Monday night, your last day to live. Last day to live free, that is, y’know, because you have work tomorrow? Haah, your jokes don’t even land in your own head. What a pain, four years of education just to repeat the same old song and dance week after week. But don’t worry, you’ll also get to head back to the Site the week after this, too! Fun. You let out a breath and flick your mouse wheel, a calming, familiar sensation. In front of your eyes, dozens of games you’ve never bothered to open scroll past. Hey! Least you didn’t pay for all of them. A household steam account is the largest sign of technological advancement in society. A modern-day miracle if you say so yourself. And you do. That is, if anything can catch your eye. But lately, you’ve been hard-pressed to find time, or drive, to try out anything new. So you scroll past hours of potential content and fun and close the tab.Or, you would have had your eyes not land on an unfamiliar title, Fantasy Quest 7: Rebirth. A small download, barely even a gigabyte, accompanied by an art style that leaves a lot to be desired and barely any reviews. In other words, a gem. An uncharacteristic smile splays across your lips. Maybe this’ll do. A closer inspection of the store page finds that it actually has no reviews, like there’s a chance you might be the first human in the world to play this. That thought is accompanied by a read through of a rather fitting description: [Do you desire more out of your lot? Wish to venture where man has never ventured before? To explore treasure-filled depths? And carouse with the loveliest of maidens? Then step no further than into the newest installation of Fantasy Quest! An experience magically-made just for you!] Cute. But where the fuck did your friends find this? Wait, how the fuck is it in none of their libraries– That’s it. You click install. You’re curious enough for now, and besides, you eye the group chat, the chances you’re gonna get to do anything else fun tonight are pretty slim…
>>6410974You’re flash-banged by your own ugly mug as the computer screen goes completely black. Thankfully, the damage is limited to only the screen you clicked install on. Your other monitor’s fine. And after a few seconds of panic, some white text lags into existence, proudly displaying its body for all (you) to see: [LOADING]. Yeah, that’s totally fucking weird. You didn’t accidentally download a virus like a retard, right? You’d have to delete it before your pants fall off if that were the case. You open the task manager but fail to find any relevant process that could be causing it, much less anything called [Fantasy Quest 7] After a little bit too much effort for the results, you lean back and force yourself to breathe. You’re sure one of your more tech-savvy housemates could help you, buuuuut~ you’d rather not go fetch them only to have them walk in on a desktop stripper when the program full-installs while you’re not looking. You’ll just wait for the hangman’s axe and see what happens. Maybe you’re sweating for nothing? You mean it could be one of those horror ARG games? That’d be pretty cool..? Nah, sounds lame, you want dragons and shit. Well, that leaves you with the conundrum of figuring out what to do while it loads, because it sure is taking its sweet time despite what the storage space it says requires would suggest. *Ping!* [srry man not gonna make it tnght sm shit came up] The message even comes complete with an emoji of a wilted rose next to it. Helpful. Dammit, you knew this was going to happen. You click the message at the corner of your (working) monitor. A surprise to be sure, but an unwelcome one. Grace here marks the third person to pull out of tonight's D&D session, meaning you’d just be DM for one guy if you went for it. And you won’t lie, you’re tempted. This is the third week in a row some bullshit like this has happened. Then you sigh and respond to the group chat. [it’s chill, we can try again next week]. You get it, you really do, you guys aren’t in college anymore, and everyone’s got their own life and jobs, except for Joey, of course, and meeting up is harder now. You just kinda wish they had the respect to let you know beforehand. It’s scheduled for half an hour from now, after all. Whatever. At least this gives you time to enjoy your new game. If it is a game, that is– you really hope the printer downstairs isn’t about to start spitting black ink– “PUSH THE FUCKING CART, DAMMIT!” A ghastly voice echoes through the halls as your housemate, the Dick, is no doubt losing it at his team in– you pull up steam on your working screen, and let’s see– Overwatch. What a fucking loser. Urgh, but maybe it would be fun to hop and play some tank– “OH. MY. GOOOOOOOD! HA, YOU’RE USELESS! JUST GET ON THE DAMN THING!” But maybe not. You don’t really have it in you tonight to get riled up over pointless shit, so you doubt you could get competitive…
>>6410975Oh, hey, another loading tick. That makes three now, so only, uh, quite a few more to go... Wow! Yippie! #awesomesauce. Amazing! You inaudibly mumble as you slowly wave a fist back and forth above your slouched form. Still, all that doesn’t exactly answer the question of what are you going to do in the interim?>Smoke weed>Look in the mirror and contemplate your life>Aimlessly pace around your room while you wait for something to happen>[Write-in]
>>6410977>Boot up and play some 'Dog Race Unlimited' on our phone while we wait
>>6411006Dude, hell yeah! You whip out your phone, throw it into the air, flip, flip, flip, and catch it. At the same time, you strike a striking pose and imagine some golden text around your face praising how cool that was- or something… And then you imagine the camera zooming out and showing you sitting alone in your room–Oh, look! The dog’s running! *Ding!* You got a coin, nice. *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* Dude, you’re fucking sick at this. This shit is wicked! Y’know, If there was ever a medal given to the #bestmobilegamer, you’d totally get it. And not even for playing any of those shitty gacha games or whatever, but like whatever this shit is! You’re pretty sure it’s AI! I mean, you also got brick breaker, flying gorilla, risk, well before the shitty devs fucked it, tetris, and– okay, maybe a few gachas, but you play those for the story! Honest! Anyway, you know the best shitty mobile games to tweak tf out to while high as fuck on the bus. So, you spend what would be an embarrassing amount of time to a normal person on this shit that some kid probably programmed for a game jam. Man, that dog sure can run. Then you remember that you’re playing a mobile game while sitting right in front of your computer– oh, the install, right. Looks like a little bit of progress was made buuuut you’re gonna need to kill some more time.>Smoke weed>Stretch>Listen to music>[Write-in]
>>6411014>Musicdrown out our dumbass roommate
>>6411014>Listen to MusicTime to vibe.
>>6411018>>6411027https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bDZNzMqf2M&list=RD_bDZNzMqf2M&start_radio=1“YOU’RE,” Big breath, “actually the worst team I’ve ever seen on this game. I’m actually happy you’re going to lose, I don’t even care about my rank after that, go fuck yourselves–” reverberates through the walls and into your room. You don’t know what happened in that game, but your 90% sure it’s complete cope. But you might as well listen to something to drown it out. Sure, it’s a monthly tax, but premium has never left you feeling lacking. You plug in your earbuds and feel yourself relax as the soothing music that could make others' ears bleed fills your own. If you were less tired, you might headbang for the hell of it, but you resign yourself to merely bobbing your head back and forth. Then you slouch further down in your wagie office chair and lazily look over your room since it’s not like you have much of a view.The room itself is pretty normal, you'd say, well, normal is not exactly the right word– Your room is normal for you? Posters and paintings are taped up without much rhythm or reason other than what you thought would look best at the time. A good handful were printed at the convenience store before Max got the printer. That being the case, their contents probably make your room look like the home of a social recluse to the average normie. They wouldn't exactly be wrong, but they're not right either. Hey, you have friends at least, that has to count for something, right? Dammit, who are you trying to prove yourself to, again?Whatever, you’re getting too worked up. You should just relax and listen to the next song. You go through a couple of cool fight scenes in your head as the songs crescendo and diminuendo, the characters, whose lifespans are but a single thought, fight to conclusions based entirely on what song is next on shuffle. What a horrid existence that must be. At the very least, you can do stuff other than fighting with yours– like playing video games–It’s still not done. Jesus, maybe you should’ve just played a round of Fortnite–>Contemplate life>Clean your room>[Write-in]
>>6411033>[Write-in]>Grab a fresh drink so that you don't have to get up and get another one
>>6411033>>6411038Actually y'know what>Look over D&D Sesh notes
>>6411033It is a comfy pad, for sure.>>6411041I agree with anon, let's work on our prep for next week. Maybe get things a bit more open-ended, now that we've got this extra time to work on it.
>>6411041>>6411055Now, that’s just an effort to torture yourself in the present moment. But, fine, have it your way. You click open Roll20 on your spare monitor and launch the game you DM. Though damn, looking at your dashboard kinda makes you nostalgic, you used to play a lot with your friends. You remember one time you fit six, maybe seven sessions into a long weekend. Now, you’re lucky to schedule a game every couple of months… Those assholes better not be avoiding you specifically. If that’s the reason you haven’t been able to play, that’s gonna piss you off so bad. Now, if only you still lived close enough where you could catch them and make them pay! You’re sure you could think of something to really get under their skins. Anyway, you do a bit of a recap of where the party was in your mind, to at least keep yourself up to date. If you think of anything more to add in the next week, you will, but this session has been prepped for weeks now. Right, where were you? The party had just been captured by a small outpost of elite guards from the neighboring kingdom. The guard impressed them into a unit of monster hunters and stationed them at a massive citadel, where they were given a suicide mission to eliminate the lich, who had raised a horde of zombies beyond the border fortress. Naturally, they immediately got arrested again after getting caught cheating the ordinary soldiers of the fort out of all the coins in games of dice. Luck was just not on your side that day, and you mean literally with your dice tolls, but it was a fun session, and everyone laughed a lot, so you thought they had fun too. You hope they did at least.>>6411038You reach out and take a sip of water– vodka, of vodka. Specifically, a concoction mixing said liquor and a few energy/carbonated drinks you had lying around the house. It’s quite good, but not exactly what you’re probably going to need later, or right now, for that matter. It’s the tail end of your day off, you’re already more than drunk enough as is. Crossed, actually. Did you not remember all those penjamin rips you were hitting? Maybe all the za is cutting holes in your brain.Your joints *crack* as you stand and walk towards the door; the kitchen is downstairs, and the tap is clean enough. You’ve never been one to shy away from a few measly stairs before, though you stop for a second when you actually reach the door. Or more accurately, the large mirror that the last guy who lived here left behind. It’s you. You look all right, you suppose. Nothing really to write home about, just another tall and lanky stoner. Sometimes you feel like nothing more than a stereotype of your people. Which is chill, you guess. But sometimes you wish you were a little bit more than you are. Hell, doesn’t everyone when they daydream, so it’s normal, right? You’re not actually wasting away your life and degree here, right? This is just how life goes? Maybe this is all there is to it, you mean, the daily grind isn’t so bad…
>>6411062This is you, you Gen Z chunni loser, you. You’re no one special, but it could be worse. With that in mind, you reach for the doorknob– *Ding!*The screens changed, and a soft jingle plays from your headphones. You walk over, and the title screen for Fantasy Quest 7: Rebirth gives you two options>PROCEED>GIVE UP
>>6411065>PROCEEDIf we have to wait for that to load again I'm gonna actually do it
>>6411066[THEN REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR OWN FUTURE][REMEMBER TO GIVE IT ALL BACK THIEF]What the fuck–?!
>>6411068Trippy
>>6411068As you stand slouched down to look at your computer, suddenly an ear-piercing– *----------* Static ruptured from your headphones with enough force to bounce them around their stand. You’re thankful for your earpods giving you the slightest bit of noise canceling, but it’s not enough to stop your hands from racing to cover your ears and the prayers to flood your mind, please don’t be bleeding, please don’t be bleeding–*----------*The static does not stop; instead, it only intensifies, even after you chuck your headphones across the room, obliterating them against the brick wall. The noise grows louder as the red light on your monitor reaches for your face. A hundred eyes open up where the inconspicuous title screen was only a few short seconds ago. All watching, all knowing, all waiting. But with this blasted noise, you can't even bring yourself to pay attention--*-------------*A-and the noise isn’t even the worst part! Your entire body feels heavy and not in the usual way because of your condition. FUCK! GOD! MAKE IT STOP! You grasp at your stomach as something lurches to escape your throat. You force yourself to stomach it back down, much as you force yourself to stay standing. If the desk were not here, you doubt you would be able to. The only problem is that your desk is too close to that blazing monitor for comfort. Dammit! If only you could get away–*------O~ Great Hero~-------Answer our plight!-----*“FUUUCK! PLEASE!” If only you could find a way to make the noise stop! But your headphones are gone– a-and you don’t have any speakers on your computer, so where– “PLEASE, GOD, HELP ME!” Without options or escape, you fall to the ground as the newfound pressure of the room crushes you*-----Main Formula established-----Executing subformuli---*Tears and spittle fall to the floor as you cough and dry heave. What the hell is happening to you? Did you get sick? There’s no way your shit could have been laced, right? What the hell?? Please, someone, help!*-------Sub-formuli established-----Beginning summoning now-------Saintess, please let this work---------*
>>6411086You are Richard Knollwood, but your friends just call you Dick. Mostly because they're jackass', but great minds think alike, as they say. Anyway, now that your Overwatch game has concluded, a sad and unfortunate defeat setting you back to silver, but you were on fire so you know it wasn’t your fault. Maybe if Otto were there, it wouldn’t have gone differently, but he was busy, you don’t know, probably jacking off or something. Speaking of, you should probably check out that uncharacteristic shouting. You'd have gone earlier, but it was a close match, and there's about a 97% change that Otto's fucking with you. So with a leisurely gait, you walk over, knock once, then twice, and with no answer, you gently open the door.There are a few things you expected to see when you did, maybe Otto pulling a funny face, a bucket of water falling on your head, or even Otto raging at a game himself, even though he's really mellowed out in the last few years you've known him. What you absolutely did not expect to see was an ominous red light emitting from his computer entrap his floor-bound body before exploding into a light so powerful even your glasses can’t block it out, kinda like when Otto flashbangs you in CS:GO. The bastard totally does it on purpose, btw. So naturally, you're about to let him have it for whatever prank this is, only for him to not be there when the light ends.You check over the entire room once, then twice, then thrice, then you get anxious. You look for his phone or some other recording instrument, hell, even a projector to make a light that bright, but you find nothing of the sort. Your mind then slowly makes the connection that he was screaming for help, wasn't he? And at the end, there were all those eyes that seemed to morph into what looked like a magic circle in all those shitty anime you guys watch... Wait a second– That bastard!"How dare he get isekai'd without me!" You scream.As fast as a Sonic speedrunner, you whip out your phone and send a message to the apartment group chat. And then you call 911.Fuck, if only you were smart enough to get a video, dammit!
>>6411089I fear that Richard might have a small melanoma on his neck.
>>6411090He never asked for this
>>6411090He always says it's just a mole, but you can never really know with that guy
>>6411089[Scenario start: The Assault on Estelle’s Locket]You're falling, so, of course, you take the only course of action available to you at the moment: "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-" you say calmly. If you weren't so utterly calm, you might be able to witness the magnificent colors and textures that surround you on your descent. Silky strands of every color the eye can see, and many more it cannot, interweave around you like the threads of a great tapestry, only to rudely get torn as your limbs flail in their desperate search for purchase. You find none, your body moves too fast, your form is too heavy, and your soul too darkened to join in the dancing display of the ever-changing string. If this land, in which you can do nothing but fall and scream, were a video on YouTube, it would no doubt be titled, "Baby Sensory Video: Endless World of Color" or some other garbage that cannot do justice to the feeling it evokes in you. If that feeling were a YouTube video, it would probably be titled "FNaF Jumpscare Compilation To Help You Sleep: 7 Hour," because you're panicking and falling so fast you're surprised your clothes aren't burning up like a rocket entering the atmosphere. This is probably because of hallucinogens or some other rubbish you couldn't care less about because, again, you're panicking."AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-" You scream. And then you stop.The air is cold and damp, your body, once in a state of freefall, is stiff, rigid even, as you stand at attention before three hooded figures. Despite the sudden lack of momentum, you feel no vertigo or discomfort. In fact, while the world still feels a bit heavy, you actually feel more energized than you did waiting for your last friend to back out of D&D. So, with a rational mind, you freak out all over again about the fact that you’re standing before three hooded figures who themselves stand in front of a dark red banner. You suddenly fear for your soul, much less your organs.“Where the HELL have you taken me?!” Shouts a tall blonde woman from your side. Actually, there are a few people next to you. Are you not the only one of those people– what? Summoned? Dammit, you’re genre savvy enough to know what’s happening, and that nothing good is. Fuck, roll with the punches, roll with the punches.
>>6411094Other than the three obvious cultists in front of you, standing next to you are a black man and two asian women. The rather portly man looks to be in his sixties and exudes a carefree aura despite the situation. Though his choice of a loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts certainly helps him maintain his light air. He kind of reminds you of your Africa Studies professor from back in uni. The girls cut a rather dynamic duo, as where one is tall, the other is short, and while one is thin, the other– well, it’d be impolite to comment on a girl's weight. The tall and thin one, the one who shouted for reasons the next sentence will make clear, would definitely look cute were it not for her long, bleached blonde hair causing her whole face to break out in acne. She stands threateningly, her baseball bat at the ready. However, her long-skirted sailor outfit and shark teeth suggest she isn’t exactly on any team. The other girl wears the kind of clothes you’d expect from an office worker. She has the demeanor you’d expect more of a frightened deer or baby rabbit than any human over the age of five. She’s openly crying as her eyes frantically scan the– dungeon? You’ve been summoned in. The dark stone brick architecture sure doesn’t inspire confidence, so you get the feeling, even if you have enough self-control not to start bawling immediately. “Hey! Are you fucks listening to me?!” The girl continues, though the hooded figures make no effort to stop her. Almost as if they’re completely unconcerned by whatever threat she might pose. >Stand back and watch this play out>Try to calm the girl down>Try to threaten the cultists as well>[Write-in]
>>6411095>[Write-in]>Try to look for a way out while delinquent bitch has the cultists' attention
Alright, I'm going to head to sleep now, but before I do so, I want to write some ground rules and things to expect from the story so that everyone is on the same page:1: This will be a completely narrative story, but while there may be no number crunching, your choices will massively affect how the story goes and thus how the world itself develops2: I heavily encourage write-in and creative thinking, and even if they're not listed, they will be allowed unless otherwise stated3: Kinda adding on to that, the "Rule of Cool" trumps all, and if a write-in or plan is sufficiently cool enough, it has a much higher chance of getting you out of a sticky situation.4: Characters may die quickly and without remorse; this may seem unfair, and that would be because it is. They'll usually be warning signs, but it would be beneficial to play as if a character may die with every new post. Themes and such, y'know?5: I came up with this quest mostly because I want to learn to draw and use some scrapped worldbuilding ideas from across the years in a story, so hopefully, as this progresses, the images will be less painful to look at.If you ever need clarification on something or have a critique/comment to share, please don't be quiet!
>>6411095It looks like we've been summoned as a party, presumably for some religious institution. But we are a stoner, a gamer, and likely a redditor. We won't want to stick around for this if we can escape.>>6411099Smart thinking. I'll support this.
>>6411099>>6411101Right, good thinking, brain. There’s no reason why you should waste the valuable time the delinquent is giving you. Thank you, random woman, you sure hope they don’t get fireball’d or something. Or stabbed for that matter, because a more-than-slight glance around the room reveals that in the shadows, of which there are many, black armored men stand at attention with pikes at the ready. None have been drawn down, yet, but the closest guard seems increasingly twitchy with each step the delinquent takes towards the cultists. It’s honestly rather freaky how, in her tunnel vision, she doesn’t even notice how close danger is, only a pole’s length away. Jesus, just how many of these guys are scattered around? You sigh as you realize there’s at least two by what looks to be the only exit, a large and heavily looking wooden door. Probably a lot of others on the other side too– Maybe that’s the reason behind choosing such a dark-looking stone as building material? “Hey, I’m asking questions here! Didn’t you ask~ for me to be here?! Stop thinking you can ignore me!”That’s not all, though. Something feels– weird, for lack of a better word about the stone itself. It just doesn’t feel natural. How the fuck is that possible? You’re not even touching it, but it's just– And then that’s when your eye catches it, a shaky, almost translucent image etched into the stone by the soldier's head. Only, your rational mind fully understands the etching is not there in reality– what? That kinda hurts your head to think about, how can something be physically real but also not real? Hurts to look at it for too long, too– but you do anyway. You cannot read the etching either; it looks to be written in Old Norse or something, but you feel an intuitive understanding of how it works. [Heat]That’s right, it is rather chilly in here. Far colder than what your light, hot-topic jacket is able to defend against, but your legs actually feel, well, warm. You look down, and the stone there has the same carvings; [Heat] written in that strange static over (inside?) the stone. Magic, it has to be honest-to-God magic. A thousand thoughts run through your head at that realization. Did you not have that one before? You pinch yourself to make sure. It hurts. Oh God, you’re so screwed.Your eyes glance around the room, more frantic this time as your breath quickens. Not hyperventilating, yet. But you’re getting pretty close. All you see is danger and a single exit guarded by armored maniacs. Dammit, dammit, what are you going to–“I swear to God if you don’t–” The woman continues only to be cut off by the middle cultist, the one with the fashionable golden chain, raising a wrinkled hand that barely eeks past their baggy robes.
>>6411203“No further.”“H-huh, what did you just say to me?!” Now that you think about it, the woman actually presents an intimidating figure as she towers over the rather short cultists. They don’t seem the least bit disturbed. “You have been summoned at great cost. It would be unfortunate if we’re forced to waste Pact resources because of your arrogance. Show patience, and all will be explained. We understand such a concept is a virtue in your world.” The calm dismissal seems only to make the girl's anger worse, as her face turns the same color as her pimples; you’re sure that, if it were a biological capability, steam would bellow from her ears. In a fluid motion, she makes to swing her bat and–>You wait and see>You try to pull her back>You try to do– something– with the runes [What?]>[Write-in]
>>6411204>[Write-in]>Grab the bat and whisper in her ear:>"Cool your jets. We'll get them once we know what we're dealing with.">Try not to cry at catching a bat with our bare hand ow
>>6411226Writing!
>>6411261Damn, something bad is going to happen if you don't stop this, isn't it? So naturally, like the hero so oh so totally are, you gather up all the courage you can possibly muster, and do the hardest task of all; approaching a woman. "Hey, cool your jets, yeah?" You call out as your reach out to grab her shoulder though unexpectedly as you do so she pivots, and your hand pulls back on her shoulder instead of just touching it, "We can get these guys later--" Is the last thing you manage to say before you realize your mistake. For your gentle hold becomes an unbalancing grasp that both moves her weight unexpectedly and startles her. You only have time to let a small, "oh," leave your lips before her swing goes wide, right over the cultists who continue to watch with disinterest, and straight towards you. You don't think you've seen a girl look that mad since Hannah--*BLAM!*The baseball bat, once positioned at the height of cultists' heads, instead hits you square in the gut. You crumple to the ground like a sack of skulls, complete with a rather worrying sound of creaks and pops. "OHMYGOD!" You hear the girl exclaim from above you as she drops the bat to the ground. Though all you can think of is the-- oh god-- is the pain. Owowowowowowowowowow! God, that fucking hurt! Is she built like a fucking brick shithouse or something?! Jesus, how much force did she put into that swing?! Ugh, Dammit, You think as after a few moments of rolling around on the ground. Maybe you should have stopped her earlier...It takes quite a lot of panting before your mind registers the fact that people are speaking above you, "Khuhuhu, you alright son?" The jolly voice of the man of your group says, "Boy, you must be pretty popular with the ladies back home~ Not even my own wife hits me that hard! Khuhuhu!" You raise a shaky thumbs up and try your best to smile so as not to face the group humiliation of all eyes in the room any longer than you have to, which-- "Urp--" Then you feel the Domino's 2 for $6.99 deal make its great escape from your belly to up through your throat. For the sake of saving face, you will not elaborate on the next few minutes; in fact, you're going to memory hole all of it. Forget first impressions, you've never seen anyone in this room before this moment! Maybe they'll show you the same courtesy!...At least the ground down here is warm.
>>6411288After minutes of the old man gently rubbing your back, a gauntlet, one holds a handkerchief in front of your face, as your heaving seems to stop. "T-thanks," You mumble as you clean yourself up. It's only then you think to look up and immediately wish you hadn't. A man standing in plate armor looms above you, and with speed to rival a cartoon gag, you're on your feet. "Keep it," Comes a surprisingly feminine voice from under the helmet before the helm turns to the assembled cultists. >Acquired 1 vomit-stained rag!"It would seem your work here is done, Archmages. You may depart the fortress at your leisure.""Hmph, and miss the chance to be a part of any more of this nonsense?" The Green-chained one asks, rhetorically, you think. "I hope this is the last we see of each other, Banneret," The red chain speaks only for the plate-armed woman(?) to hold up her hand. "My rank is that of Knight Commander.""Of what company?" Gold, replies. And with a shoulder check, the archmage seriously should have considered beforehand, he leaves the room, followed by his fellow mages. "Apologies, heroes," The knight addresses you and the others, "Wizards and the like can be a prickly group at the best of times, and I was predisposed with the defenses during the summoning. You have my utmost apologies for any fiasco you must have endured," She completes with a bow, "...If only those bastards could wait just a little--" She pauses and stops, though not for breath, "Regardless, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Knight Commander Seventeen. It is an honor to meet more from the world of the Great Hero." "Khuhuhu, the pleasures all mine," The old man says, drawing attention to himself and thankfully away from you, "My name is Dr. Albert Kwamboka, though you all can just call me your good Ol' Uncle Albert! Khuhuhu~" "U-um, Xiuying Li!" The pudgy girl shouts out to no one in particular before the shame of doing so causes her to tear up again and look as if she wants the world to swallow her whole."Saki Nishimura," the delinquent spits, trying to look anywhere in the room that isn't (you). Shame and regret connect the many dots scattered across her face. She doesn't even hold her bat anymore, only drags it on the ground as leans on it like a cane. Still, that doesn't stop the throbbing pain in your gut whenever you eye that bat."And what would be your name, Good Necromancer," The way she says that last word its almost like a curse-- Wait--"Necromancer?" You question.The commander stands still for an akward second, "Does your clothing not signify your status?""No, I, uh, I just bought these.""The equipment with the skulls and bones? They do not mean anything?""I thought it looked cool...""I see- Apologies then, Sir Hero but still may I have your name?"
>>6411291>Yeah, it's Otto Griggs. You say your real name, your honest soul slipping out before you can think about.>Ookay, this whole summoning thing has been weird from the get-go and there's a non-0% chance this is all some Fae shit, you're giving a fake name [Write-in]>"Wait, is your name actually 'seventeen' or is that like some military spec ops lingo type shit?"
>>6411294>Yeah, it's Otto Griggs. You say your real name, your honest soul slipping out before you can think about.In for a penny, in for a pound.
>>6411294>Otto... THE MAGNIFICENT
>>6411308>>6411350"Oh, yeah, it's Otto Griggs," You say only to instantly cringe at the framing of Seventeen's question, "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs," You begin to repeat like a man possessed. Thankfully, no matter how much time passes (like half a minute) you don't forget it nor do you forget yourself, "Ah, maybe I should've said something like Otto the magnificent to throw them off my trail," You mutter."...What are you doing?" The commander questions. "Making sure you're not a fae trying to steal my identity.""..." "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs--""..." "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs--""..." It's at this point where the knight's continued silence and the general awkward scene you create transitions from normal social retardation into what you call The Funny Zone. So you continue to repeat yourself."Otto Griggs. Otto Gri-- Pfft-- Hahahaha--" Honest, try to stop yourself from laughing. You really do. Especially in front of the very scary black and red armored, totally-not-a-part-of-an-evil-empire, lady but you've never been good at suppressing your laughter. Just like how lying and deceit comes as second nature to you, but only when it doesn't count. If someone asks you something serious you'd have to try extremely hard to not tell the answer before your mind can keep up. Though if your friends are anything to consider your more normal, casual behavior, leaves them second guessing your words even when you're legit 100% totally #honest on god fr fr. "Anyway, as you were saying?" The pain your chest still really, like really, hurts, especially after laughing, but after that same laughter you find it hard to keep your mood down. Mostly, because the humor distracts you from everything [i]else[/i] that's happened in like the couple of minutes ever since you got eaten by your computer. Honestly, you thought your relationship was closer than that. Though you never really got those "cannibalism as a metaphor for love" folks so maybe you're just misinformed."..." Seventeen stands, still processing, "..." And continues, "...Right." Finally she(?) says. "I was informed about the eccentricities of the Great Hero before but I never imagined I would have to face it in person. Is everyone in your world like this?" She questions to the others. Saki shakes her head and spits on the ground, Xiuying characteristically mumbles something, and that leaves Uncle Albert, "Khuhu, it depends~" He says with that same jovial tone. "I shall keep it in mind, then."
>>6411425"Actually, I have a question of my own if you don't mind me asking that is," Albert asks before continuing when the commander goes to speak, "See, your Swahili is rather good, same for all of you, in fact. I was just wondering where you learned it is all." A rather strange remark considering you don't speak a lick of that language other than-- Ah, that would explain why everyone is speaking in a Boston accent. The commander nods, "As you may have already inferred from your summoning but we interweaved the summoning ritual with many expensive submagics, translation being one of them seeing as the Great Hero required some time to learn our languages but as of now time is not a luxury we can afford. These procedures should have been nothing invasive, in fact, it is my hope that you may find some minor ailments about your bodies to be nonissues for the foreseeable future.""Oh, I though every just understood Mandarin," Xiuying mumbles."And how long will that future be foreseeable?" Saki asks, "I'm jackshit at English much less some fantasy bullshit." "Should we live to see tomorrow I assure you that these worries will become nonissues.""Hells that supposed to mean?" You question, your light mood immediately evaporates. Dammit, you're too high for real stakes right now, much less decision making.The commander makes a gesture that's similar to a sigh but you hear no exhale through her helmet, "Heroes, I fear that I must plead for your assistance. For you have been summoned to Fort Estelle, the fortress under my command, to defend us from an encroaching Demon Horde. The 27th Army Group north of the mountains managed to cut off a portion of a larger Horde and force them though the path leading directly to this fortress. In only a few hours time we must once again fight for our very existence. And without the strength of otherworldly Heroes, like as shown by the Great Hero, our meager guard will surely all perish." As she says that you notice the mood in the room noticeably drop. In part because of you and the other "Heroes" You mentally snort at the word, yeah right. But you get the feeling more so from the guards stationed around the room. Despite the fact you can't see their faces their stress is practically palpable in the air. If you don't do something they really are going to die, aren't they? Or at least they think they will. Then you notice the twitchy guard from earlier as he softly shudders. He trying to mask his crying, and something in your lurches to comfort him but--That isn't how you'd normally act. In fact, you're never this good at reading a room. So why are you now-?
>>6411428"Heroes, please I beseech you. Help protect us from the Demonic Host. For I, nor my men, do not wish to die nor wish to have our families receive pieces of our banner," Something about how the commander says that irks you as well. She's lying. But about what? And why? Actually, better question how the hell do [i]you[/i] know that? It's not like you can read her facial expression. "B-but I've never fought anyone in my life!" Xiuying sobs, completely terrified, "P-please send me back and get someone else! I-i'm no good! Even daddy agrees! I'm no good at all!" Immediately, Albert is by her side as she falls down to the floor and cries, though his questioning gaze is locked on the commander. The mood in the room somehow darkens."Fuck it, whatever. I could you a good scrap right now," Saki says while showing off a few stretches that audibly click her joints. You notice that she's still trying her hardest not to look at you."And you necro-- Otto. I know your arrival was not perfect but we want-- We need you," Her helmet locks onto you and you start to sweat. She's lying surely, you mean she ticks off every major red flag a character does but also she's not-- You mean not fully lying. Why can you tell?! Fuck, you know something about the desperation is real, but what? No wait, that can come later. For now she just needs your answer.Still, you barely have any information to go off of! It's starting to drive you insane! "I've never been in a fight before either. Not a real one at least," You comment, causing Saki to huff, "Sure if you give me a gun I could do some damage, you have those right?" Seventeen nods, "But so couldn't any one. What exactly makes me so special?"The commander pauses for a sufficiently awkward length of time, did she not have a response ready before summoning you? "Were I not expecting the Demons any second now then I would love nothing more to give an answer that would satisfy you. But as of present moment all I can do is ask that you trust in the resources we expended to bring you here. The Blackiron Pact does not act without reason, if we did not believe in you specifically you would not be here," You purse your lips, she's lying again. The all-consuming pressure around you is your informant. But that doesn't mean anything when the fact of the matter is all she needs is your answer.Then you catch Albert's surprisingly sharp gaze, and for some reason you know he's waiting to give his answer based on yours. But what makes you so important, just that Xiuying already said no, in the best way she can, and Saki said yes?>Agree to help>Tell them to get bent>[Write-in]
>>6411429>Agree to helpWhether or not we stop the demon horde here, we'll have to deal with it down the road. Best to confront them while we're in a fortified position with the pact behind us.
>>6411425>"Making sure you're not a fae trying to steal my identity.">"...">"Otto Griggs."Okay, QM, you're officially funny in my book. If you flake on this quest I'll hunt you down. Keep up the good work.>Agree to helpBirds of a feather stick together
>>6411442Thanks, anon, knowing that my bits land means a lot to me. >>6411437>>6411442Writing the last update for the day.
>>6411566“Yeah, of course I’ll help,” You doubt you actually have much of an option. “I am glad we are all in agreement.” Seventeen’s words linger in the stale air as she watches the old man try to comfort the chubby girl, “but I fear we will require at least three of you to cover all the fortress’s flanks. This request is nonnegotiable.” Is she not even trying to hide the fact that you're prisoners here? The Hell is her problem?! Go to Hell! “See, darling? Everyone else is trying their best to help, so we gotta do our best too! " Khuhuhu~” The old man says to the girl, who is far too old to be talked to like that. She, of course, sobs more. You kinda feel bad, but at the same time, you have other priorities– A stabbing pain in your gut staggers you. The Hell? It feels as if a thousand nails are raking across your skin as you consider just telling the professor to help out and leaving the girl here during the fight. It feels almost like your body is mad with you-? That’s– You sigh as it passes. You can’t say it’s a familiar feeling. It must be something to do with this room; it feels wrong. You shiver and consider not saying anything. No, you must help the girl. Yeah, that would be the good thing to do, right? Nice and #morale? To help her join the good fight, so we can save, um, whoever these people are, and the day? You guess? Is what Dr. Kwamboka’s doing even the right thing to do here? Sure, he’s comforting her, but at the same time, he’s telling her to join a fight we know nothing about. You doubt she’s going to be able to do anything but bleed at the enemy anyway. Wait a minute, a body in the way between you and the enemy is still a body in the way, right? Holy shit, that old man’s some kind of sly devil, isn’t he? The nails, the nails are yelling at you. Screaming that you’re getting distracted, that you need to help her. Fuck, alright, damn–>–it just calm the fuck down! Chill! You’re sure someone else has got it. What point is there in involving yourself in every little thing? You've got different priorities right now. Like idk, surviving?>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.>[Write-in]
>>6411579>>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.Might as well try, right?
>>6411579>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.Look, I know this is a fucked up situation but however it is, the demons will be worse if they breach the walls. I believe in (You) Xiuying.
>>6411582>>6411630Writing, you moralists!
