Your name is Vincent Cruz. You work in a shady government-backed facility in the middle of the New Mexico desert. By all accounts, you are still a complete and total nobody.You've spent the last five days struggling to survive in this new world. Your new job now involves studying and researching various anomalous entities in order to make money for the Abnormality Regulation Coalition (also known as ARC). Somehow you've managed to do a good job over the last five days, despite having no formal experience being a researcher. It's been a struggle to get adjusted to everything but you're shocked at how good of a job you've been doing.You suppose it's not your first time dealing with anomalous entities. You have vague memories of this chained, bleeding heart that you encountered in the past. You don't know why but you feel like that thing is watching you. You're not sure why it's so interested in you, you're a nobody after all.Maybe that's part of the reason ARC dragged you off the streets? Who knows. Nothing about your new job makes that much sense.As for a recap of what happened, you just finished your latest shift. You had to fight for your life against a heavily armed man who wanted you dead. You managed to beat him thanks to sheer dumb luck and in the process, you're earnt the mild respect of some of your coworkers. The rest of the day went over pretty smoothly, all things considered.You also met two new weirdos, Moxxie and Edward, who might be trustworthy enough to hire in the future. You need as many friends as you can in a place like this. Even if most of the 'friends' you have here are way too weird for your liking.You owe Colt a favor now after you got him drunk because of an experiment. You need to find a way to get some rifle ammo for his gun. That'll be a headache to deal with but you do owe it to him.You're now ready to start another day. To face the music, to endure whatever ARC throws your way. All you can really do is to find a way to keep surviving. Day after day, week after week, month after month. This is your new life now, whether you like it or not.Oh well. You're a wageslave, all you really know at this point is work. You might as well do a good job while you're stuck here, right? There's not really any other path for a husk like you. Haaa.ARCHIVE: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Low%20RungVINCENT SHEET/INVENTORY: https://rentry.co/VINCENTSHEETALLIES: https://rentry.co/COWORKERLISTANOMALY NOTES: https://rentry.co/RESEARCHNOTES
>Endure your new obligationsThis facility is an abyss that almost seems to run on moon logic. The few details you've gleaned about the higher ups make little to no sense and as for your encounters with them? Mr. Yellow was a fucking freak, just like everyone else in here.It's absurd. It's an absurd, meaningless job but it's still a job at the end of the day. Just another obligation.To be quite frank, nothing about your life has really changed in the grand scheme. You're still a complete nobody. You still work for a company who doesn't give a rat's ass about you. You are constantly tasked with doing things far out of your experience for, frankly, subpar pay. This facility might as well be an abyss with how awful it is to be here.You already know how to cope with the situation you find yourself in. You just have to endure it. That's all you really CAN do. It doesn't matter what they throw your way. You'll take it on the chin and you'll find a way to make it through another day.Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep. Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep. 30 GOTO 10.You suppose you can find some comfort in that. You won't break. No matter what they throw your way, you will survive. You have to. You already survived this long. You want to endure everything this facility throws at you out of sheer spite—to show them that you're not just any old wageslave.Yeah, yeah, that'd be nice. You'll find power within your newfound chains. As long as you're still standing, you're winning. A smile creeps across your face as sleep finally catches up with you. It's been a long day and tomorrow will just be as long. That's just how it is on this bitch of an earth. Time for another shift at the shit factory.>Something stirs inside you. Your bonus to endurance-based checks has gone from +2 to +4.>Your gut tells you that you're getting another upgrade soon...DAY 6!You manage to get some decent sleep for once, funnily enough. You crack your eyes open and, to your shock, you're not the only one awake. Your fellow coworkers are mulling about, chatting with each other over inane shit like they always do. It's damn near impossible to tell what time it is in here without a clock but you'd guess it's early in the morning.You briefly check your wounds to see how they healed up overnight. All things considered, while you still have some nasty scratches and bruises, they don't really hurt anymore. You basically feel brand new.>MENTAL and PHYSICAL HEALTH are MAXXED OUT! You already know you're probably going to get your ass handed to you later but hey, you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. You hop out of bed and you immediately make a beeline towards the exit. You catch some of your fellow dormmates staring at you but to be frank, you have better things to do than worry about them.Before you could leave, though, one of your coworkers grabs you by the shoulder. "Hey. Someone's lookin' for you, man.""Hm?" You offer a non-committal shrug. "Who?"
"Uh. Some weird guy in a hazmat suit. He wanted to meet you at some BREAK ROOM on this layer?"You take a moment to think on who your coworker might be talking about. Maybe it's the corporate representative from ZENITH? If that's the case, you HAVE to meet up with this guy. You offer a polite nod to your coworker. "Thank you.""Uh huh."You pull out your map of LAYER 2, skimming through it to see where the nearest break room would be. Ah, wait, you think you've been there before. You follow your map so you don't get lost on your way over to the breakroom. The hallways are, thankfully, not particularly packed this early in the morning so your walk is pretty peaceful.As you arrive at the door leading into the breakroom, a weird sound catches your attention. It sounds like someone's using a spray can in there. You open up the door and you're immediately hit with a thick wave of white fog that pours out of the room. It stinks of disinfectant and bleach. Your eyes immediately water at the sickeningly strong stench. You scramble to put on the GAS MASK you looted from the ROBUST MAN. A muffled voice calls out to you through the mist."Sorry! This room is quite filthy, you see, so I had to make sure it's CLEAN. SPARKLING CLEAN. Clean, Clean, Clean!!! Please, if you could wait for a while for the air to clear up, that would be appreciated.""I got a gas mask, it's. Uhm. Fine???" You stumble into the mist now that you're wearing your gas mask. You leave the door open so the room isn't going to stay hotboxed with this stuff forever.You stumble around until you find a chair to sit down on. As you do, the mist begins to clear up. You can actually get a good look at the person you're talking to now.They're fully decked out in a blinding white hazmat suit. Their face is completely obscured and with how muffled their voice is, you're pretty sure they're wearing a face mask under their respirator. You only have a vague idea on what their build is (they're on the shorter and thicker side) and that they're probably a dude? It's hard to tell, frankly.A bright red cross with a yellow star in the center is visible on the left shoulder of the hazmat suit. That's probably ZENITH'S logo but you wouldn't know. "So! You're Vincent, right?" The ZENITH REP holds their gloved hand out. "It is excellent to see you, face to face. I do apologize for all of this." They use their other hand to gesture towards the mist still hanging in the air.You awkwardly shake their hand. "It's fine? So, I was told I was supposed to get a reward?" "Correct!" They reach into the bag hanging around their waist. They throw down a huge wad of cash onto the table before extracting a variety of serums from their bag. Each one is a brightly, almost neon color slurry that looks like it shouldn't be injected into the human body."I'm only authorized to give you one of these but these are some VERY potent serums. Each one is tailored made to work with YOUR immune system."
"We made sure to test it on the blood sample provided to us by a...Hidaka, I believe?" The ZENITH REP shrugs. "Whatever the case, we really do appreciate your work yesterday.""Oh. Thanks." You're glad the mask hides your face because you're sporting a pretty awkward smile right now.You silently pocket the money before you start skimming through the various serums.>You now have $1236!Choose ONE serum to be injected into you. Each one permanently improves a particular stat.>BLOOD RED ENKEPHALIN (Claims to massively increase the user's pain tolerance. Adds an additional bonus to ENDURANCE based checks.)>NEON YELLOW CAFFEINE SERUM (Claims to give the user a constant, steady stream of energy. Adds a bonus to AGILITY/REFLEX checks.)>BLINDING WHITE PROTEIN SLURRY (Claims to give the user the strength of a dozen men. Adds an additional bonus to PHYSICAL STRENGTH rolls.)>ROYAL PURPLE ELIXER (Claims to regulate the user's mood and emotions, even in the most dire of situations. Upgrades your bonus to resisting MIND ALTERING effects and keeping up your COMPOSURE in stressful situations.) >NEON CYAN DOPAMINE SERUM (Claims to improve your savior faire and confidence, making it easier to talk to people. Adds a bonus to SPEECH checks.)While the ZENITH REP is here, you might as well ask them some questions. Choose three questions to ask them.>Ask about ZENITH and what they do as a company. You have a feeling this isn't the last thing you'll be hearing about them.>Can you tell you anything about the other sponsorship companies?>Try to make a deal with them. For more serums, for medical supplies, anything. (DC 60, +10 to roll. If you write in a convincing argument or offer, the DC may be lowered.)>Talk about Lucy and her condition. Could they possibly do anything for her?>Ask them for any medical knowledge or advice they can spare. Anything to help you in the future.>Thank them for the JAX SERUM, it really did save your ass today. Try to butter up the ZENITH REP. (No check needed.)>Hand them one of the DENTED BULLETS. Ask them to analyze the blood on it, you just want to make extra sure Ashton's okay.>Write in.-----Welcome back, everyone. You know what time it is, right?It's time to read more of Vincent's wild misadventures.
>>6318474Hell yes we are so back, Low Rung Lords. And we get goodies...>ROYAL PURPLE ELIXER (Claims to regulate the user's mood and emotions, even in the most dire of situations. Upgrades your bonus to resisting MIND ALTERING effects and keeping up your COMPOSURE in stressful situations.)We want to endure this crap? Let's bump up our mental fortitude.>Ask about ZENITH and what they do as a company. You have a feeling this isn't the last thing you'll be hearing about them.>Hand them one of the DENTED BULLETS. Ask them to analyze the blood on it, you just want to make extra sure Ashton's okay.>Talk about Lucy and her condition. Could they possibly do anything for her?I figure even if it isn't out of sheer altruism it's never a bad idea to do a favor for a coworker
>>6318477+1Keep calm and all else will fall into place.
>>6318474>ROYAL PURPLE ELIXER>Thank them for the JAX SERUM, it really did save your ass today. Try to butter up the ZENITH REP. (No check needed.)Do this first.>Try to make a deal with them. For more serums, for medical supplies, anything. (DC 60, +10 to roll. If you write in a convincing argument or offer, the DC may be lowered.)>Hand them one of the DENTED BULLETS. Ask them to analyze the blood on it, you just want to make extra sure Ashton's okay.
>>6318477+1
>>6318477Support
>>6318474>>6318477+1that is that and this is thisI'd be interested to know what they think of our blood (since we've got a symbiotic plant in us), but maybe for another day (when we discover we're week to herbicides)
>>6318474>BLINDING WHITE PROTEIN SLURRY (Claims to give the user the strength of a dozen men. Adds an additional bonus to PHYSICAL STRENGTH rolls.)That robust bastard won't be the last asshole we have to bludgeon to death.>Thank them for the JAX SERUM, it really did save your ass today. Try to butter up the ZENITH REP. (No check needed.)>Hand them one of the DENTED BULLETS. Ask them to analyze the blood on it, you just want to make extra sure Ashton's okay.>Try to make a deal with them. For more serums, for medical supplies, anything. (DC 60, +10 to roll. If you write in a convincing argument or offer, the DC may be lowered.)
>>6318474>ROYAL PURPLE ELIXER (Claims to regulate the user's mood and emotions, even in the most dire of situations. Upgrades your bonus to resisting MIND ALTERING effects and keeping up your COMPOSURE in stressful situations.) >Can you tell you anything about the other sponsorship companies?>Talk about Lucy and her condition. Could they possibly do anything for her?>Thank them for the JAX SERUM, it really did save your ass today. Try to butter up the ZENITH REP. (No check needed.)
>>6318474Hell yeah! Mold farming time.And the ZENITH REP. I've been waiting for you.I don't get why they sent the ZENITH REP as some delivery boy. Can't they get whatever delivery service they use to hand it to us?Is he just here to take questions or what? It can't be questions about the serums, they could get those details to us in writing, and we have.I think this ZENITH REP wants to tell us something in person which cannot be told over the fax. Possibly because ARC is watching, listening.Or it could be sincere gratitude from ZENITH, although I'm doubtful of that.>>BLINDING WHITE PROTEIN SLURRYAre you built to endure?>>Ask about ZENITH and what they do as a company. You have a feeling this isn't the last thing you'll be hearing about them.Has Vincent never heard of ZENITH? Strange bedfellows.>>Try to make a deal with them. For more serums, for medical supplies, anything. (DC 60, +10 to roll. If you write in a convincing argument or offer, the DC may be lowered.)Alright, you'll get another wall of text then. More effort to make it readable this time.>"My report must've made quite an impression on ZENITH. Such a great impression that a ZENITH REP personally delivered ZENITH-exclusive performance-enhancing drugs to some level 0 ARC researcher.>"The extent of the rewards ZENITH agreed to offer were those stipulated in the sponsorship deal. No further reward had to be given, and yet here we are. This would be needless if I wasn't an asset to ZENITH.>"Since you care, I'd like to make a request. I want your 'experimental' product catalog, if it even exists. If it doesn't, we can start now. JAX-874, modified JAX, adjacent products, or just whatever you're willing to give me.>"Call it part of an R&D initiative, a catalog with no markup from production and shipping expenses. Because I'd guess ZENITH products retail for thousands; hardly affordable here, and in return you may receive reports and modifications on their effectiveness without deadlines.>"The report I've already sent you on JAX may seem comprehensive, but there were unexplored, unmentioned complications regarding brain chemistry side-effects. Potential contraindications.>"Using an anomaly, I've closer examined the first participant in my report, 'FET.' It gave me a concerning warning which I had no time to explore. It's insubstantial on its own and requires a deeper dive into JAX. This catalog would help me get more. Additionally, ZENITH's JAX saved my life yesterday, and you value me enough to enhance my performance, so why not?>"I want that catalog, and I want JAX for both further development and personal use."For ZENITH. We are the academy, I am a hand driving its engine. Just so long as it serves Vincent.Good? Good luck, Vincent.>>Ask them for any medical knowledge or advice they can spare. Anything to help you in the future.Give books.
>>6318474>NEON CYAN DOPAMINE SERUM (Claims to improve your savior faire and confidence, making it easier to talk to people. Adds a bonus to SPEECH checks.)We need it>Thank them for the JAX SERUM, it really did save your ass today. Try to butter up the ZENITH REP. (No check needed.)>Hand them one of the DENTED BULLETS. Ask them to analyze the blood on it, you just want to make extra sure Ashton's okay.>Talk about Lucy and her condition. Could they possibly do anything for her?
Alright, 12 votes and enough time has passed. Let's tally things up.ROYAL PURPLE ELIXER: tTs, 7ER, Bkz, 1nu, jls, UEZ, YpN, Jjy, DOJPROTEIN SLURRY: 6Oj, XhhDOPAMINE: 4ljSeems like Vincent wants to make his MIND stronger. The wageslave yearns for a steel trap mind...ZENITH DETAILS: tTs, 7ER, 1nu, jls, UEZ, YpN, Jjy, XhhDENTED BULLETS: tTs, 7ER, 1nu, jls, UEZ, YpN, Jjy, Bkz, 6Oj, 4ljLUCY: tTs, 7ER, 1nu, jls, UEZ, YpN, Jjy, DOJ, 4ljJAX SERUM: Bkz, 6Oj, DOJ, 4ljDEAL: Bkz, 6Oj, XhhMEDICAL KNOWLEDGE: XhhSPONSORSHIP COMPANIES: DOJYeah. Pretty lopsided overall. No dice options were picked so I'm just going to start writing now. I do want to reward Xhh a little bit for writing up that text wall so I'll include a little bit of it into the update. Don't expect much, since it wasn't a main option voted for, but still.
Something about this is bothering you. You're a level 0 nobody, why the hell would a REPRESENTATIVE from a sponsorship company come down here just to meet you? You're clearly not hiding your confusion all that well.The ZENITH REP chuckles at your bewildered expression. "Your stunt yesterday was part of the reason I wanted to come down here. Let's say it was good for our brand." It takes you a moment to realize what they're talking about.Right. You DID kill a man with naught but a huge metal stick while hopped up on their serum. "Oh. That's the reason you wanted to come down here?""Partially." They cryptically answer. "There's another reason, I'm not here just for you, but we'll talk about that later."They point towards the serums they laid out on the table. "Your choice?""Oh, yeah. I think the purple one's good." You hold out your arm, ready for the injection. You did consider picking the DOPAMINE SERUM or the PROTEIN SLURRY but in a place like this? Keeping your sanity is probably more important.They draw some of the serum into a syringe and they promptly inject the serum into you. You don't really feel anything as the fluid courses through your system. After they remove the syringe, you wait a minute or two but you just feel like yourself, you suppose.Your mind feels clearer and you find it a bit easier to collect your thoughts. You were expecting something 'grander', you suppose.>Your bonus to resisting MIND ALTERING EFFECTS and maintaining your composure bumps up from +7 to +10!Now that's settled, you might as well ask them some questions. "Right. So, I'll be honest, I've never heard of ZENITH before.""That's to be expected. We mostly work with private security companies and military contractors. A civilian probably wouldn't have heard of us." "Really?" Well, that caught your attention. "So, what exactly do you do?""Well, we supply them with medical supplies, of course." The ZENITH REP states the obvious. "Our main service is lending out medical experts, though. Mostly to deal with anomalous diseases. You can assume what that involves.""Vaguely?" You'd assume they probably exist but you don't have any actual experience with them."ARC has given me and my fellow comrades the task of, well, containing those diseases for them." The ZENITH REP pokes at their hazmat suit. "This suit is meant to protect against diseases that defy our current understanding of pathology. That's partially why I had to clean this place."It's almost imperceptible but there's a lingering worry in the REP's words. They shift uncomfortably in their seat, as if they know they have to be somewhere soon. The only thing you can think of that would make them worry this much would be...a disease, maybe?"How likely is it that this ARC facility has an outbreak of an anomalous disease right now?"The ZENITH REP firmly clears their throat. "I'm not at liberty to say.""Would you say it's something your company would do?""I would."
"And would you say that you would be sent here if there was one?" "Not just me. Multiple of my colleagues would be sent here."You doubt you're getting any more information beyond that. You can't really read their face because it's hidden by their hazmat gear. "I see. So you work with ARC in order to contain anomalous diseases in general, correct?"The ZENITH REP's posture relaxes once the topic shifts. "Correct. The various serums we create are more of a side project, frankly. We capture subjects infected with anomalous diseases for ARC to study or, if the disease is too dangerous, we neutralize them.""We both benefit from it. ARC gets a new subject to study, we get paid for capturing and transporting the subjects to them." The ZENITH REP briefly pauses. "It's better than trusting it to most of the ETFs, after all."Duly noted. You suppose if you'll ever have to deal with an anomalous disease in the future, it'd be wise to call up these guys. "Alright. Second question. More of a favor, really." You dig out the plastic bag holding the DENTED BULLETS extracted from Ashton's body.The ZENITH REP leans in close in order to examine the bullets. "What exactly do you want me to do?""Call it paranoia but these were extracted from...someone who may be physically affected by an anomaly. I need you to analyze the blood on these bullets."The ZENITH REP carefully grabs the bag, worried that they might 'catch' whatever is on those bullets even through all of the layers of protection they have on. "I suppose I could humor your request. You'll probably get an answer before your shift starts."Oh! That's convenient. You give the REP a polite nod. "Thank you. One last question. There's a friend of mine that I want you to help."The ZENITH REP produces a muffled, gurgled noise with laughter-like qualities. "I already gave you a lot. There's only so much I can do but sure. Speak.""Her name is Lucy and she was affected by an anomaly. Her skin and muscles have lost most of their structure, like half-set gelatin." A grimace flashes across your face. "It's not infectious but I assume it would still be within your company's mission."The ZENITH REP gives a polite nod. "Indeed. Do you know what causes it?""I believe her body is no longer able to naturally produce collagen. She has to eat a LOT of collagen rich foods just to not lose even more of her bodily structure. She takes meds for it but I'm unsure what they do.""Could you possibly..." You do want to help her, not just out of the goodness of your own heart, but because it'll earn her trust. Trust is everything in a place like that. "do something to help her?""I won't do it for free." The ZENITH REP clarifies before you can get your hopes up. "However, my company wouldn't be too happy with leaving someone with a medicine condition like that to suffer."The ZENITH REP places a gloved hand on your leg. "If you can get us some samples from her, we'll be willing to look into it."
"We'll charge a bit to analyze the samples, of course." The ZENITH REP squawks out something resembling a laugh. "That's besides the point though.""The more samples you can get, the better our chances of figuring out how to help her with her condition. Three would be the minimum. Capiche?""Capiche." You nod your head.>NEW SIDEQUEST OBTAINED: HARVEST SAMPLES FROM LUCY! 0/3 SAMPLES OBTAINED.>You imagine harvesting tissue and fluid samples from someone as weak as her would be taxing on her. "Excellent. The cure we'll make will also be cheaper the more samples you can give us. More data to work with. I'm sure you can understand. Now.""Is that all?" The ZENITH REP asks with an amused cadence. "One last thing. There was an anomaly I tested the JAX 874 serum on. They warned me that it apparently infers with the body's ability to heal. I would recommend you look into that."The ZENITH REP rests their hands on their lap as they mull over the information you just told them. After a few moments, they curtly nod. "I see." A trace of anger lingers in their words. "I know what caused that and I know who to blame.""Hm?" "Nothing. Personal drama." While their response is cryptic, you have a gut feeling this isn't the first time the REP had to deal with something like this. Before you can pry any further, the REP gets up from their seat."I have to go. Thank you for working with us." The ZENITH REP quickly exits the room before you can question them any further. Odd. Well, you suppose all you have to do now is to wander around until your shift starts. You don't think you're getting any sponsorships today. What do you do with your free time, Vincent? Choose three.>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. 1d100+4 will be rolled.)>Head down to LAYER 3. You should probably check up on FET and to be honest, you want to know more about the facility you're in.>Head back to LOST AND FOUND. Let's see what goodies you can steal this time. (DC 43. You may write in a KEYWORD to alter what junk you might find.)>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)>Start training with your vine. You might as well get the most out of it now that you have it. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe you can even convince him to lend you an ARTIFACT.>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. You might as well start searching for the bullets they confiscated from COLT. You do owe it to him.>Start your shift early. Time is money here and you're broke! (Can be picked multiple times. You start with 2 extra TIME TOKENS at the start of your shift.)>Try to arrange a meeting with some acquaintances. Might as well get to know your coworkers more. (You'll meet up with two random acquaintances.)>Write in.Not sure what happened there. Okay, this should be the actual update.
>>6318862>>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. You might as well start searching for the bullets they confiscated from COLT. You do owe it to him.>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)>Head back to LOST AND FOUND. Let's see what goodies you can steal this time. (DC 43. You may write in a KEYWORD to alter what junk you might find.)I just think this is the most efficient pre-shift actions right now.
>>6318862>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. You might as well start searching for the bullets they confiscated from COLT. You do owe it to him.>Start training with your vine. You might as well get the most out of it now that you have it. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. 1d100+4 will be rolled.)
>>6318868+1
>>6318862Shit. We should probably tread lightly here. I just realized we're agreeing to give away our friend's DNA Samples to some morally-ambiguous corp. Whoopsies!>>6318868+1 to this
>>6318862>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. You might as well start searching for the bullets they confiscated from COLT. You do owe it to him.>Head down to LAYER 3. You should probably check up on FET and to be honest, you want to know more about the facility you're in.>Try to arrange a meeting with some acquaintances. Might as well get to know your coworkers more. (You'll meet up with two random acquaintances.)
>>6318862>Start training with your vine. You might as well get the most out of it now that you have it. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>Start your shift early. Time is money here and you're broke! (Can be picked multiple times. You start with 2 extra TIME TOKENS at the start of your shift.)>Start your shift early. Time is money here and you're broke! (Can be picked multiple times. You start with 2 extra TIME TOKENS at the start of your shift.)
>>6318862>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. >Start training with your vine. >Head down to LAYER 3.
>>6318862>>Start training with your vine. You might as well get the most out of it now that you have it. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>You DO have that LEVEL 1 GUARD ID. You might as well start searching for the bullets they confiscated from COLT. You do owe it to him.>Start your shift early. Time is money here and you're broke! (Can be picked multiple times. You start with 2 extra TIME TOKENS at the start of your shift.)
Rolled 8 + 4 (1d100 + 4)COLT BULLETS: NPa, J8o, tTs, Bkz, L/T, YpN, 86+LAYER 3: Bkz, VpNMEETING: BkzMAP: NPaLOST AND FOUND: NPaVINE: 6Oj, J8o, tTs, VpN, 86+START EARLY: L/T, 86+WANDER: 6Oj, J8o, tTsSeems like BULLETS, WANDER and VINE won out. I'll roll the 1d100+4 to see what encounter you stumble across. As for the VINE, three anons, roll 1d100+4.VINE TABLE (DC 60)0 SUCCESSES: This damn thing doesn't want to listen to you! (No progress made.)1 SUCCESS: It's slow progress BUT it think you're getting a hang on it. (You now have better motor control over the vine. You can now use it like a third hand now.)2 SUCCESSES: Okay, it's a plant, so you have to tend to it like one... (The vine's length, and therefore reach, has increased significantly. This could prove handy if you need to keep your distance from an enemy.)3 SUCCESSES: You and the vine are now one. You might as well be used to your new arrangement. (Same as 2 but the vine has gotten thick and sturdy after you trained with it. It'll be hard to damage it unless you use fire or herbicides.) ENCOUNTER TABLE (1d100+4)NAT 1: UH OH6-37: BAD. You walked into an argument or a fight, you saw something you shouldn't, etc.38-73: NEUTRAL/WEIRD. You meet another freak, you encounter something anomalous, etc.74-103: GOOD. You meet someone helpful, you find something valuable, etc.NAT 100: LUCKY!!!
Rolled 3 + 4 (1d100 + 4)>>6319148
Rolled 88 (1d100)>>6319148
Rolled 87 + 4 (1d100 + 4)>>6319148Leave this to me...
Alright, 2 SUCCESSES, so your vine's a lot better now. More fine control over it AND it has longer reach. All in all that's a pretty good deal.You might need it considering the ENCOUNTER category you rolled. Writing.
The air's no longer thick with the white fog that the ZENITH REP left behind. You peel off your gas mask, grateful to take in a breath that doesn't taste like rubber and sweat.You only now realize, now that you can breathe a bit more clearly, that you might've just agreed to send DNA samples to a shady sponsorship company. Oops. Welp, it's that or making enough wine-soaked foodstuffs to feed an army. You'll worry about that later. Your wrist flower doesn't look particularly thrilled with you after being exposed to whatever chemical concoction was hanging in the air. You gently run your fingers across its petals. "There, there. I'll get you some water later, okay?"You know, as you're busy trying to appease your little symbiote, you're reminded of the vine hidden inside your arm. You haven't really had a chance to test it out, have you? You might as well do it before your shift.With a bit of coaxing, the vine emerges out of the middle of your palm. It idly sways in the air for a moment before recoiling, as if it just smelled something horrid. "Yeah, it doesn't smell good in here either." You crack a smile, not at all concerned that you feel like talking to these plants."We need to get stronger. To endure whatever comes after us." You're saying this more for your sake than the flower's sake. "Are you willing to get STRONGER?"The vine shifts to point its tip at you. It mimes something that might resemble a nod if you squint. Excellent. "Alright." You yank the MAKESHIFT WEAPON out of your satchel, and you lazily throw it onto the floor. "We need to work together when we're grabbing stuff.""You live rent-free inside my arm; you might as well help me carry stuff. Capiche?" >2 SUCCESSES!The vine mimes another nod. You squat low to the ground before reaching your arm out. You keep your arm just far enough so that you can't grab it, but the vine absolutely could.The vine aimlessly squirms in the air. You're starting to worry it might not listen to you, but right as you're about to give it, the vine snaps towards the weapon. The weapon is quickly entangled in the vine's grasp. You take in a deep, long breath as you shift all of your focus onto the vine.You need to CONTROL the vine. You need to treat it as an extension of yourself. A third limb. To wire it into your nervous system. The vine begins to twitch and squirm. You want the vine to point the weapon at the nearby couch. You keep repeating this thought over and over again in your mind.The vine relents. It points the rod towards the couch. You think about pointing it to the ceiling, and it does so. To the floor? Yep, that as well. You repeat this a few times until soon, you don't have to think at all in order to make the vine move. You don't always have to think about how to move your arms, right? Same principle, really.It's almost creepy how fluidly you can move the vine now. You easily drop the weapon now that you've tamed the vine.
You can already tell the vine is getting 'tired,' for lack of a better term. You still need to train the vine a bit more, though.You step away from the rod until it's outside both your vine and the vine's reach. The vine is only a foot and a half long which, don't get it wrong, is impressive, but you can do better.You point your palm towards the weapon on the ground. It's a plant, and what do plants do? They grow. Their roots grow deep into the soil, spreading deeper into the earth as they grow. This vine can grow, you know that. You just need to push it a little."Grab it."The vine tries with its current reach, but it can't. You keep repeating that the vine has to grab the weapon, over and over again. You're not going to relent until it grows.And so it does. It's not notable at first but little by little, you feel something squirming inside the muscles of your arm. The vine extends further and further towards the weapon. It's almost like it's growing both to grab your weapon and to nestle deeper into your body.Inch by inch, foot by foot, the vine extends. The vine soon envelops the weapon and in one fluid motion, you yank the weapon back to you. You take one look at the vine and, hoo, it's definitely longer than your arm now. You don't have a ruler on hand but if you had to make an educated guess, it's at least three feet long. That's double its previous size.Combine that with your arm's existing reach, you probably have over six foot worth of reach now. That should be more than enough to help out in a fight; It could also help with stealing stuff, which you might have to.With a curt nod, you mentally command the vine to retreat into your arm. Despite the vine's increased size, it easily slithers back into the fleshy confines of your arm. You're not going to question how the vine is able to fit in there. Anomalies, you know?>SLUMBERING WISH'S vine has been significantly upgraded!You can't spend all day fucking around with your vine. You have to get moving. After you're sure you're not leaving anything behind, you exit the BREAK ROOM. You briefly wonder where you should head to next. So many places to be, but you decide to let your gut guide you.Your legs awkwardly carry you through the fluorescent-lit halls. The faint electric hum trickling out of the lights is comforting, in a sad sort of way. It's hard to describe, but what do you suppose after being here for so long? You've gotten used to them.The hallways blend together as they always do. You're getting a better sense of where to go now after being here for five days. You have a sense of what's a complete dead end and what might actually take you somewhere. You can sense that you're getting somewhere.>12!...but what you're heading towards isn't going to be anything pleasant. The hairs on your arm and the back of your neck stand on end. You overhear a muffled conversation that is positively vibrating with rage, even if you can't make out the exact words.
You hear two voices, one male and one female. You think you recognize one of them? It's hard to say without seeing them. You take another deep breath before pushing forward towards the source of the noise. After another turn, you quickly realize what's going on.You spot two people arguing at each other. The one closest to you is a young, beanie-wearing woman in altstyle clothing. You quickly remember that's Elizabeth, a...distant acquaintance of yours. In front of her is an oily-haired man dressed to the nines. The man's luxury suit has an odd pattern sewn on the left shoulder. Pink swirls that resemble curled vines or, maybe, gusts of wind? It's hard to say. He's dressed FAR too lavishly to be any random joe here. He HAS to be a higher up of ARC."-and I told you." The man is doing his best to keep his composure in front of Elizabeth. "He's at a meeting. A very SPECIAL meeting with very SPECIAL people. A meeting I should be at. Please stop wasting my-""Oh! You think you can squirm your way out of this?" Elizabeth bares her teeth at the man. You almost swear they were razor sharp, more like a cat's than a human's. "No! He's been avoiding me for three whole days now!""Nicole wouldn't tell me about it and now YOU'RE trying to play dumb?!" She squawks out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a growl. "Wow!""Again." The WELL DRESSED MAN tightens his fist in a vain attempt to keep his cool. "He's being investigated by the Worker's Committee, you have to wait.""You know that investigation is bullshit! He didn't do it, you KNOW who actually did it, you're just too lazy to actually go after her!"The corner of the WELL DRESSED MAN's eye twitches. "That is hearsay and nothing more."There's something off about both of them. The rigidity of the WELL DRESED MAN's posture tells you he's hiding something. Elizabeth, meanwhile, reminds you of a wild beast more than anything. Her eyes wildly dart around and her clothes are a disorganized, shaggy mess.Hoo boy. You clearly don't have enough context to understand what exactly they're arguing about but...maybe you should say something? They haven't seen you, though. Might be best to just leave.What do you do, Vincent? Choose one.>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)>Walk past them. Pretend you didn't hear a single thing they said. This isn't your battle. (DC 65, +15 to roll from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE)>Approach the duo. Talk to the WELL DRESSED MAN first, you're better at sucking up to people like him. Ask him what's going on.>Approach the duo. Talk to Elizabeth first, you're worried she's about to rip into that man with her teeth. Calm her down.>Approach the duo but stay silent. Stay impartial for now, you don't have enough information on what's going on.>Write in.
>>6319225>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)Roll 3 successes and then approachSimple as
>>6319225>>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)
>>6319225>>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)I'm curious if we can force the calming scent from the flower to proc.
>>6319225>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)Worst comes to worst we pretend we tripped when trying to tame our cool vine thing
>>6319225>Eavesdrop. You don't want to get involved but you want to know what's going on. (DC 50, +10 to roll.)
>>6319225>Eavesdrop.I hope they fight.
>>6319225>Approach the duo but stay silent. Stay impartial for now, you don't have enough information on what's going on.Hit em with that SLUMBERING WISH aroma.
>>6319225>Eavesdrop.
Welp! I ain't gonna tally all of that, we know what won. Would've closed earlier but I had to sleep, you know.Three anons, roll 1d100+10. Table below.0 SUCCESSES: Christ, they're being cryptic now. It's almost like they know you're...listening. (You don't learn anything.)1 SUCCESS: Christ, they're being cryptic now. Do they think someone's listening? (You get some vague but worrying information.)2 SUCCESSES: Okay, you think you can parse what's going on. (You get a basic idea on what's going on with these two.)3 SUCCESSES: Huh. So that's what happened. (You got a solid, if not fully complete, idea on what's going on.)
Rolled 81 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6319564
Rolled 31 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6319564Heh...
Rolled 7 (1d100)>>6319564
>>6319573Commiting suicide right now
Mmh, bad luck was eventually going to catch up with you. 1 SUCCESS. I suppose Vincent isn't the most subtle person when it comes to eavesdropping. Who knows what he'll learn, though? Oh, wait, I do. Writing.>>6319573>>6319574As per ARC's official guidelines, employees are not allowed to leave the company through intentional acts of suicide. The punishment for any staff member caught trying to do this is [REDACTED].
>>6319576Too late I shot myself in the back of the head 7 times.
>>6319587Body has been forwarded to [REDACTED] for [REDACTED]. [REDACTED] successfully bound to [REDACTED]. Employee redesignated as SACA unit #7132-J.
Okay, you're not walking headfirst into this. This is not your battle. Maybe if it was someone you worked with before, you'd consider approaching them to see what's going on. For now, though, watching them might be your best option.You silently back away until you're hidden behind the corner, allowing you to somewhat observe their conversation. "Hearsay? HEARSAY???" Elizabeth squawks out a bizarrely guttural noise that's too abstract for you to fully articulate. "Do you hear the words you're saying? I'm telling you that someone else DID IT! I SAW HER WITH MY OWN EYES!""We have no actual evidence that she did any of this besides your own words." The WELL-DRESSED MAN does his best to ignore Elizabeth's frankly feral behavior. "If we believed in every rumor we heard, we would be hunting down some psychotic grey-skinned man.""I—Huh?" Elizabeth is knocked off balance by what he said. You can't lie; you are as well. Why did he...>1 SUCCESS!You stifle a cough. You have to stay silent; you can't let them know you're here."Whatever! You're just trying to distract me! You're..." Elizabeth looks around the hallway she's in. It seems like his words got under her skin. "You're just using him as a scapegoat. You know he's innocent.""What qualifies as 'innocence' in this situation is rather vague, wouldn't you agree?" The WELL-DRESSED MAN mirthlessly laughs. "You have to admit that he had some blame here, regardless if the 'real culprit' you're suggesting is to blame.""Why, wasn't he related to that August case? Why are you defending him, exactly?" A hint of bitter amusement lingers in his words.Elizabeth's knuckles turn white as she tightens her fists. "You know that's not why you're punishing him!""Of course not." His expression shifts into a serious, dour frown. "Maybe you forgot that our suspect was found sneaking into the room in question, which he didn't have access to, with a stolen keycard.""What, are you going to say your mystery girl put him up to that?""You KNOW damn well he was authorized to be there!" Elizabeth throws her hands in the air, clearly getting exasperated. "SHE's the one who spun up that whole story about him 'stealing' and 'breaking' into there!""This 'she' you're referring to is a highly trusted staff member. Levying an accusation like that against her with no evidence—""UGGHHH!!! You're hopeless! You're not listening to a SINGLE WORD I'm saying!" "She's the one who wanted to steal it! He's just a scapegoat, and you're eating RIGHT OUT OF HER FUCKING-" "Language, Ms. Baker.""It's Liz! You know everyone calls me Liz!" "Regardless of your personal pet theory, he's the one who was found with the stolen item. He's the one who confessed to stealing it. Unless you can actually give me solid evidence-"Liz interrupts him with another snarl. "ASK LITERALLY ANYONE WHO KNEW HIM AND THEY WOULD TELL YOU THE SAME THING! HE'S NOT THE ACTUAL THIEF!"
"Am I talking to a SACA robot? Are you preprogrammed to respond like this???""This is going nowhere. I have somewhere to be." Whatever patience the WELL-DRESSED MAN had is gone now. "If you keep bothering me, I'll call security.""I-" Liz's body vibrates with rage. She's barely able to keep whatever violent impulses are blooming inside her in check. Whoever he is, he's clearly higher in the facility's hierarchy than her. "Fine! Fine!""I'm glad we had this talk." The WELL-DRESSED MAN turns away towards the hallway behind him. He casually walks away from the fuming, seething mess without a second thought.Liz stands frozen in the spot she's in for what feels like hours. She croaks out something between a sob and a laugh. "He didn't- He's just some random-" Any attempt to articulate what she's feeling fail.She raises her fist up and, without really thinking about it, she slams it into a nearby wall. A low, metallic GONG echoes through the now empty hallway. She grits her teeth as she quickly realizes how stupid that idea was.She tries to regain her composure, to look presentable, but the mask is paper thin. One wrong word would send her spiraling. "You know what, Liz? It's going to be FINE. One step at a time." You heard enough to get a rough idea of what's going on. Something was stolen, and a friend, maybe a family member, of hers was blamed. It sounds like whatever got stolen was very important if a committee is judging his crime.You couldn't give two shits if ARC lost something important, but you can at least somewhat sympathize with Liz. It's not the first time you've seen someone get thrown under the bus like this in a corporate setting.You nearly had it happen to you once, but you got bailed out because the actual culprit was REALLY incompetent. "Hey." Liz calls out to, at first, nobody in particular. She turns her head towards the corner you're hiding behind. "You saw that, didn't you? I don't know who's there. I don't really care who you are.""Can you tell me I'm not cr-" She interrupts herself. "Never mind. Don't believe what Rex said." Rex? Is she talking about that well dressed man? "I'm sorry that you had to see this."You feel compelled to say something but before you could, she quickly runs away. By the time you turn around the corner, she's gone.You have a feeling you'll be seeing her or 'Rex' soon enough today. That odd comment about you rubs you the wrong way; it's like they knew that YOU, not anyone else, was the one listening to them. They were being oddly vague on who the two culprits were. Maybe you should ask around for details about the case? All you know is that Liz clearly isn't taking it well. Maybe it's better to simply talk to her later.Oh well. There's nothing you can really do about it now. After making sure they're both gone, you open your map again. You start your search for any nearby guard break rooms or maybe one of their armories? You'd imagine that's where they store Colt's contraband.
You soon find yourself at, for once, an end of a hallway. In this maze of a layer, it's hard to imagine that a hallway can simply END instead of stretching on forever. Standing before you is a sturdy metal door with a keycard reader next to it.There's no chance your LEVEL 0 keycard could open it but, aha, you got a LEVEL 1 GUARD card just for this. You swipe the card through the scanner and, look at that, it's open now.You cautiously step inside to see what you're working with here.https://youtu.be/Rpn772CMUHs - GUARD ROOMThe first thing that hits you is an acrid, bitter blend of body order and cheap body spray. The smell of a high school locker room. The walls are lined with cheap, mass produced lockers with equally shoddy, cheap locks. There's barely enough room in here to walk around, especially when what little space is left is occupied by metal benches. The floor is sticky with something unidentifiable but utterly foul-smelling. God, this brings back awful memories. You sluggishly crawl through the tangled mess of benches and lockers. You're here to find COLT's bullets and nothing else.You immediately find both good news and bad news. Good news, you spot a locker conspicuously labeled "CONTRABAND" amongst the sea of lockers. Bad news, on a bench nearby, there's a security guard.He has the physique of a brick shithouse, like he ate nothing but protein powder and steak his whole life. He is idly cleaning his weapon, which just so happens to be a shotgun. That thing could blow a hole right through you.His foot taps against the ground. His body jitters and shakes as if he's entering some sort of withdrawal. Cleaning the gun is probably just a way to keep himself distracted. He's muttering something under his breath, something about...it's hard to make it. Something starting with a H.He's distracted for the time being but brazenly walking up to the CONTRABAND locker sounds like a good way to die. Probably? Maybe not?What do you do now, Vincent?>Fuck it. Pretend like you're supposed to be here. Walk up to the locker and just open it. (DC 64, +10 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE.)>Hide. Wait for him to leave. (Will eat into your TIME TOKENS this shift.)>Walk up and bribe him. Get him to look the other way, earn his 'trust'. (-$125, -MYSTERY BAGGIE, -CIGARETTES. Leaves you with $445.)>Wait, your vine would be perfect for this. Try to sneakily open the locker with your vine. (DC 50, +5 to roll from VINE TRAINING.)>Lie through your teeth. Tell the guard that Ashton sent you to get some contraband for her. (No check...? Who knows how Ashton would feel about this.)>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.) >Write in.>>6319641Details on how SACA units are created is restricted to Level 2 access.
>>6319672>Fuck it. Pretend like you're supposed to be here. Walk up to the locker and just open it. (DC 64, +10 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE.)BAVARIAN FIRE DRILL, GO.>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.)While the Vine Action is technically easier it seems way more likely to get us shot upon failure.>Something starting with a H.The Heart...IF things turn bad we can just whip static pollen at his unprotected face and book it while he's dazed by deja vu
>>6319672>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.)
>>6319672>Fuck it. Pretend like you're supposed to be here. Walk up to the locker and just open it. (DC 64, +10 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE.)>>6319675Vincent's secret technique: Pocket Pollen
>>6319675+1>>6319689We need to harvest more from IN LIMBO first so we can turn her into a new source of money
>>6319672>Fuck it. Pretend like you're supposed to be here. Walk up to the locker and just open it. (DC 64, +10 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE.)If we're not supposed to be here then why are we here?>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.)Seems like there's something wrong with everyone's head down here.>Something starting with a H.THE FUCKING HEART!WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE HEART?!
>>6319672>Walk up and bribe him. Get him to look the other way, earn his 'trust'. (-$125, -MYSTERY BAGGIE, -CIGARETTES. Leaves you with $445.)
>>6319704>WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE HEART?!It probably isn't. I think he's just a fucking junkie.
>>6319704Maybe he just wants a hug, anon
>>6319672>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.)Free action is free action
>>6319672>Fuck it. Pretend like you're supposed to be here. Walk up to the locker and just open it. (DC 64, +10 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE.)>Is something wrong with his head? Try to decipher what he's saying. (FREE ACTION. May be mentally or physically taxing.)
>>6319675+1
Alright, Bavarian Fire Drill it is plus the WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM vote. Three anons, roll 1d100+10. Table below. 0 SUCCESSES: CLICK.1 SUCCESS: "Hey, what the hell are...? Hey! Get back here!" (You get caught right as you're leaving. Better haul ass, Vincent.)2 SUCCESSES: "..." (You think you got away scot free? Hard to say.)3 SUCCESSES: He doesn't even bother looking at you. (You 100% got away scot free.)
Rolled 58 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6319978
Rolled 89 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6319978
Rolled 90 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6319978
>>6319979>>6319980>>6319983WAGESLAVE SUPPREMACY
Vincent is TOO COOL to lose his composure. Even when there's an armed security guard who'd probably shoot you if he realized you shouldn't be here. 3 SUCCESSES, baby.Writing.
Three successes. I can't believe my eyes.
Dicegods blessed the wagie. May they only allow us to fumble socially.
"HEY SHITDICK! I USE THE SHOTGUN, YOU WANNA KNOW WHY?"..."huh, noone there, must've been the wind."
>>6320002He probably wont even notice the wind by how smooth Vincent is here
You should walk up there and open the locker like you're supposed to be here. After all, no one would be here unless they were supposed to be here, right? The guard won't even notice you if you simply pretend that you belong her.Something stops you from immediately walking up to the locker. The guard is acting really weird and not in a 'this is simply how people are in this facility' weird. You've seen this type of weird before. Junkies.His shakes and the fact he's muttering nonsense under his breath is enough to tell you that. You've walked past a dozen people like him before and now, they're giving people like him shotguns? Hilarious, really!You might as well listen to what he's saying. You're not fully sure why but you think it might worth something."Hurts. It hurts. Can't stand it." The security guard hisses under his breath. "Can't stand that thing. But I need it, I need it so bad. So bad, man, it's worse than bad." His hands tighten around his gun. He bites down hard on his lip, immediately drawing blood from it."Need it coursin' through me. That candy green joy. Labcoat won't supply none, no no." You're starting to worry that if he tightens his grip any more, he's going to break his own shotgun. "Anomaly won't PRODUCE the raw stuff. Need more. Need more.""GOTTA get it. He's selling it to others, I got to have it. He sells to the other guards. WHY NOT ME? WHY NOT ME????" Tears begin to build up in the guard's eyes. "Ashton, oh, she thinks she's SOOO perfect. Won't take what we take.""FUCKING LIAR!" The guard slams his foot against the ground. "I know she takes shit like the rest of us. She won't admit it. Smell it in her VEINS, in her FLESH." Drool leaks out of the corner of his mouth. "I'd show them what's inside her.""RIP her OPEN." He whispers with an almost religious reverence in his words. "TASTE her BLOODWATER..." All of the nervous energy inside his system suddenly vanishes like a wind up toy running out of juice. He focuses his attention back towards polishing his shotgun.You can't help but to be disappointed and a little disgusted at what he said.>-MENTAL HEALTHYou suppose it was inevitable you'd hear about some morally bankrupt researcher peddling junk to people. Ashton, though, she doesn't seem like the type to inject her stuff with that kind of junk.Would she? The only weird thing about her is her oxytocin levels but it's not, say, anywhere near as bad as this guy.You take a moment to calm yourself down. A mask of impassivity slips comfortably over your face as you step out of hiding. You casually stroll up to the contraband locker without any fear and hesitation in your movements. You belong here, after all.There's no lock on the locker so you can easily open it up. Your best guess is that the junkie over there is tasked with guarding it."Day hasn't even started and it's been a long one, huh?" You rattle off some small talk, mostly out of instinct.
"Mmh hmm." The guard doesn't bother looking at you as he responds. "Long day." "Yeah." You rummage through the contraband locker in search of any rifle bullets. "I'd drink some more water if I were you.""Water tastes like shit." The guard murmurs. "Booze is better.""Mmh hmm." You hum in faux approval. The conversation dies there; you don't want to push your luck here.There's so much junk in the contraband locker, it's almost impressive.There's porno mags, bags filled with 'mysterious white powder,' clearly counterfeit ID cards, you name it. You also spot piles of SIM cards inside the contraband locker. Probably from people trying to contact the outside world, you'd guess.>3 SUCCESSES!Nothing happens. You're worried that at any moment, he'll catch on to the fact you're not supposed to be here, but it never happens. You pull out a baggie filled with rifle bullets from amongst the other contraband. You safely drop the bag into your satchel before you close the locker door.You could've stolen more, but you'd rather not push your luck. Not with a man with a loaded shotgun only a few feet away from you.You turn around and you walk out of the locker room without any-"Hey." Oh shit. You don't turn around. Did he catch you? "John. Tell Chief Chopjob to get me some more slugs." Who the fuck is Chief Chopjob??? You nearly ask him that, but you catch yourself before you can."Sure." There's no way in hell you're going to look for 'Chief Chopjob'."Alright. See you later." And with that, NOW you step out of the locker room. You swipe your stolen ID card again to close the door. You take a moment to process that, huh, you just did that. You totally thought you were going to get a hole punched right through you.You idly check the bullets you stole. Yep, there's a LOT in here; you absolutely found Colt's stash here.>BAG OF COLT'S BULLETS obtained! (Return to COLT later for a reward.)You keep a measured, steady pace as you let yourself wander through the maze-like hallway. Damn, you feel like a smooth son of a bitch right now. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come today, you know?You start to mull over who you should hire today. Your shift's about to start any moment now. Another shift of babying your anomalies. Yesterday was a lot so you're not hiring Lucy or Hidaka this time around.MONEY AVAILABLE: $570THE MAN ($165)+Jack of all trades, useful for any skill check+Very good at gathering information-Can't interact with most people or anomalies?Anomalous, for better and worseTIME TOKEN VALUE: 3SACA ($100)+Physically strong and durable+Repair/manual labor skill checks take less time with its presence+Can now assist in medical or chemistry-based tasks-Can't enter anomaly cells?Rudimentary AI, doesn't fully think like a humanTIME TOKEN VALUE: 3ASHTON ($70)+Cares about you. She'll do her best to help you out?Likely pain and stress resistant, due to excessive oxytocin+???+-???TIME TOKEN VALUE: 2
COLT ($50)+Has a certain charisma to him, good with words.+Very solid fighter+Owns two ARTIFACTS, very well equipped-Interferes with research?Not liked by a lot of your fellow coworkers.?Can vaguely perceive the ManTIME TOKEN VALUE: 2ANTHONY ($200)+Knows the facility like the back of his hand. Can help you find what you need here.+Managed to survive this long as a facility guard. Likely has a lot of skills under his belt.+Seems pretty chill. People seems to trust him.-WAY past his physical prime. VERY old.TIME TOKEN VALUE: 4Who do you hire, Vincent? Pick up to two choices.>THE MAN>SACA>COLT>ASHTON>ANTHONY>NO ONE. SOLO SHIFT. There's something that rubs you the wrong way. It's about what that guard said. Should you tell Ashton about it? (You can do this whether you hire her or not.)>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.>YES. You want to know if there's any creditability to what he said about her 'taking stuff'. >NO. It's random junkie babble, it probably means nothing. You don't want to stress her out.>NO. You don't fully trust her. Best to look into this on your own time.>Write in.>>6320056Kino art, my dude. Vincent really can be cool when he's not a babbling sperg.
>>6320067>COLTReturn those bullets pronto, don't wanna get caught with them ourselves.>ASHTONWe should probably warn her about what that psycho junkie guard was saying. In case he goes through with the threats, or if he really can smell the drugs in her and her food is being spiked by another researcher who wants an addicted customer.>YES. You want to know if there's any creditability to what he said about her 'taking stuff'.As stated above, even if she isn't doing it intentionally it could be slipped into her food.
>>6320067>>THE MAN>>COLTThese two kinda counter eachother's penalties while having good benefits.I plan on harvesting in limbo alongside watching some of those films we got with em. Good opportunity to shoot the shit. Colt's charisma can help>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.Don't get on Ashton's case about substances, lets not poke the bear until we get those Zenith test results
>>6320067>>ASHTON>COLT>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.>YES. You want to know if there's any creditability to what he said about her 'taking stuff'. Glad you liked it. Heartschizos are definitely on to something,
>>6320067Wasn't ZENITH guy gonna get that report to us before the shift started?
>>6320076Probably next update before we start.
>>6320067>ASHTON>COLT>YES, THREAT'S REAL
>>6320076You'll get it next update. The ZENITH REP is probably delivering it to your lab instead of magically teleporting to you and handing it to you. You'd get it once you actually enter your lab.
>>6320067>THE MAN>COLTTHE BOOOOYS! Shame we didn't buy that beer vending machine.>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.Giving Ash a heads up that a raving mad junkie showing withdrawal symptoms wants to "RIP her OPEN" and "TASTE her BLOODWATER" is probably a good idea.
>>6320095This does sound chill, however no beer machine and some dude did threaton Ashton so I wanna prioritize having her around.
>>6320067Hire:>THE MAN>COLT>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.
>>6320098I would put Ashton down for this shift.However.We have a detailed dossier in our lab describing HER BLOOD that was obtained WITHOUT CONSENT.Maybe we can wait a day until our stalker material has been disposed of.
>>6320067>THE MANHe's THE MAN for the job. And COLT's babysitter.>COLTGive ammo, shoot the shit, and watch shitty tapes.>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.We might figure out soon if she's taking stuff, thanks to the ZENITH REP.
>>6320067THE MANCOLTYES TELL HER ABOUT THE THREAT
>>6320104Do we? Its just going to be handed to us before the shift starts. I think Ashton could easily be convinced that the dossier is a nothing burger.
>>6320074>I plan on harvesting in limbo alongside watching some of those films we got with em. Good opportunity to shoot the shit. Colt's charisma can helpWhat if we get a full movie night going? Some crazy shit like have all 3 anomalies and all 3 of the researchers in the same containment cell watching something?
>>6320067Changing my hire votes >>6320095 to>THE MAN>ASHTONHad a thought. Assuming she can't perceive the MAN, we can run a little social experiment on her by making her think she's got Vince all to herself and have the MAN observe her for any unusual behavior. We can do movie day with the BOYS some other time, preferably once we've purchased the beer machine.
>>6320067>THE MAN>COLT>NO. It's random junkie babble, it probably means nothing. You don't want to stress her out.
>>6320067Changing vote in >>6320152 to>MAN>ASHTON>YES TELL ABOUT THREATas what >>6320183 saidWe hire Colt and Man once we have the BEER VENDING MACHINE
>>6320067>ASHTON>THE MAN>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.
>>6320067>ASHTON>YES. You want to know if there's any creditability to what he said about her 'taking stuff'.
>>6320075changing to this >>6320183Real solid plan anon
>>6320117Supporting the plan >>6320183change my hire choiceswe need that beer before we can movie night anyways
>>6320183+1
>>6320428Add>YES. Tell her about the threat he made. Dude's a nutcase, after all.
Alright, there's a lot to tally.COLT: vdQ, fev, tTS, kLH, +IZASHTON: vdQ, IN5, tTS, Bkz, 86+, WdA, NPa, Xhh, YpNTHE MAN: fev, IN5, kLH, +IZ, 86+, WdA, NPa, Xhh, YpNYES, YOU TAKING STUFF?: vdQ, Bkz, NPAYES, THREAT: fev, IN5, tTS, NPA, WdA, XHH, kLH, 86+, YpNNO, JUNKIE BABBLE: +IZSo, ASHTON and THE MAN are going to be your coworkers this shift. Telling Ashton about Mr. "I WANT HER BLOODWATER" also won out, for pretty obvious reasons. Writing.>>6320164While that would sound cool, I'd question how safe that'd be, or the logistics behind moving all of the anomalies into one cell.
>>6320482>>6320482>logistics behind moving all of the anomalies into one cell.SOMMELIER can levitate or just walk normally can't it? And IN LIMBO can simply be dragged around like a real dead body. Letting 199X out of his cell to anywhere else is a huge risk, so his would be the place for movies.>question how safe that'd bePerfectly safe in the case of IN LIMBOSOMMELIER might try something sneaky if he does199X being taken out of his cell is such insane danger it's no contest
You really wanted to hire Colt. You have his bullets, after all, and you want to give them back to him as soon as possible. However! You have a plan brewing in that tiny little sponge of pink meat you call a brain.Only you and Colt can see the Man. Everyone else outright ignores the Man's presence as if he's simply not there. If you bring him along, the other coworker you hire will think they're only working with you.That might impact how they act, wouldn't it? It's easier for someone to be more 'honest', for better or worse, if they think they're alone. If you hire Ashton, then whatever's going on with her, you could probably get a better read on it.The Man would also be there as your second pair of eyes in case she does anything questionable, you know? Alas, your funds are rapidly deteriorating by the second.>You now have $335You'll find a way to make cash, you know you will. Worst case scenario, you could always go back to farming cigarette mold. A smile creeps across your face. You wonder how your family would feel if you told them that you make a living selling mold to the government. The trek back to your lab doesn't take too long. You have a rough sense of which hallways in this shifting, labyrinthian layer you have to walk down to arrive at your lab. After stumbling around another corner, you spot the ZENITH REP exiting your lab. They briefly glance at you. Both of you nod at each other, no words need to be exchanged here. You let them go and you walk over to the door leading to your lab. You slide inside, scanning around for where they left the report.A manila folder lies on a nearby table and you can immediately tell at a glance there's not going to be much inside. You already expected that but any information is still better than no information. You open it up to skim the loose piece of paper that was hidden inside.It's a sprawling list of numbers, various substances that could be found within blood, the levels of said substances in her blood, what health risks those results may spell for her. Thankfully, they color-coded which levels are too high or too low in a human. You skim the report..."TOO HIGH: Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, Hemoglobin, Protein, Magnesium." "Unusual blood type. Majority resembles type AB but 0.95% of blood cells resemble no currently known blood cell type. Unidentified cells are most likely mutated human blood cells instead of mimic-type cells, common in biojacker abnormalities, but we can not fully confirm what they are.""Report seems to indicate that 'Ashton' regularly consumes food with excessive levels of Iron, Phosphorous, etc. Said vitamins and minerals can commonly be found in organ meats such as heart or liver meat.""Likely consumes excessive amounts of those foods. Despite noted elevated levels, all other vitals are normal. No notable health degradation has been detected."
As expected, it raises as many questions as it answers. What the hell is up with her blood? Combine this with what else you know about her body, you wonder how she could be healthy with all of these elevated levels.You throw the folder into your satchel. You don't want her to see this. Well, you'll have the whole day with her, so you suppose you'll figure it out on the fly.You boot up your computer so you can contact your two pals over FRIENDCHAT. It'll take a moment for them to get here but both tell you that they'll be there ASAP. While you wait, you're going to briefly check the security cams to see how your anomalies are handling themselves.In IN LIMBO'S cell, the flowerbed is deathly still. Its many arms are as still as the arms on a statue. Even its flowers aren't moving. The only sign that the anomaly is still kicking is the subtle twitch of the corpse underneath the flowers. There's a LOT of static in the security camera's feed, oddly enough.In NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell, the android is mindlessly polishing at its reservoir with a small cloth piece it tore off of something. Every few seconds, it would stop mid-scrub to stare at its body before it returns to cleaning itself.In LOST SINCE 199X's cell, the towering behemoth of a man is scratching something into the wall with its cracked nails. Traces of dried, black gunk are running down the walls as it continues to scratch words into the wall. Right after you checked on your anomalies, you hear a knock at the door. Ah, your friends must be here. You step away from your computer and you quickly scan the room to see if your supplies are here. You spot a corner towards the back of the room where all of the junk was thrown into.>BOOK BUNDLE, TRASHED LANDLINE, MARTIAL ARTS TAPE x2, ART SUPPLIES, RESEARCH BUNDLE and FLASHBANGS were delivered!>The books you obtained were FORENSICS 101 and BASIC PSYCHOLOGY FOR BABIES 102! You grab a fresh labcoat from the RESEARCH BUNDLE before you open up the door. Lo and behold, your two coworkers are here! The Man, like always, is indescribable beyond the most basic facts that he is humanoid and certainly a man. Right behind him is Ashton.You can see the exhaustion in her dull yellow eyes. Her white dress shirt is wrinkled to hell and back and the rest of her security guard outfit isn't much better. She smiles when she sees you. "hey, vincent. got some sleep? i didn't, haa." She takes a moment to stretch her shoulders before she walks right past the Man.Good, she didn't see him. "Yep. Long day, huh?""you don't know the half of it. thanks for calling me, i really needed a break today."The Man rolls his eyes. A break, he laughs, like working here is a break. Ashton, of course, doesn't respond.You parrot the Man's words to Ashton. "trust me, vincent, the things they ask us to do are wild sometimes.""Hey, uh, before we start. I should tell you something."
You quickly rattle off what that one junkie-looking guard said. Ashton's smile fades almost immediately. "oh." A chuckle laced with veiled annoyance escapes her. "i know who you're talking about. they still haven't taken his shotgun away?"You nod. "really? i know arc's not the best but..."Her face scrunches up, clearly disturbed by what you told her. "yeah. look, some of the guards here cope with their job by frying their brains. it's really sad to watch someone you know destroy themselves like that." She knows him, huh? Before you have time to ask anything, she awkwardly tries to change the subject. "i'll tell anthony about it later. i don't want a hole blown through my head, you know?""thanks for telling me.""No problem. Couldn't really let it be after he rambled about bloodwater and stuff.""pft. he's always saying stupid shit like that. this time, though? sounds like he might actually try to do something." She shudders at the idea. "eugh."Yeah, the man nods his head, he's seen way too many junkies in this facility. He supposes it's a way for people to cope but it's sad, he can agree with Ashton there.>ASHTON SHEET (partially) revealed!------------ASHTON PHYSICAL HEALTH: HEALTHYMENTAL HEALTH: TIRED[FRIENDLY] She really does seem like a nice person to be around. She adds a +2 bonus to any speech check and most people will treat you better when she's around.[SURVIVOR] A security guard like her has probably survived a LOT of crazy shit. Can ignore one source of PHYSICAL HEALTH damage a day. +6 to rolls resisting mental or physical stress. [???] (You need more time working with her to unlock this.) [???] (You need more time analyzing her to unlock this.)INVENTORY-SECURITY GUARD ARMOR (Cheap, mass produced but better than nothing. Offers mild protection to most normal damage sources.)-SERVICE REVOLVER (Locked and loaded. Offers +7 to combat attack rolls, can crit on nat 98-100 for extreme damage.)-BATON ('prefer using a baseball bat but this works.' Offers +3 to combat attack rolls, doesn't run out of ammo.)-BANDAGE WRAP x2 ("just in case you're hurt." Each one is good for one use. Heals a small amount of PHYSICAL HEALTH.)-------------It's time to start another shift today, Vincent. SHIFT 6 STARTS NOW!TIME TOKENS AVAILABLE: 14 (+5 from your coworkers.)You'll take it easy since your shift just started. Pick two actions to start your day off with.RESEARCH>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S containment cell. Getting some wine couldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's containment cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. Could THEY make some money? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll from the MAN's HELP + ANOMALY TOUCHED)(1/2)
>Study the MYSTERY BAGGIE and the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE. You want to figure out how that man was so tough and what, exactly, is inside the MYSTERY BAGGIE. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED + TWO COWORKERS HELPING)>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You want to know more about your weird video game friend thingamajig. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 56, +9 to roll.)BUSY WORK>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Cook some stuff on that new propane grill of yours. Maybe your anomalies would like some cooked food? (-1d2 TIME TOKENS.)>Try to make some outfits with the sewing machine. Maybe the android would like it? (-1d2 TIME TOKENS, Hidaka and Lucy can offer some advice.)>Pop the MARTIAL ARTS TAPES into your PERSONAL TV. Start TRAINING in the MARTIAL ARTS! (-1 TIME TOKEN. Choose who to train: YOU, THE MAN or ASHTON.)MISC>You have something else you want to do. (Write in.)Sorry for delay. Friend dragged me into a movie thing, got distracted by that.
>>6320651>Friend dragged me into a movie thingThat's ME, you nigger!>>6320648>>6320651>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)Start out easy. I want to do this investigation before we check on SOMMELIER again later>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)I want to harvest more flowers and pollen too. Then we can investigate them for more MONEY potential and get her stuff out of the way.
>>6320651>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)
>>6320646So she's just straight up eating chunks of Heart flesh. Gross, I hope she at least cooks that shit first. Where's she getting the meat though?
>>6320651>>6320657>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)Based The Man always watching our back>>6320662God forbid a woman has hobbies
>>6320651>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)
>>6320651>>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. This restaurant/company is really shady. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 35, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help and your knowledge on the anomaly.)>Start growing cigarette mold
>>6320651>>6320648>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 56, +9 to roll.)>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED + TWO COWORKERS HELPING)
>>6320648>Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell. Odd, why isn't it moving? Normally it's throwing a tantrum by now. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. Could THEY make some money? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll from the MAN's HELP + ANOMALY TOUCHED)
>>6320651>Look up any information about L'CURE on ABNOWATCH. >Enter IN LIMBO'S containment cell.
L'CURE: WdA, vUt, tTS, L/T, 5rc, YpN, jlsIN LIMBO: WdA, vUt, tTS, 5rc, +IZ, YpN, jlsCIGGIE MOLD: L/TSTATIC POLLEN: BkzCHERRY/BLOODWINE: BkzRUDOLF SAMPLES: +IZAlright, it's obvious what won out. Three anons, roll 1d100+5. Table below.0 SUCCESSES?: Even with the Man's help, you can't find anything... (The lack of information is its own information.)1 SUCCESS: It's only a rumor but it might be worth something. (You get some vague but concerning information.)2 SUCCESSES: Someone else seems to be looking into them on here. (You get a few snippets of usable information.)3 SUCCESSES: Huh, L'Cure is more widespread than you would've expected. (You find some witness testimonies alongside a decent amount of usable information.)
Rolled 89 + 5 (1d100 + 5)>>6320950
Rolled 57 (1d100)>>6320950
Rolled 18 + 5 (1d100 + 5)>>6320950
>>6320952>>6320954>>6320955Two successes. What can I say, sometimes you roll below a 30. Hey, if it's any consolation, this would've likely been one success without the MAN.Writing.>>6320662>>6320671At least her diet is probably healthier than whatever Vincent is eating on a daily basis.
>>6320958>At least her diet is probably healthier than whatever Vincent is eating on a daily basis.Before or after the facility?
>>6320981Both probably
"Alright. Ashton, wait by IN LIMBO'S cell. I need to look something up right now.""oh? if you don't mind me asking, what are you looking up? i could probably answer any questions you have." Ashton warmly smiles."Uh." You stammer for a moment. "Right. Do you know anything about L'CURE, then?"You really aren't expecting her to know anything about them. You're pleasantly surprised when she responds with actual information. "a little bit actually. they've actually been on arc's radar for a while. they're a group of interest that the etfs have encountered here or there."Oh? You and the Man gesture at her to continue. Any information is better than no information."they're based in france and italy. they're directly responsible for the creation of several food and culinary-based anomalies and artifacts. i don't know why or how they create said anomalies, but..." Ashton half-heartedly shrugs. "they sell their anomalies to people; that I know.""Huh! Do you know anything else about them?""sadly, no." It'll be fine for now, the Man pats you on the shoulder. We can use that information to narrow down our search, he states."Alright, thank you for telling me that." "no problem!"You head back to your computer with the Man in tow. You boot up the intranet browser, which immediately loads up the ABNOWATCH website. The Man cracks his knuckles. Alright, he says, we should search on any reports of unusual restaurants. Preferably in France or Italy.He also says that you should look up 'Obscura Syrah' as well, considering that's the main wine produced by NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER.You scroll through the endless walls of garbage noise, abandoned threads, and fake leads that seem to be endemic to this website. The Man helps to guide you through the mess of conflicting information so you can actually find some useful data about this Group of Interest.>2 SUCCESSESYou had a false start here or there, but you eventually stumbled across an interesting thread titled "L'CURE: WHO ARE THEY???". The writing inside is frantic, as if the person writing it was in a hurry to record everything they knew about L'Cure. "Head is SEETHING, so sorry if this thread is a bit hard to read or if i mke typos. Was visiting Marseille for a business meeting, had one too many drinks, so i entteredd ba bad part of twon.""I saw some weird people roaming around in an alleyway. all of them were wearing all black suits or dresses anf they had these really weird masks on. like, rabbit masqueraid(?) masks. not the weirdest part though. they had this really fancy looking robot thing that was straight out of some scifi movie. looked like a woman, i think, think it was a woman.""had this big sloshing thing of wine in it." Okay, he's absolutely talking about NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER. "not important, they were babbling about a new supplier they made a deal with. a supplier named Benedict Borrelli."
"supposedly someone who helped make the robot??? apparently he ordered the creation of that robot lady? don't really know much besides that.""they were all carrying bodybags. the robot and the masked guys. they said 'L'Cure' needed the people in the bodybags to be killed. so they wouldn't interfere or rat out a deal L'Cure had with some company named 'FANTASTICAL FEASTS' or something???"Given the alliteration, your best guess is that might be one of your SPONSORSHIP companies. Quality and Quantity, Entertainment Enterprises, Hayden Hydrogen, etc. Not all of them have the pattern but it's a safe bet."all i know is whatever deal they had it was going south. couldn't listen any longer, they spotted me. the robot yelled out and told me to stay there so it could offer me something.""i ran an d ran and i kept running until i'm back here. i'm uploading this before i go off the grid for a bit, until all of this blows over."That's all the thread says. It's not a lot but you now know the following:-One of your future SPONSORSHIP companies might be able to rat out details about L'Cure.-You know about one of NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S creators - Benedict Borrelli. You might be able to learn more about him on ABNOWATCH or through NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER-Masquerade masks? It's a long shot but Moxxie, one of the ETF agents who captured it, also wears a masquerade mask. Could she be a former L'Cure agent? You should talk to her later.You wish you could learn more but you think this is enough to work with for now. You click out of the web browser. "Alright, listen." You whisper to the Man. "I want you to keep an eye on Ashton if you can. She can't see you, and I'm a bit worried about her, you know, so...could you do that for me?"The Man nods. He'll do anything to help you out since, hey, you're the only one who can talk and (partially) see him. He might as well. He asks you if there's anything specific he needs to look out for."If she does anything unusual or suspicious, tell me."The Man gives you a thumbs up. "Alright." You turn your attention back to Ashton, who's still patiently waiting by IN LIMBO'S CELL."Ashton, have you directly worked with an anomaly before in a non-combat scenario?" "a few times, why?" "Welp. You're coming with me." "alright! whenever you're ready, vincent."You fiddle with your labcoat for a moment to make sure you look presentable. You join Ashton by the door leading into IN LIMBO'S containment cell. You toss her the dossier filled with notes about IN LIMBO, to catch her up to speed.She quickly skims it before handing it back to you. Alright, with all of that taken care of, the two of you enter the containment cell.It's deathly quiet in here. The only noise you can hear besides your heartbeat is the faint, constant crackle of static in the air. Ashton sniffs the air with an odd glimmer in her dull yellow eyes.
"something's wrong. i can smell it in the air. it's like..." She focuses her gaze on the anomaly, as if she's trying to read something in its body language. "it's having a bad dream? dunno. it's just what my gut tells me."Huh? What does THAT mean?She doesn't seem like she wants to clarify any further. You can't say she's wrong, though. The anomaly is still as lifeless as it was when you saw it on the security camera. One of its arms twitches once it notices that you're here.The vine hidden inside your arm begins to squirm and thrash. It doesn't hurt, per se, but god damn does it feel REALLY uncomfortable. You bite your lip as you try your best to control the vine. Ashton places a hand on your shoulder. "focus, focus. take in a deep breath, vincent. deep."You follow her instructions. Your mind clears as you take a deep breath in and out. As you calm down, so does the vine inside your arm. Okay, you can focus now."there you go. we should be careful here, this doesn't match any behavior recorded in the file, right?""Mmh hmm."IN LIMBO MOOD: 50/100Choose three WORK ORDERS to perform on IN LIMBO.COMMUNICATION:>Ask it about its past as Rolle Ann. Did it miss being a human? What was it like owning a movie theater? >Talk about something the anomaly likes. It told you it likes films and movies, talk about that!>Ask Ashton if she has any dreams she wants to share with the anomaly. You want it to have a good relationship with your coworker, after all.>Scrouge your mind for anything you used to wish for. Before you became a dime-a-dozen wageslave. Maybe telling it will calm the anomaly? (DC 75, +10 to roll. You must endure...)EXAMINATION:>Examine the corpse underneath the flowerbed. Is there some underlying physical cause to this? (DC 45, +3 from ANOMALY TOUCHED, ASHTON'S HELP and ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE)>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)>Harvest some pollen from the flowers for a future test. You know NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER can use it for something.>Harvest some flowers for future study. You doubt it'll notice.>It still has some wounds from its outburst yesterday. Tend to them with your medical supplies. (DC 60, +5 from ASHTON'S HELP and ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE)STIMULI TEST/MISC>Drag in the PERSONAL TV, power it on, face it towards the anomaly. Show it the wonders of TV.>Offer it some food, batteries, water and fertilizer. Maybe it's just hungry?>Bring in some toys for the anomaly to play with. Maybe it's just bored. There IS nothing to do in here.>Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to it.>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? It hurts your brain if you focus on it but... (DC 66, +16 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and SURVIVOR.)>Write in
>>6321046>Harvest some flowers for future study. You doubt it'll notice.>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? It hurts your brain if you focus on it but... (DC 66, +16 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and SURVIVOR.)We have the Harvesting Glove, removing some flowers should help alleviate the burden on the main body.
>>6321046>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)>Offer it some food, batteries, water and fertilizer. Maybe it's just hungry?>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? It hurts your brain if you focus on it but... (DC 66, +16 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and SURVIVOR.)
>>6321046>Ask Ashton if she has any dreams she wants to share with the anomaly. You want it to have a good relationship with your coworker, after all.>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)>Drag in the PERSONAL TV, power it on, face it towards the anomaly. Show it the wonders of TV.
>>6321046>Ask it about its past as Rolle Ann. Did it miss being a human? What was it like owning a movie theater?>Talk about something the anomaly likes. It told you it likes films and movies, talk about that!>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)
>>6321046>Scrouge your mind for anything you used to wish for. Before you became a dime-a-dozen wageslave. Maybe telling it will calm the anomaly? (DC 75, +10 to roll. You must endure...)>It still has some wounds from its outburst yesterday. Tend to them with your medical supplies. (DC 60, +5 from ASHTON'S HELP and ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE)>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? It hurts your brain if you focus on it but... (DC 66, +16 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and SURVIVOR.)
>>6321046>Talk about something the anomaly likes. It told you it likes films and movies, talk about that!>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)>Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to it.
>It still has some wounds from its outburst yesterday. Tend to them with your medical supplies. (DC 60, +5 from ASHTON'S HELP and ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE)>Drag in the PERSONAL TV, power it on, face it towards the anomaly. Show it the wonders of TV.>Ask Ashton if she has any dreams she wants to share with the anomaly. You want it to have a good relationship with your coworker, after all.
>>6321046>Harvest some flowers for future study. You doubt it'll notice.We need material for experiments and MONEY>Tend to the flowers. They don't seem particularly healthy. (DC 53, +4 from ASHTON'S HELP.)Might help the current state>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? It hurts your brain if you focus on it but... (DC 66, +16 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and SURVIVOR.)And this feels better to do hereI would rather do the DVD and TV stuff as well as other potential option picks when it ISN'T in the middle of a fucked nightmare
>>6321046>Tend to the flowers.>Focus on the static in the air. Is it trying to communicate through that now? >Drag in the PERSONAL TV,
HARVEST FLOWERS: alj, WdaTEND FLOWERS: alj, vUt, VwC, +IZ, L/T, Wda, YpNSTATIC AIR: alj, vUT, BKZ, Wda, YpNFOOD: vUTASHTON DREAMS: VwC, 8ZgPERSONAL TV: VwC, YpN, 8ZgROLLE ANN: +IZMOVIE TALK: +IZ, L/TWAGESLAVE DREAM: BkzWOUNDS: BKZ, 8ZgDVD PLAYER: L/TSeems like TEND TO FLOWERS and STATIC AIR had a sizable majority and PERSONAL TV just barely won out.We got two votes with dice tied to them, so I need three anons to roll 2d100. The first three 1d100s rolled will go to TEND TO FLOWERS (i.e if the dice were 94, 12, 41, 52, 21, 10? 94/12/41 would go to TEND TO FLOWERS)Don't worry about modifiers, I'll just add those after the fact. Tables belowTEND TO FLOWERS (DC 53)0 SUCCESSES: Damnit! You must've nicked it or something. (-MOOD!)1 SUCCESS: Eh, you did the best you could, really. (Something weird happens.)2 SUCCESSES: While you're here, might as well harvest some of the blighted ones. (+MOOD, you get some WIRE FLOWER samples!)3 SUCCESSES: You think you're actually getting better at this. (Same as 2 SUCCESSES but DCs that IN LIMBO'S FLOWERS are now reduced by 2.)STATIC AIR (DC 66)0 SUCCESSES: Is your nose bleeding...? (???)1 SUCCESS: You can barely make out anything. (You get some faint insight into IN LIMBO's psyche.)2 SUCCESSES: Okay, you think you know what's bothering it. (You get some better insight into IN LIMBO'S psyche. All DCs on future IN LIMBO work orders are reduced by 3.)3 SUCCESSES: whatdoesitmeantodream? (Same as 2...but you have another 'conversation' with IN LIMBO. This may affect you or Ashton in unusual ways.)
Rolled 76, 27 = 103 (2d100)>>6321371
Rolled 91, 61 = 152 (2d100)>>6321371
Rolled 71, 16 = 87 (2d100)>>6321371
TEND TO FLOWERS: 80, 31, 95. 2 SUCCESSESSTATIC AIR: 77, 87, 32. 2 SUCCESSES.Hey, pretty good luck all things considered. Maybe...Vincent is actually a competent researcher? Or maybe Ashton is a good luck charm? Who's to say, I suppose. Writing.
>>6321374>>6321375>>6321376I'm impressed how anons are always rolling <30min after the post
>>6321388I F5 the catalogue basically any time I tab into my browser so I do be quick off the mark sometimes.
The static hanging in the air is going to drive you nuts. You know what, though, your gut tells you to ignore it for now. You should focus on the main anomaly itself and you'll deal with whatever that static is later."Ugh." You adjust your respirator you made sure to put on before entering. After all, you don't want anomalous pollen in your lungs. "This sucks.""trust me, i get it. we'll get in and out, then you can take a small break." Ashton tries her best to shift your focus away from the static. "do you got any tests you want to perform?""Right. Tests." You take a moment to recollect your thoughts. "Drag in the PERSONAL TV in. We shouldn't need anything else.""aye aye, sir." Ashton exits the containment cell. You're now left alone with the anomaly. You wonder what the hell could've caused it to freak out like this. You doubt another ROBUST MAN incident is going to happen so it has to be something else. Maybe something more personal? Ashton returns with the TV you asked for. It might as well weigh nothing to her with how casually she's holding it. "where do i place this, exactly?""Uhhhh." You try to think if it needs to be placed by the corpse's head or not. You decide to play it safe. "Place it by the back, somewhere around there." You gesture around where you think the head of the corpse is. "Don't turn it on yet.""alright!" Ashton moves to place the TV down as instructed. While she does that, you move over to the anomaly itself. You yank out some gardening tools from your satchel. Some of the flowers don't look too great. Their petals are grey and wilted and their rubber stems have this weird, chalky texture on them."Ashton. You know how to prune flowers?" "well, i know how to cut stuff." "Alright. Follow my lead. We need to make sure we don't hurt it." You hand her some wirecutters while you stick to a handy-dandy scalpel. "Trim anything that looks off, cut any flowers that are dead, water what's left. Got it?""mmh hmm!" Ashton eagerly nods along to your instructions. "i'll try my best." The two of you begin to trim and cut away the rotten flowers growing off of the corpse's body. It's something you've done enough times to almost be another part of your routine. Ashton's cut are rough and sloppy with her cuts but what she lacks in technical experience, she makes up for with patience. You never saw her accidently cutting the anomaly or a healthy flower.>2 SUCCESSES!Progress is slow but it's a nice reprieve (and distraction) from the weird static in the air. With Ashton's help, you tend to about two dozens worth of flowers. The anomaly's hands are beginning to stir. It wiggles and flexes its many fingers, as if it just waking up from a bad dream.Whatever you did was enough to weaken the constant static hum in the air."hm. weird, huh?" Ashton absently mutters. She places some of the blighted flowers into a bag for later.>5 WIRE FLOWERS harvested!"Weird indeed. We'll move on to our next test." "tv right? on it."
Ashton messes with the dials on the old, shitty CRT TV that you bought from the catalog. The boobtube hisses and seethes with spite at the mere idea of turning out. Alas, Ashton is the one with the stronger will here, and the TV soon relents.It crackles to life, showing some random TV show you've never seen in your life. It looks like any ol' sitcom. You know how they are - Dumb dad, smart mom, two kids, the works. You're shocked you're even getting signal down here. Ashton picks up on your unspoken question. "ah, yeah, the TVs here can only access certain ARC exclusive signals.""So that's how it-" You're interrupted by the oddest sound. The flower bed is shifting. Its many arms press against the floor, as if it was trying to...move itself. A disgustingly wet sound, like someone loudly chewing wet dog food, is heard with every movement the anomaly makes. With its many arms, it drags itself across the floor with slow, painful movements.It shifts itself as close as it can to the TV before rooting itself back to the floor. It's sickening but that's the first time you've seen it actively move its body. Ashton is already recording down notes on this unusual response from the anomaly.A raspy voice, far more damaged than Ashton's own raspy voice, croaks out from the flowerbed. "...Silver screen. Outperformed by this." You've heard the anomaly speak before but it sounds different this time. It's exhausted. Too exhausted to even process how tired it is."Beautiful, nonetheless. Like...like..." It tries to string its thoughts together but it fails to."ms. rolle?" Ashton tries to address the anomaly. It doesn't respond. It's completely transfixed on the TV before it. The two of you stand back. The two of you scribble down notes while IN LIMBO watches the TV. Its many arms reach out to rub and caress the television with a perverted sentimentality, like a long lost lover. The corpse babbles incoherently to itself as it flips mindlessly through the many ARC approved channels. Most of its arms have completely enveloped the TV at this point, blocking most of the screen from you and Ashton.This is very worrying to say the least. "Should we do something?" You ask to nobody in particular."i don't think interfering right now would be a good idea. it might respond violently and, um, i really don't want you to get hurt.""Fair enough." Even with most of the screen blocked, you can still make out snippets of what it's watching. It skips through most of the programming with seemingly no higher thought but when a sitcom or a romcom comes on, it stops and stares. Is it trying to remember something?The anomaly croaks out some fragmented words. "Like nightmare I. had. Years as a. Radio host.""You were a radio host?" You ask the anomaly. This time, it answers."Had to. Ends meet. Face not meant. Radio." A shudder of disgust runs across the anomaly's arms. "Degenerative. Rock and roll. Sex and drugs. Faceless voices with no..."
"Accountability.""Forgotten. Like a nightmare. Not what I wanted. I want." It tightens its many arms around the television. It loses whatever energy it had left, only having enough to stare blankly at the TV.The static in the air is fluctuating now. It's as if it's trying to communicate something to you. Ashton has already turned her attention away from the anomaly. You shift your focus back to the static-laced air. You take in a deep, deep breath before trying to, on some level, 'connect' with the signal. Ashton's eyes are firmly shut, clearly already one step aside of you. Let's see what's going on here...>2 SUCCESSES!Incoherent flashes of color and sound immediately slam into your mind, exactly like someone was flipping through a million channels at once. An intense pressure builds in your head and a sharp pain jabs into your abdomen, like a knife is crammed inside your guts. Your eyes begin to water but you're able to tune a good chunk of it out. You begin to see something.An old woman sits behind the concession counter. It's another long, boring day. She's the only one still here, she can't justify hiring anyone. Not with the state of her theater.The theater has been open for eight hours and she's only seen ten or eleven people stumbling in. She all knows them by name and she suspects that they're only here to be polite. To show that she's still part of the community.The buttery smell of popcorn is almost enough to mask the stench of dust hanging in the air. She makes barely enough money to keep the theater open at this point. She grabs her walking cane as she slowly walks over to one of the two active screens.As she stumbles into the dark room, her eyes lock onto the bright screen displaying some movie she already forgot the name of. A young actress is giving her male co-star googoo eyes. Another romcom.She wishes she was young again. That she could take the place of that actress. To be the one that everyone is looking at, someone that people would remember.She could've been like her. She could've followed her dream. She should've gone to college to get an acting degree, she should've moved to California before the acting market there calcified.But she didn't. Now, she works here. A way to vicariously live through her dream.It's not enough. It was never enough but by the time she learnt to regret her choice, it was too late. Her dream was left to rot. To fester.Eighty something years down the drain. It's almost enough to make her scream right then and there but she doesn't want to ruin it for her customers. She exits before anyone noticed she was even there.She glances down at old rose pinned to her dress before she finds somewhere to sit. It's time for her afternoon nap. One of her only reprieves from this sad, pathetic excuse of a life. She really only has one wish left at this point. One that she's been thinking about for a while.
2 updates in 1 day? you spoil us QM
She wishes she never had to wake up again. That she could live out the life she wished for in her dreams. All she had left was her dreams, her wishes, after all.Why bother waking up to a world where you can't...achieve...You gasp for air. The static in the air is completely gone now, with the only source of sound throughout the cell being your frantic breathing. You soon realize that Ashton, too, is also struggling to breathe. The two of you take a moment to process what you just saw. That had to be Rolle Ann. Was that one of her memories?"Did you see that?" "yep!""We should leave, shouldn't we?""yeah i don't want to be here!!! let's go."You briefly turn your attention back to the anomaly itself. It has let go of the TV, content with simply laying on the floor. The TV is tuned to static now, probably from the anomaly inferencing with the signal. The two of you quickly exit the containment cell.>IN LIMBO MOOD is now at 80/100!The Man is too busy reading a book to notice how disheveled the two of you are. You want to focus your attention on something else for now.You have 12 TIME TOKENS LEFT. Choose three actions.RESEARCH>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S containment cell. Getting some wine couldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's containment cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. Could THEY make some money? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Study the MYSTERY BAGGIE and the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE. Why was the ROBUST MAN so...robust? What's inside the bag? (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You wanna learn more about 'FET'. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)>Study the WIRE FLOWERS you have. What other abilities do they have? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll.)BUSY WORK>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help. Something interferes with your search...)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Cook some stuff on that new propane grill of yours. Maybe your anomalies would like some cooked food? (-1d2 TIME TOKENS.)>Try to make some outfits with the sewing machine. Maybe the android would like it? (-1d2 TIME TOKENS.)>Pop the MARTIAL ARTS TAPES into your PERSONAL TV. Start TRAINING in the MARTIAL ARTS! (-1 TIME TOKEN. Choose who to train: YOU, THE MAN or ASHTON.)>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)MISC>You have something else you want to do. (Write in.)Sorry for the delayed update.
>>6321556>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll.)
>>6321556>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)We need the money and we need it NOW>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll.)This could be a way to get MORE MONEY>Study the MYSTERY BAGGIE and the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE. Why was the ROBUST MAN so...robust? What's inside the bag? (-1 TIME TOKEN)Let's get MYSTERY BAGGIE solved already it's almost been a week in-story, and then see about the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE in case whoever is behind those guys sends more ROBUST MEN at our facility and we have to kill them again... or if they're worth harvesting for whatever makes them so ROBUST which also means MORE MONEY...
>>6321556>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)>Study the MYSTERY BAGGIE and the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE. Why was the ROBUST MAN so...robust? What's inside the bag? (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help. Something interferes with your search...)
>>6321556>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's containment cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)
>>6321556>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S containment cell. Getting some wine couldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. Could THEY make some money? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help. Something interferes with your search...)
>>6321556>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. You need to know how you can profit from IN LIMBO, after all. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 55, +9 to roll.)>Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE. Try to figure out how the android's wine affected them. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +6 to roll.)
>>6321556>Study the STATIC POLLEN you have. >Do some tests on the CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE.>Study the MYSTERY BAGGIE and the HUMAN FLESH SAMPLE.
Rolled 43, 23 = 66 (2d100)>>6322159
Lost track of time. I had to do some house sitting for a couple of friends of mine, only recently got home. Checking.STUDY THE STATIC POLLEN: Bkz, WdA, vUT, L/T, YpN, 5rcAC + ELECTRONIC SCRAP: BkzCHERRY MOLD/BLOOD WINE: Bkz, WdA, YpN, 5rcMISSING PERSON CASE: vUT, +IZMYSTERY BAGGIE + FLESH : vUt, WdA, YpNLOST SINCE 199X: L/TCIGARETTE MOLD: L/TNOWHERE'S SOMMELIER: +IZSAMPLES FROM RUDOLF: +IZAlright. Three anons, roll 2d100, since we got two skill checks to go through. Tables below.STATIC POLLEN (DC 55)0 SUCCESSES: Oh. Your nose is bleeding. (???)1 SUCCESS: You wonder if this will work... (You find a better way to display the memories recorded in the pollen.)2 SUCCESSES: The Man offers an interesting proposal... (Same reward as 1 SUCCESS but you also find a way to record new memories on the pollen.)3 SUCCESSES: The flower growing out of your wrist squirms... (Same reward as 1 + 2 but you find an easier way to harvesting STATIC POLLEN.)CHERRY/BLOODWINE (DC 60)0 SUCCESSES: This is going nowhere. You can't think straight. (No progress.)1 SUCCESS: Hm. You wonder how Colt is still alive, to be quite honest! (You uncover some basic properties about BLOODWINE, no progress on the CHERRY MOLD.)2 SUCCESSES: So that's how the mold was altered, huh? (You uncover some basic properties of the CHERRY MOLD and the BLOODWINE.)3 SUCCESSES: Your two coworkers are giving you quite the strange look. (Same as 2 but you figure out a very subtle property of the BLOODWINE.)I'll probably make this update a shorter one. Let's just say picking MYSTERY BAGGIE/HUMAN FLESH has revealed a...unique piece of information that's important enough for a follow up vote.
Rolled 85, 25 = 110 (2d100)>>6322162
Rolled 31, 72 = 103 (2d100)>>6322162
>>6322161I'll count this, don't worry, even though it's pretty bad roll wise. >>6322161>>6322163>>6322166So, STATIC POLLEN only got 1 SUCCESSES and CHERRY/BLOODWINE also only got 1 I think it's time to let you guys remember an old item that was tossed in your trashbag of an inventory. The GLASS EYE. It can be used to add 1 SUCCESS to either of these results. It only has one use so you can only apply it to one of the skill checks. It's only applicable for perception or research checks so, no time like now to ask if you wanna use it.Do you want to spend it? I'll leave this open for two hours or until we get a very sizable majority.>YES: On STATIC POLLEN. (Bumps it up to 2 SUCCESSES. You find a better way to display the memories on the pollen AND you can record new memories on it. This makes the pollen a LOT more profitable.)>YES: On CHERRY/BLOODWINE (Bumps it up to 2 SUCCESSES. You get to learn about both the Cherry Mold and the Bloodwine. This will make future research checks on NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER and its extracts easier.)>NO: Save it for a future research check.
>>6322169>YES: On CHERRY/BLOODWINE (Bumps it up to 2 SUCCESSES. You get to learn about both the Cherry Mold and the Bloodwine. This will make future research checks on NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER and its extracts easier.)
>>6322169>YES: On STATIC POLLEN. (Bumps it up to 2 SUCCESSES. You find a better way to display the memories on the pollen AND you can record new memories on it. This makes the pollen a LOT more profitable.)Money. I predict the second week will need more money. Now that I think of it maybe just straight up buy an air filter which will draw in the pollen, we swap out the filter when we go in, bam we've got our automated pollen collection. Maybe a humidifier.
>>6322169>YES: On STATIC POLLEN. (Bumps it up to 2 SUCCESSES. You find a better way to display the memories on the pollen AND you can record new memories on it. This makes the pollen a LOT more profitable.)We're just a humble farmer trying to make ends meet. We grow mold, we harvest pollen, we milk Nowhere's Sommelier.
>>6322172>>6322175>>6322179Cool. STATIC POLLEN is at 2 SUCCESSES and CHERRY/BLOODWINE is now at 1 SUCCESS. Writing now, hopefully the update will be out soon->>6322179Don't. Don't say 'milk Nowhere's Sommelier', you're making it sound a lot worse than it is, Anon.Imagine how Sommelier would feel if it heard you say that.
Okay, you need to distract yourself away from that anomalous vision forced upon your psyche. Ashton is clearly ready to do LITERALLY anything else. You think over what you should spend your time on.You know, it's been a while since you've done some sample analysis. You snap your fingers in order to get the Man's attention. "Alright, everyone, gather around." You lead your two coworkers over to one of the many tables in your lab."We're going to do some RESEARCH™!"The Man asks how you managed to make the ™ noise with your mouth. You have no idea what he's on about. Ashton visibly relaxes now that she's away from IN LIMBO. "okay, cool! what are we studying?""STATIC POLLEN, one of IN LIMBO's extracts-" "oh no." Ashton slumps against the table. Yeah, you can relate, but you NEED to profit off IN LIMBO somehow. "can we work on anything else, please?""Keep your respirator on and you'll be fine." You toss a spare respirator to the Man when she's not looking. "We'll also study some CHERRY MOLD and BLOOD WINE, byproducts from experiments with NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER, alongside...uh. I'll think of something."The Man states that this works for him as he puts on his mask. Any particular properties you're trying to understand, he questions? "So, we're going to figure out how to display the memories on the pollen in a more...portable way? Boiling water isn't the best medium.""well, i'm not a researcher, but i got an idea. if the pollen is, like, electric then maybe we can use conductive materials to do something?"It could be possible to find a way to 'imprint' the image onto something with Ashton's suggestion, The Man hypothesizes, but he's unsure what medium would be best for that."We'll figure something out. Ashton, grab some wires and batteries. I'll get some scrap metal shortly." You gesture at the Man to get said scrap metal, since you don't want to mention his existence outloud while Ashton's still under surveillance.He gets the hint and follows Ashton to get the supplies. You pour some STATIC POLLEN into a small beaker of water before heating the water. The pollen 'activates' once the water gets hot enough, displaying random memories as the pollen shifts around in the mixture.Your two coworkers return with the requested supplies. Time to see if you can find a way to profit off the POLLEN.>2 SUCCESSES!Progress was initially slow. Ashton and the Man managed to make a rudimentary contraption with the scrap metal and wires in order to test Ashton's theory; that wasn't the problem. The problem was that at first, it seemed like it was doing nothing.Any pollen placed on the electrified metal vanished into thin air, erasing the sample in the process. You thought it was a fluke the first time, but no, it simply vanished on contact. Disappointment washes over you as you realize that, ughhh, that's a sample gone.
You immediately thought this was a bust but Ashton suddenly has an idea. "wait. disconnect the wires."The Man does so. Ashton removes the battery from the contraption and carefully studies it. "what happens if we put this in a thing with a display?"Huh. Wait, is she proposing that the static pollen went INTO the battery? "That might work. Alright, let's see." You replace the battery in the DVD player with the one you used for your experiment. Almost immediately, the DVD player crackled to life.It shows a memory. The memory this time is nothing particularly noteworthy: It's of a man and a woman enjoying a meal. The simple fact you're able to see and hear the memory like it was any other video is impressive in of itself. Footage is one thing but being able to watch memories? That tech could be very useful...if you could find a way to EXTRACT/RECORD memories. Otherwise there's no real use in viewing random memories. You ask your two coworkers if they have any idea how you could record something on them.The Man proposes that shocking a person with something powered by a STATIC POLLEN infused battery could do the trick. If the pollen can inhabit a battery, maybe the battery could be the trick.You suppose that could work. You remove the battery from the DVD player before hooking it to the contraption Ashton made earlier. "alright, i'll do it." Ashton pokes at the electrified metal and, as expected, it shocks her. She yelps but the current is too weak to do any long lasting damage.The battery faintly hums mere moments after Ashton touched it. You remove the battery and place it back right into the DVD player.Another memory appears and this time, it appears to be from the point of view of Ashton herself. She's talking to one of her coworkers about something inane, nothing important enough to record in your own memory, but this? This is something else. Ashton is gob smacked at one of her memories actually being replayed on the DVD player."haaa, that was a while ago. i barely remembered having this conversation..."Interesting, the Man exclaims! If it can extract memories that people have forgotten about, it could be an excellent backup for data. It could be used for interrogations. Heck, he says, it might be a way to bypass or 'cure' people affected by memetic or infohazardous anomalies.You wonder if it could be used to help the Man, given his own anomalous ability. "Well, that's one down." You sigh, glad that you have something you can sell to ARC now.>STATIC POLLEN can now be used to extract and replay certain memories from your fellow employees. Great for info gathering"Alright, we'll do the WINE in a moment, I got another thing I want to study." You dig through your satchel for something else to study. You remember that there was this old bag of mystery gunk you found almost a week ago. You place it, alongside a flesh sample from the ROBUST MAN, on the table.
"Now, I know that studying some random dude's flesh is weird but we already messed with memory altering pollen. I think we can deal with this, right?""uh huh." Ashton barely acknowledges what you said. The Man isn't saying anything."We'll also try to figure out what's in this bag. You know, for science. I have no idea what's inside so we might as well do some chemical analysis." Neither of them respond. Odd but maybe they're thinking about something? You're not going to snap at them or anything, it's fine.You poke at the mystery bag. You squint your eyes as you try to analyze what the powder might be from a visual standpoint. It, sadly, doesn't reveal anything. The Man clears his throat.You look up at the Man with a curious expression. He clears his throat again and states that something's wrong with Ashton. She's been acting weird ever since you pulled out that sample, he states, didn't you notice?"Not really?" You whisper. You glance at Ashton. She seems fine, if a bit spaced out. You give the Man a confused look. He points at his mouth(?) before pointing at Ashton. You turn back and, oh, now you see it. Your attention was too focused on the samples to really pay that much attention to her.A thin string of drool is running down her mouth. Her gaze is locked on the hunk of meat on the table. There's an overwhelming, crippling hunger in her dull yellow eyes. It's the look you'd see in someone being presented a fine cut of steak after they were starving for a week.As soon as you were about to ask her what's up, the look vanishes instantly. One ill timed blink and you would've missed it.You certainly would've missed it if the Man wasn't here to point it out. It was a good idea bringing him along this shift."alright. say, mind if i ask where you got that from anyhow?" Ashton asks with genuine concern. "was it from one of those weird masked men? sorry if you said this before, today was rough." There's no trace of hunger in her expression. "it'd probably be a good idea to figure out how they work, right?"It would be so easy to dismiss what you saw as a trick of your exhausted mind if you weren't already so wary about her.You should probably confront her about this, the Man hisses through clenched teeth. This is exactly what you asked him to watch out for, he hastily points out....Do you? She hasn't done anything yet.>Don't. Keep your mouth shut. Focus on the experiments for now.>Try to subtly bring it up. "Are you hungry? We can eat some of the food we got here if you are.">You're feeling funny. Cut a slice off the sample and hand it to Ashton. (???)>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)>Confront her. What's her fucking deal? Nothing she does makes any sense to you. (DC 56. No modifier.)>Write in.
>>6322217>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)That's a suspiciously HEARTY bonus. Ah well, take a gamble and hug the freaky cannibal.
>>6322217>>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)HOLD FAST, LADS! HOOOOOLLLLDDD!!!!
>>6322217>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)
>>6322217>>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)Looks like we recovered our hug point, we must use it PRONTO
>>6322217>Try to subtly bring it up. "Are you hungry? We can eat some of the food we got here if you are."I do not want to be locked into the Ashton route. I am more for the Hidaka route
>>6322273Since when was Vincent the main character here? We are on Ashton's Vincent route
>>6322217>Try to subtly bring it up. "Are you hungry? We can eat some of the food we got here if you are."
>>6322217>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)I cant believe Ashton was a Vampire this whole time
>>6322217>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again.
>>6322217>Everyone knows that hugs heal the soul
>>6322217>>This might be risky, if she really does have some weird horror hunger but...hug Ashton again. (DC 75, +30 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE and HUGGED ASHTON YESTERDAY.)
>>6322273Routes, pft, talking about it like it's a dating sim. This isn't locking anything in. Fuck, man, Vincent hasn't hung out with a woman any longer than two (maybe three) days.Speaking about routes, though, you seem to be on the HUG route this update. Mostly because only two anons voted for anything other than hugs. I won't give you any tables this time around, I just want three anons to roll 1d100+30. More successes is better. Don't get 0, 3 would be the best, the rest is a MYSTERY.
Rolled 73 + 30 (1d100 + 30)>>6322597Just two homies hugging
Rolled 74 + 30 (1d100 + 30)>>6322622
Rolled 26 + 30 (1d100 + 30)
Annnd you got two successes. Whatever happens next, it probably won't be too bad! Probably! I hope! Maybe!>>6322601Yes, exactly. Just one friend hugging another who might be affected by god knows what. Nothing could go wrong here.Anywho! Writing.
>>6322601>>6322623We are some damn good huggers.
>>6322626Don’t bullshit us QM. We all see where this is going.How long until hiring Ashton becomes suspiciously cheap and comes with a mental health boost… but SUBTRACTS time tokens?;)
>>6322628I wouldn't hold your breath. This is Vincent we're talking about.
>>6322629At least the Heart loves him...
Okay. There's a lot going through your mind right now. You quickly go over what you already know about Ashton's condition.She was drooling at the sight of a piece of severed human flesh. The blood test said she had an excess of vitamins and minerals in her blood that are common in organ meat. Her blood is apparently filled with mystery cells that the doctors couldn't analyze.Her oxytocin levels are anomalously high. Whatever her deal is, her biology has been significantly altered from the human baseline. She's not experiencing any obvious health side effects from her unusual diet, after all. You'd imagine you should've heard something about her killing and eating people. Either she's amazing at hiding her unique 'appetite' or she has another way of managing her 'hunger'. Whatever the case is, she doesn't seem like a threat, you think? A stupid thought pops in your head. Your mind constantly yells at you that, no, the last thing you should do is hug her. You're alone with a girl who thought a hunk of human meat was a tasty snack. What if she rips your throat out since "nobody" is around?Another part of you points out that, if she was going to hurt you, she would've done something by now instead of playing a week long con. She's been suspicious, sure, but never outright malicious to you.Fuck it. You lean forward and wrap your arms around Ashton, pulling her into a hug. You might get your throat ripped out but you're going to trust your gut here. This is a gamble: To see how much control she has over her hunger. For all she knows, you two are alone. And, well, you're made of meat after all.In the corner of your eye, you can just about make out the Man's expression. He watches on with fear and confusion etched in his expression, like he's watching you hug a rabid tiger. What the FUCK are you doing, he hisses through his teeth.>2 SUCCESSES!"oh!" Ashton doesn't immediately know how to respond to the impromptu hug. "aren't we supposed to study the m..." She attempts to redirect your attention back to the research you're supposed to do but the words die in her mouth.She turns her attention away from the meat sample. She closes her eyes so she can fully take in the moment. Her body relaxes in your grasp, as if relieved that she can focus on something besides the piece of human flesh.She immediately returns the favor by hugging you back. Her sturdy arms tightly close around your body, making sure you can't break out of the hug any time soon. The hug feels a lot better than it did yesterday. Neither of you are hurting anymore so both of you can focus exclusively on the hug itself.Her body, especially her arms, is a lot warmer than you remember it being. You can't say it feels bad, though, it's...comforting. You find it hard to describe it in any more detail. The stress of everything that happened this week vanishes as if it was never there.The Man grumbles under his breath.
He's clearly not too thrilled by your decision here. He says he's going to start studying the contents of the bag while you're busy doing this sappy nonsense.The two of you stand there for a while, savoring the hug. You're not sure how long you two stand there but Ashton eventually breaks away from the hug. A faint blush rests on her cheeks. She's grinning from ear to ear, showing off her pearly whites. You didn't notice it until now but her teeth are a lot sharper than a regular person's teeth. She could've easily done some damage to you with them if she wanted to. But she didn't."i know how it is. it's been a long week for both of us." She winks at you. You mutter out something incoherent, not really having the words to explain why you hugged her AGAIN."thank you. my mind was...going places, you know?" She cryptically states. She's probably referring to her little episode with the flesh sample. "the hug really did help.""Oh, yeah." You clear your throat. "No problem. Ready to keep working?""mmh hmm.">You feel a lot better. You add a bonus +5 to the next three d100s you roll.>You're a lot closer to unlocking one of ASHTON's traits!You offer an apologetic glance to the Man. He says he'll talk to you about it later.Time to actually study your samples! The Man already got a head start on analyzing the baggie so you and Ashton focus on the sample of meat. "So, I wonder what made those guys so tough. You know, those armored men with gas masks?""yeahhh, i was wondering the same thing." Ashton prods at the sample with a scalpel. "the texture's off.""How so?""it's spongy and rubbery. human flesh shouldn't be like this." She tries to slice off a chunk of meat with the scalpel. She has to put a LOT of pressure to slice even a small chunk off.You place the chunk onto a slide so you can check it underneath your microscope. What you see is both illuminating and, frankly, baffling. The microscope reveals that the ROBUST MAN'S flesh is made out of layers of interlocked triangles of flesh.No matter where you look, the pattern of interlocked triangles stays the same. It resembles the structure of graphene, which you vaguely remember hearing about during high school. The odd thing is that, from what you see, it IS made of human flesh. It's simply that the structure isn't remotely what human flesh should look like.You slide the microscope over to the Man. He scans the sample before absently stating he has never seen anything like this before. He doesn't really have anything else to say besides that.Ashton struggles to slice another piece of flesh off the sample. "hm, i got an idea." She places the small piece of flesh directly onto the hot plate. "our guns didn't do much against them but maybe heat could do something?"You and the Man shrug. It's a better idea than doing nothing. Ashton cranks up the hot plate and almost immediately, the flesh melts.
Not burn, MELT, like butter on a hot pan.Ashton turns off the hot plate. "huh, didn't think it would be that easy." The flesh quickly cools down now that the hot plate is off. After about five minutes, it solidifies into a thin layer of flesh. She pokes at it with her scalpel and she easily cuts into it with her scalpel.Okay, simple weakness. If you spot one of those guys again, you'll simply light them on fire. Excessive heat seems to destabilize the structure of their flesh which means, well, they'd be a lot easier to kill. You could probably make some molotovs with the android's wine now that you think about it.You ask the Man what was up with the baggie. He answers that, oh, it was cocaine. You balk at what he said. Did he say that right? Cocaine? He nods. It's pretty shoddy cocaine so it was made by an amateur but that doesn't change what it is. He recommends that you DON'T use it. Sell it or use it on an anomaly, he says, he's pretty sure it's been cut with something bad.>MYSTERY BAGGIE updated! (You have a good idea who would want this. Can be used to bribe ARC higher ups.)>3 HUMAN FLESH SAMPLES left!Ashton narrows her eyes at the bag. "keep it. i don't want that entering contraband." You were going to ask her why but you remember that, yeah. Junkie guard. It's probably best you keep it.Now all that's left to research is the CHERRY MOLD and BLOODWINE. To be honest, though?>1 SUCCESS!None of you could really figure out what to do with the CHERRY MOLD. Checking it under the microscope revealed no obvious difference on a molecular level and no one felt brave enough to eat it, so you'll have to shelf that until you learn more about NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER.The blood wine? That's easier to figure out. The Man narrows his eyes at the sample. He already knows where you got this from. You harvested it from Colt's blood, right? You give him a thumbs up, much to Ashton's confusion.He wonders what happens if it was exposed to more blood. You turn to Ashton. "Rock, paper, scissors. Whoever loses has to get their blood drawn.""alright! i'll try to go easy on you. best of three." The two of you get ready to play Rock Paper Scissors. Three matches past by in a blur and...she beats you all three times without even trying. Your face turns neon red with embarrassment. God, you're a loser.The Man tries to comfort you after watching that pitiful display. Your loss will help out science AND it might pad out your wallet. Try to think about that instead of losing.Ashton sinks a syringe into your vein and fills it up with your blood. She dispenses a small amount of blood into one of your many beakers. The Man pours an equal amount of BLOODWINE into the beaker before he tosses the sample back to you.Your group huddles around the beaker to see what reaction happens. The BLOODWINE bubbles and crackles once it is exposed to your blood. The way the blood almost boils is almost mesmerizing.
Your blood rapidly transmutes right in front of your eye, turning into a far darker shade of red than it was mere moments ago. It's now the same shade of dark brown-red as the sample of BLOOD WINE. It only takes a minute for the blood to be fully transmuted into BLOODWINE.Ashton empties the rest of the syringe into the beaker. Same thing happens, all of your blood is transformed into BLOODWINE, but instead of a minute it only takes twenty seconds. You're honestly shocked Colt is still alive if this stuff is able to transmute blood THIS quickly.You pour a tiny drop of the new BLOODWINE into the CHEM EXTRACTOR to see what it says. It spits out a simple, one sentence long analysis of what's in the fluid."CONTAINS: 80% WINE, 15% IBUPROFEN, 5~% CLASS A-1 'BASIC' AMNESTIC.">BLOODWINE PROPERTY discovered! (The amnestics it produces is likely the cause of memory loss in people who consume OBSCURA SYRAH.)>You now have 2 BLOODWINE SAMPLES!Hoo. Okay, that's another part of your shift done. You still got a lot more to go through so...you gotta keep on trucking, Vincent. You hope this shift can be an easy, boring one instead of the mess you had last shift.You now have 9 TIME TOKENS LEFT. Choose three ACTIONS. (Your bonus is still active. It'll be added if and after you pick a skill check.)ANOMALY>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. Getting some more wine wouldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Enter IN LIMBO's cell. You want to figure out why it showed you that weird vision. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)RESEARCH>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You wanna learn more about 'FET'. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)>Extract the AMNESTIC from the BLOODWINE sample. Having something that can erase memories might be useful in the future. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)BUSY WORK>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Cook some stuff on that new propane grill of yours. Maybe your anomalies would like some cooked food? (-1d2 TIME TOKENS.)>Try to make some outfits with the sewing machine for future use. (-1d2 TIME TOKENS.)>Pop the MARTIAL ARTS TAPES into your PERSONAL TV. Start TRAINING your SKILLS, BABY! (-1 TIME TOKEN. Choose who to train: YOU, THE MAN or ASHTON.)>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. It'll be time consuming but hey, money's money. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)MISC>Write in.Okay, things should go back to normal now, update wise.
>>6322764>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. It'll be time consuming but hey, money's money. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)Future experiments?>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)Gives us something to work off of when we get around to him again.>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. Getting some more wine wouldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN)We haven't directly analyzed the sandwiches yet, have we?Tested, sure, but that alone won't help us improve it. They're very useful, but their current form is inconvenient.Bonus will help somewhat with interrogation too I guess.
>>6322773>We haven't directly analyzed the sandwiches yet, have we?Nope. I say if you get some wine from NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER, you'll unlock some options to improve how you produce healing foods with its wine.
>>6322764>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)
>>6322764>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)Let's get this done already!>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)What >>6322773 said>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. It'll be time consuming but hey, money's money. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)MONEY MONEY MONEY
>>6322759>interlockedhttps://youtu.be/ZRcpnM26nJM?t=22>>6322764>"CONTAINS: 80% WINE, 15% IBUPROFEN, 5~% CLASS A-1 'BASIC' AMNESTIC."he be profen, hmh ?>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. Getting some more wine wouldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You wanna learn more about 'FET'. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)
>>6322764>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. Getting some more wine wouldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)
>>6322293WRONG!!!! The quest title is "LOW RUNG RESEARCHER", and that is Vincent! Unless it somehow applies to Lucy or anybody else here... Could one of them be the real main character and Vincent is their side character?
>>6322764>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. It'll be time consuming but hey, money's money. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)
>>6322764>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. Getting some more wine wouldn't hurt. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf. These have been sitting around for days... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 50, +3 to roll)>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments. It'll be time consuming but hey, money's money. (-2 TIME TOKENS.)
>>6322764>Examine the two samples you got from Rudolf.>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell.>Spend some time growing some CIGARETTE MOLD for future experiments.
>>6322764>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You wanna learn more about 'FET'. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)>Extract the AMNESTIC from the BLOODWINE sample. Having something that can erase memories might be useful in the future. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)
>>6323142Maybe the real main character is the friends we made along the way
>>6323250I hate this trope!!! I hope the QM doesn't do that stupid shit this time! Cleaner Quest had it work out perfectly due to the themes and such, but this ain't the City!
>>6323265I love this trope!!!! I hope the QM does do that genius analogy this time! Cleaner Quest incorporated it perfectly due to the themes and such, and this facility is a city!!
Rolled 2 (1d3)Bleh. Overslept. Closing vote now.CIGARETTE MOLD: Xhh, sEu, L/T, 86+, rJ6MISSING PERSON: Xhh, Bkz, sEu, vUt, G45NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER: Xhh, +IZ, vUt, 86+, rJ6RUDOLF SAMPLES: Bkz, sEu, +IZ, vUt, L/T, 86+, rJ6AC/SCRAP: BkzFET: +IZ, G45AMNESTIC: G45LOST SINCE 199X: L/TWell, we got a three way tie, so I'll roll 1d3 to see what we're NOT doing. 1 = MOLD, 2 = MISSING PERSON, 3 = NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER. >>6323142>>6323250>>6323265>>6323298Vincent is Vincent is Vincent. This is all I will say on this matter.
Okay, cool, so we're farming mold, we're studying samples and we're working on the wine robot.Three anons, hit me with a 1d100+8, because Vincent has been EMPOWERED by the power of HUMAN TOUCH. Table below 0 SUCCESSES: No wonder you haven't touched either of these... (You only get super vague information about one of them.)1 SUCCESS: 'DIE TO SEXUALIZE' is an interesting name, you'll focus on that. (You learn the basic properties of the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample.)2 SUCCESSES: It's hard to look away from the neon blue hue. (You learn a decent amount about the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample alongside some rough details about NEON BLUE FLESH.)3 SUCCESSES: Wait, your gut is telling you something is off about these samples. (You learn a decent amount about both samples AND you get a vision involving one of the anomalies.)
Rolled 83 + 8 (1d100 + 8)>>6323485
Rolled 82 + 8 (1d100 + 8)>>6323485
Rolled 79 + 8 (1d100 + 8)>>6323485
>>6323486>>6323488>>6323490Horrifyingly good luck for once. 92/80/87. Turns out you didn't need the extra +5 bonus to your roll but oh well. You got three successes and that's all that really matters.Writing.
>>6323486>>6323488>>6323490impressive
You tap your feet against the floor. You're busy arguing with yourself over what you should do right now. You do remember those old samples you got from RUDOLF, you should probably study those, but you're conflicted on what else to do.You would ask your coworkers but, no, they probably wouldn't have a good idea on what you should do. You argue with yourself for a while but you decide to NOT research missing person cases right now.It'll probably be better if you do that before working on 199X anyways. So that leaves you with talking to NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER and actively growing some CIGARETTE MOLD. It's probably best to bring the MAN along for NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER since it can actually perceive him. Now you wonder-The Man calls your name in order to get your attention. He asks what the group should be working on. Oh, right, time to actually start working."Ashton, there's some old samples in the mini fridge. Get them for me, please.""oh come on!" Ashton overdramatically leans backward until she's threatening to fall onto one of the tables. Her body is bent in an incredibly awkward pose with how far she has leaned back. You got to admit, she has pretty good leg strength if she's able to hold that weird posture. "samples, samples, sample...is this what you do every day? no wonder why you needed a hug."The Man snorts at her comment but he quickly collects himself."Pft." You clear your throat in an attempt to stifle a laugh. "Kinda??? It's either this, building random stuff or studying anomalies. It keeps the lights on, at least.""you know," Ashton carefully leans forward until she's back on her feet. "how do you get all of your money again.""LOTS of cigarette mold." You give her a cocky smirk. "It contains enough nicotine to keep a smoker buzzed for ages. I even built a whole machine to make more of it.""oh! so that's what that thing was."The Man admits that it is a pretty clever design."alright, alright, i'll get the samples." While she's away from the table, you turn to address the Man."So. What's your theory on her?" You quickly recount what you saw only a few minutes ago, alongside the other information you have.The Man hums, clearly deep in thought. He has a vague idea what she might be but he's not sure if she matches all of the symptoms. There's a rumor about a particular 'subtype' of human that work for ARC: Harvesters.Harvesters?From what he knows, they're most common at the bottommost layers of any given facility. So, Layer 6 and 7 would be where they SHOULD be gathering. They're similar enough to humans to the point where, to the naked eye, there's no real way to spot one aside from their teeth. Their biology is always subtly off, though, like Ashton's odd blood.Until now, he believed they were just something people made up to pass the time, so he only knows some basic facts about them. One: Their blood is black.
Strike one there, you're pretty sure her blood was red like everyone else's. Maybe that's what those unusual cells ZENITH found were, though.Two, he says, they have a ravenous hunger for any kind of flesh, animal or human or anomaly. That tracks from what you saw.Three, they have a natural intuition for anything that involves the human body. Medicine, physical education, fighting other humans, harvesting samples from biological anomalies, you name it. Hm. You suppose that's why you felt like it was a good idea to work out with her.That's all he knows. You ask him if you think she's safe to have around then.He admits that hugging her was a stupid fucking idea considering you were hugging someone who could've ripped your throat out.From how he sees it, though, her friendliness to you isn't an act. He recommends that to still be careful around her, she might still have ulterior motives but whatever it is, it won't hurt YOU specifically. He shuts up when she returns with the samples. "hm. i think i recognize these. did you get them from abnormality material storage?"You nod. "An acquaintance of mine got them. What do you know about them?"She doesn't answer immediately. She struggles to remember anything specific about them. "i know that both of these anomalies are in layer 1. overheard some researchers studying them, something about using this one to make a special type of perfume?" She holds up the NEON BLUE FLESH sample. "sorry if that doesn't help much.""Hey, at least we got a rough idea what we could make out of them. Alright, everyone." You clap to get Ashton and the Man's attention. "It's time to RESEARCH!!!" Everyone huddles around the table as you begin yet another long session of studying the properties of each sample.>3 SUCCESSES!First on the docket was the NEON BLUE FLESH sample, given you know SLIGHTLY more about it. Ashton, given what you now know about her, is actually pretty decent help in figuring out what it does. Her first theory is that the fluid it leaks should be studied first and foremost.You fill up a beaker with the blue fluid that constantly leaks from the meat. It crackles and sizzles in a way very reminiscent to carbonated soda. The Man dares you to drink it here and now...and you thought, you know what, why not?You raise the beaker to your mouth and you take a careful sip of the liquid inside.Huh. Okay, wow, that. You were doing it as a joke but that tastes good, actually. It's not particularly strong but it has a vaguely sweet, blueberry taste to it.Something builds in the back of your throat. Before you even realize what's going on, you're hacking something onto the table. Laying on the table is a small blue pearl that belongs on a necklace instead of the back of your throat.The Man carefully collects the pearl. He says that it looks like any other pearl, you could probably sell it for a pretty penny. If you're fine with hacking them up, that is.
>PHYSICAL HEALTH is now at DOING GREAT!>NEON BLUE PEARL obtained! (Worth a pretty penny but has no actual anomalous properties.) "Haaa." Okay, note to self, don't do that again. Even if it was profitable. You and Ashton study the NEON BLUE meat itself to see what you can figure out about it. The only property that's immediately obvious is that it constantly produces that neon blue fluid. Even a tiny sliver of it is able to produce a slow but steady stream of the fluid. The meat itself, though, there is something off about it. It doesn't FEEL like meat.It moreso has the texture of half chewed bubble gum. It sticks to your gloves and it damn near glues your fingers together. It's incredibly adhesive so you wonder if you could use it just for that. You take the pair of gloves you used while working on IN LIMBO and you apply some thin slivers of the sticky meat between the palm area of the gloves. You press the two gloves together to make sure the glue-like meat spreads across the surface of the two gloves. You wait for a few minutes and you try to separate them. They are fucking fused together at this point. You tug and pull at them with the help of both the Man and Ashton but the bond is ironclad.You study the glued together gloves underneath the microscope and, yeah, it's on a molecular level. They're no longer two gloves at this point and they're more of a single, continuous mass of latex. Interesting, you could already see the applications for this in medicine or construction.>NEON BLUE FLESH PROPERTIES REVEALED!>Consuming the blue fluid that the NEON BLUE FLESH is soaked in causes the user to vomit up a valuable pearl, at the cost of physical health.>The meat itself can be used as an abnormally potent glue that bonds them at the molecular level. Best to not get this on your skin.Ashton mutters about how 'inedible' the meat is. "imagine trying to eat this and your mouth is glued shut. fate worse than death."Your group moves onto the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample. The fibrous fabric inside here has the same weird texture as the NEON BLUE flesh but it's not nearly as sticky. It shreds like fork tender pork at even the slightest touch. Ashton proposes that you try to use it to repair some clothes.You do have that old, tattered bloody labcoat of yours. You were going to throw it away after what happened to it yesterday but this is a better use for it.The Man carries over the sewing machine so you can actually USE the fabric. You doubt the labcoat can even be repaired with this but, hey, experiments right? You load some of the 'fabric' into the sewing machine and you start sewing the labcoat back together.Thick, splotchy patches of pale skin-toned fabric fill up the holes that were punched into your old labcoat. It's not long until you got something that vaguely resembles a repaired labcoat? You wouldn't be caught dead wearing this."so, what do you think the fabric actually...does?
The Man proposes that Ashton shoots at the repaired labcoat with her gun. Maybe it has some protective qualities to it, he suggests."Maybe it made the coat stronger." You parrot the Man's words. "So, here's the plan. We're going to prop this on a chair. I need you to shoot it.""whuh-" Confusion briefly flashes over her face but she quickly regains her composure. "sure!"You prop the coat on a nearby chair. You mark the patches of skin toned fabric so she knows where exactly to shoot. She draws her service revolver and she aims it right at the labcoat.You step out of the way so she doesn't shoot you, of course. You and the Man both cover your ears to make sure you don't go deaf. Once you're ready, she fires her gun at the labcoat. The loud CRACK of a gunshot echoes through the lab but...nothing else seems to happen.You glance back at the labcoat. The bullet did hit its target but it wasn't able to penetrate the anomalous fabric. The bullet has congealed and melted into the fabric like hot wax, leaving a metallic smear on the labcoat. Interesting! You can already see the applications for this fabric.You head over to the labcoat in order to recover the bullet sample but as your hand grabs the coat, something flashes through your mind. You try to fight against whatever is invading your mind but...You stand before a woman tied and bound in a chair. A coat you made all by yourself is draped over her body. It exactly matches her skin tone. Almost like she's wearing nothing at all.Drool builds in the corner of your mouth. She's squirming and screaming, like they always do, but that coat is going to make sure she's not going anywhere. Not now, now ever.You don't even have to bind her with ropes or handcuffs or anything else you used before you figured out your...ability. All you need to do is to wrap them in your soft skin and your love.One tender moment, shared between two humans. Enjoying her last moments. Delicious.Oh. You missed doing this. Your cell is so boring, so lifeless. The researcher watching you? You can't wait to have fun with her.Breaching your containment cell and tearing her to shreds will be SO F-The vision fades nearly as quickly as it arrived."vincent? vincent? you, uhm, you okay there?""Uh. I think the anomaly that this was extracted from is going to breach soon. Don't ask me how I know, I just..."Ashton quickly nods her head like a bobblehead. She rushes outside the lab, presumably to radio in some of her security guard friends. You're now left alone with the Man.You toss him the labcoat. You want him to put it on to see what happens. He's obviously hesitant to but he does so for the sake of science. It's easy enough for him to put it on but then, nothing happens. He just stands there with a blank look in his indescribable face.You wave your hand in front of him to try to get his attention.
Nothing. No movement, no words, he's still as a statue.You carefully remove the labcoat from him. Once it's off, his body shudders as if he just walked out of an ice cold shower. He asks you where Ashton was."Uh, you were just wearing this labcoat. Do you remember putting it on?"He doesn't think so. Why, he asks? Okay! It's probably a good thing you didn't put it on then.>DIE TO SEXUALIZE properties revealed!>It can be used to upgrade armor. Armor upgraded with it becomes a LOT more resistant to damage. >You have to be careful when upgrading armor with it. Direct contact with the fabric causes physical paralysis and short term amnesia. "Well, Ashton's going to be a bit busy." You stuff the SKIN TONED LABCOAT into your satchel. "We should probably check on NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER, shouldn't we?"He nods. She'll probably be back once you're done working on the android. The two of you head over to SOMMELIER's containment cell to see what's going on with it.The android is too busy polishing its own body to notice the two of you entering. It briefly pokes its head to acknowledge your presence before it returns to cleaning itself. Odd. It's usually a lot more talkative. It would've peddled its wine by now.The air's a lot colder than you remembered it being as well. You can see your breath with how frigid it is in here. "Speak." The android bluntly commands. "What do you want?"You suppose you should get right to the point. Choose three things to do with the anomaly.NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER MOOD: 68/100 LIQUID POINTS: 100/100 COMMUNICATION:>Facial recognition? Why does it have it and, hell, how can it even see with no eyes? How does it perceive the world?>Ask about the wine. How does it make it? What's up with the titles it gives its wines?>Ask about the 'NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER' title it gave itself. What does it mean? Why did it pick THAT name? (DC 64, +7 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED and THE MAN'S HELP.)>You wonder why they'd make a robot that gives wine sapience. Ask the android how it perceives itself.>Something's clearly bothering it. Ask it what's up, maybe you can help it out?EXAMINATION/STIMULI>Inspect its body. Try to figure out as much as you can about how its constructed and what its made of. (DC 65, +7 to roll. Helps you to know how to repair it in the future.)>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. (-30 LIQUID POINTS, gets you 1d3+1 samples of OBSCURA and 1 sample of RÊVE CHARDONNAY)>You might as well help the android clean itself. Bring in your CLEANING SUPPLIES and TOOLBOX, help the poor thing out. (DC 65, +5 to roll.)>Alter the atmosphere of the room. You want to see if that affects its ability to produce wine.>Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to the crime drama. Ask it about how accurate it is, to goad it into talking more about L'CURE.>Offer it some food and drinks. You know it likes being provided with biological material.>Write in
>>6323575>>6323577So, Ashton's a carnivorous abhuman called a Harvester from the deepest pits of the facility, according to rumors her blood is supposed to be black but isn't and according to the MAN she really does just like Vincent for some reason. Unless she's using the Heart to disguise or replace her black blood with human blood to blend in or whatever, we may just have to accept that a mostly human woman likes Vincent of her own free will for whatever reason.>>6323588>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. (-30 LIQUID POINTS, gets you 1d3+1 samples of OBSCURA and 1 sample of RÊVE CHARDONNAY)>Something's clearly bothering it. Ask it what's up, maybe you can help it out?>You might as well help the android clean itself. Bring in your CLEANING SUPPLIES and TOOLBOX, help the poor thing out. (DC 65, +5 to roll.)I wonder how long the DTS fabric has to be in direct contact with someone to cause paralysis and amnesia? We could probably weaponize that shit by attaching it to some gloves or something. Good for fistfights and skulduggery.
>>6323588Actually I'll change my votes >>6323647 to>Collect some NEON BLUE FLUID in a beaker and see if the android will use it make a new anomaly wine.>You might as well help the android clean itself. Bring in your CLEANING SUPPLIES and TOOLBOX, help the poor thing out. (DC 65, +5 to roll.)>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. (-30 LIQUID POINTS, gets you 1d3+1 samples of OBSCURA and 1 sample of RÊVE CHARDONNAY)
>>6323588>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. >Something's clearly bothering it. Ask it what's up, maybe you can help it out?>You might as well help the android clean itself. >>6323647Blood Color can be effected by oxygen content and Haemoglobin, the black blood probably isn't a default color but is rather an advanced version of Hemochromatosis which harvesters are presumably immune to the negative effects.Conclusion - Human Enough, but with enough tinge of anomalous that I can continue to joke about Vince not being able to talk with Human women
>>6323588>Something's clearly bothering it. Ask it what's up, maybe you can help it out?I do not want to see low mood SOMMELIER>You might as well help the android clean itself. Bring in your CLEANING SUPPLIES and TOOLBOX, help the poor thing out. (DC 65, +5 to roll.)Mood increase plus helping it feel better>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. (-30 LIQUID POINTS, gets you 1d3+1 samples of OBSCURA and 1 sample of RÊVE CHARDONNAY)Empty out some of the wine from it at leastAs much as I'd want to do other things with it, this seems like a good mood management + wine collection session instead. Next time I want to ask it more questions like that facial recognition bit. Does it have to do with the amnestic in its default wine?
>>6323588>Ask about the 'NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER' title it gave itself. What does it mean? Why did it pick THAT name? (DC 64, +7 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED and THE MAN'S HELP.)>Inspect its body. Try to figure out as much as you can about how its constructed and what its made of. (DC 65, +7 to roll. Helps you to know how to repair it in the future.)>You might as well help the android clean itself. Bring in your CLEANING SUPPLIES and TOOLBOX, help the poor thing out. (DC 65, +5 to roll.)
>>6323588>Ask about the 'NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER' title it gave itself. What does it mean? Why did it pick THAT name? (DC 64, +7 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED and THE MAN'S HELP.)Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to the crime drama. Ask it about how accurate it is, to goad it into talking more about L'CURE.>Inspect its body. Try to figure out as much as you can about how its constructed and what its made of. (DC 65, +7 to roll. Helps you to know how to repair it in the future.)
>>6323588>You carefully remove the labcoat from him. Once it's off, his body shudders as if he just walked out of an ice cold shower. He asks you where Ashton was.>"Uh, you were just wearing this labcoat. Do you remember putting it on?">He doesn't think so. Why, he asks? Okay! It's probably a good thing you didn't put it on then.hmh, so why did the class D woman in the vision still screamed if paralysis happens ?>Facial recognition? Why does it have it and, hell, how can it even see with no eyes? How does it perceive the world?>Ask about the 'NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER' title it gave itself. What does it mean? Why did it pick THAT name? (DC 64, +7 to roll from ANOMALY TOUCHED and THE MAN'S HELP.)>Inspect its body. Try to figure out as much as you can about how its constructed and what its made of. (DC 65, +7 to roll. Helps you to know how to repair it in the future.)
>>6323588>>Ask about the wine. How does it make it? What's up with the titles it gives its wines?>Inspect its body. Try to figure out as much as you can about how its constructed and what its made of. (DC 65, +7 to roll. Helps you to know how to repair it in the future.)>Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to the crime drama. Ask it about how accurate it is, to goad it into talking more about L'CURE.
>>6323588>Something's clearly bothering it.>You might as well help the android clean itself. >Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir.
>>6323588>Ask for some of the fluid inside of its reservoir. Can't have too many samples. (-30 LIQUID POINTS, gets you 1d3+1 samples of OBSCURA and 1 sample of RÊVE CHARDONNAY)>Something's clearly bothering it. Ask it what's up, maybe you can help it out?>Turn on your DVD player. See how it reacts to the crime drama. Ask it about how accurate it is, to goad it into talking more about L'CURE.
>>6323663+1Just caught up, loved cleaner quest and love the references to past quests you include QM
Rolled 1 (1d2)NEON BLUE: vUt, CEUCLEAN IT: vUt, CEU, 3EN, WdA, Bkz, rJ6WINE ME UP: vUt, CEU, 3EN, WdA, rJ6, XHHWHAT'S UP: 3EN, WdA, rJ6, XHHTITLE: Bkz, L/T, I+ZDVD: L/T, 86+, XHHBODY: Bkz, L/T, I+Z, 86+WINE DETAILS: 86+FACIAL RECOGNITION: +IZWINE ME UP and CLEAN IT are winning handsomely, let's flip a coin to see what the third action is.1 = WHAT'S UP 2 = BODY>>6324044Glad that another old time player is returning. Fifty hundred years of Vincent Cruz slop, coming straight to your house.
Rolled 2 + 1 (1d3 + 1)Alright. Since we're only doing one skill check this time around, I need three anons to roll 1d100+9. Why +9 instead of +5? Because I just remembered something: This would count as M E N I A L L A B O R! So I forgot to fully account for that bonus.Let's see how many successes you get this time around. Table below.Also, I'm going to roll to see how many samples you get.0 SUCCESSES: Oh no. You fucked up. You screwed the pooch. (HEAVY mood decrease, but you learn more about the robot's psyche.) 1 SUCCESS: It's a bit weird cleaning a humanoid robot, don't you think? (NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S mood slightly increases.)2 SUCCESSES: You did a pretty good job, all things considered. It seems happier at least. (NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER'S mood moderately improves. You learn a bit more about its construction.)3 SUCCESSES: The robot is a lot more relaxed after you cleaned it. It seems more willing to talk to you. (Same as 2 SUCCESSES but DCs on work orders with NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER are decreased by 3.)
Rolled 22 + 9 (1d100 + 9)>>6324068
Rolled 87 + 9 (1d100 + 9)>>6324068
Rolled 80 + 9 (1d100 + 9)>>6324068rolling
2 SUCCESSES and 3 OBSCURA SAMPLES! It's impressive how painfully average this result was, Vince. Keep up the good work.Writing.
There's clearly SOMETHING bothering the android. You're just socially aware enough to not immediately ask about it. You're going to have to walk on eggshells around the android."I'm sorry for intruding.""I already know how this will play out." The android's agitated voice crackles with static. "I'll wait until someone who enjoys what I offer arrives. Someone willing to escape from this world."Oh, is that it? Is it mad that you haven't been emptying its reserves? You doubt it's ONLY that but you might as well get your samples."We are actually here for your wine."It's hard to tell since it doesn't have eyes, or a face really, but you swear it's squinting at you. It doesn't respond, as if it wasn't sure it heard you right.The Man explains that the both of you meant no offense. It was simply that there were more pressing things to do besides getting wasted on the job. Not that he would mind, per se, it's not like anyone would notice if he was drunk."So why not drink now, [Seni$%!&%)! Re!!%!&$)*! Y!*%@)]?" A hiss of garbage noise bellows out from the android's throat. You think there's something hidden within the garbage noise, it wasn't JUST pure gibberish.He, sadly, has someone who remembers him now. He cares a lot more about what few memories he has compared to Colt, for example.NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER scoffs at the Man's comment. "So be it. At least you're already free from your woes, [Y%?!*$]. Do either of you have a vessel I can dispense the wine into?" It gestures at you. Oh, right. You place a bucket right by the android's feet. It lowers its nozzle-like arm into the bucket. Red and white wine gushes out of the tip of its nozzle, rapidly filling up the bucket until it's nearly full. NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER yanks its arm away before the bucket overflows with wine. The android leans back into its chair. Its posture is a lot less tense now that it has served some wine, though you still sense something's off with it.You have to admit, though, it's still weird to see the white wine floating on top of the red wine in a solid, distinct layer, like water and oil. >3 SAMPLES of OBSCURA SYRAH and 1 SAMPLE of RÊVE CHARDONNAY obtained!You set the bucket by the entrance. "There's one more thing we have to do before we leave you be. I see you're trying to maintain yourself?""Indeed. I will admit that I'm not the best at self-maintenance. My previous owner would've had a team set aside to keep me operational but, as you can see, that is no longer the case.""I can try." You faintly smile. "I won't promise any outstanding service but I've cleaned machines before."The Man adds that he wouldn't mind working on a 'beaut' like the android. Did he. Did he just wink at SOMMELIER? The android either didn't notice or it's actively trying to ignore what the Man did. "I suppose I wouldn't mind, if it only involves cleaning me. I might've had reservations otherwise."
"Like repairing you?""Indeed. Only licensed L'Cure technicians or approved associates of L'Cure may examine, alter, repair, remove or replace the internal components of this model." It rattles off as if it's reading off a script.Riiighhhtt. Whatever. You snap your fingers to get the Man's attention. "Get the supplies ready."It takes a few moments but with the Man's help, you get everything needed to clean the android prepared. Degreaser, metal polisher, all purpose cleaner, water, various tools to tighten up anything that's getting too loose, etc etc.It's time to clean this thing. You have to admit, it probably needed to be cleaned a while ago. A thick layer of dust has settled across its body and its glass reservoir has been smudged with what you think is grease. You're not sure how it got all of this grime on it. You ask the Man and his best guess is that it's psychosomatic, like most aspects of an anomaly's existence. Regardless, it's time to clean it.>2 SUCCESSES!It does feel a bit weird cleaning this thing. It's humanoid and aside from its nozzle arm, most of its body is pretty similar (structurally) to a human. The android is more than happy to relax as you scrub its body from head to toe.Would this count as a full body massage? You suppose that would be one way to make an anomaly happy? Hoo, you never thought you'd question the logistics of cleaning an android, but here you are.You do your best to pretend you're cleaning your car instead of a sapient humanoid. This might've taken a lot longer if it wasn't for the Man helping you out but you're making good progress. You idly examine the anomaly's body as you wipe the grime off of its reservoir. The reservoir, for one, seems to be replacable. The reservoir is screwed into place like a lightbulb in socket, so you could easily loosen it and take away the reservoir completely. You lean in closer to examine the reservoir and you actually spot something scribbled on the inside of its chest cavity."REPLACE WITH TYPE-2 'OBSCURA RESERVOIR' 2 PER MONTH. BEST IF TINTED, WINE NEEDS TO BE IN PURE DARK. ONLY USE UNTINTED IF NO OTHER OPTION.""REPLACE NOZZLE 1 TIME PER MONTH. WINE CORRODES NOZZLE OVER TIME, REDUCES 'POTENCY' OF PRODUCT."Interesting. As for the rest of its body, while it is a very advanced piece of machinery, repairing it actually seems remarkably easy because of the modular design of its pieces. Every part of its body that isn't the torso or head can easily be removed and replaced at a whim like you're building something out of lego.Its head is firmly welded to its torso, there's no way to separate the two without basically decapitating the poor thing. The Man whispers to you about another message carved around the android's neck. You lean in to examine it.Most of it is too faded to read but you make out the following: "BUILT IN PURIFICAZIONE DELLA MEMORIA. ASK FOR GAETANO IF REPAIRS ARE NEEDED."
Huh. Another name. You focus your attention back onto cleaning the android's arms. You might as well talk to it. "So, what's bothering you? You were pretty, uh, rude when we came in.""Oh, I do apologize." Its voice is soft and low as it speaks. "My mind was drifting to unpleasant places. I was remembering." You were expecting it to continue but, no, that's all it said. You cock an eyebrow at the odd comment."That's it? Remembering what?""Oh, that's the issue. Who wants to remember anything in this day and age? Isn't it better to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and to...embrace nothing beyond that?" A pleased hum crackles out of its voicebox as the Man polishes its neck. That didn't answer your question."Well, that's fair, I suppose. Not like you had much else to do since we were neglecting you, huh?""Indeed. This, however, makes it for it." It responds with a sing-sing tone. "It's far better than what L'Cure would've done."What would've they done, then, the Man asks?"They would hose me down. Simple, effective, nothing to complain about..." A faint trace of disappointment lingers in its words. "...but nothing to write home about."The Man is glad that the two of you could help it out. "Well. I do have one request, if you wouldn't mind.""Sure." You shrug. If it means it won't breach containment, you'll at least humor it."I can sense someone who wishes to forget nearby. A lost, lost boy who wishes to stay lost. I can...hear him, all the way from here." The android shudders, sending droplets of water flying here and there. "It pains me to hear his cries. I was built to drown the sorrows of people just like him.""Do you mind handing him some of my wine?" It must be talking about LOST SINCE 199X. Well, hm."I'll consider it." You offer it a non-answer. With the Man's help, you dry off the anomaly with some cloth. The android now looks brand new, like it was just delivered to your cell. The android gets up from its chair and, without saying a word, it wraps its arms around the Man.The Man obviously didn't expect it to hug him. By the time he's able to react, NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER is already back in its seat. "I must thank the both of you for your services today. I do hope you enjoy the wine, even if it is not in the way I intended for it to be enjoyed.""The sandwiches were...an interesting use case for it."Huh, it knew you did that? You're not going to press it, you're just glad that it's doing better. The Man snaps out of his daze and he rushes over to retrieve the bucket. The two of you exit the anomaly's containment cell now that you're done with it.>NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER MOOD is now 90/100! FLUID POINTS is now 70/100!>INSIGHT HINT REVEALED! ABYSS GAZE/REMEMBER/?Welp, until Ashton is back, you might as well pass the time. Time to grow some mold, baby! Mold is money!!! There's not much to talk about when it comes to growing it.
You and the Man hover around the autofeeder. It already has a healthy amount of mold growing inside but you throw in some random food inside to see which causes it to grow the most. As it turns out, orange juice is a FAVORITE of this thing.You spend a decent amount of time feeding and tending to the Mold, making sure that it doesn't grow too fast or too slow. A lot of time is eaten up just trying to maintain the right conditions to make it grow at the exact rate you want it to grow at.You are rewarded for your mind-numbing labor with the sheer amount of mold you have. You at least had to double the amount you already had in there. Pure brown gold, baby.>You now have 9 SAMPLES OF CIGARETTE MOLD! Right as you finish with that, Ashton finally re-enters the lab. "sorry for being late! i, uh, had to explain how i knew about that...weird anomaly. long story." Great, she's back, time to get back to work. You have 5 TIME TOKENS left. You're going to take things slower now. Choose TWO actions and any FREE actions.ANOMALY>Enter IN LIMBO's cell. You want to figure out why it showed you that weird vision. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)RESEARCH>Try to find a way to improve or refine the OBSCURA SYRAH samples. They do have a lot of potential... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +10 to roll.)>Study the FET FLESH SAMPLE. You wanna learn more about 'FET'. (-1 TIME TOKEN, ???)>Extract the AMNESTIC from the BLOODWINE sample. Having something that can erase memories might be useful in the future. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)BUSY WORK>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Try to make some useful stuff out of the AC PARTS and ELECTRONIC SCRAP you got. (-2 TIME TOKENS, DC 60, +6 to roll.)>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You want some to analyze later and some for personal use, of course. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Pop the MARTIAL ARTS TAPES into your PERSONAL TV. Start TRAINING your SKILLS, BABY! (-1 TIME TOKEN. Choose who to train: YOU, THE MAN or ASHTON.)>Try to make something to weaponize the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample's ability to paralyze people. (-1d3 TIME TOKENS, DC 66, +8 to roll. It could make a pretty potent weapon...)MISC>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (FREE ACTION. Choose who: ASHTON or the MAN.)>Approach the FAX MACHINE. You want to talk to one of your sponsors. (FREE ACTION, -$30, leaving you with $305. Choose one company to talk to: ARC, HAYDEN, ZENITH, BLACKWELL or Q&Q.)>Write in.
>>6324137>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)Then immediately>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)Also for free>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (FREE ACTION. Choose who: ASHTON or the MAN.)Ashton. I kinda like the Man remaining a friendly enigma. If only this quest could last until Toby releases Chapter 5...
>>6324137>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (FREE ACTION. Choose who: ASHTON.)Didn't know the MAN was into french fembots. Though I suppose his options are kind of limited.
>>6324137>Try to find a way to improve or refine the OBSCURA SYRAH samples. They do have a lot of potential... (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +10 to roll.)>Try to make something to weaponize the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample's ability to paralyze people. (-1d3 TIME TOKENS, DC 66, +8 to roll. It could make a pretty potent weapon...)>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (FREE ACTION. Choose who: ASHTON or the MAN.)Ashton.
>>6324154+1
>>6324137>>6324154 +1
>>6324160+1
>>6324137>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (FREE ACTION. Choose who: ASHTON or the MAN.)The man and why he is attracted to a robot
>>6324137>Enter LOST SINCE 199X's cell. You want to know what it's writing on the walls. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Look up any notable missing person cases from Sweden. Might be able to trace something back to 199X. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 45, +5 to roll from the MAN'S help.)>Talk to one of your coworkers. Try to learn more about them. (the MAN.)
>>6324137>Seni$%!&%)! Re!!%!&$)*! Y!*%@Senior Researcher Young, or some other Y name
I'm not going to tally up everything since from a quick skim, NOTABLE MISSING PERSON CASES + LOST SINCE 199X + TALK TO ASHTON wins by a landslide.Three anons, roll 1d100+5. Table below.0 SUCCESSES: [%!*)%&!)%&] (No data found. The lack of information is its own data, though.)1 SUCCESS: You're not really getting a lot out of this. (You get some very, VERY vague information.)2 SUCCESSES: Oh, an actual article. Weird, some of it is redacted. (You get some spotty but useful information about the anomaly. DCs involving the anomaly are reduced by 2.)3 SUCCESSES: Hold on. Someone leaked a private interview... (You get some actual solid information about the anomaly. DCs involving it are reduced by 4.)
Rolled 37 + 5 (1d100 + 5)>>6324509
Rolled 31 + 5 (1d100 + 5)>>6324509
Rolled 30 + 5 (1d100 + 5)>>6324509
Wow! Never thought I'd see it but you managed to get 0 SUCCESSES after ages of not getting on. Turns out, it's on a pretty fitting skillcheck. Don't worry, as per the table, you're still getting something. Maybe something as valuable as the other successes.Just...nothing that connects to the anomaly's past, per se. Writing.
>>6324510>>6324511>>6324525404, murder victim not found>>6324528Even with a pretty easy DC of 45 off d100+5 we still got 0. That all 3 rolls ended up in the 30s just speaks to how fated this outcome was, with Vincent so close yet so out of reach of the truth
Welp, it's about time you do your daily checkup on LOST SINCE 199X. You'll bring Ashton along for that. That thing could probably pop your head like a pimple if it felt like it, so having someone that'd keep it calm is paramount to, uh, making sure you keep your head. You like your head. It is quite important to you after all. Mmh hmm. No head, that means you're dead. The redhead would dread-Vincent?You notice that the Man is staring at you. "Oh, right. Uhm." Okay, that knocked you off balance, but you need to stay PROFESSIONAL! "We already worked on IN LIMBO and NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER. That leaves 199X.""is it, uh, going to mess with my brain again?" Ashton's gaze shifts between you and IN LIMBO'S cell. "Nope, it might crush your head if it gets too angry." You speak as if you were talking about the weather. "You're going to be my security detail.""hoo! okay!" Ashton cracks a smile. "yeah, yeah, that's a lot easier for me to handle. anything you need to do before we check on it?""Ah, I'm going to look up anything I can about 199X. You know, knowledge is power, all that jazz.""cool. well, i'll join you. i might as well since i'm working with the anomaly. i might as learn whatever i can, yeah?"You don't see any reason why she can't, so you nod. "Yeah, yeah, follow me." You lead your coworkers over to your old, dingy MACINTOSH computer. It huffs and puffs a thick cloud of dust as it struggles to boot up. You've gotten used to it but god, you wish they'd offer you a new computer in a catalog or something.You load up the ABNOWATCH website. You let the Man take the wheel here since, really, he's the one actually researching stuff on here. The forums might as well be incomprehensible if it wasn't for him helping you out.You simply follow the Man's instructions. What subforums might have the info you're looking for, what keywords you should or shouldn't use when searching for information about 199X, basically anything and everything that helps with search engine optimization.Normally, this would be enough to get something, anything! It's really easy to find what you're looking for when the Man is helping you.>0 SUCCESSES!All you got in return was a white screen with the following words written on it:ERROR 404The page cannot be found.The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable."Huh?" "huh?" Huh? That's odd. In all of his time searching through ABNOWATCH, the Man claims he's never seen this screen before. He tells you another set of keywords to try. You follow his instructions again to see if you can get anything.ERROR 404The page can't be found.The page you are searching for might've been removed, had its name changed, or is unavailable at this time."wait, wait, hold on." Ashton narrows her eyes as she reads the error screen again.
"that's not right. the wording's different.""Yeah, you're right. Got any ideas what this might be?"The Man has one guess but he needs to test one more thing. Try again just one more time. You click back to a previous screen and you try to search something up again. Same white screen but...ERROR 404The page won't be found.The page you are searching for has been removed, had its name removed, and is unavailable for the foreseeable future.Yep, the Man smirks, your anomaly is redacting information about itself. This isn't the website's fault; this is the anomaly messing with you. When an anomaly is actively redacting any information about itself, there's only so much either of you can do."So, that was a complete waste of time.""well, we still learnt something about the anomaly, right?It wasn't quite a waste of time, says the Man. He types a few more words and...ERROR 404He won't be found.The man you're looking for is no longer relevant, had its name forgotten, and is no longer available to speak to.The error message keeps changing. He's going to spend some time messing around with this while you and Ashton deal with the anomaly itself."I'll deal with this later. You ready to check on the anomaly?" "i sure am." Ashton gives you a thumbs up. "i wouldn't want you to lose your head. i'd dread to see you dead.""Pffft. Oh, c'mon." You gotta say, it's pretty swell knowing she's not above having stupid thoughts just like you."what can i say? it rhymes, even if it doesn't flow all that well."The Man rolls his eyes. You two can go now. He has, you know, STUFF to do. Very important stuff. Stuff that's probably best done if you two were gone."Alright, alright, let's get going." As the two of you head over to the cell, you decide it wouldn't hurt to talk to her for a moment. You mull over what you should ask her. Ehhh, if she is a 'harvester' who knows a lot about the human body, you suppose you could ask her for some anatomy tips and tricks."Random question. I'll probably have to fight people like that ROBUST MAN again. Do you have any, uh, tips for fighting them?"Ashton's eyes sparkle with a mixture of amusement and, oddly enough, concern. "hm. honestly, running away might be the best option for you. not to say you're not strong! i mean..." "You mean what?""ithoughtitwasreallycoolwheniheardwhathappened." Words spill out of her mouth without any real pattern. It's basically impossible to process what she just said. "BUT!" She quickly regains her composure. "please, i already saw enough dead bodies for a lifetime here. it'd be nice to just...know someone who's going to stick around, you know?""I get that, I do, but I'll be fine. I have to learn how to fight anyways, right?" "i-" Ashton was about to say something but the words die in the back of her throat. "yeah, yeah, you probably should."
"sorry if i'm being pushy again. i get how it's, uh, a lot.""I mean, I appreciate it." Even if you don't fully trust her, you have to admit it is nice to have someone who seemingly cares for you. "That's why I hired you today. I thought you'd be a good coworker. But, really, you don't need to coddle me."An inscrutable expression rests on Ashton's face. "i didn't intend to, it's just...when i first saw you, you looked...how's the best way to describe it? out of place? a filing mistake?""something tells me that you weren't supposed to be here. that you were brought here by accident.""How so?" "it's hard to say, really, a gut feeling? maybe a heart feeling?" "That's not a saying." "i dunno how else to describe it!"Ashton leans against the wall right outside 199X's airlock. "i just want you to be safe, okay? but, yeah, you're right. if you want some advice, i got some."Ashton points at her jaw. "if you want to WIN a fight against someone, you have to hit it where it hurts. here's a good spot but the shins, knees and groin? those are probably the ones i aim for the most.""breaking the knee slows their movements down. the shin isn't really protected much by the body, one solid strike to it will mess someone up and the groin?"Ashton doesn't even have to finish her sentence before your body instinctually shivers. "yeah, exactly. works best if it's a dude but it hurts a lot if you hit a girl down there.""Yeahhh, good thing you told me that, because we might have to fight this anomaly sooner or later. Got your gun ready?""mh hm." Ashton yanks her revolver out of its holster. "ready when you are."Before you rush inside, you remember that you actually got some armor you could equip. You equip the MAKESHIFT GUARD ARMOR with Ashton's help. It's stuffy and bulky but you rather be uncomfortable than dead.You aim yourself with your own gun because, to be honest, you don't like your odds on winning a fight against 199X with your big stick. Ashton enters first and you quickly follow behind her. You pray to whatever god there is that you don't actually have to fight it.https://youtu.be/-ADDguL1iP8 - COLDSnowflakes lazily drift through the air. The walls and ceiling are covered in a thin layer of frost while dry, powdery snow cakes the ground. Every step the two of you take makes a loud CRUNCH thanks to the powdery snow. This wasn't here yesterday, you know that for sure, and you're pretty sure you didn't upgrade its cell with an atmosphere control system.The anomaly is standing at the far back of the containment cell. Its face is firmly pressed against the walls as if it was trying to hide it. It scratches at the wall with long, gnarly nails that were beyond filthy. They were sharp enough to crave letters into the steel itself with little effort. It either doesn't notice you or it outright refuses to acknowledge you right now. Every few seconds, a full body shiver would wrack its body.
You'd assume it's probably from the cold but there seems to be something else making it shiver.It mumbles something under its breath but it's impossible to hear from where you're at. Dark stains that weren't there yesterday are splattered across the jeans and plaid jacket it's wearing. Bile dribbles out of its mouth and onto the powdery snow below, staining the snow a dark black.The Gameboy you left behind in its cell lays in a pile of snow that was seemingly molded to perfectly hold the Gameboy. It seems to cherish its only source of entertainment, best to not mess with it.Ashton's dull yellow eyes narrow as she examines the anomaly. "be careful, vincent, who knows what it's going to do?LOST SINCE 199X MOOD: 7/10What do you do, Vincent? Choose THREE actions.>With Ashton's help, plus your HARVESTING GLOVE, you'll get a lot more samples from this anomaly if you choose to get samples from it.COMMUNICATION>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Ask it what it's scratching into the walls. You want to see what it is writing down. (DC 60, +7 with ANAOMLY TOUCH + ASHTON'S HELP.)>You need to know more about its behavior. Ask it how it feels about children. The report said it didn't attack kids but why?>Does it know anything about ABNOWATCH? Is it censoring information about itself intentionally? You want to know the limits of its ability.EXAMINATION>Examine the anomaly's mangled anatomy. What the hell happened to it? How is it even still standing? (DC 58, +9 with ASHTON'S HELP.)>Carefully approach the anomaly. Cut off some of the hair hanging from its head. (Gives you some samples.)>Carefully approach the anomaly. Harvest some denim or cloth scraps from its clothes. (Gives you some samples.)>Examine the anomaly's baseball bat. Is there anything unique about it, perhaps? (DC 50, +5 to roll.)>Try to take a picture of it. If it redacted a map and a website, can it redact depictions of itself? (DC 60, +5 to roll.)STIMULI TEST>Drag in some various food for the anomaly to try. It can probably eat, right? Maybe that'll earn its trust.>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)>Bring in some ART SUPPLIES. Ask the anomaly to paint whatever comes to its mind. You want a glimpse into its psyche.>Give the anomaly the stuffed animals and rubix cube from the ENRICHMENT BUNDLE. Anything to keep the anomaly entertained will help in the long run.>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.>Write in
>>6324637>Carefully approach the anomaly. Cut off some of the hair hanging from its head. (Gives you some samples.)>Examine the anomaly's baseball bat. Is there anything unique about it, perhaps? (DC 50, +5 to roll.)>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.
>>6324637>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.
>>6324637>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.Not too much, we still need some for Mk2 Sandwich fabrication.>Ask it what it's scratching into the walls. You want to see what it is writing down. (DC 60, +7 with ANAOMLY TOUCH + ASHTON'S HELP.)Anaomly touch.>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)Does it prefer the sterile cell?May be worth asking it about its associate as described in Edward's account later.
>>6324637>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Carefully approach the anomaly. Cut off some of the hair hanging from its head. (Gives you some samples.)>Drag in some various food for the anomaly to try. It can probably eat, right? Maybe that'll earn its trust.
>>6324637>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.>Does it know anything about ABNOWATCH? Is it censoring information about itself intentionally? You want to know the limits of its ability.>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)Not what I want, but I bet getting samples will be easier if you feed it vine first.
>>6324637>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)Do the neutral option first>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.Do the pacifying option second>Carefully approach the anomaly. Cut off some of the hair hanging from its head. (Gives you some samples.)Do the LOOT option third
>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Examine the anomaly's mangled anatomy. What the hell happened to it? How is it even still standing? (DC 58, +9 with ASHTON'S HELP.)>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)Speaking of Ashton, did we ever get to return her comrade's stuff from the dead researcher's lab?
>>6324635>"it's hard to say, really, a gut feeling? maybe a heart feeling?">heart feelingFUCK
>>6324637>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Examine the anomaly's mangled anatomy. What the hell happened to it? How is it even still standing? (DC 58, +9 with ASHTON'S HELP.)>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)
>>6324637>You need to be wary here.>Clean up the black bile and snow. >Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH.
>>6324656+1
Finally caught up. A few thoughts;>>6319672We should carry a hip flask of wine around with us to offer to people, so we have the option of trying to convince them to forget about our breaking and entering>>6322214>STATIC POLLEN can now be used to extract and replay certain memories from your fellow employees. Great for info gatheringIf we can get it to extract specific memories (rather than random half forgotten ones) then we might be able to use it with Elizabeth.I'm not sure there is anything she has that we want, but if we could extract her memory of what she saw and get it played in a DVD, then that might be "evidence" and not just "gossip".>>6321556>She wishes she never had to wake up again. That she could live out the life she wished for in her dreams. All she had left was her dreams, her wishes, after all.Why bother waking up to a world where you can't...achieve...I'd be interesting in watering her with the sommelier's wine. In the name of science. IN LIMBO doesn't seem to want to forget (rather it wants to live in its memories), but I wanna cross pollinate.>>6324637>You need to be wary here. Try to find a way to establish a...rapport with the anomaly. (DC 65, +8 from ANOMALY TOUCHED + ASHTON'S HELP)>Clean up the black bile and snow. Best to keep it nice and tidy in here. (DC 50, +8 to roll from ASHTON'S HELP)>Offer the anomaly some OBSUCRA SYRAH. You want to see how it acts when drunk and this should make NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER happy.
Tallying.HAIR: L/T, WdA, +IZBASEBALL: L/TOBSCURA SYRAH: L/T, vUt, Xhh, G45, WdA, rJ6, CEU, UEZABNOWATCH: G45CLEAN UP: vUt, Xhh, WdA, 0DK, BkZ, rJ6, CEU, UEZMANGLED: 0DK, BkZWARY: vUt, +IZ, G45, 0DK, BkZ, rJ6, UEZFOOD: +IZWALLS: Xhh, CEUWINE, CLEAN UP and WARY won out. So, three anons, roll 2d100. I'll take the first three dice for RAPPORT and the rest for CLEAN UP. Tables below. Let's hope you get a better result than last time.RAPPORT0 SUCCESSES: So cold. So cold. (Vincent and Ashton both take some nasty damage. No rapport is established.)1 SUCCESS: "..." (Vincent and Ashton take some moderate damage. You get something resembling a rapport? Maybe?)2 SUCCESSES: "whatdoyouwant?" The beast sounds so exhausted... (Vincent and Ashton take some mild damage. 199X seems somewhat willing to talk to you.)3 SUCCESSES: Wait, you think you have an idea on how to talk to it on ITS level. (No damage taken. A solid rapport is built between Vincent, Ashton and 199X.)CLEAN UP0 SUCCESSES: FUCK! Okay, you learnt something about the bile, at least! (You injure yourself while cleaning. No real progress is made in cleaning its cell.)1 SUCCESS: Cleaning this cell up sucks. (Progress is slow and tedious but you're fine, except for some mild boredom.)2 SUCCESSES: It's not perfectly clean but it's good enough for you! (Progress was smooth. You cleaned most of the cell without any issue.)3 SUCCCESSES: Hm? Something's underneath the snow. (Same as 2 SUCCESSES but you spot something it wrote on the floor. This may offer a glimpse into the anomaly's psyche.) >>6324656And I wrote OBSCURA as OBSURCA. Oh well, it is what it is, sometimes things slip through the cracks.>>6324770>Speaking of Ashton, did we ever get to return her comrade's stuff from the dead researcher's lab?Welp! I know what to include next update since Ashton is right there. Thanks for reminding me. Vincent will deal with that mess once you're out of 199X's cell.
Rolled 2, 81 = 83 (2d100)>>6325101good rolls pls
Rolled 20, 56 = 76 (2d100)>>6325101
Rolled 79, 76 = 155 (2d100)>>6325101
>>6325102>>6325103>>6325104Well guess we're gonna need some nice hot wine soaked sandwiches after this.
RAPPORT: 10, 86, 28. 1 SUCCESS.CLEAN UP: 64, 87, 84. 3 SUCCESSES.Well, good news, you got 3 SUCCESSES on one of the checks. Truly, this is just more proof that Vincent is a poorly socialized wageslave. Writing.
>>6325102almost a nat 1, zam>>6325106at least we got 3 on the last one
Deep breaths, Vincent, deep breaths. You don't know a lot about this particular anomaly, but you KNOW it can do some serious damage to you if it wanted to. You can still make out the dent in the wall from when it was enjoying some music a little bit too much."how long have you had this anomaly?""A day, tops." "darn. stuck in the dark with this thing, huh?"The anomaly's body tenses up all of a sudden. Its upper half lurches forward at an awkward, sharp angle that you couldn't replicate even if you tried. It places its non-bat-wielding hand against the wall in order to regain its balance.Its breathing is shaky and unstable. More bile leaks out of its mouth and onto the floor, staining more of the powdery white snow black.The two of you cautiously back away from the anomaly. You're not doing ANYTHING until it calms down. You guess you got lucky with two safe/DALETH anomalies.The anomaly manages to calm itself down after a minute or so. You hear it mumbling something under its breath, but from this distance, it's impossible to make anything out. It leans away from the wall, returning to its previous position."hoo." The air's cold enough that, as Ashton breathes out a sigh of relief, you can see her breath. "okay, that was close. i didn't think it would react like that.""Me neither. It's in some sort of funk, I think. I know the room wasn't covered in snow last I checked.""should we clean it up?""Probably. Be careful and don't approach the anomaly if you can."You prepare the cleaning supplies while Ashton keeps an eye on the anomaly. There's no point using water with how cold the room is; it'd probably just freeze on the chilled metal floor. It'd probably be smart to have someone keep watch on the anomaly while the other focuses on cleaning."Ashton. Keep an eye on the anomaly. Warn me if the anomaly starts acting out again." "on it!"You start dusting the floor with your handy dandy broom. You take your time moving throughout the cell, making sure that you don't leave any loose snow on the floor. The snow hasn't had enough time to pile up too much, so sweeping it hardly takes any effort. You're done with it before you know it, and you got a bucket of snow for your trouble.The bile—that's going to take some actual effort to scrape off. The floor is stained with splotches of frozen-over bile that's going to take some real elbow grease to scrape off. You toss the broom over to Ashton so you can take her place; she's probably stronger than you are.LOST SINCE 199X hasn't moved from its spot, seemingly content with staring at the wall. Occasionally, it would tap its bat against the floor to a familiar rhythm, but you don't know WHY it feels familiar to you. Even though the anomaly is facing away from you, you still feel like it's staring at you.Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you. All you can do is pray that it stays there.You notice Ashton stopped scraping the floor. Huh, did something catch her attention?
You keep your eyes locked on the anomaly as you check on Ashton. She's glancing down at some scratches on the floor that almost look like writing."it scratched something on the floor. same 'handwriting' as what's on the walls."You kneel down to get a better look at the message. Its nails were sharp enough to carve neat little lettersday 12000 or day 10000? day 18? cant remember anymore dont want to rememberthey dont remember me why would they she moved on my parents moved on the town moved onworthless punk like me isnt worth searching for anyways of course of coursescratch the walls scratch the walls need to write mind isn't what it was mind wasnt It devolves into incoherent noise after the last line. Hm. It doesn't want to remember yet it scratches messages to itself on the walls and floor? It's almost like it's trying to convince itself that it wants to be forgotten. It DID censor any information about itself on ABNOWATCH.No wonder why NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER wanted to give the anomaly some of its wine. "Alright, got everything cleaned up? "yep, look around."You have to admit, the room does look a lot better now. Aside from some residual frost on the walls and floor, the cell looks about as good as it can be. You didn't notice it at first but the air's gotten warmer as well. The anomaly seems to be a bit more relaxed now that the snow is gone. Good, good, that's one task down. You decide it's probably a good idea to, uh, 'loosen up' the anomaly before you try to talk to it. You dig through your satchel, and you pull out a plastic bottle filled with half a sample's worth of the stuff.You didn't exactly want to hand the thing a whole bucket of wine, so you filled an old water bottle with some before you entered the cell.You toss the bottle over to the anomaly. There's a subtle shift in its posture as it looks down at what you tossed over.It reaches its hand down to grab the bottle. It sniffs at it for a moment, as if trying to determine if it is safe. After a few moments of awkward silence, you hear...the sound of plastic being crushed. Did it. Did it just eat the bottle?"heh." A weak laugh escapes Ashton. "i guess it doesn't care about microplastics, huh?""More like macroplastics." You roll your eyes. You might as well try to find some humor in all of this.LOST SINCE 199X slowly turns to face the two of you. Its face is still obscured by its long, matted black hair, so you can't make out its expression. There's something different in its posture now. Its arms loosely hang by its sides, and a low, distorted noise that almost sounds like a chuckle croaks out of its throat.Okay. Maybe it softened up some. "Ashton? Should we try to...talk to it?"Ashton responds with a curt nod. "sure but keep your guard up. who should talk to it first?""Me, probably." You clear your throat before taking a cautious step towards the anomaly."Hey." You keep your voice low and calm. "It's me, Vincent."
"From yesterday. Remember?"LOST SINCE 199X doesn't immediately respond to your inquiry. It continues to make that low, wispy noise that could resemble a laugh if you strain your ears just right. It places its free hand on the side of its head while it tightens its other hand around its baseball bat."i remember." A directionless voice blows through the air like a cold breeze. "even if i don't want to.""Good, good. I have another friend here, Ashton." "hi!" "We're just here to talk. That's all.""talk. talk, talk, talk." It repeats with a sing-song tone. "talk is worthless. what is there to say between the three of us."Ashton's voice takes on an authoritative, stern tone as she addresses the anomaly. "Well, you're going to be here for a while, Sir." It's shocking to hear her actually raise her voice past a raspy whisper. "So, it's in your best interest to work with us, no?""Vincent and I want to help you but you need to be willing to talk with us. Help us help you, right?" "haha." LOST SINCE 199X runs its fingers through its matted black hair. "it's funny. i'm funny. you're funny.""What's so funny, 199X?" You cautiously ask the anomaly."a beast pretending to be a human. a husk pretending to be a human. a punk pretending to be a human. isn't it funny?" It glances at the floor, as if suddenly lost in thought. "but who was the punk? hard to remember. good. that memory smelled of sweat and rubber. it tasted of bitter, spoiled beer.""that wine. it helped to wash it down. i'm happy. she. she wanted to help me, unlike you." Is it referring to NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER? You're not sure who else 'she' could be."I'm glad you enjoyed the wine, sir." You can already hear Ashton's voice straining. "But...we want to help you. We can be friends-"Ashton's words are immediately drowned out by a loud, metallic CRASH! A new dent was punched into the floor thanks to the anomaly's bat."no. you're not. you're lying." It growls out. Words rapidly spill out of its mouth as it sluggishly approaches the two of you. "they lied. they always lied. oh, they said that too, they wanted to help me. fix me. i was wrong, not right, fucked in the head.""W-we, ghhh." Ashton shudders as her throat gives out on her. Her torso heaves as a racking cough overtakes her. "i didn't mean to offend you, sir.""Yeah!" You try your best to calm the anomaly down. "Look, you're not fucked in the head. Or, well, if you are? You're not any worse than some of the people I met here.""We're all a little fucked up, right? We share that in common, right?""maybe." The anomaly stops mid-step. It actually seems to be considering your words. Right as you thought it wasn't going to do anything, it raises its bat in the air. Your vine instinctually launches out of your arm but it's already too late. The bat smashes into your side with nearly enough force to send you flying.
Your armor absorbs a good chunk of the hit, so you don't think anything broke. It was MORE than enough to send you stumbling back into the nearest wall. You struggle to catch your breath as pain racks through your body."F-fuck!""o-oh god! "vincent!!!" Ashton's eyes widen as she watches you struggle to stand up. Concern and RAGE wash over her face as she aims her revolver at the anomaly. "oh, that's it!""go ahead, cop." The anomaly snarls at Ashton. It prepares to swing its bat at Ashton but, thankfully, Ashton was quicker on the draw. Three holes are punched into the anomaly's torso. A thin slurry of black bile leaks out of its wounds.It's enough to send the anomaly stumbling back but you know that didn't do much to really injure it."what the FUCK is wrong with you? why did you do that to him?""condescending little prick. talking about me like he knew me." The anomaly petulantly spits out. "you're just like him, pig."Ashton grits her teeth and tries to land another shot on the anomaly. The anomaly charges at her, but you manage to draw your gun just in time.You manage to land a shot on one of its legs. It's enough to throw the anomaly off balance. Ashton takes this chance to dodge out of the way. The anomaly wildly swings its arm right as it slams into the wall, managing to nick Ashton's arm with its razor-sharp nails."nnggh..." Dark red blood gushes out of the fresh claw wound. Ashton takes in a deep breath and pushes right through the pain, completely ignoring the wound. Her bleeding slows down to a crawl in mere seconds.>SURVIVOR activated! ASHTON negates the damage!LOST SINCE 199X stumbles away from the wall, trying its best to recover after slamming face-first into a steel wall.No one is willing to move from their spot. The air is silent except for the raggedy breathing of you, Ashton, and the anomaly itself.A low chuckle escapes LOST SINCE 199X's throat. "shit. we really aren't that different. animals fighting over nothing.""Yeah." You groan as you stumble away from the wall. "I guess it's easier than actually talking, huh?""guess so." The anomaly sluggishly drags itself away from the two of you. Its movements are clumsy and slow, probably from the wine coursing through its system. You think you even spot some red mixed in with the black bile it is 'bleeding' out."got anything to say for yourself, punk?" Ashton snarls at the anomaly."we can be 'friends', if that is what you desire. for what little that word means to me. maybe you two do actually know something. maybe there's more than wax between your ears." The mangled beast shrugs its shoulders. It lets go of its bat as it sits down on the floor, resting its head on its twisted legs. You can't see its face, but you can sense that it respects the two of you now.Respect, not like, being the key word. Maybe it's because you actually put up a fight against it. Maybe the wine made it more docile?
Maybe you reminded it of someone? It's hard to say but there's something there that wasn't there before.LOST SINCE 199X doesn't seem remotely interested in the two of you now."prick." Ashton turns her attention back to you. "v-vincent, s-stay there. i'll...i'll help you, okay?""I'm fine, Ashton, really I am." Ashton doesn't take no for an answer. She slings her arm over your shoulder. "c'mon, let's get out of here." She escorts you out of the containment cell now that your job here is done.>LOST SINCE 199X's MOOD is now 11/11! OBSCURA SYRAH has permanently improved its max mood! May reduce its aggression in future encounters?>1 BUCKET OF SNOW and 1 SAMPLE OF BLACK BILE obtained!The Man is waiting right outside of the containment cell. He asks you what the HELL just happened in there since he heard gunshots going off inside."We tried to talk to it. Got aggressive." You mutter as if you were talking to yourself. "Everything's fine now.""no, it's not. we need to check you for any injuries.">Your PHYSICAL HEALTH is now COULD BE BETTER.>You now have 3 TIME TOKENS LEFT!You might as well think about what your next step is going to be while your coworkers check on you. Choose two actions and any free actions. You'll give Ashton the PERSONAL BELONGINGS you recovered from the dead researcher's lab next update. ANOMALY>Enter IN LIMBO's cell. You want to figure out why it showed you that weird vision. (-1 TIME TOKEN)>Enter NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER's cell. You want to thank it for the wine, it helped a little. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)RESEARCH>Try to find a way to improve or refine the OBSCURA SYRAH samples. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +10 to roll.)>Study the RÊVE CHARDONNAY. How is it different from OBSCURA SYRAH? (-1 TIME TOKEN, no check needed. Offers insight into IN LIMBO and NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER.)>Extract the AMNESTIC from the BLOODWINE sample. Having something that can erase memories might be useful in the future. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)>Study the BLACK BILE you recovered from 199X. What's up with this stuff? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 59, +12 to roll.)BUSY WORK>You need to cool off. Crack open the ART SUPPLIES and paint something. (-1 TIME TOKEN. Gives you some time to socialize with your allies.)>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You need it after getting your ass thrashed. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Pop the MARTIAL ARTS TAPES into your PERSONAL TV. Start TRAINING your SKILLS, BABY! (-1 TIME TOKEN. Choose who to train: YOU, THE MAN or ASHTON.)>Try to make something to weaponize the DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample's ability to paralyze people. (-1d2 TIME TOKENS, DC 65, +8 to roll.)MISC>Approach the FAX MACHINE. Try to get some information out of some of your sponsors. (FREE ACTION, -$30. You'll contact one sponsor you already met and a random new sponsor.)>Write in.
>>6325189>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You need it after getting your ass thrashed. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)
>>6325206+1I'm telling you, that anglerfish loot AND that DIE TO SEXUALIZE sample are key to getting Vincent the god-tier gear. We figure out the anglerfish loot as best as we can, then send it in to ARC to make epic stealth gear with, and then we're good for a long while. The knife stick has the invisibility blood altered the blade so we can't do more to modding the weapon without ruining that, most likely. It'd be cool if we had the blade invisible AND paralyzing from DIE TO SEXUALIZE, but soft skin doesn't make for good stabby bits except for being good bits to be stabbed at
>>6325189>Try to find a way to improve or refine the OBSCURA SYRAH samples. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +10 to roll.)>Study the BLACK BILE you recovered from 199X. What's up with this stuff? (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 59, +12 to roll.)
>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You need it after getting your ass thrashed. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)>Study the STATIC BLOOD and SCALES. Having two fresh pair of eyes could help you figure out more about them. (-2 TIME TOKENS, no skill check needed.)> Write in.Thank FET for helping us yesterday. Hopefully that's a free action?
>>6325189>Extract the AMNESTIC from the BLOODWINE sample. Having something that can erase memories might be useful in the future. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)If the stupid prick wants to forget, then well damn well make him.>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You need it after getting your ass thrashed. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)Obvious why.
>>6325189>She slings her arm over your shoulder.shouldn't it be the opposite ?>Try to find a way to improve or refine the OBSCURA SYRAH samples. (-1 TIME TOKEN, DC 60, +10 to roll.)>Study the RÊVE CHARDONNAY. How is it different from OBSCURA SYRAH? (-1 TIME TOKEN, no check needed. Offers insight into IN LIMBO and NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER.)>Cook up more wine-soaked food! You need it after getting your ass thrashed. (-1 TIME TOKEN.)
FOOD: vUT, WdA, 0Dk, L/T, 5rcSTATIC BLOOD/SCALES: vUT, WdA, 0Dk, L/TBILE: BkzAMNESTIC: 5rcREVE: +IZREFINE: +IZ, BkzWelp, it's going to be a shorter update this time around, to make up for the 5 page wall of text you had to read this time around. Writing, should be out soon. I'll humor 0DK's write in as well.
You know what? You want this shift to be done and over with. You're not going to push yourself too hard. You let them drag you over to a nearby chair so they can 'inspect' you. You're fine, really, but you doubt they'll take no for an answer.You've endured worse, at any rate.Ashton lifts up your shirt to examine your chest. There's a cold glint in her eye as she inspects your body. This feels less like a medical examination and more like she's judging the grade of a piece of meat."c'mon, ashton, not now." She mutters guiltily."well, you got lucky. there's some swelling here, but you'll be fine. just...take it easy, okay?"The Man concurs. Not that there's a lot of time left in this shift. You only respond with a grunt, more than ready to get this over with.Ashton quickly wraps your chest with some of her bandage wrap.>Your PHYSICAL HEALTH is now DOING FINE!"Alright." You launch out of your chair the moment she's done. "We're going to wrap things up here. I'm ready for this fucking shift to be over with."What, you didn't enjoy getting your bones crushed by a giant baseball bat? The Man rolls his eyes, clearly just trying to rile you up."yeah...yeah, i uh. please tell me you're not going to work on any more anomalies today.""I won't. We'll check on some samples or something." You briefly glance at the Man. You gesture at the computer, silently asking him what was going on with it. Openly addressing him isn't a great idea since, well, Ashton can't see him.The Man quickly picks up on what you're trying to ask. He explains that the error message radically changed while you and Ashton were inside its containment cell. He wrote down a whole list of the various ways the error screen manifested itself.He'll give you the paper after the shift's over with, since he assumes you already have something in mind. He will note that the error screen stopped appearing after you two shot the anomaly, but he didn't have enough time to research anything. His attention was elsewhere."It's fine. You did your best." You whisper, trying your best to not look insane in front of Ashton. "Okay. We're going to cook some food, study some samples, and then we're gone. Ashton, do you know how to cook?""a little! i'm probably the only one in my squad who actually KNOWS how to cook. imagine that, you know?" She said it with the cadence of a joke, but you don't get what the 'joke' was meant to be. "oh, wait, that's what the wine is for, huh?""Mmh hmm." You set up the grill with the help of your two coworkers. This isn't your first time cooking with this weird wine, so, ideally, you'll make something better this time around. Time to use up some of this old spam.Ashton gags as you crack open a can of spam. You catch another brief glance of her sharp teeth before she hides them again. "eugh. THAT'S what you used??? spam??? really???""What? What's wrong with spam?"
"vincent i like you, i really do." Her voice takes on a tone usually used for scolding young children. "but you need to improve your standards when it comes to what you eat."Right. The harvester who eats raw organ meat is judging you on what YOU eat. You roll your eyes at her. "C'mon. It tastes good after you soak it in this wine.""vile tricks...and i thought i could trust you. we can't be friends anymore...""C'mon. You're trying too hard.""pfft!" She sticks her tongue out. "yeah, yeah, alright, i'll stop.""If your standards are SO GOOD, then, what the hell do you eat?" You already know the answer but you wanna see what she says."oh. meat. lots of it. ACTUAL meat, vincent, not spam." She shudders as she opens up a can of spam. "bone marrow's also pretty good if you roast it.""Huh. Never thought of eating marrow."The Man taps you on the shoulder as you prepare to cook up some sandwiches. What samples should he prepare? You did say you wanted to study something."They should be labeled STATIC SCALES and STATIC BLOOD."The Man flashes a thumbs up as he goes to retrieve those samples. Time to start cooking. You messed around with various ratios of wine, water, orange juice and milk to see how it'd affect the quality of the wine-soaked sandwiches. Good news, it doesn't really seem to matter as long as the mixture contains 70% wine, give or take, so you're able to stretch out your samples...>-0.75 SAMPLES used! 1.75 SAMPLES of OBSCURA remain in your inventory!>4 WINE SOAKED SANDWICHES obtained! (Heals a moderate amount of PHYSICAL HEALTH. Side effects may occur if too many are consumed in one day. They degrade in quality after roughly two days.)"hm." Ashton sniffs one of the prepared sandwiches. "wow! you actually made this ghoulish meat slop smell like actual meat. i can actually eat this...if you blindfolded me.""You ate one yesterday. C'mon, you're acting like a vegan now." "well- hey! don't call me a vegan; those people are weirdos, man!""Pft. Alright, c'mon. We got something to study."The Man has prepared the samples like you asked him to. Normally you'd try to rush through this so you'd have time for other things, but nope. This time, you're going to be slow and methodical. First thing's first, the STATIC BLOOD.What you know about it so far: It can absorb a ludicrous amount of heat and it is invisible when exposed to visible light. The Man proposes that you use that convenient bucket of snow you got from 199X's cell to lower the blood's temperature.Ashton, for her part, proposes that you paint some of the blood onto one of the human flesh samples. Could it make flesh invisible, perhaps?You start with the bucket test since that one is probably the safer of the two. You lower a beaker filled with STATIC BLOOD into your snow-filled bucket. Almost immediately, a reaction takes place. You...can actually see the blood now.
The blood is a dark, shimmering black, as if a shadow melted and was collected in a beaker. So, cold makes it visible? That's a neat but not particularly useful property.You carefully collect the beaker from the bucket. Maybe it has different properties while chilled? You dip one of your scalpels into the chilled blood to see what happens. The blood's color shifts from pitch black to a shiny, metallic grey. It quickly returns to its pitch-black hue, but you feel like something changed within the sample.Your scalpel doesn't seem to have changed in any noticeable way. Odd. You dip a screw into the mixture just out of curiosity, and what you pull out is a...scalpel? Huh?It feels and looks exactly like the scalpel you dipped it into. You hesitantly try to cut something using the new scalpel, but the blade phases right through the piece of human flesh you tried to cut. Oh, it's an illusion. The scalpel isn't real; you're probably still holding onto the screw? You ask your coworkers, and they both say that they see you holding a scalpel. Okay, the blood can essentially copy and paste the appearance of one object onto another.You try to dip another screw in, but when you check the sample of blood, it has heated back up to a point where it's invisible again. It'll probably just make the screw invisible, then, until you chill it again.Well, you still have the human flesh sample test to go off of. You apply a thin layer of the now lukewarm blood onto the chunk of human flesh. Good news: it does make some of it invisible! Bad news: It only affects the topmost layer of skin.Obviously, this isn't useful for making someone invisible, but you suppose it could have some vague medical applications? Seeing into someone's body without having to cut them open or perform invasive inspections could be useful.>STATIC BLOOD PROPERTIES unlocked!>When chilled, it can 'copy' the appearance of an object it is exposed to and 'paste' said appearance onto another object. The disguised object looks and feels exactly like the object it is mimicking. Useful for hiding stuff in plain sight or if you want to trick/scam someone.>When exposed to flesh, it renders skin (and only skin) invisible. Not particularly useful but still noteworthy.As for the STATIC SCALES? You learned some interesting things about the slurry after listening to some ideas from Ashton and the Man. First, the slurry that it produces when exposed to human blood. You wanted to see if you could use it to make an illusionary thing in your lab, ala the fake doors the Anglerfish made.You paint a thin layer of it onto one of the walls of your lab. While you waited for it to do something, you examined the actual scales themselves to see if there's anything noteworthy about them. Turns out, there was. It was barely noticeable, so you missed it in your previous tests, but the scales? They can move by themselves.
The Man was the first to bring it up to everyone else's attention. Of course, semi-mobile scales are one thing. No, it's WHY they were moving that interests you.Every time they moved, it was to get close to you, Ashton, and the Man. Whoever was closest at any given time would be the 'target' the scales drifted towards. A few tests soon reveal that they're tracking both your position and body heat.When Ashton chilled her hands using the snow bucket, even when she was standing right next to you, the scales drifted in your direction instead. Interesting. The closer you get to the scales, the more noticeable and violent their movements become. As for the slurry, the wall you painted with it does, suddenly, have what appears to be a door. A vague, crude approximation of a door but a door nonetheless. Nowhere near as convincing as what the anomaly was able to do but it's a step in the right direction.>STATIC SCALES properties uncovered!>The slurry it produces can be used to create illusionary, fake objects that mimic the nearby environment. Could be useful for making traps if you could refine the slurry.>The scales can be used to track and locate nearby living creatures. You unlock a new crafting option!Welp, that's a wrap! >SHIFT 6 IS OVER!!! You're going to be promoted tomorrow!!!You'll talk to FET real quick on your computer, and then you'll leave. Simple as that.While the Man scrubs the slurry off the wall, you suddenly realize you forgot something. You hastily yank out the belongings you stole from the dead researcher's lab and you shove them into Ashton's hands. "Whoops, here you go, completely forgot about it.""oh!" She takes a second to recover from you shoving piles of junk into her hands. "wait, this is...ooohh! i thought this stuff was lost for good!""Yeahhhh, I had those for a few days now, kinda forgot about it with everything else going on!""heh. i get that." She stuffs the PERSONAL BELONGINGS away somewhere on her person. "hey. before we call off the shift, i got a question.""Hm?""...this is going to sound silly but..." She pauses. You can see she's arguing with herself on if she wants to ask this or not."do you know what a harvester is?" She asks with obvious hesitation and what seems to be confusion? It's hard to put a pin on it.Wait. What? She's a harvester, right? That's what the Man said. Why is she talking like she doesn't know what they are? Does she suspect that you know something?How do you answer, Vincent?>LIE. "Never heard of them before. Why?">HALF-TRUTH. "Someone told me about them. I don't know any real specifics, though.">TRUTH. "Yeah. Human sub-species, eats any kind of flesh, always hungry. Why, do you know something about them?">DON'T RESPOND. You want to see what she says about them.>DEFLECT. "Any reason you're asking me specifically?">GET TO THE POINT. "I already know you're one, Ashton." (???)>Write in.
>>6325640>Write in."Oh like a combine harvester from one of those farm songs?"
I bet Ashton is half harvester, like Dante from Devil May Cry. Ask if she has a devil trigger
>>6325640>GET TO THE POINT. "I already know you're one, Ashton."I feel this is a right option
>>6325643+1Feign confusion, play it off as a joke. It’ll get her comfortable and let her open up better.
>>6325640>GET TO THE POINT.We’re not 100% sure she’s one. We should say something like “Is that why you looked like you wanted to eat the chunk of flesh earlier?” instead.
>>6325674+1
>>6325640>>Write in.>Are you a harvester?Sounds less rude but still blunt
>>6325700+1
>>6325700+1I'd like to find out if she would lie.
>>6325662Change>>6325700+1
>>6325640>TRUTH. "Yeah. Human sub-species, eats any kind of flesh, always hungry. Why, do you know something about them?"
>>6325700+1>>6325644kek
>>6325640>GET TO THE POINT. "I already know you're one, Ashton." (???)Everyone down here is a freak anyways. She isn't even the weirdest thing we've befriended, FET is some poor bastard's corpse being puppeted by some kind of parasitic anomaly.
JOKE: jIs, Xh1TO THE POINT: qHY, WdA, JgHASK HER IF SHE'S A HARVESTER: Szz, BkZ, Xhh, rj6, 86+TRUTH: +IZ, UEZAlright, so ripping the bandage off (while still trying to be tactful) wins out. Writing now.>>6325644Alas, if only. Sadly, Vincent is not a cool enough guy to get a party member/coworker/ally/etc with actual cool magical powers. He's stuck working with a weird mystery man, mutants, cannibals and the japanese.
This has to be a test. You can feel it in your bones. Maybe she's trying to gauge your reaction to the question? Would it be suspicious if you said you knew about them? Maybe? The Man was the one who told you about them. It could be that you're not supposed to know.You could also be overthinking it. You decide to lighten things up with a joke first. "What, like a combine harvester? From one of those farm songs? How did that song go again?" You tap your foot on the ground to an imaginary rhythm. "what-""I drove my tractor through your haystack last night!" Your singing is, in the nicest way you can put it, horrifically off-key. A rabid cat being mulched by a combine harvester would make a more pleasant sound. "I threw me pitchfork at your dog to keep quiet!""Something like that..." You immediately stop singing before you embarrass yourself any further. You try to ignore how hot your face feels.Ashton tries to say something, but all that comes out is a noise between a squawk and a cat howling. She covers her mouth before she turns her back to you.Her body shakes as she tries her best to stay composed. She is failing. Horribly, just like your attempt at singing.You can't see what expression she's making now but you think the joke landed. She turns back to face you after she regains some of her composure."f-fucking hell, vince, you need to get your pipes next!" Her grin stretches from ear to ear, letting you see her unnaturally sharp teeth again. They're almost too white, too perfect, now that you got another good look at them. Did she bleach them or is that just how harvester teeth look?Hm. Didn't you see someone else with sharp teeth today? You think you did? Whatever, that's not relevant.You do wish your teeth were anywhere near as white as hers are. Your last job didn't have free dental, sooo. Yeah."seriously, though, i want to know. do you know what a harvester is? not the machine, dork." She's not going to let this go, huh?You might as well get to the point. "Are you a harvester?" You keep your voice low and neutral. You're trying to be 'polite' about this, you suppose.The Man turns away from the wall he's scrubbing. He keenly listens in on your conversation with her.That wipes the smile off of her face. She doesn't respond for a good while. She reads your expression as she mulls over how to answer your question."the reason i'm asking this, vincent, is i want to make sure you stay informed about the dangers of this facility." She's not denying it but she's also not answering the question. "again, do you know anything or do i have to tell you?""Can't say I know much. I overheard someone talking about them today but nothing too in depth." You offer her a half-truth. "I know some signs and vague details about them.""that so?" She flatly responds. Her dull yellow eyes bore right through you. "hypothetically, would you trust a harvester? if you, say, met one."
"a lot of the traits they assign to them aren't fully accurate.""Hypothetically, it depends on who the harvester is and how honest they are about being one." It's not really the harvester part that bothers you about her. It's more the way she acts.Being way friendly to you, always going out of your way to help you, her possible ties to the Heart? Those worry you WAY more. Hell, the fact she's trying to squirm her way out of answering the question is a bit suspect. "that's fair." She pauses as she struggles to gather the will to answer your initial question. "i'm not a human but i'm not an anomaly. that's my answer." Odd. She's trying to not refer to herself as a Harvester. The Man acted like she was a ticking timebomb when she started to show signs of being one, so that makes sense. "Is that why you looked like you wanted to eat the chunk of flesh earlier?"Ashton recoils at your question. Her cheeks turn a bright red now that she knows you saw that. "it was a good piece of meat." She mutters, clearly embarrassed at being caught. "Hooo. Okay, uhm." You try to find the right words to use here. "Look, Ashton, I'll be honest. I made friends with way weirder people. One of my friends is some poor dude's corpse that's being controlled by an anomaly.""As long as you don't rip my throat out because you're hungry, we're cool."Ashton's posture visibly relaxes, as if a weight was lifted off her chest. "hoo. thank you for not, you know, freaking out. over it."The Man is very confused at what he's witnessing. He explains that from the stories he heard about Harvesters, he was expecting something way worse from your conversation with her. Maybe she cares about you too much to see you as a food source, he proposes? It could be the excess oxytocin in her system is suppressing her hunger? It can be used to indirectly suppress hunger, he explains. Or maybe she has insanely strong self control. He'll need to study her for a while to say anything definitive. "Oh, trust me, this is still really weird but I've dealt with worse." "I work with anomalies for a living now and I've been stuck in a facility of freaks for nearly a week." You dryly laugh at the absurdity of your new life."As long as I survive, that's all that matters.""well, if you're going to survive, you really need to take care of yourself." She pokes at your chest. "you should probably get on a better diet.""What, can harvesters sniff that out?""actually, yes." She responds with a dry chuckle. "or, well, i can sense when your body is getting what it needs. the food here is awful, isn't it?""Oh, it absolutely is." Part of you LOVES the slop, despite your better judgement.>ASHTON TRAIT REVEALED![HARVESTER INSTINCTS] - Meat. Ashton gains a +5 bonus to checks that involves the human body (helping you exercise, identifying physical mutations, fighting against humans) and checks involving harvesting biological samples
"I'll be riiight back." You need some time to dwell on your little chat with Ashton. You head back to the computer so you can have a little chitchat with FET. You boot up CPPQUEST so you can send him a quick message."thank you for yesterday."He responds almost immediately. "no probelm felLow HUMAN I helP my marrow humans. me and you, human beings, we must PROTECT each othre." "don't want non-humans to hurt you no no no!!! espeilly [REDACTED] wait hy can't i""nvermind plz have good day."That's the end of his message. Well, at least FET is doing his best to be a good ETF human. God bless his weird parasitic anomaly heart. Welp, you suppose it's time to enjoy your free time. You have enough free time to do three things but, instead of deciding everything at once, you'll focus on what you'll do FIRST. One thing at a time.What's the first thing you want to do with your free time, Vincent?>Go to the cafeteria. Feed your Harvester, eat some slop, chat with your friends. (Gives you some time to bond with Ashton and the MAN.)>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'. >Check up on Liz. Something tells you she might be doing something stupid right now.>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what your upcoming promotion actually entails, etc etc.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!>Write in.Anything you want to say to your coworkers?>Write in.
>>6326054>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)Ha ha time to tard wander
>>6326054>Go to the cafeteria. Feed your Harvester, eat some slop, chat with your friends. (Gives you some time to bond with Ashton and the MAN.)Date night!!!!
>>6326054>Check up on Liz.I worry. And plus, it will be good to build rapport with someone that has connections to high-ranking officials (her dad). I think her dad will be grateful to us for preventing his daughter from doing something unwise, and we'll gain favor from him, which will be useful if we get into hot water or we need something that requires a high-ranking person's help.
>>6326057Actually yea, decent point.Swapping >>6326055 to>Check up on Liz. Something tells you she might be doing something stupid right now.
>>6326054>>Go to the cafeteria. Feed your Harvester, eat some slop, chat with your friends. (Gives you some time to bond with Ashton and the MAN.)Harvester reveal right on time for Halloween
>>6326066Do we really need to go to the cafeteria for Halloween? Don’t we have a literal option telling us that Liz might be doing something unwise, literally right now? And potentially end up getting hurt or worse.
>>6326071HALLOWEEN SLOP LETS GOOOO
>>6326054>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.
>>6326057+1
>>6326054>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.LOOT. GLORY. POWER.Why would I want to help Snitch Bitch?>>6279708>There's rumors of several rats and snitches working with Upper Management amongst the staff here. They'll backstab anyone to get a higher rank. He heard a lot of names but two pop up a lot - Rex Hoffmann and Elizabeth Baker. Be careful around them.
>>6326091https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6276144/>>6293545 08/20/25(Wed)"Stick to the freaks. The unpopular. The unhinged. Sanity's not a good sign here." She pauses for a moment as she tries to think of any other advice. "Don't trust those who associate with the higher ups. Corporate ladder is stained with betrayal." She continues to tap her fingernails on the table.> "Elizabeth seems different from the rest. Unsure if her heart is fully in it."Remember, this comes directly from Hidaka word, aka paranoid lady.
>>6326107 (You) #Also, this.HIDAKA.> +Analytic, can notice things other people miss.> -Doesn't trust people easily. Paranoid.I trust Hidaka's words.Elizabeth's heart is very likely not fully into it.
Having (Luz) Elizabeth as an insider/informant in snitch networks is valuable and potentially able to tell us who the other various unknown snitches here are that we haven't known. And various other benefits.
>>6326119At least getting her off our back when it comes to things we might need to do later would be wise. When she was talking to that upper class guy in the corridor earlier, she gave the impression she knew Vincent was innocent but cared about him only insofar as he has been trying to help Lucy. I don't think she'd give a shit about Vincent if that wasn't a nice thing we did.
>>6326091>Check up on Liz. Something tells you she might be doing something stupid right now.> Why would I want to help Snitch Bitch?Keep your friends close and enemies closer. Better we figure out her intentions now than get blindsided later.
>>6326054>Check up on Liz. Something tells you she might be doing something stupid right now.>>6326091>Why would I want to help Snitch Bitch?Because it would probably be beneficial to have her on our side. Also, she helped us out a little with August by setting up our meeting with HR.>>6326122She called the guy Rex so that was probably Rex Hoffman. He seems like a soulless corpo rat.
>>6326054>Go to the cafeteria. Feed your Harvester, eat some slop, chat with your friends. (Gives you some time to bond with Ashton and the MAN.)
>>6326054>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)
>>6326054>>6326091Change my vote to>Check up on Liz. Something tells you she might be doing something stupid right now.If Snitch Bitch gets her comeuppance, I couldn't give a damn for her.However, that talk she had with Rex makes me think the shithead (Rex) or some associated figure could be framing Vincent for something, which concerns me greatly.I don't care for all the nothings which the snitch has to offer, I'd just like Vincent's name to be left out of this mess.
>>6326054>>Go to the cafeteria. Feed your Harvester, eat some slop, chat with your friends. (Gives you some time to bond with Ashton and the MAN.)
CAFETERIA: Xh1, sZZ, +IZ, jIsLIZ: rj6, tTs, WdA, 0DK, JgH, XhhARCHIVE: BkzWANDER: L/TIf it's any consolation, CAFETERIA-chuds, you'll get a second vote on what to do AFTER dealing with Liz. This vote mostly determined 'what's the most important to Vincent right now' than the only thing you're doing.Time for tard wrangle, Vincent. Writing.thump thump.You hear your heart beating in your ears. Something is going to happen..
In a place like this, where common sense is equally as valuable as a wad of toilet paper, you have to rely on your gut. Your gut, right now, is telling you that Liz is doing something stupid. You're not sure what she's doing or why she's doing it. You should probably stop her. Not because you really care about her, no no. You're concerned about her actions being tied back to you somehow. She and that Rex fella knew you were listening into their conversation.You want to make sure that whatever's going on with her? You're not going to get hit by the crossfire."Ashton, do you have any idea where Liz might be?""who?" "That one beanie-wearing researcher.""oh!" Ashton snaps her fingers. "i think the last time i saw her was during my shift this morning, actually.""i was doing my rounds around layer 1, right, and one of the places i had to check was some conference room that HR uses. they usually hold meetings in there about employee performance and stuff like that.""she was, uhm. pacing around outside the room, waiting for someone or something. didn't really ask her what she was doing." She smiles sheepishly. "i probably should have, huh?""Probably. I have a gut feeling she's doing something stupid. We're going to check up on her.""sounds fine to me!"The Man offers to lead the way, he knows where the conference room is. He's unsure if he has a keycard but if he does, it should let you guys into the conference room. He hopes that she's not doing something retarded. He has heard some nasty rumors about her so he wants you to be cautious. He doesn't want to lose one of the few people who can hear him."Alright, let's go."The three of you head out in search of the nearest elevator. An odd thought crosses your mind. The Man is basically non-existent to everyone besides you and Colt, right? What would happen if he had to get into a fight? You're not sure why you're even thinking about it but...You ask the Man what happens when he touches someone. He explains that, from what he's gathered, he can interact with people just fine. He taps Ashton on the shoulder to prove his point.She shivers after being touched by the Man. "hey, is it cold in here?"People, however, don't realize that he's touching them. They always assign it to something else. He bitterly jokes about how he hasn't gotten a proper hug from someone in what feels like a decade at this point. At least he's glad that he has people he can hang out with now.Before you can say anything, you find the elevator you're looking for. Dealing with Liz is a bit more of a pressing issue so you squeeze inside the elevator with your two coworkers.Ashton presses the button labeled "L1". The panel makes an odd electronic noise before chirping out a high-pitched beep. You guess that's good? As the elevator goes up, you find your heart twisting inside your chest. Something's telling you this might not be the best idea.
It's a bit late to back out now, though. Maybe you're overthinking it again. The elevator door slides open before you have too much time to think about what's going on.https://youtu.be/yvMoXc6wnBg - LAYER 1 You can already sense there's something...different about this Layer. There's an almost tangible silence that hangs in the air. It's thick enough that even a knife couldn't cut through. The walls and floor are made of a pristine, glistening white metal that has been polished to a mirror sheen. You can see your reflection, and, well, you still don't look all that great. Your skin is still the same grey mess it was a few days ago.You briefly notice that you can and cannot see the Man's reflection. His reflection has been smudged out, leaving only a blurry grey mess in its place."yeah, don't worry about that weird smudge." Ashton gestures at the Man's reflection. "that appears from time to time. it's probably a trick of the light.""Uh huh." Uh huh. "So, conference room, right?" "oh, yeah, sorry. got distracted."You follow Ashton and the Man since, well, they probably know more about this place than you do. You take note of the various rooms you pass by, just in case you come through here again. Most, if not all, of the doors are completely unlabeled. Every door you pass by looks the exact same; you couldn't tell any of them apart at a glance.Even if Layers 2 and 3 were a maze, at least their stuff had labels. Who the fuck works in a place like this? In fact, where is everybody? There should be crowds of people roaming around here, but nope! It's just you, Ashton, and the Man. You really shouldn't be here. You don't belong here; you can feel it in your bones, but fuck it. You gotta endure this for a few minutes, and then you can leave.Alright, so there's good news and there's bad news. Good news, you managed to find Liz.She's standing right in front of a door that, while not labeled, clearly leads to a conference room. There's a long, LONG window made out of tinted glass along the wall the door is resting at. No one's inside the conference room, from the looks of it.You spot a few filing cabinets inside the conference room. They're labeled, you think, but it's hard to make out from this distance.Bad news is, uh, Liz is clearly trying to break into the room. She's trying to pick the locked door with a bobbypin and some good ol' fashioned elbow grease. Her body trembles with impotent rage and her breathing is shallow and hectic. You clear your throat to get her attention"FUCK!" Liz nearly jumps right out of her skin. She snaps around to face you. Her mouth twists into a nervous, ear-to-ear grin. "Heeeeyyyyy, Vinny, Vinboy, Vinbot. What's going on???" She refuses to look Ashton in the eye, trying to pretend she's not even there."what exactly are you doing, 'liz'?" Ashton's voice immediately turns stern and cold."Ohhh, you know. That's a funny question."
"I left something in this conference room and I, uh, wanted to get back inside. To uhm. Get it." Her eyes dart around. Her body shakes with every word that comes out of her. "I know this looks REALLY bad but I'm not lying." "uh huh." Ashton doesn't buy it for a second."I'm not!"The Man comments that something's off. It's as if someone's watching the three of you. He can't tell how or why but he knows someone nearby is watching this unfold.He recommends that you're careful with what you say up here.By the sounds of it, if Liz actually did manage to break in, she would've been caught. Immediately. You look around for anyone who could be watching but you don't see anyone but now that the Man mentioned it? You can feel it as well now.What do you want to say to Liz? Choose three, Vincent.>"Who exactly is Rex Hoffman?" A soulless rat like him might be an issue for you down the line. >"Say, what were you and Nicole arguing about yesterday?" It was a really nasty argument from what you remember.>"Who stole what from where, exactly?" Ask about the conversation she had with Rex.>"Are you okay?" She looks outright maniac. What's going on?>"What exactly did you leave in there?" You want to know what she's ACTUALLY looking for in there. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>"Have any of the higher ups said anything about me?" You want to make sure you're not going to be thrown under the bus later.>"I believe you. I won't say anything about this, okay?" Give her an easy out. She'll probably appreciate it. >"Why is this place so...empty?" Is Layer 1 always like this or did something happen?>Don't say anything. Hug her. (DC 51, no modifiers, only 1d100 will be rolled.)>Write in.
>>6326508>"Are you okay?" She looks outright maniac. What's going on?>Write in.> Are you alright? You look really out of it. C'mon, let's get back down to the cafeteria to grab some food and recentre ourselves before we discuss this.Let's get the heck out of dodge and not incriminiate ourselves.
>>6326531+1
>>6326508>>Write in.You ever hear that song about a combine harvester?
>>6326508>>6326531+1 solid idea
>>6326508>"Are you okay?" She looks outright maniac. What's going on?>"What exactly did you leave in there?" You want to know what she's ACTUALLY looking for in there. (DC 60, +4 to roll.)>"Why is this place so...empty?" Is Layer 1 always like this or did something happen?since we're being watched, I don't wanna ask about the incident
>>6326508>>6326531+1Let her know we're being watched if we have to.
You were about to ask her something, but on second thought? You should probably get out of here as soon as humanly possible. Ideally, you also want Liz to follow you out of this weirdly empty white abyss of a layer.That's an issue though, ain't it? How exactly do you get her to follow you? You don't really have a lot of time to think about this."Are you okay?" There's clearly something else going on here. Calling her behavior manic would be polite, to be honest."What? Of course I'm okay. I'm as oaky as okay can be! Mmh hmm. YOU'RE not the oaky one here." Liz gibbers out. "I'm FINE. Now, I know what I'm doing hare looks pretty bad, but, uh, it's not! trust me!""oaky? hare?" Ashton stares at Liz as if the poor girl just grew a second head. "uhm. okay, i think it would be a good idea if you stepped away from that door-""Nope! NOPE! I'm fine! YOU!" She jabs a finger at Ashton. "You're going to arrest or report me anyways, right? I should just double down then!" She turns her back towards your group, ready to start picking the lock again.The Man respects the sheer audacity of doing that in front of a security guard. You and Ashton share a look as you both realize the obvious: she's fucking nuts.This probably has to do with that conversation she had with Rex, but you need to get her OUT of here."okay, look, i wasn't going to report anything. You're making it really hard NOT to, i'll say that!""GOOD!" Liz croaks out a pitiful, gurgling laugh. "Do it then! If I can't find those papers, it doesn't really matter what happens to me! So go ahead!!! Arrest me!!!""Jesus Christ. Liz, we're just worried about you, that's all." Even if a good chunk of that worry is because she's having a breakdown in front of you. You don't get a response from Liz, she's too focused on trying to pick the lock.The Man decides it's time to actually DO something before she breaks in. He walks right up to Liz and grabs her by the arm. Liz doesn't even have time to process what's going on before she's violently yanked away from the door. She awkwardly stumbles around, but she manages to regain her balance. Her mood shifts completely now that she's away from the door. All of that manic energy she was beaming with mere moments ago has been snuffed out. Her red, puffy eyes aimlessly scan the room as if she's trying to process what happened. "I'm. Umm. What just happened?" "i...don't know? well, at least you stopped, so that's good! you should really come with us. isn't that right, vincent?""Yeah." You won't explain what happened; it's not the time or the place for it, really. You try your hardest to give her a warm smile. "You look really out of it. C'mon, let's get back down to the cafeteria to grab some food.""We can calm down and get something on our stomachs. That should make everything better, right? We can chat about what happened then.""Oh. Sure." Liz half-heartedly shrugs. "I guess."
The Man comments that whoever is watching you is approaching. You need to leave now, while you still have some plausible deniability. You ask him to lead the way back to the elevator. He finds it funny that you even had to ask; he is more than glad to help right now.The four of you make like a tree and LEAVE as quickly as you can (without being too suspicious). You swear you hear a fifth pair of footsteps trailing behind your group. Whoever's following you isn't putting any real effort to keep pace with you though. Their footsteps fade away into the almost tangible silence that hangs in the air.Liz doesn't say a single word on the way back to the elevator. She refuses to look you or Ashton in the eye, content with gazing up at the ceiling. You try to find something to say but you fail to think of anything good to say.Your group arrives back at the elevator. It's a tight fit with four people but it is what it is. That's that, this is this."sorry." Liz mumbles under her breath. "It's fine. We'll talk about it later." "mmh hmm." The Man offers an apology to Liz, even though he knows she can't hear him. He didn't want to do that but he felt like he had to. It worked, sure, but he still didn't feel great about doing it.He wishes he could actually apologize to her. The ride is long and awkward, but at least you stopped her from doing something stupid. That makes the ride a bit more tolerable, but only by so much.Right as Ashton was about to ask you something, the elevator door swung open to reveal an all-too-familiar metallic grey hallway. Well, you might as well get something to eat. Maybe she'll open up once she gets something in her stomach.You didn't notice it until now, but her skin's a lot paler than it usually is. She begins to sway from side to side. Her body is having a hard time standing up straight as well. Yeah, she needs some food, pronto. Time to head to the cafeteria.----There's hardly anyone dining at the cafeteria today. Aside from your little posse, you can count the amount of people in here on two hands, and you don't recognize any of them. Odd, maybe you were up there longer than you thought you were?On the upside, at least, you won't have to wait to get your yummy slop.The slop today isn't particularly appealing. It consists of some muddy brown sludge that might've been refried beans paired with something that, if you squinted really hard, could be theorized to be coleslaw. The meals your coworkers get don't look much better, frankly. The piles of meat on Ashton's plate have the same greyish-pink hue as the cans of processed spam your lab has, for example. Liz has something vaguely resembling a sloppy joe, maybe? It's like if you asked an AI to create a sandwich; that's how off-putting it looks.Your group sits down at one of the many empty tables scattered about. Liz briefly glances at you. "So, uh. Thanks. I wasn't really thinking. At all. During all of that. I guess."
"It's fine. I have a few questions I want to ask." Now that nobody is watching, you think she'll be a lot more forthcoming with any information she might have.How do you want to approach this, Vincent? Choose one or two topics to focus on.>Get to the point. Ask about her relationship with Rex and what she was looking for.>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>Ask her to hang out with your group for the rest of the day. She clearly needs some company.>Ask her about Nicole. She had an argument with her yesterday, what was that about? >Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>Ask her if you could meet her dad later. You want to talk to him, maybe establish a working relationship with him, you know?>Let your coworkers ask her some questions. Maybe they can think of something better to ask her.>Try to strike up a more casual conversation. It might be best to let her share what she's comfortable sharing instead of trying to pry it out.>Write in.Do you want to relay the Man's apology to Liz?>YES. He wants to apologize, so you'll help him apologize. It's the least you can do.>YES. Tell Liz and Ashton about him, he probably needs more friends than just you and Colt.>NO. You don't want to confuse her while she's all frazzled. She'd probably think you were crazy.>NO. He's your ace in the hole. The fewer people who know about his existence, the better.>Write in.
>>6326863>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>YES. He wants to apologize, so you'll help him apologize. It's the least you can do.
>>6326863>>6326897+1 to this. We're probably still being monitored
>>6326897+1
>>6326863Actually changing my vote in >>6326912 from that to>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.and instead of outing the Man>Write in.>Be extremely vague. Say there might be a 4th person apologetic about that situation up thereI hope this works. I want to NOT out the Man to anybody else unless they really need to know. This corpo-lover bitch is unstable as hell and I do not want ARC to hunt the Man down for being a free agent in here
>>6326863>Get to the point. Ask about her relationship with Rex and what she was looking for.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.About the Man:>NO. He's your ace in the hole. The fewer people who know about his existence, the better.We can convey the apology later. We’re still under surveillance, no need to tip off the higher ups that we have an invisible friend.
>>6326863>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>NO. You don't want to confuse her while she's all frazzled. She'd probably think you were crazy.
>>6326863>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>NO. He's your ace in the hole. The fewer people who know about his existence, the better.I'm concerned that telling Snitch Bitch about this will bring about some complications to THE MAN.
>>6326863>Get to the point. Ask about her relationship with Rex and what she was looking for.>Keep your guard up. Ask her what was up with LAYER 1 and if any of the higher ups have said anything about you.>YES. Tell Liz and Ashton about him, he probably needs more friends than just you and Colt.
>>6326863>Get to the point. Ask about her relationship with Rex and what she was looking for.>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>YES. He wants to apologize, so you'll help him apologize. It's the least you can do.this is more for the Man than for ourselves.
>>6326863>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.>Get to the point. Ask about her relationship with Rex and what she was looking for.>YES. He wants to apologize, so you'll help him apologize. It's the least you can do.Be subtle about it though, say sorry we pulled you away like that and don't hint at THE MAN's existence, don't want him to end up in a containment cell like the other anomalies.
>>6326863I think it would be really funny if they think Vincent just had a mental breakdown at some point and believes he has a real imaginary friend.But if she did believe I guess she would probably think hes the key to getting those files and doing other intrigue related things. Would the Man's romance be online chatrooms, or the Fembot.
>>6327148I'm pretty sure whatever anomalous shit is going on with the Man also effects his online presence in the same way. So the fembot is really his only viable option right now. We should probably try to figure out how Colt can suddenly interact with the Man.
>>6327152from the previous thread;>See, the Man points out. It's weird, though; Colt wasn't like this before. Colt only started responding to his own words today. Right around when Colt work up from his bender.>That IS odd. Colt DOES carry two ARTIFACTS around (you still see his rifle hanging off his back) but if artifacts could weaken it, you'd imagine a lot more people would notice the Man.>...Could it be the wine? SOMMELIER was able to notice the Man. Maybe the wine messing with a person's brain lets them perceive the Man slightly better? The question is how YOU'RE able the notice him, though. Jury's still out on that.Maybe the amnesia from the sommelier interefered with the (real time) amnesia from The Man.Could getting Colt drunk again let him see more? Should we get other people drunk? Does 19xx see The Man? he might be the easiest to work with, since he wants to drink anyway.
>>6326863>Keep your guard up.>Warn her.>YES. He wants to apologize, so you'll help him apologize.
>>6326863>Warn her. Tell her someone was watching you. Ask her if she knows who could've been watching her.YES. Tell Liz and Ashton about him, he probably needs more friends than just you and Colt.
>>6327152>>6327162The power of the Wine to forget, whatever anomaly power hit The Man which messes with his own memories as well as everyone ability to even perceive him. Theres some similar powers going on. The Wine made Colt forget to forget lol.
Until now, your thoughts never lingered on the Man's anomalous properties. That's simply who he is. He's sane, and he's remarkably competent, so what does it matter that people can't see him? You don't envy his situation, though. What he did to Liz is eating him up on the inside. You have a feeling it goes deeper than the fact he laid his hands on her. You try to ask him if he's okay, but he immediately interrupts you.What a joke, he bitterly laughs. He can't even apologize to someone like a normal person. If he wants to, he'd have to use you as a relay. It's like he's a scared little boy asking his daddy to say sorry on his behalf. "No, dude, it's fine. I'll-" You cut yourself off before you look insane in front of the others. "Hey, Liz.""Huh?"You're not going to directly mention the Man, of course, but you want to tell as much of the truth as you can."I wanted to apologize for putting my hands on you. A friend warned me that if you weren't going to listen, I would probably have to use force. You weren't listening to us so I-" You pantomime yanking her away from the door. "-did that.""It worked, sure, but I didn't feel great doing it.""oh, so that's what happened." Ashton visibly relaxes after hearing the relayed apology. "i was going to do it if you weren't! so, hey, you don't need to beat yourself up about it.""Haaa. C'mon, worried about little old me?" Liz cracks a unsteady but genuine grin. "Nah. You did what you had to do, it just rattled me, that's all.""Your hand's pretty cold, you should get that checked out."You flinch as Ashton pokes at the palm of your hand. "it doesn't feel cold to me?" "Hey, don't- Whatever."The Man breathes a sigh of relief. Even if it's not exactly what he wanted, he's glad she got SOME sort of apology. "You said you wanted to ask me some questions, though, right?" Liz quickly changes the subject. "I rather not dwell on, uh, my little outburst, you know?""Fair." You gesture at everyone to lean closer so you can whisper to them. You don't want whoever's listening and/or watching you to hear what you're about to say."Someone was watching us back there. I don't know who but I'm pretty sure they followed us back to the elevator.""i knew i heard something back there." Ashton scans the cafeteria with a predatory glint in her eyes. "i didn't want to say anything because i thought my mind was playing tricks on me.""layer 1 messes with your head, man, i never liked that place."Liz's face turns white as a sheet. "Are they watching us right now?"The Man says that he's pretty sure no one is watching you right this instance, but he's almost certain they're still nearby."Not right now; they're probably still nearby." You relay the Man's message. "Do you know who could've been watching us?"Liz takes a deep, long breath to center herself. "I knew Rex was going to pull something like this. That fucking rat!"
"It had to be Rex. Not him, per se, but someone he- Wait, do you even know who Rex is?""Vaguely." You only know that Rex is some corporate scumlord rat, but it's not the time nor place to pry further. "Continue.""Right!" Liz clears her throat. "So, he has this specialized squad of security guards personally assigned to watch over him. These guys have Level 4 access, WAY higher than either of you.""I never met them myself. Not like I'd know if I met one anyways; they're sleeper agents. Any random passerby you meet could be one and they'll do anything to get rid of anyone that Rex dislikes.""welp! haha, uh, that's not good!" Ashton awkwardly nudges you with her shoulder. "don't worry, i'm not one of them!" "Do you have any way for us to possibly identify them?""I think so?" Liz doesn't sound too confident about what she's about to tell you. "The only sign I know about is they all have a tattoo around here." She points at her own neck. "They use exclusively yellow ink and they have two specific tattoos they use. It's either an eye with a crossed out X, or a simply drawn sun. One of those two.""Don't. Don't say ANYTHING to them; don't trust a single word they say. Run away the MOMENT you see one of those tattoos."Okay, duly noted, you'll make sure to keep an eye out. You briefly glance at Ashton's neck. Nope, no tattoo; she's in the clear. "Second question. What the hell was up with Layer 1? No one was there; it was completely quiet, everything was white..."The Man shudders as you bring up Layer 1 again. The Man admits that even he doesn't like going up there. He says it feels like someone is watching you up there, even if no one's around."ugh." Ashton's face contorts into a grimace of disgust. "i hate patrolling up there. i can't imagine how it must be to be assigned there full time.""That's where most of the administrative staff work." Liz awkwardly shifts in her seat. "Accountants, business administrators, clerks, you know the type.""They like that the layer is built like that. It comforts them."Oh. You absolutely know the type she's talking about. YOU'RE one of them, after all. A layer filled exclusively with wageslaves. "Hey, that sounds like my kind of party. Why am I stationed here? In Layer 2, then?"The Man vaguely comments that you're too sane to be stationed up there.Liz is a LOT more blunt with her answer. "It's where the burnouts, husks, and fuckups are sent to." "Instead of letting you retire, once you're too old or too crazy to work anywhere else, ARC sends you up there. If you're not already crazy, you'll probably go crazy if you work with the people up there."Oh. Okay, on second thought, maybe it's a swell idea that you're not stuck there. Noted. "Lastly, have the higher-ups said anything about me?" You want to make sure you're not entangled in whatever office politics Liz is involved with.
You still don't fully trust her, after all."Uhhh. A few of them have. You remember August?""Yeah, the prick who was fucking over Layer 2's medbay, why?" "Some of them were a bit cross that you...ruined some deal they had with him?""trust me, he deserved it, vincent. prick had it coming to him."Liz nods in agreement. "Most of them agree with Ashton's sentiment. I think the only ones who might have an issue with you are Roger Raddatz and Augustus II, since they worked directly with August.""They probably won't do anything to you, though, unless you happen to meet them later. I think they're both stationed at Layer 4, sooo. Be careful if you go down there, I guess.""Do either of them work with Rex?" "Roger might, Augustus doesn't."Alright, so Rex and Roger, don't trust them, got it. You suppose you could've asked about Rex but, nah, not when one of his henchmen could still be watching you."Can I get a physical description of Roger?"Liz hums as she tries to remember what he looks like. "Middle-aged, dark skinned, bald. He's missing his left eye. That enough?""That's more than enough. I think someone like him would be hard to miss. Thank you.""...No, thank you. For, you know, stopping me from doing something stupid. I really wasn't thinking right.""It's no big deal."You might as well enjoy your meal. Which coworker do you want to chit-chat with while you eat your meal?>THE MAN. Poor dude needs someone to talk to, lend him your ear. It's the least you can do.>ASHTON. She's nice, she likes you, why not talk to her? You want to learn more about your weird Harvester friend.>LIZ. No more prodding questions, you just want to talk to her. Like a person. Another friend couldn't hurt.Where do you want to go after you finish your meal here? Choose two FREE TIME actions.>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Head back to Layer 1. You want to commune with your fellow wageslaves. Maybe they'll help a fellow wageslave.>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what your upcoming promotion actually entails, etc etc.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!>Today's been hectic. Call it early. (You'll head back to your dorms to do some catalog shopping after you finish your other choice.)>Write in.
>>6327396>THE MAN. Poor dude needs someone to talk to, lend him your ear. It's the least you can do.>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what your upcoming promotion actually entails, etc etc.>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!
>>6327396>LIZ. No more prodding questions, you just want to talk to her. Like a person. Another friend couldn't hurt.>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!
>>6327396>THE MAN. Poor dude needs someone to talk to, lend him your ear. It's the least you can do.THE MAN is based and could use another THE MAN to speak to>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird. Due to the MAN being in your party, the odds are slightly better than usual.)>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!HUUUUUGE
>>6327430+1I don't wanna get too close to Liz
>>6327396>>6327430+1I feel like not talking to Ashton in front of Liz is prudent.We can prompt The Man to tell us whats on his mind
>>6327430Support for supporting our bro and getting on the grind
>>6327396>LIZ. No more prodding questions, you just want to talk to her. Like a person. Another friend couldn't hurt.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>You should probably get some exercise. Ask Ashton to escort you and the MAN to the GYM, BABY, TIME TO GET STRONG!!!
>>6327396>LIZ. No more prodding questions, you just want to talk to her. Like a person. Another friend couldn't hurt.>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.
>>6327396>>THE MAN. Poor dude needs someone to talk to, lend him your ear. It's the least you can do.>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you about yesterday. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.
>>6327396>LIZ. rapport.>Check up on FET. >You should probably get some exercise.
WHO TO TALK TO?THE MAN: L/T, tTs, WdA, UEZ, sZZ, 86+LIZ: JgH, Bkz, rJ6, +IZWHAT DO:HR: L/TARCHIVE: Bkz, +IZ, 86+EXERCISE: L/T, JgH, tTs, WdA, UEZ, sZZ, Bkz, rJ6WANDER: JgH, tTs, WdA, UEZ, sZZFET: +IZ, 86+, rJ6So, you're going to chat with THE MAN (and who can blame you? He is THE MAN!) during your meal. You're then going to spend your free time wandering around and working out. Fair enough!Alright. I need one anon to roll 1d100+6 for me to see what encounter you get on the TABLE OF ENCOUNTERS. There's nothing else to vote on so I'll close after that.ENCOUNTER TABLE (1d100+6)NAT 1: UH OH2-33: BAD. You accidently stumble into ANOTHER argument, you get dragged into a fight, you saw something you shouldn't, etc.34-71: NEUTRAL/WEIRD. You meet another freak, you encounter something anomalous, etc.71-100: GOOD. You meet someone helpful, you find something valuable, you learn some important information, etc.101-105: REALLY GOOD. Whatever encounter you find will offer a permanent upgrade to you and/or one of your coworkers.106/NAT 100: LUCKY!!!Do you love the Facility you work at, Vincent?>YES >WHO'S ASKING?>NO
Rolled 87 + 6 (1d100 + 6)>>6327768Hang onta something!!!>WHO'S ASKING?
>>6327770Huh? What are you voting for, my dude?Anyways, you got a 93. Pretty damn solid. If only you rolled a little bit higher, you might've gotten a REALLY GOOD encounter. Writing.
>>6327785
>>6327768>Nat 1: UH OHOkay anons, we need to start failmaxxing so we can get a good look at The Heart.
>>6327860I dunno, Anon... it'll probably be something far worse than The Heart... Like another awkward hug or something
"Hey, Ashton." You whisper to your redheaded friend. "I'll be right back. I gotta do something, keep an eye on Liz.""hm? where are you going?" She would think you went completely and utterly insane if you told her the truth. You scramble to cobble together a somewhat convincing lie. "Ah, I'm going to ask the lunch lady if I can get a refill. That's all.""i could get you a refill, man. it wouldn't be a big deal.""aww." Ashton groans at the mere idea of you leaving her alone. "fine! make it quick, though, okay?" "I'll be back, I'll be back." You vaguely gesture at the Man to follow you. He does so, after finishing up the remaining slop on his plate. You wait until you're far enough where the gals can't overhear you. "How's it hanging? I know we don't get much time to talk, man to man, but I want to make sure you're doing okay."The Man wishes he had a satisfying answer to your question. He's never been one to really dwell on his own emotions, especially after what happened to him.He asks you an odd question. He wonders if you ever wanted to forget and remember something at the same time?"I suppose that depends on what the memory is."The flower on your wrist perks up. It is VERY interested in where this conversation is going.He laughs at your answer. He wishes he could forget that he's already forgotten so much. He knows he's supposed to remember more than he does but he can't. The only people who remember him are those who never met him before he turned into this.The thing that hurts him the most, though, is that he knows he used to be someone important. Yet, the world continues on without him. Everything runs smoothly. No one notices his absence. The things he created, he knows he had to create SOMETHING, still run perfectly fine without him. He's a ghost in the machine. A specter lost to time, with only two people in the whole world as company.It sucks, Vincent."...You know." You make an awkward noise between a laugh and a cough. "Funny that you mentioned that. I don't think anyone outside this facility remembers me."The Man points out that you likely still have a family out there. A family you remember."Yeah, I guess, but it's been so long since I've talked to them." A flood of uncomfortable, half-remembered memories nearly derails your train of thought. "The people at my job? Shit, the only one who might remember me is Hidaka.""The only privilege I have is that people can still see me."The Man argues that's a pretty huge privilege."I suppose so. I get where you're coming from. People usually want to be remembered for doing something grand. Something that leaves a legacy, right?"The Man nods in agreement. He could've had a legacy to leave behind, but now? All he has are those stupid eggs and a big great nothing in the middle of his head.At least you still have a chance to leave behind a legacy, Vincent.
"I've never really thought of what my legacy would be. I don't think I have one, really.""At least we share that in common now, huh?"The Man responds with a bellowing belly laugh. If you suddenly start manifesting eggs around you, maybe you can also be another 'The Man'."Pft. C'mon, I'm not nearly cool enough to take your moniker." Your mouth twists into a smirk. "I'm just some dude who takes stuff on the chin like a fucking wimp."The Man agrees. He admits that the title of 'The Wageslave' would be a better fit. "What? At least give me a cooler title than that." No. Both of you stare at each other in silence. It only takes a few seconds before the both of you are on the verge of a laughing fit.The Man misses this. Having someone he can talk shit with. Someone who could actually hold a conversation with him. "It's no big deal, man; you're a friend. Friends help each other out."He wishes that this isn't a fluke. That you don't forget him like everyone else has. He wonders if he's still dreaming, just like IN LIMBO."Look. If no one else will remember you, I will. Colt will. I promise."The Man places his hand on your shoulder. For a brief moment, you swear you could actually remember what his face looks like, but it quickly 'leaks' out of your mind. All you remember is that he had a scruffy pencil mustache and a goatee.Still, you at least have a vague idea what his face looks like now.He really does want someone to remember him. He'll make sure you won't forget this promise you made with him. Without someone to be some kind of 'anchor', someone who can hold him accountable, he's not sure what he'll end up doing.You nod your head. "Of course I will. After all, I can remember talking to you right now. That's better than 99.9% of this stupid facility."The Man wishes he knew how but he's not going to look a mouth gifted in the horse. "Whuh-" He's messing with you, isn't he?He thanks you for listening to him. It's nice to get this off his chest. The two of you should probably head back.>THE MAN's morale has massively improved. You'll unlock an upgrade for him later.You agree. You refill your cup of water before you head back to your table. By the time you return, Liz has vanished from the table. "Huh, where did she go?"Ashton wears a pitying smile as she recounts what happened. "long story short, her stomach couldn't really hold in what she ate. she...said she was going to MEDBAY to get checked out.""i think stress got to her, that's all."The Man, even though he doesn't like her that much, still wishes her a speedy recovery. "Hopefully she gets better soon. You ready to leave?""mmh hmm. what should we do now?"An ingenious idea has been conceived in the recesses of your subconscious. YOU MUST BECOME THE STRONG, VINCENT-BOY. "I wanna work out. Let's be honest, I probably need the exercise."
"oh, absolutely! if you're going to survive down here, your body needs to be tough like a well-done steak.""you're..." Her eyes glimmer as she scans you from top to bottom. "squishy?""in a good way, don't get me wrong-" "What." "-but we need you stronger. now.""c'mon." Ashton grabs you by the wrist. Before you even have time to register what's going you, you're being dragged out of the cafeteria. The Man scrambles after you, trying to not get left behind.Welp. This is your life now.-----https://youtu.be/vH0alsXQorI - GET STRONGERYou're now back at the LAYER 2 GYM. The air is thick with a horrific stench consisting of cheap body spray, sweat, and blood. Most of the equipment that was broken last time you were here is still broken. Foul stains coat the floor and you really don't want to think too hard on what they could be.You rub your sore wrist. "Did you have to pull it so hard?""oh. s-sorry." Ashton's cheeks burn bright red. "i forgot my strength there. g-got a little too excited. well, as your instructor!" She quickly changes the subject. She rattles off dozens of different exercises and she asks you which one you want to do today.The Man is eager to join, even if he can't get personalized instructions.Choose one WORKOUT to do with Ashton's supervision. >ENDURANCE TRAINING. Your endurance is better than last time but it could be way better. Become the wall. (Improves your ability to heal and your physical durability.)>STRENGTH TRAINING. You need to get STRONGER. You need to get SWOLE. (Improves your physical strength and your ability to do strenuous labor.)>AGILITY/CARDIO TRAINING. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you're slower than molasses. (Improves your reflexes, speed and hand-eye coordination.)>COMBAT TRAINING. You need to learn how to actually FIGHT someone. (Improves your competency with weapons and your awareness on what weaknesses an enemy might have.)>HARVESTER TRAINING. Maybe she can teach you a few tricks she's picked up as a Harvester. (Improves most of your senses and your proficiency with healing items and other kinds of medicine. Slightly improves your RAPPORT with Ashton.)>You want to work on...(Write in.)How hard do you want to work out, Vincent? Choose one difficulty. The higher the difficulty, the more effective the workout will be at improving your stats.>EASY. Today's been rough, no need to push yourself. (DC 40, +7 to roll.)>MEDIUM. Is it really a workout if you don't feel some burn? (DC 50, +7 to roll.)>HARD. No pain, no gain. (DC 65, +7 to roll.)>VERY HARD. The pain is its own reward. (DC 75, +7 to roll.)>EXTREME (LOCKED,/UNAVAILABLE. You need to get stronger before you could even think of picking this.)You'll get your wandering encounter next update, don't worry.
>>6327900>STRENGTH TRAINING. You need to get STRONGER. You need to get SWOLE. (Improves your physical strength and your ability to do strenuous labor.)>HARD. No pain, no gain. (DC 65, +7 to roll.)
>>6327900>STRENGTH TRAINING. You need to get STRONGER. You need to get SWOLE. (Improves your physical strength and your ability to do strenuous labor.)>HARDMIGHT CONTROLS EVERYTHING
>>6327900>AGILITY/CARDIO TRAINING. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you're slower than molasses. (Improves your reflexes, speed and hand-eye coordination.)>HARD. No pain, no gain. (DC 65, +7 to roll.)fast is good, fast is useful for all kinds of occasions
>>6327918"I'm sure to win because my speed is superior"We saw the fight with FET and Vincent vs the Incredible RUGGID HUMAN. It was strength to beat that dude to death with a pipe. Vincent needs those muscles. Think of how hard he'll be able to hug...Perhaps he could even hug Hidaka and Ashton at the same time.
>>6327900>>ENDURANCE TRAINING. Your endurance is better than last time but it could be way better. Become the wall. (Improves your ability to heal and your physical durability.)>MEDIUM. Is it really a workout if you don't feel some burn? (DC 50, +7 to roll.)
>>6327900>AGILITY/CARDIO TRAINING. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you're slower than molasses. (Improves your reflexes, speed and hand-eye coordination.)>MEDIUM. Is it really a workout if you don't feel some burn? (DC 50, +7 to roll.)
>>6327900>HARVESTER TRAINING. Maybe she can teach you a few tricks she's picked up as a Harvester. (Improves most of your senses and your proficiency with healing items and other kinds of medicine. Slightly improves your RAPPORT with Ashton.)>VERY HARD. The pain is its own reward. (DC 75, +7 to roll.)
>>6327900STRENGTHHARD MODE
i like this quest i just caugh up and i must ask would it be possible to automatise the extraction of the enzime from the mold also?
>>6327900>AGILITY/CARDIO TRAINING.>HARD.
>>6327900>HARVESTER TRAINING. Maybe she can teach you a few tricks she's picked up as a Harvester. (Improves most of your senses and your proficiency with healing items and other kinds of medicine. Slightly improves your RAPPORT with Ashton.)>HARDWe can strength train anytime, only Ashton can give us Harvester training.
>>6327900>>6328193This anon makes a decent point, actually! Didn't see that option. Switching my >>6327913to>HARVESTER TRAINING>HARD
>>6328071+1Want to find out exactly what she is and how she is different than a human. Think she had normal colored blood so that was false
>>6328167Change>AGILITY/CARDIO TRAINING.Switch to>HARVESTER TRAINING
STRENGTH: jls, JgH, WdAHARVESTER: tTs, Bkz, rJ6, Q9E, edvAGILITY/CARDIO: fE5, +IZ, L/TENDURANCE: 86+HARD: jls, tTs, JgH, fE5, WdA, rJ6, Q9EMEDIUM: 86+, +IZ, L/TVERY HARD: BkZ, edvSTRENGTH and AGILITY were pretty neck and neck but HARVESTER just BARELY won out over them. You're also going with a HARD difficulty workout. Alright. You know the rules, anons. Three people, roll 1d100+7, table below. And just for fun, if you roll a dub (11/22/33/44/55/66/77/88/99), it'll slightly improve the outcome of this workout.0 SUCCESSES: "oh. i'm not sure if...i'll try, at least?" (Ashton will struggle to teach you, a human, any real transferable skills. You'll learn SOMETHING but it'll hurt, trust me.)1 SUCCESS: "first lesson! the nose knows!" (You'll learn a LOT about how to hone your senses, but not a lot when it comes to anything medical.)2 SUCCESSES: "now, the body is like a jenga tower. you need to learn which pieces to focus on." (You'll learn a lot of tricks involving your senses, and you learn some useful medical tips.)3 SUCCESSES: "my personal opinion? the liver is the best part." (You'll get slightly better training than 2 SUCCESSES and you learn some neat information about HARVESTERS.)
Rolled 24 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6328249T O W E RO FP O W E R
Rolled 1 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6328249Come on Vince
Rolled 93 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6328249Here goes nothing.
>>6328250Shit.>>6328251LOL>>6328268Whew, that was close
>>6328251...be glad that D9Y made sure you got 1 SUCCESS and I didn't include a crit fail option on this roll.>>6328268Ehhh, you know what, I'll count a non-crit 100 as a 'dub', since I'll treat it as '00'.So, all in all, you got 1 SUCCESS. Thanks to the dub, you'll get some information about HARVESTERS from Ashton. Nowhere near the amount of info you'd get from 3 SUCCESSES but more of a...consolation prize. Writing.>>6328154You know what, I'll probably include that as an option next shift. Some companies might be interested in a digestive enzyme that can dissolve basically anything, you know.
You argue with yourself over what you should do. You could go with a cardio-heavy routine to improve your overall agility. You decide against it once you remember that one 'MY SPEED IS SUPERIOR' image.Maybe you should get SWOLE? You were BARELY strong enough to kill the EMPOWERED GENTLEMAN™ so strength training would be good. No, no, you could do that without Ashton's help. Wait. You got an idea!"What if you taught me some tools of the trade?""explain?" Ashton tilts her head. "i don't follow what you mean."You make sure no one is listening before you respond. "Well, you're a Harvester. Surely you have some tricks you've picked up with your, well, unique skillset?"Ashton's pupils rapidly dilate until her eyes are little more than pitch black orbs.You're not sure whether to find it cool or to be scared for your life. "I-if that's, uh, okay. Not to. Push you if that's.""oh! no, no, i'm actually flattered!" Her eyes are back to normal as if nothing happened. "i'm not sure how much i could teach you.""a lot of the stuff i know is tied to my biology which, well, you don't have?" She opens her mouth wide to show off her many, many sharp teeth. There's way more teeth in there than there should be, you think. "like these beauties.""Yeesh." A small part of you can't help but to be fascinated. What other differences could she have. "Well, you got to have something you could teach me.""hm." She scratches her chin, clearly deep in thought. "i can try. i think what we should focus on are your senses. taste, hearing, touch, smell and sight.""it doesn't matter how fast, strong or tough you are if your enemy is able to sneak up on you."The Man snorts derisively. The only people who can see him wouldn't even want to hurt him. He supposes he could learn to help Colt out. He's not particularly perceptive, so sayeth the Man"That makes sense-" Wait. She's gone. She was fucking standing there not even a few seconds ago, where did she??? Huh??? "we're starting now!" You hear her voice but by god, you could not even begin to pin down where she could be hiding. "here's the rules. if you can find me in two minutes, you win. if i manage to grab you OR two minutes have passed, you lose.""time starts now." And with that, you begin to panic. You ask the Man if he saw anything. He vaguely responds that he saw a blur of red towards the eastern side of the room.He's impressed at the speed at which she managed to find a hiding spot. He compares it to something an ambush predator might do, like a crocodile or a trapdoor spider. He'll be YOUR second pair of eyes since he doubts you can do it by yourself."Thanks for the vote of confidence, Man."He gladly informs you that it is no problem. Alright, time to hunt down a Harvester. You carefully walk through the gym with your friend in tow. You keep your head on a swivel in an attempt to catch her mid-'attack'. Where the hell could she be?
>1 SUCCESS!You nearly have a heart attack as you feel a soft but firm hand on your shoulder. "gotcha!""FUCK!" You spin around to see Ashton right behind you. She sports a toothy, shit-eating grin as she pats you on the shoulder. "see what i mean? i could've easily done more than this to you."The Man has to give her credit; he didn't even see her move behind you."we're starting again. you get ten games to catch me." Oh, you don't like your odds if she defaulted to THAT high of a number. You take in a deep breath to recenter yourself before trying this weird game of hide and seek again. Over the various sessions of hide-and-seek, you become more and more proficient with your various senses. You start to catch brief glimpses of her red hair and dull yellow eyes as she darts from hiding spot to hiding spot. You start to notice the subtle noises she makes whenever she gets closer to you. Even your nose begins to chime in with useful information, warning you of minute changes in the air that signify she's getting closer. It's almost like you're a part of some Alien ripoff that replaced Ripley with...you.The Man certainly doesn't hurt to have. He's able to quickly inform you of what signs to look out for as game after game plays out.You manage to catch her mid-strike, grabbing her by the arm before she could land a hand on you. She freezes up when she realizes you actually intercepted one of her attacks. A faint blush spreads across her cheeks. "h-ha. you caught me, wow!" She can't decide whether to sound proud of you or embarrassed at herself."Ha. How many games was that?" "seven. i wasn't expecting you to win, honestly!""you're not actually half bad, most people don't catch me when i'm playing this." You let go of her arm. "Yeah, I could hardly see you when you were moving around. Are you some hide and seek pro or what?""oh! i played it a lot with my dad, actually, when i was a little kid." She leans against a nearby weight rack. "he did it to teach me so i could be a hunter like him."The Man perks up at the mention of her dad. He wasn't quite sure if Harvesters were a natural human subspecies or if they were artificially created by an anomaly's influence. How long have Harvesters existed, he wonders..."Huh, neat. Would you say you're a good hunter?""mmh." She rubs her shoulder as she tries to find the right words to use. "i'm a bit rusty, actually! i try to get my meat above board. it's easier to blend in that way."She sighs wistfully. "you know, i missed doing this. i don't really get a chance to play this game that often.""I could imagine." A humanoid carnivore hunting a poor, helpless wagie sounds like prime B-movie material. "I barely got a glimpse of you.""hehe, sorry, sorry." She sheepishly laughs. You didn't notice it until now, but she's exhausted. Her legs are trembling as she tries to stay standing. Her hair is drenched in sweat from how hard she exerted her body.
"it's something i try not to do that much anyways." She wipes away some drool off her mouth. "it eats up my energy reserves something fierce."The Man is glad she can't see him. If she wasn't hungry before, she is sure is now."Before you ask, I'm not on the menu." You respond half-jokingly."awww. all of that hunting was for nothing then. not even one bite?" She flashes some beautifully perfected puppy dog eyes at yuo. "not even one little nibble?""Look at my skin." You point at the grey, blotchy mess you call 'skin'. "Do you WANT to eat that?""touche! no-" She pauses. Her face contorts into a grimace. "ough. sorry if this is gross but i need to do this." She opens her mouth and she reaches a hand right into her toothy maw.You and the Man watch on in horror as she rips a tooth right out of her mouth. It's a weird hybrid of a human tooth and a shark's tooth. Faint traces of dark, DARK crimson (bordering on black) blood linger on the root of the tooth."that one didn't grow in right." "What do you MEAN by that???""hm? oh, don't worry, another's going to grow back tomorrow." She says it so casually, you almost don't notice how absurd the statement is. "no point brushing this one. you want it?""S-sure?" She tosses the tooth over to you, as if it was a totally normal gift instead of a whole bloody tooth. >ASHTON'S TOOTH obtained! (Could offer insight into her HARVESTER biology. Gnarly.)"So, what now? Do we play again but I'm the hunter or?" You try to ignore how surreal all of this has been."nope. we're going to wrap it up with some first aid training." She wipes at her mouth again. "well, something like that. you need to be able to sense what's wrong with someone's body on an instinctual level.""How can I do that, exactly?""i'll teach you the signs. it'll be theory, though, until you put it into practice."You spend a few minutes trying to understand and learn how she's able to 'sense' various aliments and deficiencies in the human body. To be quite honest, you don't really understand what she's trying to explain. To her, it's something she understands on an instinctual level, simply by looking at a person for a few minutes.It seems like this is one of those things that can't easily be taught to a human. Weird blood that shifts from bright red to nearly black, regenerating teeth, an instinctual awareness of how strong or weak a human is...What else is wrong with her?You do get a rough idea on what to look out for with your own senses. Bad smells, odd reactions to touch or other stimuli, things that you could reasonably pick up on.While this workout hasn't really played out how you expected, you do feel like your time wasn't wasted. You did get something out of this.>TRAINING COMPLETE. You now have +4 to all perception based rolls and an additional +1 to anatomy checks, bumping it up to +3.>Healing items are also slightly more effective. It's hard to quantify how much better, though.
"sorry if i'm not explaining it all that well!" Ashton pats you on the shoulder. "you're doing good. i'm proud of you and, uh, again. thank you for not freaking out too much over this."Despite how weird her whole Harvester deal is, you can't help but to smile back. "It's no big deal. I'm glad you're comfortable enough to share these things with me.""hey, what can i say, i feel comfortable around you. you're...nice to be around, dunno how else to put it.""Thanks?" You sheepishly laugh, just like she was only a few moments ago.The Man warns that it's getting late. Your should probably get going. You gesture at your pals to follow after you. You might as well wander the halls with your pals for a bit before you head back to your dorm.>93!It's a lot more crowded out here than it was only an hour or so ago. The halls are packed to the brim with people, ranging from researchers to security guards, all in a mad dash to be somewhere. Weird.You squirm past god knows how many researchers. As you try to squirm past the crowd, you feel someone slam right into you. You nearly fall right on your ass but Ashton and the Man manage to catch you in time.You look down to see that a scrawny researcher is standing right in front of you. In his hands is a pile of random, miscellaneous junk. You know, on an instinctual level, these have to be ARTIFACTS. It's as if the air is electrified by their presence."Fuck, fuck, uhhh. Look, man, I need you to take one of these.""Huh?" "My boss isn't going to miss one. Most of these were locked up in storage-""Just take one, man! I can't carry them all!"Welp! You're not going to look a gifted horse in the mouth. Which ARTIFACT do you want to borrow from this researcher? Pick one. They researcher will give a small snippet of what properties the item might have.>'THE FLESH IS WILLING.' A sickly-smelling suit and tie made out of an unusual red fabric. ("Wearing it gives you a certain je ne sais quoi, if you catch my drift.")>'WALKING LIGHTING.' A small glass jar. There's a ball of lightning violently shaking inside of it. ("Dunno how we extracted this with no causalities. INSANE amounts of power in this thing.")>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")>'ABANDON GLORY." A tattered pair of boxer gloves, stained with blood. ("Security took this from someone. It took eight guards to restrain him, man.")>'BLEEDING MIRACLE OF SOUND." An old, warped vinyl disc. You swear you hear a song inside your head. ("It tells you what you need to know. What may happen, what should happen.")>'DOGS AND ROSES.' A revolver with a wooden grip. A floral pattern is etched on the grip. ("It hurts your spirit, your heart, not your flesh. Non-lethal but still devastating.") >Look for something else in the pile. (WRITE IN a KEYWORD and you'll get an ARTIFACT loosely based on it.)
>>6328395>'WALKING LIGHTING.' A small glass jar. There's a ball of lightning violently shaking inside of it. ("Dunno how we extracted this with no causalities. INSANE amounts of power in this thing.")https://youtu.be/SWwFogRQVnk
>>6328395Holy moly, so many goodies to choose but im conflicted.1 - artifact to talk to women, very powerful for Vincent2 - Unlimited power.jpg, great for Limbo and her flowers which get better/smarter with more power. Could easily weaponize that shit, electric fence, etc. Could probably recharge batteries and sell power.3 - Could probably see The Man and other anomalies better, get clues on them, and explore the facility.4 - THE melee fighting gloves. I wonder if we could actually train with them on and get gains?5 - Hint Giver. Warning System. 6 - Emotional Damage Gun lol....Extremely effective against The Heart and its agents?
>>6328395>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")We can give these to other assistants, they’ll be able to work with The Man. Maybe it’ll help him recover his memories too.
>>6328395>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")It's between this and Bleeding Miracle for me, honestly
>>6328395>MAD worldIt's this or the suit for me, but I think this is best for all the mindfucks in this placeinb4 antimemetics division slugs on the wall that no one can remember
>>6328395>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")
>>6328395>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")Now we can see through the [REDACTED]
>>6328395>'M.A.D WORLD."
>>6328395>>'BLEEDING MIRACLE OF SOUND." An old, warped vinyl disc. You swear you hear a song inside your head. ("It tells you what you need to know. What may happen, what should happen.")
>'M.A.D WORLD." A cheap pair of eclipse glasses. They're caked in ash. ("These let you see what you're not meant to see. Remember what you can't remember.")i'm sorry but if that allow someone else to see THE MAN it's too good to post on that would allow our bros to have more people to talk to
WALKING LIGHTNING: R7nNO-VOTE: jlsM.A.D: 5rc, TTs, Kko, JgH, Xhh, Bkz, L/T, rJ6, +IZ, TZRMIRACLE OF SOUND: 86+Yeah, it's a complete and utter landslide. Closing vote, but I'll add in a quick follow up vote for funsies. I'll keep this vote open for 3-4~ hours, depending on how quickly a majority manifests.Do you want to test out the glasses before you head back to your dorm? >YES. Try them on, look around the hallway for anything noteworthy.>YES. Try them on, try to get a better look of the MAN.>YES. Give them to Ashton so she can see the MAN.>NO. You'll mess with these back at the lab, not in the middle of a crowded hallway.>Write in?>>6328453It would let you see things you're not meant to see. You better hope there's no antimemetic spiders.
>>6328689>YES. Try them on, look around the hallway for anything noteworthy.Glance at Ashton too, we can look at the MAN later but I want to see if harvesters are somewhat in memetic in nature
>>6328694+1
>>6328694>Check if Ashton is a meme+1
>>6328694>>6328726>>6328736>>6328739I like the implication you're insinuating is Ashton is just a memetic construct and Vincent has been hallucinating her existence for the last week. But fair's fair, four people voted for it and 3 hours have basically passed, so I'm closing this follow up vote.NOW I'm going to write. See you soon, there's not much to write aside from this little experiment since you're going to be doing catalog nonsense.
>>6328748Hallucinating? No. Unable to remember harvestery features about her? Possible, and maybe a part of how they blend in.
>>6328689>YES. Try them on, try to get a better look of the MAN.
>>6328689>>6328694+1 to this. Also honestly I hope we get an Antimemetic Spider in the gang. He can smoke cigars and make wisecracks
>>6328689>>YES. Try them on, try to get a better look of the MAN.
>>6328387>A small part of you can't help but to be fascinated. What other differences could she have.Sorry OP, but I'm leaning towards Hidaka instead of Ashton. Leave it to another character to find out those "intricacies" of Harvester biology
>>6328811>I'm leaning towards HidakaSpeak for yourself
The glasses seem like the best choice out of the pile. You wish you could grab more, but you're not going to be greedy. You snatch the glasses off his hands, and before you can even thank him, the researcher is already gone.Damn. At least you got a free artifact out of this weird exchange. Time to keep moving, Vinny.>M.A.D WORLD OBTAINED!The hallway has gotten a lot more crowded in a very, very short amount of time. It's so packed that you, Ashton, and the Man are all awkwardly squashed against each other. You do your best to ignore the klaxon blaring inside your skull. "any reason you picked those?" Ashton does her best to keep some sort of conversation going. "i thought the suit looked pretty neat.""Oh. Well, there's probably a lot of weird mental, 'memetic' anomalies. I wanted something to protect me from that."The Man makes a low, droning noise. He's so spooky, he'll eat you way faster than that harvester, oooo!!! FEAR HIM!!!You manage to keep a straight face despite the stupid bullshit The Man is pulling. "wellll!" Ashton rests her head on your shoulder. Hoo boy, the klaxon inside your head only grows louder. "why not try them on then?""Oh. Well, I thought I'd try it out in a lab setting first.""i guess but it wouldn't hurt to try them. c'mon, i'll take them off if they try eating your eyes or something." "Fine." You take one quick glance at the artifact before putting it. It almost reminds you of those tacky glasses you wear at 3D movies. The cheap cardboard frame doesn't sit right on your face, but you manage to ignore it for now.Your vision is now tinted with this sickly grey hue, as if you were suddenly granted the curse of complete colorblindness. Your surroundings weren't that colorful to begin with, but any traces of colors amongst the horde and hallway have been snuffed out. On the upside, your skin now doesn't look like a sickly mess.You glance around your surroundings to see what has changed aside from some funky vision—okay, WOAH. You're pretty sure there wasn't a moth on the ceiling last time you checked. There are, in fact, a LOT of moths up there actually.They blanket the ceiling in a swarm of white(?) fluff, maybe to keep themselves warm? To blend in with the ceiling?. You're no entomologist, so you can't spot any meaningful difference between them and normal moths, aside from the obvious anomalous property they have.A forest green aura surrounds their tiny little bodies. That's the only color you've been able to make out so far with these glasses on. That aura suddenly shifts to a bright yellow once they spot you looking at them.Dozens of tiny, beady eyes stare right back at you. You do your best to put on a comforting, warm smile. The aura surrounding the moths returns to a forest green hue. Interesting. You shift your gaze over to Ashton. "so, what do you see?" You open your mouth to answer, but the words die in your throat.
There's something about her appearance that rubs you the wrong way now. You're still a bit disoriented by the weird moths, so you don't immediately realize what's wrong with her appearance. You just knew something was off about her. Then it clicked.She's not fully monochrome. Her dull yellow eyes and her bright, almost neon hair are seemingly untouched by the monochrome filter that subsumed the rest of the world. You now notice, with your glasses, that the sclera of her eyes has this cloudy, speckled pattern to it.That's not the only part of her that's colorful. Her skin is now a dark, ashy grey with splotches of orange and yellow scattered across her skin, like someone randomly splattered paint on a canvas. Her skin also has this...almost scaly look to it? It reminds of you of the skin of a salamander you played with as a kid.You can't really say you're scared of what her 'true form' looks like. Her appearance is distinctly non-human, yes, but not that far away from a human. If you put on some really good makeup and some contacts on someone like this, they could reasonably pass as a human.Only a blind person could miss someone looking like THIS, though. There's clearly something memetic about her appearance. Is it a Harvester thing? Does their skin shift to blend in with humans? It's hard to say without more data but it sure is interesting.You think you spotted someone else who had skin like her amongst the crowd but by the time you look to check, they're already gone."ha, someone caught your eye?" Ashton chuckles at your newfound fascination with her. She still sounds normal but her voice coming out of this is a bit disorienting.You remove the glasses. Her skin returns to normal, with the only splotches on her skin being some freckles on her cheeks. Her eyes no longer have that cloudy, speckled pattern in them.Odd. >You now know how to identify a Harvester on sight, as long as you have your M.A.D WORLD glasses."Everything looked monochrome when I wore these. You still had your hair and eye color intact. Weird, right?""huh! weird. did you see anything else?" She seems genuinely curious about what you saw with those things on."Buncha bugs on the ceiling. Moths." "wait, what?"Ashton and the Man both look up at the ceiling. They narrow their eyes to try to see what you're talking about. The Man can vaguely perceive what you're talking about but to him? It's like how you see him. Only a vague impression.Ashton shakes her head, almost disappointed in herself. "nope, can't see nothing. weird, huh?"The conversation dies down after that. Your group finds a gap in the crowd and, seizing on this opportunity, the three of you dart to get out of the horde. Luckily for you, the room your group stumbles into just so happens to be your dorm room. It only takes a minute or so for the crowd outside to vanish. The only people left outside are a few stragglers trying to catch their breath.
"welp! it was nice hanging out with you, vincent. it was..." She takes a moment to find the right words. "it's nice having someone i can let my guard down with, you know? someone who isn't afraid of...this." She vaguely points at her face."Again, I've seen weirder. You've been nice to me and, well, I suppose I'm letting my guard down by trusting you." Trust might be a strong word for how you feel about her.Her mouth widens into a beaming smile. "yep! friendship is a two way street and all of that.""try to get a good night sleep, okay?" "I will, I will-" "promise?" "I promise, yeesh.""alright! see you around! don't be a stranger, okay?" She winks before going on her merry way, leaving you with only the Man.The Man pats you on the shoulder. He's going to sleep, he'll see you later. He wishes you a good day before walking right after Ashton.You can feel dozens on dozens of eyes staring at you. It seems like your fellow barrack mates have taken a keen instinct in you. You can't make out much of what they're saying but their words are laced with a mixture of envy, contempt and awe. Some are whispering about your promotion, some are whispering about you and Ashton, and some of them are disappointed that you aren't coated in your own blood. Whenever you try to look at someone talking shit about you, they would immediately look away, pretending like you weren't even then.You're just another nobody trying to survive day to day, why the hell are they jealous of you? You suppose this is a tiny bit better than being a nobody that people ignore but...You can't say this is pleasant either.You keep your head low as you return to your bed, hoping to god you can distract yourself with the catalog. You hope to god you'll get your own room once you're a Level 1 Researcher. Just one more day, that's all you need. First things first, you check your pocket.Huh, there's a lot more in here than you remember. Wait, shit, yeah! You got that paycheck from the ZENITH guy. >Your MONEY is now $1001! You crack open the catalog to see what's in store for you this time.You know you'll likely get a sponsorship tomorrow. You might also get another anomaly to study if you build another containment cell.MONEY: $1001THINGS TO SELL: CIGARETTE MOLD x9 ($177 per mold), WIRE FLOWER x5 ($110 per flower), STATIC POLLEN x1 ($100, your half sample will he saved for later) THINGS TO USE: 80% OFF COUPON (Lowers the dollar price of one item by 80%, rounded down.)Choose up to 4 ITEMS to buy below, as long as you have the funds. >[SPECIL (sic) REQUEST] - You may enter a keyword to obtain a custom anomaly instead of selecting a premade one. WARNING: The danger level and usefulness of said custom abnormality may vary wildly based on the keyword. (-$270)>[BEER VENDING MACHINE] - Really good at increasing the morale of everyone inside your lab. "Prost!" - N. (-$333)(1/2)
>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your WIRE FLOWER sample. The item will likely have a strong COMMUNICATION-based property. (-$500 and 2 WIRE FLOWERS.)>[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your STATIC BLOOD sample. The item will likely grant you vastly improved stealth capabilities. (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[FAVORITISM] - ARC will fabricate some bullshit information about you to impress the SPONSORSHIP COMPANIES. +1 SPONSORSHIP choice in future sponsorship votes, sponsorships are slightly better. (-$350)>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)>[CONTAINMENT CELL CONSTRUCTION] - Adds another containment cell to your lab, allowing you to host another profit-generating anomaly. (-$555)>[PISTOL AMMO x2] - You have a gun. You might as well get ammo for it. (-$100. Enough ammo to last two combat encounter.)>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3] - Accidentally developed during 'Argentina Salt Revolts' in 2019. Grants a short term immunity to biological and psychological contamination. (-$150)>[RESUPPLY] - Contains a small amount of food, cleaning supplies and spare parts to restock your lab. (-$150. Has enough supplies to stock your lab for 2 days.)>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] - A jet black manual meant to 'teach' you what fear truly means. Offers a slight but permanent boost to MENTAL HEALTH, consumed on use. (-$250.)>[EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET] - Scientifically engineered clothes meant to protect the wearer from extreme heat and extreme cold. May be necessary for certain anomalies. (-$222. Comes with two sets of uniforms.)>[MYSTERY BOX] - ??? (-$???. Write in how much money you want to spend on this. You'll get an item roughly equal in value to what you spent.)SELL OFF ANYTHING?>Write in.DO YOU USE YOUR COUPON ON ANYTHING?>NO.>YES. (Write in what item you'll use it on.)>>6328811Hey, nothing's set in stone. If you want to go after Hidaka, go ahead. She probably won't eat you, so that's an upside in some people's eyes.Hey, I didn't lie this update. You didn't get antimemetic spiders.I never said you wouldn't see any antimemetic moths.
>>6328844Damn it, I wanted an Antimemetic Spider pal. I guess we'll have to wait and see, huh?>>6328839>'I thought the suit looked pretty neat'>Ashton rests her head on your shoulderJesus Christ Ashton calm down before Vinny melts>[A CAT]>[RESUPPLY]>[BEER VENDING MACHINE]>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT]
>>6328844>>6328856Oh and>[MAN-MADE SALTS]
>>6328856>>6328857And use the coupon on the beer vending machin3. Bros shift will be so fucking good
>>6328844>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)Free money AND a free cat!? That's a good fucking deal. I bet Sommelier likes cats too.>[BEER VENDING MACHINE] - Really good at increasing the morale of everyone inside your lab. "Prost!" - N. (-$333)>[RESUPPLY] - Contains a small amount of food, cleaning supplies and spare parts to restock your lab. (-$150. Has enough supplies to stock your lab for 2 days.)>[CONTAINMENT CELL CONSTRUCTION] - Adds another containment cell to your lab, allowing you to host another profit-generating anomaly. (-$555)>>6328856>Jesus Christ Ashton calm down before Vinny meltsHey, it can't be easy finding a guy down here who is simultaneously somewhat mentally stable but who also has no issue with her being a cannibalistic lizardwoman.
>>6328842>>6328844BEER VENDING MACHINETHAT FUCKING CAT I SWEAR TO GODRESUPPLY US NOWWIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT SO WE CAN BEGIN TO ASSEMBLE THE E.G.O GEARnext day we need to collect lots of material, discover money-making schemes with them, and proceed to get richFinally figuring out what cherry wine mold doesSeeing what the IN LIMBO wine does with the mold or anything at allThrowing 199X material at SOMMELIER for new wine unlockThrowing STATIC BLOOD at SOMMELIER for new wine unlockStocking up more wine to sell offExperimenting with the amnestic from SOMMELIER's basic wineFiguring out more of those other materials like DIE TO SEXUALIZE and NEON BLUE FLESHExperiment with those NEON BLUE PEARLSExperiment more with STATIC POLLENI can't fucking list all the shit we still need to do that won't get us money either, like CPPTQUEST and learning about FET including his flesh sample, getting Vincent laid before he dies horribly, and more ARC related work. We need to start knocking things out one by one
>>6328844>[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your STATIC BLOOD sample. The item will likely grant you vastly improved stealth capabilities. (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)You can't kill what you can't see and I think this would be really neat if we continue with Ashton's lessons>beer vendor (333)What the hell sure. Our mental health has been historically pretty good. The sommelier will be pissed I bet>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)Free money free cat probably anomalous I don't care as long as it stays off the table >[RESUPPLY] - Contains a small amount of food, cleaning supplies and spare parts to restock your lab. (-$150. Has enough supplies to stock your lab for 2 days.)Real food good, supplies good>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] - A jet black manual meant to 'teach' you what fear truly means. Offers a slight but permanent boost to MENTAL HEALTH, consumed on use. (-$250.)Permanent buff, cheap, hell yeah>[PISTOL AMMO x2] - You have a gun. You might as well get ammo for it. (-$100. Enough ammo to last two combat encounter.)surprise tool that will help us later>use coupon on static blood equipment reducing price to 100My math brings this to cost 700, sell 8 mold for 1416, left with like 1700, buy the >wire flower equipment for another 500, 1200ish left, sell another 2 wire flowers for shits and giggles leaving us with 1 and like 1400 sounds pretty good to me
>>6328844>>[MYSTERY BOX] - ??? (-$???. Write in how much money you want to spend on this. You'll get an item roughly equal in value to what you spent.)1000$, but also use the Coupon to save 800 so it only costs 200$>[BEER VENDING MACHINE] - Really good at increasing the morale of everyone inside your lab. "Prost!" - N. (-$333)>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)>[RESUPPLY] - Contains a small amount of food, cleaning supplies and spare parts to restock your lab. (-$150. Has enough supplies to stock your lab for 2 days.)>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your WIRE FLOWER sample. The item will likely have a strong COMMUNICATION-based property. (-$500 and 2 WIRE FLOWERS.)>[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your STATIC BLOOD sample. The item will likely grant you vastly improved stealth capabilities. (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET] - Scientifically engineered clothes meant to protect the wearer from extreme heat and extreme cold. May be necessary for certain anomalies. (-$222. Comes with two sets of uniforms.) CIGARETTE MOLD x7 (1,239)>YES. (Write in what item you'll use it on.)Mystery Box
>>6328844Changing vote from >>6328900 to backing >>6328927I don't know if we could use the MAN's eggs to duplicate our last STATIC BLOOD sample. If the STATIC SCALES generate more of it naturally then we can simply use that to farm more blood
>>6328844>>6328842>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your WIRE FLOWER sample. The item will likely have a strong COMMUNICATION-based property. (-$500 and 2 WIRE FLOWERS.)Use the 80% off coupon on this.STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your STATIC BLOOD sample. The item will likely grant you vastly improved stealth capabilities. (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] - A jet black manual meant to 'teach' you what fear truly means. Offers a slight but permanent boost to MENTAL HEALTH, consumed on use. (-$250.)>[CONTAINMENT CELL CONSTRUCTION] - Adds another containment cell to your lab, allowing you to host another profit-generating anomaly. (-$555)SELLCigarette mold x8Wire flowers x2That should leave us with $1232 afterwards.
>>6328844>Sell cigarette mold (4)>Sell Wireflower (2)>[PISTOL AMMO x2] -100>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3] -150>[RESUPPLY] -150>NoLeaving us with 1529
>>6328844>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] - ARC will create a rudimentary piece of anomalous equipment with your WIRE FLOWER sample. The item will likely have a strong COMMUNICATION-based property. (-$500 and 2 WIRE FLOWERS.)>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)>[CONTAINMENT CELL CONSTRUCTION] - Adds another containment cell to your lab, allowing you to host another profit-generating anomaly. (-$555)>[PISTOL AMMO x2] - You have a gun. You might as well get ammo for it. (-$100. Enough ammo to last two combat encounter.)>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3] - Accidentally developed during 'Argentina Salt Revolts' in 2019. Grants a short term immunity to biological and psychological contamination. (-$150)>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] - A jet black manual meant to 'teach' you what fear truly means. Offers a slight but permanent boost to MENTAL HEALTH, consumed on use. (-$250.)>[EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET] - Scientifically engineered clothes meant to protect the wearer from extreme heat and extreme cold. May be necessary for certain anomalies. (-$222. Comes with two sets of uniforms.)>sell 5x fag mold
could we get the beer vending machine for the barrack to have everyone in it like us a bit more?
oh shit we also should see if we can get other gameboy games for 199X and maybe some battery for the gameboy itself
>>6328844>[BEER VENDING MACHINE]>[A CAT] >[PISTOL AMMO x2]>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3]>[RESUPPLY]>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] >[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] >[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT]Use coupon on this.Sell: 7 CIGARETTE MOLD.
I can't believe no one wants to try getting a $1000 dollar mystery box but using the coupon to see if it would work.
>>6328844BUY>[MYSTERY BOX] (-$2000.)>[EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET] (-$250.)>[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] (-$250.)>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3] (-$150)>[PISTOL AMMO x2] (-$100.)>[RESUPPLY] (-$150.)SELL>9x CIGGY MOLD (+$1593)>3x WIRE FLOWER (+$330)>1x STATIC POLLEN (+$100)COUPON>YES, MYSTERY BOXShould leave us with $223?I'm for hiring LUCY and HIDAKA, which should leave us with $1.
what we need to do is to have a system with a centrifuge to purifie the disolving enzyme and sell it for more and have a way to produce it automaticaly
>>6329085How about SACA? we haven't checked out its upgrade yet
>>6329085Goodness gracious a $2000 dollar mystery box is affordable with the coupon? Big support. Ya know it sounds like we could even afford, and I shudder to consider it, a $3000 dollar Mystery Box with the coupon.Why stop there. If we sold everything we'd have $3244. So with a coupon we could afford a $16,000 Mystery Box and pay 3200.
Vote's not closed, I'm just going to offer some clarification to the mystery box chuds.You can use the coupon on it. I see no reason why not to. BUT!I'll cap the max amount of money you can spend on the mystery box right now to $3000. It would still cost a heavy amount of moolah, even with the coupon, but you're still a Level 0 nobody right now. You're not going to get some 16k death toy right this moment.
>>6329117Give me my facility nuke jack frost
>>6329121You couldn't afford an A.R.C Branded Dirty Bomb™, even with your coupon. Come back when you're a littleMMMMMMMRicher.
>>6329117>>6328842BUY>[MYSTERY BOX] (-$3000.) [-$600 with Coupon]>[EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET] (-$250.)>[STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT] (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT] (-$500 and 2 of 3 STATIC BLOOD samples.)>[ENCYOPLEDIA OF BEING AFRAID] (-$250.)>[MAN-MADE SALTS x3] (-$150)>[PISTOL AMMO x2] (-$100.)>[RESUPPLY] (-$150.)>[A CAT] - PLEASE GET RID OF IT NOW WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET RID OF THIS FUCKING THING HPEL (+$333. They are PAYING you to take this.)>[BEER VENDING MACHINE] (-$333)Also an Air Filter to collect In Limbo's Pollen. Instant money maker.-$2833+$ 333SELL>9x CIGGY MOLD (+$1593)>3x WIRE FLOWER (+$330)>1x STATIC POLLEN (+$100)+$2023COUPON>YES, MYSTERY BOXThat still leaves us with 524 dollars to hire people, AND we get the $3000 Mystery Box prize while only paying $600 for it.
>>6328844Changing vote from >>6328940 to backing this madman >>6329127
>>6328844>>6329085holy shit I forgot we had money to start off with.increase my MYSTERY BOX to $3000 please.
>>6329127Assuming we still have enough STATIC FLOWERS for their equipment after selling three of them for cash, I’ll back this play.
>>6329127Agree with this.
>>6328844Changing vote from >>6328927 to >>6329127If we can use the coupon on gambling hell yeah. It's not even next week yet so we should be fine on cash
>>6329127+1I hope you all realize that the cat is a trap pick. This fucker’s gonna bust out 199X someday by chewing a wire.
>>6329202Let it. We can ask 199X nicely to go back to his room
Okay, woo, there's a LOT of bullshit I got to check. Let's see. Okay, from what I see, the general consensus is everything within jls' giga vote. So that means you're getting-$3000 MYSTERY BOX -EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET-STATIC BLOOD EQUIPMENT-WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT-ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BEING AFRAID-MAN-MADE SALTS-PISTOL AMMO -RESUPPLY-A CAT-BEER VENDING MACHINE(If you're getting an air filter, it'll probably be via RESUPPLY or your mystery box, can't promise anything)Which, aside from the 3000 mystery box gambit, most of the votes combined tallied up into this (aside from building a containment cell). You also sold/spent all of your cigarette mold, wire flowers, static pollen and 2 out of 3 of your STATIC BLOOD samples. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a turn out like this from this catalog vote. Nor did I expect the $3000 mystery box gamble but I respect it.You now have...$524 and mountains of weird garbage being shipped to your lab soon. WaowYou know what? For the sake of my own personal amusement?I want four anons to roll 1d100 to determine what might be inside that mystery box. I won't tell you how the rolls influence what you get, it's a...M Y S T E R Y. Higher is better.
Rolled 80 (1d100)>>6329239Watch THIS
Rolled 89 (1d100)>>6329239
Rolled 95 (1d100)>>6329239Big numbers
Rolled 31 (1d100)>>6329239
you guys fucking scare me, you know that, right.i need to reread that funny ENCYCLOPEDIA to tolerate this bullshit.80, 89, 95, 31 has been tallied. Whatever is in that fucking box, it's going to be REALLY good. Writing. Should be a shorter update this time around, there's going to be some funny choices this update. See you then.
>>6329248Dont forget that >>6329244 got dubs too. Vincent is really good at gambling apparently.
Your eyes are immediately drawn towards the conspicuously labeled 'MYSTERY BOX' option. Normally, the items in this thing would have some sort of description scribbled next to them, even if they're riddled with typos or weird spellings.This listing has been scratched out by something sharp. If they wanted to redact it, they could've used a marker or a pen, but no. They don't want you to know ANYTHING about this option. They left you JUST enough to see that the option is there.A dumb, instinctual part of you wants to buy it. What kind of dumb bullshit would they ship over if you spent a LOT of money on this weird, mysterious listing? You consult your funds and samples to see how much you could reasonably spend on it.The Kotte™ would give you some extra money to play around with. You could always get more samples by working on your anomalies, so there's no reason to hold back, right?You take your pencil out, and you mark down everything you want from the catalog. Which, it turns out, is a LOT, but hey! You got money to spend! You're getting a promotion tomorrow! You might as well splurge and live a little.>YOU HAVE $524!>-WIRE FLOWERS, -STATIC POLLEN, -2 OF 3 STATIC BLOOD, -80% COUPON>MYSTERY BOX, MAN-MADE SALTS x3, BEER VENDING MACHINE, STATIC BLOOD + WIRE FLOWER EQUIPMENT, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BEING AFRAID, PISTOL AMMO x2, RESUPPLY, A CAT, and EXTREME WEATHER CLOTHING SET will arrive tomorrow!Right as you finish marking down what you want, you're hit with a full-body shiver.>80, 89, 95, 31!Something tells you that you made the worst and best decision of your life by picking the mystery box. Oh well, what's the WORST that could happen?You'll just take it on the chin like you always do. You'll endure and tolerate it; that's just what you do, Vinny. You toss the catalog over to that stupid robot who always pops in to collect it. Once it's gone, you collapse back into bed. Nothing matters anymore; you're tired, and you want a good night's sleep.The air is thick with the envious chittering of your dormmates. The lights in the barracks start to flicker, signaling that it's time for everyone to go to sleep. You're too worn out to really pay any attention to your surroundings. You do overhear some snippets from the conversations your dormmates are having.Apparently, a higher-up from ARC is coming down tomorrow to personally examine the lucky researchers who survived long enough to reach Level 1. They don't know much besides that they're insanely rich and they have ties to a 'specific City' somewhere in the middle of the desert.Another conversation you overhear has someone mentioning that there's apparently a 'new hallway' in Layer 2. A hallway that didn't exist only a few hours ago. They were certain that the hallway seemingly manifested out of thin air. It could be another place you could explore during your free time, maybe?
You're too tired to pay any more attention to what your dormmates are saying.Exhaustion soon overtakes you. An unfamiliar sensation creeps at the back of your mind: A dream. A genuine dream, laced with old half-forgotten memories. Your stomach twists in on itself as you begin to dream.You'll endure whatever horrors you see this time around.Choose which dream you're viewing tonight, Vincent. The dream you pick may subtly influence your stats.>Knee-deep in swamp muck. Your father barks orders at you. You have to find her. (You never did. Maybe you didn't want to find her.>A furious argument. You can't remember the details. Your vision turns RED. (Sticky, warm liquid coats your hands. Something runs down your face. You feel sick.)>A taut rope. Their limp body sways with the wind. You feel nothing. (You couldn't cry. No matter how hard you tried.)>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)>You're working overtime. The building should be empty but you swear you hear people talking. (You learnt something you shouldn't have.)>Hunger. Unbearable hunger. Your stomach growls. (Hunger begets hunger. Survival at any cost.)>A roaring fire. Raucous laughter. What have you gotten yourself into? (You just wanted someone to remember you, to acknowledge you.) >You dream of something else. (Write in.)I did say it would be a short update.
Didn’t manage to say this earlier, but hi, new namefag here, just caught up and loving all this so far.Really interested in exploring more of Vince’s past - am I correct in thinking we’ll get to pick another Trait with each promotion (i.e. the dream options folks passed up for Anomaly-Touched)? I think we’ve glimpsed enough context from Vincent’s past now to start unpacking what went down in that swamp scene where we failed to “find her.” Then again, since we opted to lean into OBLIGATION, it might be prudent to take the dream pertaining to when our OBLIGATION became too much and learn what’s up on that front.>>6329248lollmao, even.
>>6329334>Knee-deep in swamp muck. Your father barks orders at you. You have to find her. (You never did. Maybe you didn't want to find her.Oh shit, ninja’d by the QM. Guess my assumption was IMMEDIATELY vindicated, huh?
>>6329335>Really interested in exploring more of Vince’s past - am I correct in thinking we’ll get to pick another Trait with each promotionNot every dream is going to have a trait but all of them will affect Vincent in some way, mostly by revealing more of his past.That's all I'm going to say on the matter.
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn'tI love the rain
>>6329334>You're working overtime. The building should be empty but you swear you hear people talking. (You learnt something you shouldn't have.)>>6329334kill yourself, namefag!
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't
>>6329334>Knee-deep in swamp muck. Your father barks orders at you. You have to find her. (You never did. Maybe you didn't want to find her.
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)We've sure lead an eventful life.
>>6329334>>You're working overtime. The building should be empty but you swear you hear people talking. (You learnt something you shouldn't have.)Interesting. Sounds like Vincent had a pretty rough family life (presumably missing/suicidal family members from the first two options). The rainy night option sounds like running away from home? No idea what the hunger and fire mean, though.
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)>CAPTCHA: DMV G0
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RScZrvTebeA
>>6329334>You're working overtime. The building should be empty but you swear you hear people talking. (You learnt something you shouldn't have.)
>>6329334>A taut rope. Their limp body sways with the wind. You feel nothing. (You couldn't cry. No matter how hard you tried.)
>>6329334>>A taut rope. Their limp body sways with the wind. You feel nothing. (You couldn't cry. No matter how hard you tried.)
>You're working overtime. The building should be empty but you swear you hear people talking. (You learnt something you shouldn't have.)you know i wonder if we could keep the cat at the barrack not in our lab because that would allow make it a communal pets and people love those
>>6329334Changing my vote >>6329348 to>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never. (You couldn't bear the burden. You should've stayed but you didn't.)
>>6329334>A rainy night. No one's awake. It's now or never.
Tallying up everything. Way better turnout than I was expecting, honestly. I'm not complaining though, just shocked.SWAMP: pg4, fE5RAINY: jls, XsD, mW3, tTS, 5rc, WdA, JgH, rj6OVERTIME: Kko, 0Dk, Bkz, L/T, TZRTAUT ROPE: +IZ, 86+So. Vincent is remembering one particular rainy night. A night he rather not remember but alas. The rain couldn't wash away the guilt that clung onto him.thump thumpWriting the update now.
And so, you begin to dream. https://youtu.be/O7gz0QgJN7M - 'HOME'Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.You're a teenager again. You were 14, maybe 15; this was a while ago.It's another rainy night. There have been a lot more storms brewing down here lately. You think this is the fifth night in a row where your house has been caught by a downpour.Drip. Drip.The roof is beginning to yield to the constant torrent of rainwater. Your dad placed several buckets around the house to catch any leaks.Pitter-patter.You told him that he should've fixed the roof ages ago. He fired back by saying he doesn't have enough money to pay for it. You still remember him chewing you out, saying that if you cared so much, why don't YOU fix it?Sizzle. Sizzle.Your face is hovering over a shimmering stew of random shit you found in the fridge. It's time to cook for the whole family again. Your younger brothers and sisters are as impatient as ever. They keep pestering you about when the food's going to be done.Your father is watching some stupid game on the TV, trying to drown out the world with help from his trusty beer bottle.Your mother normally cooks for the family, but lately, she's been...different. Something's wrong with her brain. Over the last few months, she started to slur her words, and her memory has been getting worse and worse. She didn't even remember who you were today. You had to remind her that you were her son.She's still sleeping, last you checked. She's been sleeping a lot more these days. Your dad doesn't seem to care or notice, only saying that if she wants to rest, she can rest.You had to pick up the slack. You have to clean around the house, you have to cook, you have to take out the trash, and you even have to take care of her garden now. Why?You're the oldest. You're the man of the house while your old man is working yet another 14-hour shift. It's your responsibility, your obligation, your DUTY as a man to take care of your family.Your other siblings are too young to help. Your mother is barely able to take care of herself. Your father is too tired to do anything besides drink and sleep. So it all falls upon you to take care of everything here.This is your life now. Go to school, study, go back home, clean and cook, and sleep.30 GOTO 10You barely get any sleep anymore. You barely get any free time either. If you even THINK about taking a break, someone would chastise you.Your mother. Your father. Your siblings. It doesn't really matter who; they've all done it. And the worst part? You can't blame them; you are one of the only reasons this family hasn't fallen into ruin.Your father makes barely enough money to make ends meet. Last you heard, your family's financial situation is in the shitter. Your father makes sure that you remember that fact.
That he's the only reason why bills are being paid. That it's just one of the many obligations he's taken upon himself as the man of the house.Drip drip. Drip drip.It's funny, though. Only two days ago, you overheard your dad talking to one of your uncles over the phone. He was begging your uncle for another loan. It wasn't even the first time he asked him. You lost count of how many times he begged someone for another loan.The stew is done cooking. You serve it to the ravenous horde at the table. It's slop, but it's cheap and good enough to appease them for another day.Your mother comes out of her room to eat at the table with your father. You know you're going to have to clean the dishes once they're done.You don't even bother grabbing something to eat. You're not hungry, and besides, you probably have something else to tend to. You already know someone's going to start complaining about the food you tirelessly worked on.Like they have the right to complain. Whatever. You excuse yourself; you have to clean a bedroom or something; you'll eat later.Drip drip. Pitter-patter.It's late. The clock says it's around 12 AM right now. Everyone has already gone to bed...except for you. This is the one time of the day where you're allowed a break. Where no one is around to chew you out for not trying hard enough.You stare blankly at the powered-off TV. You wouldn't even dare to think about turning it on. You just can't think of anything else to stare at.Pitter-patter. Drip drip.You're slurping down a spoonful of ice-cold stew. It tastes awful now, but whatever, you need something on your stomach.A thought crosses your mind. An awful, awful thought. What if you just...left? It wouldn't even be that hard. You can pack a bag with clothes and whatever cash you saved up, and...you can just leave.No one would even hear you moving around. The rain would drown out any noise you made. You could leave. You could do literally whatever you want with your life.A grim smile crosses your face. It serves them right. They don't deserve you; you've done so much to provide for this family, and what? What have they done for you?The smile fades upon realizing what leaving would actually entail. Not for you, no, you'd benefit from this. Your family? That's a far, far different story.Your siblings are only being taken care of because you're there to watch over them. Your mother is clearly not fully there anymore, and seeing you leave? That might just cause her mind to decay even more. Your father?God knows what that man would do when he realizes you left. He'd take it out on someone. Your mother, your siblings, your other family members, and the people he works with.If you leave, you're damning everyone here. Your father certainly can't take care of the family. Your mother? That poor, poor woman.
You can't do this anymore. You just can't. They can't honestly expect you to live your life like this. Tending to everyone else and getting nothing in return.It's almost been half a year of this. Day in and day out. No breaks in sight. It's now or never. They'd stop you if they realized what you were doing.You head to your room. The relentless pitter-patter of rain hitting the room drowns out every move you make. You calmly stuff everything that belongs to you into an old backpack you have. Everything that you can carry, that is.The nearest town is two hours away by foot. It's going to be a long walk but anything, ANYTHING, is better than this.You put the backpack. You have to leave, now, before the storm stops. You exit through the front door, out into the tempest roaring outside.You can hardly see two feet in front of you, even with the flashlight you stole. Your rain poncho and wet boots barely protect you from the rain.You offer one last glance to your family home. A tiny voice in your head begs you to reconsider. That your mom, your siblings, they don't deserve this. It's your obligation to take care of them. To take care of them since your father failed to fulfill his own obligation.His obligation, his duty, to take care of his family....You'll come back, you lie to yourself. You'll come back once you've made enough money to support your family. You'll become an accountant or something, those guys make a lot of money, right?You can bullshit your way into becoming one, surely. You'll make it. You'll...You silently march forward, your footsteps drowned out by the rain. Your tracks will be washed away by the storm. It'll be like you were never there at all.You're a coward. You're a filthy, filthy coward for leaving your family behind, Vincent. That's what your father would say and the worst part?You agree with him.>For most of your life, you've been burdened by an endless stream of obligations. You've never known true respite, true rest.>You couldn't even find solstice by running away.>MAX PHYSICAL HEALTH has been slightly increased, bonus to ENDURANCE checks has risen from +4 to +6! You may unlock a new trait soonDAY 7!You didn't get any sleep tonight. You tried, oh, you tried but that dream. God, that dream, this...this isn't the first time you've had it. You refuse to dwell on how many times you've had this dream but it's at least in the high double digits. Maybe even low triple digit.The lights aren't even on. It's still night time or what constitutes 'night time' in this facility. You need to get up, you need to move around. You need to be anywhere BUT here, stuck with your thoughts.You scramble out of your sweat-soaked sheets and you make a beeline right out of the barracks/dorms/whatever you were sleeping in. The urge to drink some OBSCURA SYRAH is overwhelming at this point.
What do you want to do with your 'free time', Vincent? Choose the first location you want to head to. You'll pick two other locations to head down once you're done there.>Go to the cafeteria. Eat some slop, maybe someone else is awake, you can talk to them? (You'll meet up with two of your acquaintances.) >Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird.)>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe he can give you some advice involving your anomalies.>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what today's promotion actually entails, etc etc.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.>Head up to LAYER 1. You want to learn more of what that weird layer is actually all about. It creeps you out but...knowledge is power.>Write in.Sorry for the choppy update. Not sure what happened there.
>>6329840>Head up to LAYER 1. You want to learn more of what that weird layer is actually all about. It creeps you out but...knowledge is power.It's our home...
>>6329840>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)
>>6329840>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. We need cat supplies to keep our potentially anomalous cat occupied and entertained.
>>6329840>>6329856>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)Kingdom of Loathing has taught me that this is the way to progress
>>6329871+1
>>6329840>Write in.Let's go to the lost and found and try to find a fresh change of clothing, as well as supplies for the cat. Don't want to make a bad impression on that rich higher-up from Las Vegas/Ulanbataar/Urumqi/Samara/whatever.
>>6329860Change>>6329881+1
>>6329840Changing vote from >>6329876 to backing >>6329881
>>6329840>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe he can give you some advice involving your anomalies.What's he know about harvesters? Any ideas with 199X?
>>6329840>>6329914 +1
>>6329832Damn, my man can't catch a break>30 GOTO 10for the first time I searched this and learned rn it's a futurama reference>>6329840>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)
>>6329840>Head up to LAYER 1. You want to learn more of what that weird layer is actually all about. It creeps you out but...knowledge is power.
>>6329840>>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe he can give you some advice involving your anomalies.
>>6329840>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe he can give you some advice involving your anomalies
>>6329840 #>Use the map to explore LAYER 2. (Unlocks a new location to explore during FREE TIME before and after a SHIFT.)About time we get our starting layer fully explored. My money’s on the last as-of-yet explored landmark on this super basic floor being the laundromat. It’s only remaining “vital” facility left I can think of.
Rolled 1 (1d2)LAYER 1: vdQ, BkzLOST AND FOUND: ODK, WdA, 39RLAYER 2: JgH, tTS, +IZG, oEhABNORMALITY: Kko, L/T, 86+, 5rcEhhhh, time to roll a tiebreaker, I'm not going to wait any longer. 1 = LAYER 2 EXPLORATION, 2 = ABNORMALITY. Whatever I roll, I'm writing. >>6329940>Damn, my man can't catch a breakAlas, a man like him doesn't deserve pity. He needs to get on that 9-to-5 grindset, boy. He needs to WAKE UP EARLY, MAKE THAT CASH and GO IMMEDIATELY BACK TO BED.
You need to keep moving. You don't even know where you're going to go, you're just going to pick a random direction. You'll find another place to fuck around in, maybe you'll meet someone new, that'll be fun! Haha! Yeah, yeah, it'll be super duper deluxe fun! All you have to do is to keep moving. No matter what. That's what a good son does- No, no, don't dwell on the dream. Push it to the back of your mind, like you always do. You are Vincent Cruz: Yet Another Unwilling Employee of ARC. Good, good, you're already forgetting it.Your slightly improved senses pick up on something odd. There's something off with the fluorescent lighting in the hallway you're walking through. The light is far dimmer than it's supposed to be. The air lacks that all too familiar electric hum, leaving the hallway in complete and utter silence.Only the faintest sound of water rushing through pipes can be heard.It shouldn't be like this. At least, it wasn't like this for the last six days, so you wonder what changed. Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you. Maybe you woke up WAY too early? You try your best to ignore it, even though it's rubbing you the wrong way.Your footsteps echo throughout the empty hallway. You doubt Ashton is awake this early so you hope you can avoid being caught by one of the many, many other guards that patrol here. You don't want someone with a power trip to yell at you for some imaginary curfew or whatever.thump thump.Your head feels funny. You grit your teeth, trying to ignore any bad thoughts simmering inside of your brainmeat.You pull the LAYER 2 map out of your satchel, idly scanning it to see if there's anything interesting nearby. It takes a moment to reorient yourself but if the map's correct, you're close to...A gambling den? The map reads "GAMBLING DEN: SEMI-OFFICIAL", which doesn't offer much clarification. What does semi-official even mean? What you DO know is that it's only a few left turns away so, hey, you might as well visit it.With the help of your map, you soon find yourself in a hallway that clearly hasn't been maintained in a while. A thin layer of grime that faintly reeks of cigarettes cakes the walls and ceiling. The fluorescent lighting is tinted a dull brown thanks to the grime caking it as well.You instinctually know that this isn't any normal grime. Your GUNK KNOWLEDGE tells you that this has to be traces of your product - Someone's been smoking your stuff out here. Huh. You didn't really question where the cigarette mold was being shipped to but this must've been one of those places.There's a heavy set iron door, reminiscent of a ship bulkhead door, that's conspicuously missing the faint brown grime that's caked everything else in here. You guess this is where the gambling den is. You walk up to the door to open it annnnndddd that's going to be an issue.There's no keycard scanner. There's only an old, slightly rusty valve on the door.
You presume that's how you're meant to open it, at least. Said valve refuses to move in the slightest. You hear something shuffling behind the door. Shit, shit, you try to think of what to say.A muffled voice calls out from behind the thick metal door. "Who goes there? Only authorized members of the Ace's Low are allowed in. If you don't know who those are, you REALY shouldn't be here."Well, you don't know who those guys are, but that sounds like a squad nickname. MAYBE for an ETF or Security Guard squad? Probably ETF, actually, now that you think about it."I'm the guy who makes CIGARETTE MOLD? You smoked a buncha of it outside." Whoever's behind that door is conspicuously quiet all of a sudden. You can barely make out three different voices muttering and chattering to each other behind the door. "Grey skin? Sad, puppy dog eyes?" A vaguely familiar voice asks."Guy who wanted us to get a CD?" Another vaguely familiar voice questions you."Yeah? It's me, Vincent." The door awkwardly swings open once your identity is 'confirmed'. Huh, that was easy enough. You quickly duck into the room before anyone can see you loitering around out here. The thick metal door seals shut behind you - Your only exit is now sealed. You hope you didn't make a horrid, horrible mistake.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td4JebtRw98 - GAMBLING DENThe air stinks of cigarette mold, cheap booze and sweat. Your slightly sensitive nose also picks up on traces of dried blood, a smell which you're getting uncomfortably used to. You can hardly see three feet in front of you with the sheer quality and density of smoke floating in the air. It doesn't help at all that this place is already poorly lit, with only one or two lightbulbs desperately trying to light the den. From what you can make out, this seems like an old break room that's been reproposed as a gambling den. The layout is similar enough from what little of it you can see.The small room is packed with all manners of gambling paraphernalia. Slot machines, roulette tables, blackjack tables, you fuckin' name it. It almost reminds you of Las Vegas, at least, from what you've seen of it on TV. You've never been to it yourself.Your attention is drawn towards the three agents in tactical gear standing right in front of you. One's a woman with dirty blonde hair and a masquerade mask hiding her face, one's a man with slick black hair and a five o'clock shadow, and the last one is a...automaton? The third one's body is made out of cheap, mass produced steel that has seen its fair share of combat related wear and tear. They're far smaller than SACA is, closer to NOWHERE'S SOMMELIER in terms of build and stature. Their face is a cracked LED screen, which has two big cartoony purple eyes displayed on it.Oh, shit, you recognize two of them. Moxxie and Edward, your met them on DAY 5. You're not sure who their other friend is but..."Hey?" You try to break the silence.
"Vince." Edward places a hand on your shoulder. "Do you want to reach nirvana?""Whuh-""Because this here, my friend, this is where boys become men. This is where girls turn into women. This might be too much for someone like you. I'll give you a chance to back out now." He speaks with a cold, grave tone as if this is genuinely life or death."The speech you are rehearsing to this pallid granite-skinned acquaintance of ours has already grown quite tiresome.""Aw, c'mon, Mox. Let me have some fun.""I-Agree-With-Her." The robot chirps out in a sing-song voice. "Hello-Vincent! You-May-Call-Me-Monifa. Nice-To-Make-Your-Acquaintance.""Nice to meet you?" You awkwardly smile at the robot. "So, uhm, can I gamble here?" You're not really sure what else to do here."Of-Course! Where-Would-You-Like-To-Start-First?"Welp. You still got some excess money to play around with. Which game do you want to play? Pick one.MONEY AVAILABLE: $524>SLOTS. All luck, no skill. (-$75. 4d6 will be rolled. Your prize scales with how many identical numbers you roll.)>BLACKJACK. It's more math than luck, right? (-$50, DC 65, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your MENTAL HEALTH. Moderate payout if you win.)>POKER. You have a damn good poker face. (-$100, DC 60, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your composure. Moderate payout if you win.)>ROULETTE. C'MON BABY PUT IT ALL ON BLACK. (-$150. Pick ODD or EVEN. 5d6 will be rolled. If you get ODD and get 3+ ODD numbers, you win a hefty payout, and vice-versa with EVEN.)>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)>You're fine for now. No gambling for you today.>Try to find another game...(Write in.)Who do you want to talk to while you gamble? Pick one.>EDWARD. He's the most sane and cognizant of the three, he's probably easy to talk to.>MOXXIE. She has the closest ties to ARC, maybe she can tell you more about them.>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?I'm sorry for the delay. Sleep overcame me and I only now just woke up.Reposting to fix a typo I just noticed.
>>6330528>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)Best way to forgot those pesky memories, did we have any sandwiches left from the recent cooking lol>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?ROBOT SIGHTED
>>6330529You have four, yes, but it might take more than one to fully heal a bullet blowing your hand apart.It would be good research data, though.
>>6330528>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)>Moxxie
>>6330531Maybe its there hand which will blow up and we can sell tehm sandwiches. Either way the sandwiches get stale if we don't eat them after all...Also 25%? Why do these revolvers have 4 holes in the cylinder instead of 6
>>6330528>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?Vincent, engage your non-human rizzSpecifically our left hand, try to get Slumbering Dream to pucker up first
>>6330535because a 1/6 wouldn't really be that threatening in this context? A 1/6 chance of death is scary, a 1/6 chance of losing a hand is less so.I suppose 1/3 would be more accurate, but eh. I'm not going to change the odds now. It's game abstraction. Same thing with time tokens.
>>6330539Left hand between the thumb and forefinger if we can do so without being called a pussy.
>>6330543Thats fine I was just giggling to think the revolver had 4 holes lol
>>6330528>>You're fine for now. No gambling for you today.C'mon guys, if we blow our hand off we are probably gonna lose time tokens for our work today. I'd also be wary of eating more than one sandwich due to side effects. Not worth it.>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?
>>6330528>SLOTS. All luck, no skill. (-$75. 4d6 will be rolled. Your prize scales with how many identical numbers you roll.)I’m ready to roll 3 nat 100s>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?Clanker
>>6330528>POKER. You have a damn good poker face. (-$100, DC 60, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your composure. Moderate payout if you win.)>MOXXIE. She has the closest ties to ARC, maybe she can tell you more about them.
>>6330528>POKER. You have a damn good poker face. (-$100, DC 60, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your composure. Moderate payout if you win.)And>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?Worldbuilding LORE
>>6330528 #>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)- Also a 1 in 2 chance to potentially sell a sandwich to the loser. (+$50 more than the catalogue vendor’s assessed sale value of it, I forget how much that is.)1 in 4 odds makes sense as a rough approximation if you play until one of the four players present “loses.”>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?Non-human rizz, engage!
>>6330528>POKER. You have a damn good poker face. (-$100, DC 60, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your composure. Moderate payout if you win.)The composure improvement is the best prize here.Doesn't matter who we speak to, I just want customer feedback about 'our' cigarette mold.
speaking of automaton i wonder how the somelier would react to one of those
>>6330528>POKER. >MONIFA.
also we should see if we can inmprove on the cigaret mold and maybe with our now red mold with thc see if we can extract say thc in a way that make it mass producible because with how easy say mold can reproduce it would be a pretty nifty thing that could be sold even outside of the ficility at MASSIVE scale
>>6330528>>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?
>>6330528>POKER. You have a damn good poker face. (-$100, DC 60, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your composure. Moderate payout if you win.)>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?
>>6330640We still haven't tested the CHERRY RED MOLD yet. We still haven't dumped IN LIMBO's white wine off SOMMELIER into the cigarette mold to get a brand new mold to learn about and farm up Same for whatever all these other new untested anomalous items will give us in wine and then in mold.The best and easiest way for Vincent to get rich is unironically to become a mold farmer. I'm talking like half a dozen different vats growing all different mold types.Classic regular cigarette mold? That's 1.Cherry red wine mold off of SOMMELIER's usual? That's 2.Using the wine based on IN LIMBO?That's 3. Get a new mold using wine based on 199X? That's 4.Get a new mold using wine based on the NEON BLUE FLESH? That's 5.Get a new mold using wine based on DIE TO SEXUALIZE? That's 6.Get a new mold using wine based on STATIC BLOOD AND SCALES? That's 7.Mold that ices looniesMold that plays moviesMold that hides glowiesMold that sticks richesMold that hugs bitchesMold that does it all and it's right there for us to exploit for MONEY
>>6330528>RUSSIAN ROULETTE: NON-LETHAL. 'We-Shoot-Our-Hands, Not-Our-Heads!' (No money needed. 25% chance you take some NASTY PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. High payout whether you win or lose.)Fuck it.>MOXXIE. She has the closest ties to ARC, maybe she can tell you more about them.
>>6330528>>BLACKJACK. It's more math than luck, right? (-$50, DC 65, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your MENTAL HEALTH. Moderate payout if you win.)>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?
>>6330659+1
>>6330528>BLACKJACK. It's more math than luck, right? (-$50, DC 65, +7 from WAGESLAVE COMPOSURE. May improve your MENTAL HEALTH. Moderate payout if you win.)>MONIFA. What the hell IS this thing? Are robot ETFs common? Who made it?
RUSSIAN ROULETTE: jls, +vt, fev, pg4, L/T, BkzNO GAMBLE: 0DKSLOTS: yyWPOKER: Kko, WdA, Xhh, rj6, JgH, JjyBLACKJACK: 86+, +IZMONIFA: jls, fev, 0DK, yyW, WdA, pg4, rj6, L/T, JgH, Bkz, 86+, Jjy, +IZMOXXIE: +vt, KkoEhhhhhhhh. I'm going to use QM FIAT here and say that you go with POKER, since far more people wanted to play a non-'blow your hand' off game. (9-6, with 0DK voting to not play). That's fair, right?It was either that or flipping a coin, and I don't feel like leaving this up to chance given the serious risks of RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Ironic, I know, not wanting to leave the vote up to chance when it's a gambling vote.also MONIFA won in a fucking landslide, you guys really like your robots, huh.Three anons, roll 1d100+7. Table below.0 SUCCESSES: Okay, your poker face actually sucks ass. (You lose and you feel like shit after playing. Your composure slightly improves as a consolation prize.)1 SUCCESS: You're still a bit rattled after tonight's dream. You tried your best. (You break even and you get a slight boost to your COMPOSURE.)2 SUCCESSES: Clear mind, clear mirror, clear water. Stay focused, stay calm. (You win a small amount of cash and you get a moderate boost to your COMPOSURE.)3 SUCCESSES: Read 'em and weep. (You win a decent sum of cash and you get a sizable boost to your COMPOSURE.)
Rolled 56 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6330993
Rolled 98 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6330993
Rolled 23 + 7 (1d100 + 7)>>6330993
Like the song goes 2 out of 3 aint bad, and thats 105 so maybe a little bonus on chewsday innit. Its also 11 11.
Annnnd you got two successes! Guess Vincent ain't half bad at playing poker. Granted, it's hard to read any real emotion from his cold, dead wageslave stareBecause 5rc rolled 000 and above a 100, let's just say Vincent's hand was anomalously good. Writing.
I can't believe that Slumbering Dream knows how to help cheat at cards.
don't shoot your hand don't shoot your hand don't shoot your hand-You're suddenly hit with a seething headache. A sharp and incessant pain, like a hammer being smashed into your forehead, makes any attempt at generating a coherent thought impossible. You grit your teeth as you try to endure through the pain.>Your MENTAL HEALTH is now DOING FINE!A sweet, floral smell hits your nose. Seems like your flower decided to snap you out of your headache. Handy little thing, eh?>Your MENTAL HEALTH resets back to DOING GOOD!"Are-You-Okay? :?" An emoticon flashes across Monifa's screen. You suppose that's how she makes facial expressions? You didn't notice it until now, but its voice is really, really weird. It's highly compressed, like it's from an old FMV video game, but it sounds convincingly human, unlike SACA's voice.The only thing truly odd about it is how slowly she speaks. She really takes her time with every word she says."Uh, I'm fine, yeah. Didn't get much sleep, that's all." Your face contorts back to its default mask: an impassive, neutral expression. You can't be too emotional around these people; you don't really know them. "You have poker, right?""Oh!" Edward points a pair of finger guns at you. "I knew you were the type, man. Yeah, we got poker. How much do you have to play with?""I got, like, $500?""That is an adequate amount of funds for that particular game of chance." Moxxie gestures towards something hidden inside the fog. "It is a rule of this den of sin that we require four players to play such a game. With your inclusion, it is now possible for another game to start.""huh." "She-Wants-You-To-Play-With-Me-And-Edward!" "Oh, right. Yeah, I'm in."You're escorted over to an empty wooden table. It was clearly something the agents repossessed from one of their many anomaly containment missions, given all of the dried blood on it. The four of you sit around the table as Edward begins to shuffle the deck."So, we like to keep our games here fast." Edward taps his fist against the old wood. "One round, $50 up front. You know how to play poker, right?""The basics. I used to play it with some of my coworkers." The truth is more that you were forced to play during mandatory 'fun days' back at your office. You shift your gaze over to Moxxie. "Say, wouldn't a mask be cheating? It's difficult to read your face with it on.""We both wear masks to hide our visages, Vincent." She calmly adjusts her mask. "For within all humans lies a mask that hides within the shadows of their subconscious. A mask hidden even from the one who wears the mask.""Good-Thing-I-Am-Not-Human-Right?" Monifa chirps out. "Hehe. Humans-Are-Funny-You-Know. :p""What are you, even?" You ask as you throw your $50 into the 'pot.' "A-Robot-Duh!" Monifa taps her cracked screen. "Is-It-Not-Obvious? :?""I got that much, but what kind of robot are you? You don't act like a SACA unit."
Monifa recoils in disgust. "SACA-Units-Are-Dumb! >:(""Of-Course-I-Do-Not-Act-Like-One. Even-If-We-Were-Born-From-The-Same-Mother." Monifa pauses as she checks the cards that were dealt to her. "Metaphorically."Two cards are slid over to you. You briefly check them to see what you got. Oh, those cards fucking suck!You got a 3 and 4 of diamonds. The best you can hope for is a flush, MAYBE a full house, but even then it would be easy to beat if someone got a better flush/full house."So, you were made by ARC?" "Indeed. I-Am-A-Prototype-Model-Made-By-ARC-For-Field-Missions. I-Was-Meant-To-Assist-ETF-Agents." She gestures towards Moxxie and Edward, who are too busy checking their cards to pay attention. You notice the briefest grin flash across Ed's face.Everyone else, including you, has a stone-cold poker face."Ah, no wonder why I didn't see something like you before. If you don't mind me prying, how do you exactly assist your fellow ETFS?""My! Getting-To-The-Point-Huh? :p" Monifa's screen displays a loading icon as she tries to think of a way to answer your question. As you wait, Edward deals three cards for the flop.Oh, that's not good. 2 of Diamonds, Ace of Spades, King of Hearts. You have NOTHING to work with here. You can't let the others know that."Well!" Monifa snaps back to reality. "ARC-Created-Me-To-Deal-With-Specifically-Cognitohazardous-And-Infohazardous-Anomalies. I-Can-Perceive-Things-That-Would-Kill/Hurt-Normal-Humans.""My-Creation-Was-Hastened-Due-To-GOI401-Or-'Refracted Mirror Collective'." She lowers her voice until it's almost a whisper. "They're-A-Known-Anomalous-Art-Organization-Who-Produces-Excessive-Amounts-Of-Info/Cognitohazardous-Materials.""Their-Art-Also-Sucks-Really-Hard-BTW. Amateur-Stuff-DESU.""Oh. Well," You try to think of a polite thing to say. "I bet you're pretty good at your job then. You got all of those cracks on your screen, but you're still kicking.""Must be a pretty good ETF agent, all things considered. Heck, a robot that appreciates art too? That's pretty neat." You're never been the artistic type but you still respect those who enjoy the finer arts.Her screen turns a bright shade of purple. "Well, I wouldn't say that-" Oh, she's speaking a LOT faster now. "Butthankyouanywaysthatsveryniceofyouvincent.""Damn." Edward whistles out a low, drawn-out tone. "Haven't heard her talk that fast in a while.""It is impressive to see such a convincing simulacrum of embarrassment from a machine of steel, plastic, rubber, and wires." Moxxie nods sagely. "Call.""Check." You tap your knuckles against the table."Check!" Monifa does the same after she calms down."Check." Edward does the same as everyone else. He draws from the deck, placing another card on the table.5 of Diamonds. Okay, you could possibly get a flush now, but any flush you can make from this SUCKS. That also relies on you getting another Diamond card.You look at the other players to try to get a read on them.
The left corner of Edward's mouth is curled upwards; he's clearly proud of what card he has. He might have pocket Aces or an Ace-King.It's hard to read Moxxie but she's staring HARD at the four cards on the table. She's not sure if she has a good enough hand. Maybe she has a Queen and Jack, trying to make a Straight?Monifa? Monifa doesn't really have a regular face, so you can't read her at all. "Raise." Moxxie tosses $25 down. "Call." You throw another $25. Monifa and Edward all respond with a call, leaving the total pot at $300.Edward deals the last card. An Ace of Diamonds. Edward can hardly hide the smug smirk he's wearing. Shit, if he has pocket aces, that would mean he has four of a kind. At worst, he has a full house, which beats your flush no matter what.A sweet, floral smell hits your nose. You can feel the vine hidden in your forearm squirming, as if trying to get your attention. You notice that it's pointing at your cards, trying to drawn your attention back to them.3 and 4 of Diamonds. Your other Diamond cards are 5, 2, and Ace. That's just a flush, right? Why-Wait, WAIT, hold on! That's a straight flush! An incredibly weak one, but that doesn't matter; you don't think anyone else can make a straight flush! You won!!!Okay, okay, Vincent. Calm down. Don't show it in your face.>2 SUCCESSES!"Check." "Check.""Check.""Raise." An ear-to-ear smirk crosses Edward's face. "$25."The other players awkwardly squirm in their seats. Moxxie grits her teeth, and with a sigh, she tosses another $25 into the pot.You show no reaction to Edward's bet, tossing in another $25. So does Monifa. Edward is the first to show his cards. As expected, he has pocket aces. An Ace of Hearts and Clubs. "Four of a kind, baby! C'mon, let's see what you guys got!Monifa throws her cards down. A King of Hearts and a 5 of Clubs. Two pair. She slumps against her chair, groaning about the $100 she just lost. "This-Game-Sucks!!! Augh!!!"Moxxie shows her cards. A 3 of Clubs and a 4 of Hearts. She had a straight. "Disappointing. I was hoping I would win.""Alright, Vinny, show us your cards." Edward smirks, waiting to rub his victory in. "What ya got? A high card? A pair? Hard to read with that mug of yours."You throw your cards down. "Straight Flush. A-2-3-4-5 of Diamonds."The whole room goes silent. Dozens of eyes are locked onto you. You can feel the intense, piercing stares of at least twenty different ETF agents. You do your best to keep up your impassive mask. "That wins, right? Straight Flush beats Four of a Kind.""How did- What the-" Edward's brain short-circuits at the sight of your hand. The only hands that could beat his Ace Four of a Kind were a Straight or Royal Flush; no wonder he thought he was going to win. You calmly collect the $400 lying on the table. You won it fair and square; that's just how the game went.>+$300, since you had to spend $100 to play. You now have $824!>Your COMPOSURE BONUS increases to +9!
You suddenly feel very unwelcome here. You excuse yourself from the table before any of the agents can process what just happened.Right as you're about to reach the door, you feel two hands on your shoulder. One cold and rubbery, one warm and firm."Hey." Edward whispers under his breath. "Turn around."You slowly spin around to see the face of the man who's about to kill you- Wait, why is he smiling."Hot damn, Vince! I didn't know you had that in you!" Edward pats you on the shoulder. "C'mon, man, no need to act so tense. We weren't mad.""My good dude, your friends were staring at me like they wanted to kill me."Edward glances back at the still scowling ETF agents in the background. "Oh, don't mind them, they probably just don't like me losin' to a non-ETF. Brotherhood and all that shit.""Waow." That's all Monifa wrote. Or said, in this case."Hey, maybe you can be my good luck charm. I can zap your mojo, all of that. Or at least bring Moxxie or Monifa along. Share your luck, man!"Huh. Well, you suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a temporary companion until your shift starts. Who do you want to bring along? Choose one.>MONIFA. Robot is friend shaped.>MOXXIE. You want to know more about this weird, cagey agent>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.>You rather be by yourself, thanks.Where do you want to do with the rest of your free time? Pick two.>Go to the cafeteria. Eat some slop, maybe someone else is awake, you can talk to them? (You'll meet up with two of your acquaintances.)>Wander around, see what you can stumble across. (RANDOM ENCOUNTER. Could be good, bad or plain old weird.)>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Head down to ABNORMALITY MATERIALS STORAGE. You want to talk to Rudolf for a bit. Maybe he can give you some advice involving your anomalies.>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what today's promotion actually entails, etc etc.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.>Head up to LAYER 1. You want to learn more of what that weird layer is actually all about. It creeps you out but...knowledge is power.>Start the day early. (Can be picked up to two times. Grants you +2 TIME TOKENS at the start of your SHIFT.)>Write in.
>>6331071>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)I have a good feeling about this.
>>6331071>MOXXIE. You want to know more about this weird, cagey agent>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)Moxxie fashion to pick out our new wardrobe
>>6331071>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>Take EdwardAn opportunity like this does not come often. Let’s go beat the fuck out of an anomaly.
>>6331093+1Not the first time Vincent has had to dress nice for a higher-up at a job. He's used to this. Moxxie is just there for another pair of eyes
>>6331071>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.Coming soaked in the blood of anomalies is a good first impression. If not, then we have spare lab coats anyways.As useful as the robot seems, Vincent can already identify anomalies on his own. He needs another hand helping him beat the shit out of anomalies.FREE TIME (Pick two.)>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.LOOT, GLORY, POWER!!!Mostly GLORY today though.You can be a researcher who beats the shit out of their anomalies to subdue them, or you can be one which appeases them. Vincent is capable of both.We're also considerably wealthier than other zeros, all the shit in our lab speaks for itself.Someone who can make dough and keep anomalies contained for ARC is promotion material, I doubt we'll have to say much.Don't worry about our health, we have the sandwiches.
ok we should maybe see how monifa and sommelier would interact
>>6331071>MOXXIE.>Go to the cafeteria.>Head down to LOST and FOUND.Get cat supplies as well.
>>6331071RMC sounds like a more amateur and less evil AWCYI can't unsee Monifa as looking like Omega Kerfur.>MOXXIE. You want to know more about this weird, cagey agent>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.I'm sure NOTHING will go wrong in this hallway and we will not lose ANY dignity, sanity or limbs in the process.
>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.We got a warning about Moxie, so let's play it safe and bring him on our Anomalous Adventures.FREE TIME (Pick two.)>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.If this one has an anomaly inside we should do that one while we have backup.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)First impressions are everything. Let's just hope we don't pick up something stinky. Make sure we do this after the archive or we're gonna get weird goo all over it or something.(You're supposed to pick two actions for free time, you guys.)Also, QM, do we get a composure bonus for doing poker good?
>>6331134Ye. Right here.>+$300, since you had to spend $100 to play. You now have $824!>Your COMPOSURE BONUS increases to +9!Your bonus before was +7. It's not a major bonus but a permanent bonus IS a permanent bonus. Vincent isn't the type of person who gets large, spontaneous bursts of power. Usually.>>6331127>I'm sure NOTHING will go wrong in this hallway and we will not lose ANY dignity, sanity or limbs in the process.Hey, at least you got those healing sandwiches if shit goes sideways. :)Not sure if you have anything that would heal your dignity, though. If there's even any dignity to lose.
qm i have a big question can we buy a washing machine to put in the barrack?
>>6331138We do have a little bit of dignity. We are COOL, after all.
>>6331143Well, with your upcoming promotion today, you'll probably won't be in the barracks anymore but you could. For some goodwill.Usually any purchases are reserved for catalog votes but if you stumble across someone who sells stuff in this facility, or could reasonably deliver a washing machine, I might consider adding it as an option?It'd probably cost some decent pocket change, though, washing machines ain't cheap.
>>6331138Oh, I just didn't notice it there. Whoops.
>>6331146i mean with how we could find enough part to make a whole AC in the junk pile we might be able to find the part for a washing machine in it
>>6331071>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.
>>6331071>MONIFA. Robot is friend shaped.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.Monifa seems like she'd be useful in our conquest of the Archive since she specializes in handling info/cognitohazard anomalies.
Huh, could Monifa be able to perceive The Man? Since the anomaly affecting him is probably some kind of cognitohazard. I just hope she won't go all ETF on his ass.
>>6331186that's an exelent question but that would be kinda strange because well they have both been there for a few years so them never meeting is unlikely
>>6331186I was thinking that too but surely the Man would have run into Monifa at some point since he knew about this gambling den. Either Monifa can't perceive him either or the Man actively avoids her.
>MONIFA. Robot is friend shaped.maybe she can see the unredacted info about 199x
>>6331184Support. Just because I love robots
>>6331071>MOXXIE. You want to know more about this weird, cagey agent>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Head up to LAYER 1. You want to learn more of what that weird layer is actually all about. It creeps you out but...knowledge is power.
>>6331071>MONIFA. Robot is friend shaped.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>>Cat supplies! X3 (Also, maybe new clothes.)>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.Guys, didn’t MONIFA mention she was made to hard-counter mental BS, which is implied to be the Archive anomaly’s whole deal in preventing digitization?
>>6331071>MOXXIE. You want to know more about this weird, cagey agent>Check up on FET. You want to hang out with your 'fellow human'.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.
>>6331071>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Head down to HUMAN RESOURCES. You want to learn some more specifics about ARC, what today's promotion actually entails, etc etc.
>>6331015I bet Slumbering Dream could pull a card out of Vincent's sleeve if they practiced. Now does it have its own way to see or is it using Vincent's vision or knowledge to 'see'? Could it reach around and look at someone elses cards.
>>6331362Is cheating in a game of cards against ETF agents really a good idea?
>>6331071>EDWARD. Well, if he wants your good luck, he should come with you.>Head down to LOST and FOUND. Get some new clothes to impress the important ARC higher up. (DC 50, no modifiers. Will improve your odds of a good first impression with the ARC higher up.)>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier. The one that supposedly has an anomaly hiding inside. Loot, power, glory.
>>6331126Change >>6331071>MONIFA. >Head down to LOST and FOUND.Search for cat supplies as well.>Search for that 'ARCHIVE' room the MAN told you earlier.
>>6331390No no you see if we keep winning they'll assume we're cheating with anomaly power anyway. We need these cheating skills to lose every now and then
>>6331071>MONIFA. Robot is friend shaped.>Search for that mysterious hallway your coworkers were talking. It sounds like a place that'd offer you loot, power, glory.
Alright, let's see. I did say to pick two but I'll just cobble together the single votes to see what the general consensus is.FRIEND?MOXXIE: jls, SoF, 0pz, Bkz, +IZEDWARD: +vt, Xhh, gb6, /vg, L/T, ODKMONIFA: rj6, 9Va, pg4, +q0, sZZWHERE TO?LOST AND FOUND: fE5, jls, SoF, rj6, 0Pz, gb6, 9Va, Bkz, pg4, L/T, 0DK, sZZHUMAN RESOURCES: L/TLAYER 1: BkzFET: +IZARCHIVE: +vt, Xhh, rj6, gb6, /vg, 9Va, pg4, +IZ, 0DK, sZZHALLWAY: Xhh, 0PZ, /vg, +q0So, all and all, it appears that Edward barely won out as your temporary companion. You're also going to LOST AND FOUND and you'll deal with whatever is in the ARCHIVE. Good thing you're bringing backup.Three anons, roll 1d100. DC 50, table below. You get the gist.0 SUCCESSES: WHY IS THERE ONLY CATFOOD IN HERE. (No clothes. You find some cat food and other random junk.)1 SUCCESS: Eugh. You suppose this will work? (The clothes you find aren't much better but it's something. You still find some cat food.)2 SUCCESSES: Dress to impress, Vincent, dress to impress. (These new clothes are sure to make a good first impression. Alas, still more cat food.)3 SUCCESSES: Oh ho? (You find some REALLY fancy stuff. High quality, way outside of your paycheck clothing. Yet, still more cat food...)
Rolled 32 (1d100)>>6331469let's go
Rolled 15 (1d100)>>6331469
Rolled 45 (1d100)>>6331469
>>6331470>>6331471>>6331472You'll find a lot of stuff in Lost in Found. Maybe even something useful! But the reason you went there, to get a new outfit?Ha. No.Blame this thing.Writing.
well then seem like the idea of having a communal washing machine is more and more interesting
>>6331473
>>6331473I must once again commend you QM.It’s hard to do a quest where the protag is kind of an unlucky fuckup without making the quest a drag.You have hit the balance perfectly. It is hilarious.
Zap your mojo? What year does this guy think it is, 1973? Well, it wouldn't hurt to have someone following behind you. Especially since there's one certain ARCHIVE room you want to investigate.Sure, you have a gun, a funny knife-spear-makeshift weapon thing, and some weird glasses. Edward's an ETF agent who probably saw lots of anomalies during his career, and he's still ALIVE! "Fine. Ed, you're coming with me.""Nice. I'd drink to that." Edward reaches down to grab something from his belt. You can barely make it out through the smog but you think it's a flask?He takes a quick swig from his flask. "Ah. That's the good stuff. You want some?" He offers the flask to you."No, uh, I got to work later." You do NOT trust whatever's inside that mystery flask."Fair!" He puts away the flask. "See ya later, Moxxie, Monny. I'm gonna hang out with this guy for a while.""See-You-Soon!" You detect a trace of envy in her heavily modulated voice."It is imperative that I warn you, Vincent, about that man. He is an expert of chicanery, legerdemain and deceit. Do not let thine ears be honeyed by his sickly sweet words." You can't tell if Moxxie is being serious or if it's her poor attempt at a joke. "Ahhh, don't listen to 'er. C'mon, let's go." He gestures at you to follow him outside. You eagerly accept his offer to get the hell out of here.You're back outside, where the walls and ceiling are caked in the faint residue of your own product: Cigarette Mold. Well, it's a product left behind by another researcher, but semantics."So, how are people liking my product?" You point towards the brown residue on the floor."The mold, yeah?" Edward's gaze briefly snaps towards the residue. "I don't smoke that stuff myself. Tried it once and it tasted like piss, man." Edward recoils as he remembers the taste of the cigarette mold. "You should really work on that.""But, ARC's been giving it to a LOT of my brothers in blue. It's very popular, actually, just not with me.""No wonder why that place was 80% smoke by volume." You dust off the thin layer of ash covering your suit. "Augh.""Yeahhhh. Job's pretty stressful. We all have our vices, man." Edward taps at the flask hanging off his belt. "So, Mr. Cigarette Man, before we go anywhere? Catch." Something is rapidly flying towards your face. Your vine immediately reacts, launching out of your hand to ensnare whatever he threw at you.Edward's eyes briefly widen with shock but he rapidly regains his composure. "Huh, so it wasn't just a flower, eh?""Nope." The vine recedes back into your arm, leaving behind the object he threw at you. It's a CD case. "Oh, you actually- I forgot about this."Mmh hmm. Two discs are in there. Monifa burnt them herself. There should be four songs split between the two of 'em.">ROCK/METAL SONG DISCS obtained! (Useful for appeasing 199X.)"Thank you." You throw the case into your satchel. "So, I got two places I gotta stop by. LOST and FOUND's the first one."
"Ahhh, dumpster diving. I used to do that with a good friend of mine. O13 was a hoot, man, funny guy." "Is that his actual name?""Nah. Poor dude doesn't remember his actual name. Anyways, enough about me. Let's go dumpster-diving, man."And so you do. It doesn't take long to arrive at LOST and FOUND. You and Edward shimmy inside of the crammed, filthy room. As usual, it's filled to the brim with all manners of garbage and trash that's dumped here through a pipe in the ceiling."Ya know, the last anomaly I captured for ARC was a giant pile of trash. Like, GIANT, man. Went all of the way up to the ceiling.""Really?" Doubt creeps into your voice. "How exactly would an anomaly like that work?"Edward kneels before a pile of random trash. He stuffs his hands into it, trying to search for something. "It tried to lure you in with something you want. Something you longed for, your heart's desire.""Everything it tried to make to lure me in was obscene, a parody, an insult in comparison to what I wanted. Like "modernizing" an old movie." Edward's mouth twists into a sneer. "Anomalies always try to get into your head, man."You briefly ponder what that trash pile would make to lure you in. Ah, anything you want would probably be too ephemeral or vague for that anomaly to make.You start digging through the LOST AND FOUND garbage for anything useful. Maybe some new clothes for when you meet that weird ARC higher-up lady? That'd be nice.>0 SUCCESSES!Oh. It's a can of wet cat food. The label is so worn out that you can only make out two Ts across the whole can. Odd but maybe there's something else.Another can of wet cat food. Hm. You dig again.Another can. You try again. Another can. You try again. Another can. You try again. Another can. You try again. Another CAN. YOU TRY AGAIN!!! ANOTHER CAN!!!! YOU-You found a whole TEN CANS of CAT FOOD before you found LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE!!! It's almost impressive how much cat food was inside this pile. You check on Edward and he seems to be having the same problem, but for dog food.You tally up everything useful you and Edward found, which isn't that much if you ignore the cat food.LOOT OBTAINED!>"TT" BRAND WET CAT FOOD x12 (Used for feeding a cat, obviously. Could also feed your mold or your other anomalies.)>DISHWASHER? SCRAP (It's hard to tell but you know this could make a dishwasher or a washing machine if you really, really tried.)>MYSTERIOUS BLUE PILL x3 (???. Needs further analysis before you can use it.)>UNTITLED BOOK (???. A jet black cover stares back up at you. An ominous aura surrounds the book.)"This place is-" "-Absolutely cursed. Horrifying aura in here." The two of you voice your utter disdain for this place. The air suddenly feels a lot cleaner once you're outside of LOST AND FOUND."How much would you bet something anomalous happened there?" You jokingly ask."I ain't losing another $100, Mr. Straight Flush." Edward rolls his eyes. "Give it 12 hours."
"Usually that's when new garbage comes in.""Fair enough. Now, the second place I want to head to is the LAYER 2 ARCHIVES. I heard a rumor about an anomaly in there."Edward cocks his eyebrow at the mention of the rumor. "Really now? I didn't hear anything about a containment breach.""Again, it's just a rumor, but it wouldn't hurt to check. That's kinda why I picked you."Edward cracks a smile. "Ay, of course you would pick me. I've contained over 50 anomalies over my career, thank you very much!" He is positively beaming with pride at your half-hearted comment. You do your best to keep up a professional, impassive expression. "Well that's good. I'll need someone like you. C'mon."You yank out your map. You gotta give props to the Man, his little map has been INCREDIBLY useful for you over the last week. "Any reason you think this place is built like this?" Some small talk wouldn't hurt, would it?"Like what?" "This maze-like structure?" You clarify."Ah, that. I think it's ARC's idea of a bad joke. Newbie at the stand-up club kind of bad." Edward snorts as he reaches for his flask again. "You're a Level 1 guy now, right?""Uhm. Soon to be, yeah, some weird higher-up is going to come down here, I think? It'll be official when I meat-" You awkwardly clear your throat. "Meet her.""Heh! Meat." Edward chuckles in between sips of his flask. "Well, I think they do it to fuck with Level 0s. They know you guys are scary, confused, and not at all cut out for this line of work.""So what do they do? They throw you in here. Everything looks the same, and it blends together into a blur of grey steel. Trying to find a way out just leads you in circles and circles until you're back where you start.""Rats in a maze core shit, my man." Edward shakes his flask to see how much's left. "The more charitable explanation is that they do it to confuse any anomaly that exits their containment cell.""I know that's why Layer 3 is built like that. Ain't like that in the other layers, last I checked, so yeah. They're fuckin' with your mind here."Every time you learn something new about ARC, it makes you hate them just a little bit more. "Pricks. No wonder their budget got cut.""Pft. Cheers to that, man." Before he has time to take another swig, the two of you arrive at ARCHIVES. The door is covered in a thin layer of clear, gelatinous gel that makes you nauseous just looking at it. Eugh.Edward swipes his keycard into the keycard scanner. The door sluggishly, almost unwillingly, slides open. You almost dread to imagine what could be in here. Edward reaches around his belt and, lo and behold, he unholsters his gun. It appears to be a submachine gun of some sorts."Got a gun?" He anxiously whispers. If he's worried, then there HAS to be something in there. You pull out your deagle. It might have a few scratches, but it still fires.Edward offers a curt nod. "Follow behind me." The two of you cautiously enter the ARCHIVE...
https://youtu.be/dGDFTiJRmnE - ARCHIVESAt first blush, the rectangular room appears to be pretty standard fare for an 'archive' room. The leftmost wall is lined with rows on rows of old filing cabinets, each one marked down with a year ranging from "2021" all the way back to "1932".To the right are a few desks with computers resting on them. None of their screens are turned on but you can pick up on the tell-tale hum of cooling fans. They're still on, for whatever reason.At the far end of the room is an old bookshelf, lined with rows on rows of old books. The only things immediately off about this room are the following.One. The floor is littered with old, discarded documents that are covered in the same sludge you saw on the door.Two. You're not sure how the room's being lit. There are lights hanging from the ceiling but they're powered off. Despite this, you can see just fine in here, as if the lights WERE still onThree, you feel like there's eyes staring at you. You can't tell where or how but something, or someone, is staring at you.The moment you try to look for whoever it is, the feeling of being watched vanishes."Shit. I think you were actually right, Vincent." Edward narrows his eyes as he scans the room. "Can't establish visual contact with anomaly. Unlikely to be a Class-4, nor is it a Class 6. A specter, maybe, Class-7?"You try to remember what the Man said. The entity is supposed to be metaphysical or abstract...but what does that actually mean?You're going to try to find the anomaly, first off. Choose three points of interest to examine, with EDWARD'S HELP>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the discarded documents. Maybe there's something important there?>Inspect the lights. Something anomalous is clearly going on here. (DC 67, +11 to roll.)>Put on your M.A.D WORLD glasses. You could probably see the anomaly that way. (???.)>Try to use the computers. Something is clearly interfering with them, maybe something important is hidden on them?>Inspect the bookshelf in the back. Maybe there's something amongst the books?>Inspect the filing cabinets. The MAN did say it was interested in the paperwork here.>Try to talk to the anomaly. What exactly is its deal? (Write in at least two questions to ask the anomaly.)>Write in>>6331524Absolutely kino. Thank you for the fan art, anon.>>6331542I'm glad that I made his suffering engaging enough for the audience.
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the lights. Something anomalous is clearly going on here. (DC 67, +11 to roll.)>Inspect the filing cabinets. The MAN did say it was interested in the paperwork here.Always gotta look out for our The Man.>>6331557>TT BrandThat darn cat
>>6331566+1Let's not be overt, it might cause the anomaly to turn hostile. Just check the innocuous stuff and the paper loots we came here for. Putting on M.A.D. WORLD or trying to talk to the anomaly sounds like bad idea
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the lights. Something anomalous is clearly going on here. (DC 67, +11 to roll.)>Inspect the bookshelf in the back. Maybe there's something amongst the books?
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the filing cabinets. The MAN did say it was interested in the paperwork here.>Inspect the bookshelf in the back. Maybe there's something amongst the books?
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the discarded documents. Maybe there's something important there?>Put on your M.A.D WORLD glasses. You could probably see the anomaly that way. (???.)
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the lights. Something anomalous is clearly going on here. (DC 67, +11 to roll.)>Inspect the discarded documents. Maybe there's something important there?
>>6331559>Put on your M.A.D WORLD glasses. You could probably see the anomaly that way. (???.)>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Inspect the filing cabinets. The MAN did say it was interested in the paperwork here.
>>6331566+1
>>6331559>Inspect the gelatinous sludge for any clues. (DC 60, +13 from ANOMALY TOUCHED/GUNK KNOWLEDGE/EDWARD'S HELP)>Put on your M.A.D WORLD glasses. You could probably see the anomaly that way. (???.)>Inspect the filing cabinets. The MAN did say it was interested in the paperwork here.
SLUDGE: TTS, WDA, RJ6, 9VA, 5RC, +IZ, BKZ, L/T, O7BLIGHTS:TTS, WDA, RJ6, 9VA, BKZFILING CABINETS: TTS, WDA, RJ6, 5RC, L/T, O7BBOOKSHELF: 9VA, 5RCMAD WORLD: +IZ, L/T, O7BDISCARDED DOCUMENTS: +IZ, BKZAlright, pretty locked in here. I'm going to change things up this time around. I need four anons to roll. Three of them will roll 1d100+13, and one anon will roll 3d100+11.All of the 1d100+13 results will go to SLUDGE, 3d100+11 will determine what you find from the LIGHTS. Table below.SLUDGE0 SUCCESSES: You learn one thing, this crap BURNS! (--PHYSICAL HEALTH, but you learn something new at least!)1 SUCCESS: Wait, something's wrong with the papers... (-PHYSICAL HEALTH. You figure out WHY the gunk is on the discarded douments.)2 SUCCESSES: "Can't be JUST a Class 7. Maybe a Class 7-B..." (Low chance of PHYSICAL HEALTH damage. You now know what kind of anomaly could've made this and what properties it might have.)3 SUCCESSES: You know, this stuff might actually be useful... (Same as 2 SUCCESSES but you get some brand new samples to study back at the lab.)LIGHTS0 SUCCESSES: ??? (???)1 SUCCESS: The lights begin to flicker in rhythmic patterns. (COMMUNICATION? ???)2 SUCCESSES: Something's staring back at you. From the lights. (COMMUNICATION POSSIBLE. ???)3 SUCCESSES: You instinctually recognize this from somewhere. But where? (COMMUNICATION POSSIBLE. ???)
Rolled 39 + 13 (1d100 + 13)>>6331881EVERYBODY HANG ONTO SOMETHING
Rolled 99 + 13 (1d100 + 13)>>6331881
Rolled 18 + 13 (1d100 + 13)>>6331881
Rolled 59, 4, 96 + 11 = 170 (3d100 + 11)>>6331881
AND THE RESULTS ARE...SLUDGE: 1 SUCCESSLIGHTS: 2 SUCCESSCould've been better, could've been way worse. Writing the update, hopefully it'll be out quick but no promises, I know how erratic my updates have been.
"Vincent. How much do you know about Class 7 entities?" His voice is low and serious, as if the two of you are in an active warzone."Jack and shit. Remember? Level 0 researcher here?""Alright." Edward tightly clenches his jaw. "Ghosts. They're ghosts, basically. ARC wants us to use fancy labels and Hebrew letters and crap like that, but they're just ghosts.""Look around for anything anomalous; report anything you find to me. Keep your head on a swivel." "Any precautions?" You keep your voice low, not wanting to disturb whatever anomaly is in here."Class 7s usually interfere with electronics. If you're in danger, look out for one of your gizmos going apeshit." Duly noted. You and Edward slowly approach the pile of discarded documents on the floor. You're less interested in the documents themselves and more in what they're covered in.You carefully equip some PPE gloves. Edward nervously glances around the room while you're busy examining the sample. You would tell him to calm down, but you can't lie; you're pretty nervous yourself.You pick up one of the drenched documents. A wave of disgust washes over you as your nose picks up the aroma radiating from the sludge. It's a foul, acrid blend of wet dog smell and dank swamp muck. It reminds you of a dog you used to have back when you were a child.You wonder what ever happened to Roxy.Whatever, that's not important. What is important is what the sludge is doing to the paper.>1 SUCCESS!At first, you thought the paper was illegible because, duh, the paper was completely soaked in gunk. That's the issue, though; the paper hasn't degraded or changed at all. It feels like a fresh piece of paper right out of the printer.You can feel the gunk through your gloves, but it's also not there at the same time. Your brain knows that there's clear, goo-like sludge on the paper. Your gloved hands know that they're covered in sludge. Your nose still registers the horrible smell the sludge has.You know it's there, but it's also not there. It's like you're reading a book describing the sludge, and your brain is imagining what it's supposed to feel/smell like. You close your eyes...And you can't feel the slime anymore. You open your eyes, and the sensations come rushing back. Odd. What's odder is what the sludge does to the paper. Large sentences of the writing on it have been redacted, but not like how ARC redacts stuff, which would be large black bars covering the words.No, there are just massive gaps in the document where words should be, but they're not, like someone liberally soaked the page in whiteout.A sudden sharp pain shoots across the palms of your hands. You throw the document away, and you quickly check your hands. The sludge ate right through your PPE gloves, and now, they're burning the skin on your palms.>PHYSICAL HEALTH now at DOING GOOD?You quickly remove the gloves before wiping the gunk off on the old, blood-stained lab coat you keep in your satchel.
You rapidly rattle off everything you discovered about the sludge to Edward, including the redacted documents and how it's messing with your senses."Okay, so whatever this entity is, it doesn't want us to find out anything about it." Edward cracks a bitter smile. "Sounds familiar, like that weird 199X fellow.""Might be an anomaly related to ARC." Edward throws out his best guess so far. "Anomalies take on many shapes and forms; it wouldn't be impossible.""Probably why it's haunting this place. Noted, keep investigating."You get back to your feet. Next thing you're going to investigate is the filing cabinets. You want to see what documents are missing, if it coated any of the documents in here with sludge, you know. The works. It takes a lot of effort to open one of them.Inside are piles on piles of loose, disorganized documents. A wry grin crosses your face as you begin to sort through them. You know your way around paperwork; this won't take long. You don't have time to read every individual file in detail, so you skim through them.A lot of the papers here are boring tax paperwork or routine inspections of various facilities scattered across the US. The only thing about the paperwork that catches your eye is a few common names that regularly pop up.'Sr Dir Johnson', 'Dr. Caspian' and 'Grd Callie' seem to always be there, no matter what paper you flip to. From 1945 to 2015, their names would always appear. You ask Edward if he recognizes any of those names. He's pretty confused by the question, "Uh. Yeah, but those guys were dead for a while. Most of them died back in, like, 1987?"Odd. Their names still appear long after that. That's not the weird part, per se, there's one other name."Asst. Res. [REDACTED]". That name pops up in a document from every year ranging from 1932 to 2021. Their name wouldn't be inserted where a name should be, though.There's an odd pattern that's manifesting as you keep skimming through the paperwork. Their name would exclusively appear in disciplinary documents, usually when some researcher or guard or director fucked up. The sections that would label what offense the person did would be fully redacted. In place of what the person actually did, the simple if awkward phrase of 'Asst. Res. [REDACTED] has purified any charges assigned to these fine folks' would be recorded instead. The handwriting of that phrase would always be radically different to the rest of the text in the document.Someone, or something in this case, is trying to cover something up. You think the documents you saw on the floor were also disciplinary documents...but what offense is this anomaly trying to cover?You relay this information to Edward."Oh, great, we got a ghost trying to cover corruption?" Edward bitterly laughs at what you just told him. "What kind of crime is SO bad that a ghost has to redact it?""I dunno but that's what I saw-" You're interrupted by an odd, electrical crackle coming from the ceiling.
The lightbulb hanging from the ceiling makes an odd, electric crackle. Your shiver as the temperature rapidly drops from room temperature to what feels like sub-freezing temperatures.You and Edward stare up at the light.>2 SUCCESSES!It flickers, on and off, in irregular but rhythmic patterns. It's not random, you can pick up on that, but you have no idea what it's supposed to mean. At first."Wait." Edward squints at the light. "I think that's morse code? It looks like it, at least.""Can you read it?" "Hell no. I just know what it looks like."Wow, how helpful. "Wait, is it trying to communicate with us then?""Do you feel that?" Edward ignores your question. His eyes are still transfixed on the light, as if something was looking back at him. It's hard to put into words but you feel like someone is staring right at you.Right through you, even. Scanning you. Something is trapped inside the light. Or maybe it's using the light as a medium to communicate with you?"Can you understand us? Turn the light off if you can."There's a pause. The light flickers for a few brief moments before it turns off. Which, due to some anomalous property, doesn't impact your ability to see anything in here. Okay, you have a way to communicate with the anomaly now."Do you want to talk to us? Keep the light off if yes, turn it on if no."The light stays off. Something thick and viscous begins to pool around the light bulb. You think it's the same sludge you saw on the paperwork scattered across the floor."I don't like this one bit." Edward keeps a tight grip on his submachine gun. "The moment that thing shows any hostility, we should run. Now. We can't fight a fucking ghost, Vincent.""Yeah, I don't want to fight it either." You whisper back at him.What do you want to say to the anomaly? Choose between two to four options below.>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?>Ask about the three names you saw in the documents. Did it know or work with these people?>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Can you do anything to get it to leave this place? (May grant a SIDEQUEST?)>Try to offer it something to calm it down. It seems pretty agitated. (Choose 2: MYSTERY BAGGIE, STAINED FOOD COUPON, CIGARETTE PACK, TRANQUILIZER SYRINGE. Lowers the DC of the two skill checks by 6.)>Why did it redact the documents? What is it trying to hide from you? (DC 65, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Ask it if there's anything valuable in here you can take. You came here for loot, power and glory, you might as well get loot. >Write in.
>>6331973>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?>Ask about the three names you saw in the documents. Did it know or work with these people?>Can you do anything to get it to leave this place? (May grant a SIDEQUEST?)Alright, I have some suspicions here. If this anomaly has close ties to ARC and these names, it's possible we walked into a murder mystery here. The ghost doesn't [i]want[/i] info about the case to be redacted, but similar to 199X, they've been erased/forgotten in a way that translates into anomalous properties - hence it trying to communicate with us despite info being withheld. It's the [i]victim[/i]. And I have a hunch "Ass. Res. [REDACTED]" is the "who" that "dunnit."So; to unfuck the archives (maybe get one step closer to some kind of "unfuck/improve every major facility of Layer 2" title/achievement), we likely need to solve a murder (at least to the anomaly's satisfaction).
>>6331973>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Can you do anything to get it to leave this place? (May grant a SIDEQUEST?)
>>6331973>>6332030+1
>>6331973>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?>Ask about the three names you saw in the documents. Did it know or work with these people?>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)
>>6331973>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Why did it redact the documents? What is it trying to hide from you? (DC 65, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Try to offer it something to calm it down. It seems pretty agitated. (Choose 2: MYSTERY BAGGIE, STAINED FOOD COUPON, CIGARETTE PACK, TRANQUILIZER SYRINGE. Lowers the DC of the two skill checks by 6.)Stained food coupon, cigarette pack.>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?
>>6331973>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Can you do anything to get it to leave this place? (May grant a SIDEQUEST?)>Why did it redact the documents? What is it trying to hide from you? (DC 65, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)
>>6331973>Who are you? Are you Researcher [REDACTED]?>Can you do anything to get it to leave this place? (May grant a SIDEQUEST?)>Show it your MAD WORLD glasses. Try to convince it to let you see it. (DC 60, rolling +10 with EDWARD'S HELP)>Why are you haunting this place? What happened here?
