gas, hanging a little lower in the sky than before, making you squint and have to hold up your hand to block its rays. Lorelei scratches her cheek and checks the time on her phone.
"I think we made some good progress today, all things considered, right? We should still have a little time to do, uh... something for the club."

Right, the club. The one that isn't even a club. The two of you are probably coming back to the forest eventually, even if you never really liked the woods, so it should be fine to hold onto the things you borrowed from that old hardware store a little longer. Speaking of both those things, after school activities should still be going on for at least a couple more hours. Plenty of time to either find someone to be your third club member or maybe find an apprentice for that old guy. If you can stomach talking to... strangers.

>Look for a third club member
>Find someone to be Mr. Brigit's apprentice
>Just go home, you're tired
>Write-in

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>>6131251
>Heh, even a devil may... you know."
Its peak
>Look for a third club member

>>6131251
>Write-in
>Head back to the club room and recompose ourselves

Lets talk about what happened and strategize what we should be doing next.

>>6131251
>Write in
Hug her again, to get her addicted to them

>>6131251
>>6131329
+1

>>6131251
>Find someone to be Mr. Brigit's apprentice

>>6131251
>Look for a third club member
>Find someone to be Mr. Brigit's apprentice
Why not both?

>>6131251
>Head back to the club room and recompose ourselves
>Look for a third club member

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>>6131261
>>6131329
>>6131336
>>6131361
>>6131407
>>6131456
>>6131480

>Head back to the club room and recompose ourselves
The walk back to the school is quiet and uneventful, giving you time to mull over your thoughts. For better or worse.
You and Lorelei squeeze through the uncomfortable window into the dark, musty basement. Your "club room" table whines and shifts as you hop up and take a seat on it, resting your elbows on your thighs. Your classmate leans her hip against the side of it to rest as well. It's probably just luck that the weak old furniture hasn't collapsed yet.

"So, uh..." Lorelei starts, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you wanna talk about it...?"
You didn't. You'd have felt embarrassed enough even if you were by yourself, but having it happen in front of your only friend made you feel a world worse. You made her uncomfortable with your little episode. She's probably just asking out of obligation. It's best if you just try to bottle it up and ignore it like usua-

"Hey." She waves a hand in front of your face, which had scrunched its nose and furrowed it's brows at yourself.
"It's alright if you don't. I just, you know, you're my friend... I want you to know I care, guy."
Lorelei gives you a playful punch on the arm and smiles. It's infectious, you find, and the corner of your own mouth starts to tug upwards as well. It isn't a lot, but you feel a bit of the tension in your chest loosen at your friend's understanding gesture.
"So... Whenever you're ready, alright? Doesn't have to be now, or today, or even this week. I know it's um, tough to, like, open up about all that. I'm not really good at it either. So!"
Seeing you lighten up just a little, Lorelei claps her hands and gives a theatrical flair to setting her hand over her face in a mysterious gesture.
"Until then, why don't we think about who we're going to recruit, eh? Fufufu, only those who art chosen may be accepted into our occult cabal~"

>Look for a third club member
As fate would have it, you don't have to wait all that long for an opportunity to come knocking at your door. Or rather, jiggling its handle at the top of the basement stairs. Both of your heads whip around towards the sound, freezing in place as you hear the metal squeak and strain before giving out a screech as the latch cracks against itself into the open position. The heavy door slowly drifts open to reveal a large figure in the doorway, a very large woman with an apologetic expression.

"...Sorry. It was, uh, locked."
Lorelei looks absolutely flabbergasted that Tora Hobbes managed to force the door of the basement with her bare hands, and you can't help but feel similarly. The big student looks between you, peers into the basement, then steps in and gently pushes it closed behind her. It cracks itself open a moment later, but by then she's already taking the stairs down towards you.

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"So this is the Mystery Investigation Club? The basement, or uh, Black Library, huh?"
Lorelei suddenly points her finger out towards Tora, stuttering over herself as she speaks.
"Wh-What the Hell are you doing in here?!"
"You said I should come, didn't ya? Or was I not supposed to take your invite to the basement seriously?"
If you'd known it meant the lock to your club room's door, you might not have stammered that out so hastily.
"I just figured," Tora continues, "Hey, why not, right? What's the worst that can happen? Not like you two wimps could wrestle me down an' sacrifice me to a demon or somethin'."
"W-We wouldn't- Ahem." Lorelei clears her throat and recovers her character voice with a flick of her wrist. "Sending your soul to the Hells isn't in our interests. Though if such a Faustian bargain would grant us great power..."

Tora snickers as she sets her bag on the floor and stands at the end of the table opposite the two of you.
"You guys really are turbo nerds." She says, though her tone suggests she doesn't mean it as a put down. She cocks a thick brow at you, darker than the hair on her head, and squints as she takes note of something.
"Hey, uh, you. Lost your horns or somethin'?"
Lorelei gives you a quick glance before crossing her arms.
"They were... cut. In battle. But he can regrow them at will. Tis a paltry task for an infernal lord."
"Huh. Cool trick. So, is it just you two in the club?"
"Tis as you say. Our dark cabal is but two... for the moment."
"So you're not a real club."
"...By the letter of law, no, but in spirit we are the greatest club this school shall ever have the honor to host."

The tall woman nods in some understanding, then turns her eyes upwards as she mulls something over. In the end, she shrugs.
"How do I join?'
You and Lorelei share a dumbfounded blink at each other, then turn your attentions back to Tora.
"Huh?"

>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Well, I mean, sorry, we're still... considering options. We'll keep you in mind though.
>Wait, wait, why would you want to join us? Wouldn't you rather be in a sports club or something?
>Write-in

A thought quickly crosses your mind as you process the question though... Who should you answer as?
>Put your horns back on. You think you have it in you to bring the demon back to life.
>Put your horns back on. You could use the confidence of playing as someone else right now.
>Keep the horns in your bag. You aren't quite ready yet to dive back into your fantasy.
>Keep the horns in your bag. You think you can handle the situation without them this time.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Keep the horns in your bag. You think you can handle the situation without them this time.
We’re not some tree’s bitch. We’ll get our vengeance soon enough.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Put your horns back on. You could use the confidence of playing as someone else right now.

I sense we'll be doing a fastball special in the near future.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Keep the horns in your bag. You think you can handle the situation without them this time.

>>6131871
>Wait, wait, why would you want to join us? Wouldn't you rather be in a sports club or something?

>Keep the horns in your bag. You think you can handle the situation without them this time.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Put your horns back on. You could use the confidence of playing as someone else right now.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Ask if she could crouch a little when she's talking to you. This is kind of intimidating.
>Put your horns back on. You could use the confidence of playing as someone else right now.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Put your horns back on. You could use the confidence of playing as someone else right now.

>>6131871
>We, uh, you're hired. I mean, you're in, yeah. Welcome to the club.
>Put your horns back on. You think you have it in you to bring the demon back to life.

>>6131871
>Wait, wait, why would you want to join us? Wouldn't you rather be in a sports club or something?
>But if you really want, you're hired. I mean, uh, you're welcome. Yeah, you're welcome to the club.

>Keep the horns in your bag. You think you can handle the situation without them this time.

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>>6131937
>>6131947
>>6132277
>>6132306
>>6132363
>>6132430
>>6132454
>>6132459

>Put your horns back on.
>Welcome to the club!
You let the moment hang just a smidge longer before quickly deciding that the confidence of a demon lord is needed for a declaration like that. There's a time and a place to be yourself, and now is... just not it.

You, Ace Archibald Paxton, hype yourself up a little before standing tall --as tall as your baleful stature allows-- on the table and clearing your throat!
"Wait, really?"
The two speak over each other, but their words are the same. Both Tora and Lorelei look at you with an equal amount of surprise as you accept the colossus into the club, clearly not having expected you to speak with such imperious tone and grandiose poise! Your witch companion rubs her chin, tossing an idea around inside the depths of her dark mind.
"Well... Fufu, if thou art truly interested in the strange and unusual, then I suppose thou woulds't make a fine third indeed. To complete our fell covenant and grant us the power of the sacred triangle."
"Right. Yeah. For sure." Tora gives the two of you a short stare before she starts to crack up. "Keheh! Man, you guys are really into this stuff, huh! What'd you say you weirdos' names were?"
"Lorelei Lovecraft, Dark Mistress of the-"
Tora comes around the side of the table and throws a titanic arm around Lorelei's shoulders, doing the same to you with ease since your position puts her around eye level with the giantess. Your peerless infernal senses tell you that this mighty warrior is both rough and gentle at the same time. Cold, yet warm, and... solid, yet soft. Surprisingly soft and squishy. Hm, yes, quite.
"Right! I meant more like your real names, but... Should I make up a fake name too?"

It suddenly dawns on you and Lorelei that you never really thought about what an initiation ritual into the cabal of thee Mystery Investigation Club would be. This is troubling news...
"Ah, o-of course." Lorelei starts, seeming to make something up as she goes. "Ace and I have both chosen an occult name... t-tooo protect our real names from supernatural meddling. Yes. A-And, ah, we are both able to manifest otherworldly aspects upon our mortal bodies. Such as my arcane eyes and his demonic horns. They're... They're mighty boons that allow us to interact with things mundane folk overlook in their everyday lives."
She nods, seemingly satisfied enough with what she's come up with. Lorelei gives you a confident nod and a thumbs up which you return with a sharp-toothed grin.
"Sooo it's like an rpg, but you do it for real? That's... kinda cool."

The darkness around the titan's eyes seems to lighten as she smiles with the two of you secure in her gentle, but still rather tight, clutches.
"What should my, uh, occult name be? I always sorta just named by characters after myself."

>Jeanne...?
>Amazonia...?
>Calamity...?
>Junko Crusher- "I'm not picking that."
>U-Um, Write-in!

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>>6132500
>>U-Um, Write-in
Jenny Talia

>>6132626
>Jenny Talia

>>6132500
>U-Um, Write-in!
Calamitas (Cal)

>>6132500
>Maiara Fortuna

>>6132704
+1

>>6132500
>U-Um, Write-in!
>Heloise Kilbane
Heloise sounds like if you put Hell and Hercules together and made it a girl's name.

>>6132944
I like this, support

>>6132500
>>6132704
+1

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>>6132626
>>6132702
>>6132704
>>6132712
>>6132744
>>6132944
>>6132945
>>6133197

>Three way tie- Oh it got broken
You wish-wash around a few suggestions, Tora squinting her eyes a a few of them, but eventually she stops you with a nod.
"I think I got one. How does... um..."
A hint of red appears on her tanned face, and her tone suddenly turns... nervous?
"C-Calamitas Heloise sound? That's cool, right...? Calamitas? Uh, Cal for short?"
Lorelei lets out her soft, mysterious chuckle and gives a thumbs up.
"Tis a strong and fearsome name, Calamitas. A pleasure to meet thee."
"And uh, what'd you call the other thing I should come up with? An otherworldly aspect? Huuuh..."

Cal scratches her head and lets the both of you free from her grasp, only for her to snap her fingers as she quickly and silently dashes to dig through her bag. She undoes the reinforced buttons of her uniform's coat and tosses it onto the table.
"A-Ah, Calamitas, why are you- er, art thou... Ahem, freeing the beast?"
"Heh, how else am I gonna show off my stripes?"
She slips on an old varsity jacket, the back patterned like a ferocious tiger's coat! It looks like a name was emblazoned over the design alongside the name of her former team, the Dragonslayers, but the stitching is gone now. Cal pushes the sleeves up her forearms and shows off her might to the both of you!

"Heh! Whaddaya think? These marks on my back show I'm descended from uh, the demon god of tigers! Or somethin', yeah."
You and Lorelei are caught in awe, of a certain sort, as you take in the sight once she turns around. There certainly is a lot to take in.
"Woah... Y-Yeah, sounds awesome!"
"Right?" Cal grins like a hunter and smacks a fist down into her palm. "So, Ace, Lorelei, you wanna, uh, share chat ids or something? Or do you just do text?"
"We- ah- here, let me show you how we conduct our esoteric transmissions."
The three of you all share your dark contact information, officially adding your third mortal member into the cabal! The light outside the window has grown low, and you reckon the rest of the students must have gone home by now. The day has come to a close and the night is creeping its way into the sky.

>Disband for the day to rest for tomorrow's arcane operation.
>Do a little something to welcome your newest member. (Write-in)
>Ask your companions what they want to do with the rest of the daylight.
>Write-in

>>6133211
>Disband for the day to rest for tomorrow's arcane operation.
>Do a little something to welcome your newest member. (Write-in)
Celebrate! Get a snack or a drink together before we head home. Ice cream. Soda. Or something.

>>6133211
>Do a little something to welcome your newest member. (Write-in)
We shall consume the perilous frost (get some ice cream) and imbibe from the fountain of life (drink some soda).

>>6133211
>Ask your companions what they want to do with the rest of the daylight.

>>6133211
>Disband for the day to rest for tomorrow's arcane operation.

>>6133211
>>6133243
>>6133303
+1

>>6133211
>>6133243
>>6133303
'Tis critical that we seal our newest induction with the proper libations and feast! The bond between us must be as sacred as it is unholy!

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>>6133243
>>6133303
>>6133483
>>6133558
>>6133628
>>6133824

>Do a little something to welcome your newest member.
After a little deliberation and a bit of finagling to get the door to the basement to at least look locked again, the three of you decide to head off to the nearest corner store for a treat! You and Lorelei fill Cal in on your current mystic operation along the way, who seems eager to head into the forest when you have some daylight.

"Dark woods, freaky monsters, abandoned mansion. Sounds badass."
Cal smirks at an idea in her head, likely related to punching creatures of darkness in the teeth. She pops the lid off of her orange slushie to begin downing it like any other drink once your trio takes a seat on the curb outside. It isn't quite ice cream, and it surely isn't soda, but it has the temperature and sugar content of both. And, with the infernal coffers being... rather dry, it saves a little money!

"But I gotta ask, why'd you guys even wanna make the club in the first place?"
"Tis a long story," Lorelei says as she scoops bits of her red slush into her mouth with its conveniently spoon-ended straw. "Very long and deeply intricate, like the web of a spider raised on riddles."
"Huh." Cal shrugs and drinks a mouthful of the frozen drink. The witch raises a slim brow at Calamitas, her eye trailing to her jacket.
"And what of you, warrior? You said you were former varsity, yes? What happened?"
"Long story." The giantess shakes her head. "And boring. Don't really wanna talk about it."
"Huh." Lorelei stares for a second longer then shrugs.

You take a sip of your blue slush, letting the ice melt in your mouth before you drink it down. There's a break in the conversation, one you could fill with your own wonders, if the demon lord is so inclined.

>Ask Lorelei something!
>Ask Calamitas something!
>Let the moment pass, silence can be nice.
>Write-in

>>6134755
>Ask Calamitas something!

>>6134755
>Ask Calamitas how she got so big. You've been supping down raw egg milkshakes to try to improve your growth rate and all it's gotten you thus far is constipation.

>>6135098
+1
Stronk

>>6135171
Seconding this.
Also adding in regards to the varsity thing:
>It's okay, we all have our mystical secrets, we wouldn't be much of a paranormal club if we didn't.

>>6134755
>>6135098
>>6135333
+1

>>6134755
>Ask Lorelei something!
Ask her about she knows Mr.Brigit.

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>>6134901
>>6135098
>>6135171
>>6135333
>>6135610
>>6135717

>Ask Calamitas how she got so big.
>It's okay, we all have our mystical secrets, we wouldn't be much of a paranormal club if we didn't.
You slip in a small mention of your own routine as well. Of course it isn't true, not fully anyways. You tried to eat a raw egg once and it was awful! Made you sick too, bleh! You've never had too big an appetite anyways, especially not for eggs after that whole debacle. Maybe if you ate more you'd be less of an imp.
"Genetics mostly." Cal says as she flexes one of her arms, the muscle straining the leather sleeve of her jacket. "Papa was a big tall bastard, and mama wasn't much shorter. The rest, that's all diet and trainin'. Eatin' good's important, you know? Can't just go throwin' junk like this in your stomach all the time, but once in a while's fine. You don't get a champ's bod outta grease an' sugar! Haah... yeah. Champ."

You decide not to mention how you skip breakfast most days and sometimes dinner on others, instead focusing on her and what you're guessing is still a fresh wound. Cal smirks at your reassurances and sets a big hand on your head to ruffle your hair again. This time you handle it without fear.
"Thanks. Maybe it'll be a story for another day, just... not this one."

>Ask Lorelei how she knows Mr. Brigit.
"I wouldn't say I know him too well." Lorelei shrugs between small, elegant scoops of her slushie. "As much as you might know one of your parents' friends when you're young, hm? He probably knows a lot more about me than I him, he was father's friend. Now though... I could make a few guesses, but I don't really know what drove them apart in the end. It's... probably for the best in any case."
Cal absently scratches her head. "Brigit, like, that old hardware store? Place always gave me the creeps. Too claustrophobic."
"I liked how cramped it was, like a big library of tools and metal bits. It's nice knowing where the walls are."
"So who's your dad? Or, uh, is that something I'm not supposed to ask. Mystical secrets and all."
Lorelei sets her cup down and rubs her hands together, trying to warm away the cold.
"...Yeah, one of my mystical secrets, if that's alright."

Cal nods, then tilts her chin to you.
"What 'bout you, Ace? Just so we don't, y'know, pick at nothin' too, uh, mystical?"
You answer almost on instinct. Halloween. Even Lorelei seems a bit surprised at it.
"Hm? I would've thought it'd be your favorite holiday... Well, consider it under arcane lock and key."

>Clarify just a little about Halloween. Just a little... Even if you'd rather not at all.
>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun! Stuff outside of school and clubs and all that!
>A-Ah, ask about the girls' favorite foods! You've got food on the mind, and slush in your stomach!
>Write-in

>>6135924
>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun! Stuff outside of school and clubs and all that!

>>6135924
>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun! Stuff outside of school and clubs and all that!

>>6135924
>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun! Stuff outside of school and clubs and all that!
Her, specifically. What you’d do for fun.

>>6135924
>>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun! Stuff outside of school and clubs and all that!
Y-you come here often??

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>>6136078
>>6136184
>>6136332
>>6136368

>U-Um, ask about what the girls like to do for fun!
Cal clams up a little at the question, but Lorelei seems more than happy to share. She sets her arms behind her and leans back on her palms, her face lighting up with a smile.
"It may sound a little boring, but I love reading. Books, articles, anything really. But if I had to pick a favorite, mmh, I'd have to go with fantasy novels. Wizards and knights battling dragons, maybe with an elf or a dwarf as companions. I wish I could read more outside of the school library. All we have at home are bibles and things like that. I'm glad I have a few hiding places for something like my grimoire, else it would be burned in the righteous flames of the domestic inquisition."
She breathes a chuckle through her nose.
"I, ah, also do a little writing of my own. Before you ask, no, you can't see it. It's... well, I'll be honest, it's garbage. But I enjoy doing it."

"What about you, Calamitas?"
Despite being at least a head taller than the both of you, it seems like Cal was hoping she wouldn't be noticed as Lorelei wrapped up. She scratches her cheek, looking more than a little flushed in the cheeks.
"...I like... punching? And stuff. And... man, isn't it a little awkward to just say stuff like this? It's like a resume or somethin'."
Lorelei taps her bottom lip before swishing her finger outwards towards the amazon. "Why don't you just talk normally about something you like then?"
"But it's... Fine, fine, it's not like you two dorks are gonna laugh at somethin' like that."
Cal lets out a groan resigned to its fate as she leans her elbows onto her knees.
"I, uh... like... fantasy stuff too. Roleplayin' games. Like, rollin' dice and makin' a character or whatever. Or uh, the game versions too. Video. Video game. 's."
Lorelei and you both take a moment to try and imagine the towering woman sitting at a table playing a game of make believe. Given what you're doing now, it's a lot less hard than you thought it'd be.
"I'm not a nerd or nothin' though. I just used to play 'em a lot with papa when I was little, then uh, I had a friend in my old town who loved 'em too. They're just, I mean, I really like 'em. Don't go tellin' people, got it?"

The witch tilts her head at Cal with a smirk.
"What's your favorite?"
"Oh easy, it's the... the one with the, y'know, the stuff and the- c-c'mon, don't make me say the name out loud! If I gotta say it, then you gotta show some of the stuff you wrote!"
"Absolutely not! Haah, very well, keep your secrets. Fufufu~"
"What about Ace! Ask him 'bout the embarrassing stuff he likes!"
Both of your companions suddenly turn their eyes on you. Their combined gaze is expectant... and oppressive.

>I-I never said it had to be embarrassing! But I do like... [Write-in]
>Hey, don't team up on me! Why don't I talk about [Write-in] instead?
>Oh man, I'm suddenly feeling really tired. Why don't we head home for the day, r-right?
>Write-in

>>6136970
>I-I never said it had to be embarrassing! But I do like... [Write-in]
>... drawing a little. T-to increase my dark powers and prestige as a Demon Lord!
Probably shit at it, but still happy when doing it.

>>6136970
>>I-I never said it had to be embarrassing! But I do like... [Write-in]
>...drawing. Mostly, like, OCs and then uhhh I make up little scenarios in my mind. Their backstories and a little worldbuilding...

>>6137039
>+1

>>6136970
>>6137154
>I-I never said it had to be embarrassing! But I do like... [Write-in]
>...drawing. Mostly, like, OCs and then uhhh I make up little scenarios in my mind. Their backstories and a little worldbuilding...
>Ask what kind of RPGs the tall one plays. You've dabbled in that realm before.

>>6137154
Seconding
>We're uh... working on a mystical tattoo that could multiply our abilities! But needles are scary.
I 100% see Ace as wanting to have a tatoo because they're cool but also 100% being too nervous/stressed to get one

>>6137154
+1
Real

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>>6137039
>>6137154
>>6137242
>>6137256
>>6137268
>>6137465

>I do like... drawing.
Your answer trails off into bashful mumbling near the end as you hug out bag closer to your side, knowing full well you have a number of doodles in your school books. Those are sacred, not meant to be seen by any eyes other than your own.
"That sounds sick. But uh, question." Cal nods along after you finish talking. "What's an Ohsee?"
Lorelei holds up her straw after eating another scoop of the dwindling slush. "It's short for Original Character. Basically a character you make up yourself."
"Aren't they all ones someone made up themselves? How come you don't just call 'em characters?"
"Mostly to separate them from characters other people have made. Like if I was to put one of Ace's OCs into one of my stories, I wouldn't want to try and pass them off as one I made myself. Like a respect thing."
"Huh... So are rpg characters OCs too?"
The witch taps the side of her head as she thinks, then gives a firm nod. "I'd say so. Looks like you have OCs too!"
"Heh, cool. I got OCs..." Calamitas grins to herself, a whole new world in her mind ready to be explored.

>Ask what kind of RPGs the tall one plays.
Your question catches her in her moment of distraction, metaphorically climbing the colossus to strike her weak point and get an uninhibited answer out of her!
"Oh man, tons! I really love the ones where you get to design your own dudes and pick their skills and all that. I always like seein' what the max damage I can do in one swing is, but playin' with funny builds is the best."
Calamitas chuckles to herself, then points at you with that grin still stuck on her face.
"There's this one I've been playin' a lot lately. You don't really get to make your dude at the start, but basically you're a cute little vampire guy who eats souls or somethin' instead of blood. So like, when you're fightin' guys, you can take their skills and build your own skill list out of 'em. And then you've got the party who's all freaky monsters that get special skills and sidequests and- pretty much it's awesome."
Lorelei leans forwards, interest on her face. "What's it called?"
"Har- um..." Cal abruptly cuts herself off, the title snapping her out of speaking so freely. "...I-I don't really wanna say the name out loud. It's... kinda a weird name. But, uh, you could probably find it if you look up a game like that. Yeah."

You're pretty sure you've heard of the game before. She's right, it's a title even you'd be a little embarrassed to say in front of others. And yes, there are dating sim elements.

>Try to think up something you enjoy in the same second-hand embarrassing way. Maybe it'd help her open up a little easier.
>Ask Lorelei about some of her favorite books. Nothing like sharing favorites with friends to see if they'd enjoy them too!
>Check the time. You don't think your sister will be home until way later, but their parents might start to wonder where they are.
>Write-in

>>6137975
>Try to think up something you enjoy in the same second-hand embarrassing way. Maybe it'd help her open up a little easier.

>>6137975
>Try to think up something you enjoy in the same second-hand embarrassing way. Maybe it'd help her open up a little easier

>>6137975
>Try to think up something you enjoy in the same second-hand embarrassing way. Maybe it'd help her open up a little easier.

>>6137975
>Ask Lorelei about some of her favorite books. Nothing like sharing favorites with friends to see if they'd enjoy them too!

>>6137975
>Check the time. You don't think your sister will be home until way later, but their parents might start to wonder where they are.

>>6137975
>Ask Lorelei about some of her favorite books. Nothing like sharing favorites with friends to see if they'd enjoy them too!

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>>6137993
>>6137997
>>6138016
>>6138053
>>6138076
>>6138499

>Try to think up something you enjoy in the same second-hand embarrassing way.
You search your brain a little and find a slightly concerning amount of material to pull from. Self-reflection is a hell of a thing, but you think you have the perfect topic!
Back on a TTRPG board you used to browse a while ago, there was this old series of roleplay threads that used to pop up where people played pretend wizards in a big guild. It took some getting used to, it was really your first foray into the whole RP thing, but you eventually got the hang of it and actually found it really fun! Of course there were people who'd come in and try to ruin the fun, and sometimes the roleplay turned a little too erotic at times, but even through all the strangeness it was nice being able to play someone other than yourself in a wacky and whimsical fantasy wizard guild. You figure you'd probably still be doing it today, but... well, you know how it goes. Another board that sort of overlapped with that whole shtick popped up and the dork moderators cracked down on it from both sides. It never really survived the transition, and eventually they disappeared off to some other platform. It kind of sucks you never got their usernames on anything.

You find yourself somewhat curling into yourself like a dying bug as you share the story, almost wishing you could roll up like an isopod to escape the nostalgic cringe as images of poorly-aged posts flash through your head. Some of them are kind of funny looking back, and some you wish you would time travel to stop yourself from ever posting.
"So you're like, a veteran to this whole roleplay stuff, huh?" Cal leans in with a curiously tilted head.
Lorelei props her cheek up on her palm, smiling. "I didn't know you wrote too, Ace, I wonder what your stories are like... Do you still do it anymore? The writing, not the RP."
"Hey, hey." Calamitas prods your arm with her elbow, clearing her throat. "Do you, uh, think you could teach me how to get good at that sorta stuff? The roleplaying, not the writing."

Oueh... They're really digging in a little deeper than you thought they would. Your cheeks must already be glowing red, and you can feel that sweat you get when you drag something meant never to see the light of day out for people to see. If this goes on any longer your whole face might burn in the hellfire of embarrassment!

>Like Dragonforce said, through the fire and the flames we carry on! It's the only way to inoculate yourself to being ashamed of the things you like!
>Answer Lorelei's question! You don't really write, like, big stories or anything. Mostly just backstories and little scene ideas that pop into your head!
>Answer Calamitas! You're not really a veteran or anything, it was just a thing you did for a couple years on and off. But still, you'd be happy to help!
>Write-in

>>6138774
>Like Dragonforce said, through the fire and the flames we carry on! It's the only way to inoculate yourself to being ashamed of the things you like!
>Answer both their questions!
We may be cringe, but we are free.

>>6138774
>Answer Lorelei's question! You don't really write, like, big stories or anything. Mostly just backstories and little scene ideas that pop into your head!

>>6138806
+1

>>6138774
>>6138806
+1

>>6138774
>>6138806
Supporting.

>>6138774
>Answer Calamitas! You're not really a veteran or anything, it was just a thing you did for a couple years on and off. But still, you'd be happy to help!

>>6138806
+1

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>>6138806
>>6138808
>>6138810
>>6138932
>>6138972
>>6139012
>>6139085

>Through the fire and the flames we carry on!
You continue to share --some might say overshare-- your various interests. You stumble, you fumble, you mumble, and you ramble on through your yap session. By the time you finally find a place to stop, it's as you feared. You're bright red underneath the gaze of both girls, though their eyes don't seem to hold much judgement in them. Finally being able to talk about what you enjoy, it feels like a weight was taken off your chest even as both Lorelei and Calamitas start to crack up. You find yourself joining in with them.
"Sheesh, you really got a whole essay made up in that head of yours!" Cal laughs heartily, downing the rest of her slushie. Lorelei isn't far behind, taking the last few bites in a snorting giggle.
"I didn't know you could talk so much in one go, Ace. And about so many things, I could hardly keep track!"
Through deeply blushing chuckles, you empty the dregs of your cup through the straw and stack all the empty containers onto each other. Breathe easy, you earned it.

>Answer both their questions!
Lorelei and Calamitas both nod as the laughter slowly dies down, the giant stretching her legs out into the parking space in front of you while the witch tilts her head from side to side.
"Hmm... Calamitas, how come you'd like help learning to roleplay? I thought you had played many?"
"Well, yeah, but I've never really, like, done all that backstory stuff. Rule though, I know lots of systems off the top of my head."
"Systems?" Lorelei cocks her brow. "There's... more than one? I thought all those sheets were just for the same thing."
Cal puts on a proud expression and jabs a thumb against her chest. "Yeah there's tons! Hey, I got an idea, how 'bout we all play one after we get done in the woods, eh?"

The witch rubs her hands together as she mulls over the proposition.
"Yes... Yes... It would be a good way for you to practice roleplay, and if Ace would want to be the storyteller, then we could get a taste of his writing skills too."
They both smile at you again, though this time the expectation in their eyes feels less oppressive to you.
"Whadda ya say, Ace?" Calamitas asks. "Wanna run somethin'? A one shot, maybe?"

>Of course! I've studied the mystic rulebooks plenty!
>Me? But, ah, I've never run anything before!
>I'd really rather be a player, if that's alright...
>Write-in

>>6139569
>Me? But, ah, I've never run anything before!

>>6139569
>Of course! I've studied the mystic rulebooks plenty!
Sounds like fun.

>>6139569
>Of course! I've studied the mystic rulebooks plenty!

>>6139569
>Me? But, ah, I've never run anything before!

>>6139597
+1

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>>6139592
>>6139597
>>6139645
>>6139799
>>6139816

>Of course!
Without hesitation you accept! Though after the moment passes and the girls start chatting about what kind of characters they'll make, a thought creeps in that maybe you should have hesitated. Just a little. Thankfully for you, you've got tons of ideas about what to run! Again though, they're more like random scenes you've thought up in your head, not really a cohesive storyline. Well, improvisation is the heart of being a gamemaster! At least that's what video people on the internet say.

"So, what ah, system do you think we'll play?" Lorelei asks, her yellow eye drifting up to a multitude of character archetypes to build on.
"Oh, what 'bout- ah, wait, if you're not too experienced maybe somethin' a little more simple to learn..." Cal scratches her head. "Somethin' like... Gah, how 'bout we uh, decide later. Ace, you can pick somethin' right? Just send us a message in the cabal chat an' I'll get some stuff ready, it's gettin' kinda late."
"It is... haah, as much as I embrace the darkness of night, I do wish there was more time in the day."

Properly disposing of your cups --even the Inferno has its laws-- the three of you rise to your feet and prepare to part ways for the day. While Cal slips her jacket off and struggles with the buttons of her uniform coat, Lorelei takes out a small case and pinches the colored contacts from her eyes. Even you slip your horned headband from your head and tuck it away into your school bag.
No longer a dark cabal, just a group of friends with one new member. Even though the magic of make-believe is gone, you still find a rare smile on your face.

Tora Hobbes lets out a sigh and stretches her legs. "Hey, uh, thanks. For... you know, lettin' me join an' tag along for this all. Heh, I don't even regret it."
"I'd be a little worried if you did." Faith Proctor smirks, lightly dragging a foot across the ground. "But yeah, our meetup spot is usually the basement. But... we should probably get in early tomorrow and clean it up before people find out we broke the lock, huh? We'll get a real classroom once we become a real club anyways."
"Got it, I'll push back my alarm. So uh, yeah. See you dorks tomorrow."
Tora shoots an awkward pair of finger guns and starts to walk backwards, Faith snorting and waving at the both of you as she turns to head home as well.

>Head for home as well, you've got a game to prep.
>Walk part of the way with one of your friends. (Choose!)
>Don't head home just yet, there's somewhere you want to go tonight... [Write-in]
>Write-in

>>6140380
>Head for home as well, you've got a game to prep.

>>6140380
>Head for home as well, you've got a game to prep.
>Tell Tora to tell us out loud the full name of that game, we opened up quite a bit after all and we want to see her embarrassed

>>6140589
Seconding this

>>6140380
>Head for home as well, you've got a game to prep.

>>6140589
I thought we already knew the name of it.

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>>6140477
>>6140589
>>6140885
>>6140939

>Tell Tora to tell us out loud the full name of that game
Tora stops in her tracks and grumbles to herself for a brief second, then inhales.
"Ha... Haremvania: Insatiable Thirst of the Blue Moon! There, alright? What a pain...!"
She quickly turns around and disappears around the corner, ears and cheeks burning. You swear you can hear her chuckle to herself as she goes.

>Head for home as well
With the night air silent at last, you decide to finally return home to you and your sister's small apartment. As you expected, she isn't home yet. It feels like you haven't seen her in weeks even if you know it isn't true. In the middle of heating up some leftovers she set for you, your phone buzzes with a message from her.

"hey little man. sry, work gonna run l8 again. food in the fridge.
promise I'll be home for the weekend like I said. mean it this time!
love ya <3"

You return the heart with a sigh. This place just feels too big with no one else around, so you decide to focus on writing the one shot for your friends to not have to think about it. The weekend, she promised. Again.

----------

With the school day going by in a breeze and the club founding process now up to the school faculty, the Mystery Investigation Club sets out to the forest once more for a rematch against the untold horrors of what you've decided to dub as Schwarzwald. Calamitas' presence really does make the foreboding aura easier to bear, the excitement and determination on her face like a bulwark against the oppressive gloom.
"This ain't nothin' we can't handle, huh? Let's get in there and see what the big deal is!"
She pounds her fist into her palm, both clad in a pair of battle-scarred MMA gloves. Of course in reality they're her Gauntlets of Dragon-Slaying, imbued with the power of a fierce warrior bloodline! They also protect her hands if she has to go around punching trees or ten-foot tall wild bears.
"Perhaps we were overbold last time." Lorelei says with a glare at the endlessly tall trunks of Schwarzwald's towering flora. "Fufu, this time we shall strike with the fury of the unknowable against any who stand in our path of destruction." She flourishes of her grimoire's pages and snaps the spine shut.

>Take the path to the bloodied brambles!
>Take the path to the calamitous creek!
>Seek the counsel of your infernal liason, Jubilee!
>Write-in

>>6141044
>Take the path to the calamitous creek!

>>6141044
>Take the path to the calamitous creek!
I need my runback

>>6141044
>Seek the counsel of your infernal liason, Jubilee!

>>6141044
>Take the path to the calamitous creek!

>>6141044
>Take the path to the calamitous creek!

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>>6141087
>>6141337
>>6141533
>>6141556
>>6141943

>Take the path to the calamitous creek!
The return to the creek reveals that it's changed since you were last here. The canyon has only gotten wider, the rapids more ravenous, and the stones at its sides look like they would give way and send you into the cold depths if you were to step on them. The decayed trunk that serves as a bridge lays itself across the great gap, beckoning you with its siren call like a starved venus flytrap. Should you fall in, one way or another, you know it would mean your certain doom...

"So this is the creek huh?" Calamitas sets her hands on her hips with a confident smirk. "Doesn't look so bad. Hell, I bet I could toss you two over and jump it myself."
Lorelei hums as she roots around in her bag. "If thou were to giveth me a moment or two, I mays't be able to brew a couple potions to assist in our crossing. The water, this time, shall be hot enough to work."
She produces a sealed thermos that's warm to the touch, perfect for steeping tea and combining concoctions in her enchanted jars! The wooden sign across the deadly gap still says something, though with it being even further than before you can't make out the text. You'll have to get across if you want to uncover that mystery, though whether it leads you closer to your goal can't be known for sure.

>Go with Calamitas' idea. Heave ho, my amazon friend!
>Let Lorelei brew potions. Magical aid is what we need!
>Turn back and head for the brambles. At least you know something waits there.
>Write-in

>>6142359
>Go with Calamitas' idea. Heave ho, my amazon friend!
In the words of Beavis and Butt-Head: "Uh-huhuhuh... this is gonna be COOL."

>>6142359
>Let Lorelei brew potions. Magical aid is what we need!
Let her cook.

>>6142359
>Go with Calamitas' idea. Heave ho, my amazon friend!
"I cast toss"

>>6142359
>Go with Calamitas' idea. Heave ho, my amazon friend!
Dwarf tossing is a time honored mystery tradition.

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>>6142360
>>6142386
>>6142586
>>6142832

>Go with Calamitas' idea.
Figuring it would be a quick way across as well as a good test of Calamitas' strength, you decide to go with her idea of tossing you and Lorelei over the creek. What you didn't figure is exactly how she'd go about it.

"Ready, Ace?"
Before you even realized it, Calamitas had stowed you and her items that might get in the way of a decent flight and lifted you by the collar of your uniform's sweater. It was a rhetorical question, she was already calculating the angle she'd need in her head. You kicked your legs in an initial protest, but the giantess just laughed,
"Alright, on three. One, two..."
You go sailing into the air like a bird on the wind. You have to admit, her form was impeccable. It was like time was moving in slow motion as you flew, only to see the ground was rapidly approaching. She had done her part, but it's up to you to stick the landing.

/ / / MYSTERY OF FATE - DANGER 5 - 3 SUCCESSES / / /

Roll a d10 aiming for 5+! A total of 3 successes are needed and can be met by any number of people, but each may only roll once! 1 and 10 are critical, and may lead to strange and unusual occurrences...

>Head First into Inferno - No special advantages or disadvantages. A safe bet!
>Roll with the Punches - Lower Danger by -2, but accept an unknown penalty as well
>Twist of Fate - Roll under Danger instead of over, but 1-2 carry enhanced critical effects

>>6142854
>Twist of Fate - Roll under Danger instead of over, but 1-2 carry enhanced critical effects
Nah, I’d win.

Rolled 1 (1d10)