Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

[LP CYOA] Epic

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Actually I was hoping Lil' E would end up as Mega Cthulhu, but Senya already has tentacles and all he's missing is and octopus head and green skin, but I'll take what I can get. I just hope we don't turn him into Magus Biologis Mengele by the end.
white-haired xeno girls.
Xenos, you say? Tell me more.
I also think you might be getting more than what you're bargaining for with your relentless pursuit of connections within connections. It is natural things come to an end.
Nice try, but I already let my guard down once and it cost us Ean. Never Forget!

Edit: and about the whole "what is Senya," the most logical conclusion I can make right now is a descendant of the Concordiat refugees juiced up on Innana scientomagicks.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
this...would be glorious.
Oh%20god_%20what%20have%20I%20done.gif

...my pleasure, good sir.
as for Ean, let's just say I'll never say i told you so.
Exchange of inspiration, then. Suits me just fine.
 

Bloodshifter

Educated
Joined
Jul 7, 2012
Messages
542
Location
Somewhere with dead bears
Kyrie is a Princess of the Empire that is currently watching us like America is watching Cuba during the Cold War and you guys want to play nice with her? Not to mention she is a Tsundere by ingoring her she loves us more.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
The master was cast out after a lost billiards match that ended in him potting his own home planet into a black hole. Thus he went off to search for meaning in his life, and when he could not find it by himself, decided to try and get a wider view of the universe. Voices are like talking magical batteries that supercharge their host and can in return be recharged.The northern nations wouldn't have split but the empire would be less prosperous, and everything is chicken.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Relius Engura


The door to the student council room is ajar. As I draw closer to it, I hear sounds of conversation coming from within. Kyrie isn’t alone today. Could it be one of the student council members?

“…still you continue to be stubborn.” The refined voice was that of a man, and though his words were harsh, his tone was conciliatory and soothing, as if gently trying to make a wayward child see reason.

“I have always been stubborn. You should know that by now.” Kyrie sounded unhappy. The man sighs.

“I do, and it is a trait that endears you to me. Still, you know very well there is no other way for you to be heard in the corporation unless you join your voice to mine.”

“I am not ready. I should accrue more experience in school-“

The man interrupts her coldly without raising his voice. “School is a bad influence upon you. I have heard many stories of how you behave here when you are unsupervised. You terrorize the students and have nothing but rude words in a manner entirely unbefitting the heir of the Empire.”

“How dare you-“

“I dare to because I care for you, Kyrie. No one else speaks out against you because they fear your father, but I will. I am on your side, to guide and support you when you finally become the Empress.” His tone softened. “This is why I do not want you to waste your time here anymore. Your talents and beauty are squandered in the Academy, when I could be helping you use them against our enemies in the corporation.”

That does it. I am unable to hold back my curiosity and peek through the door. Kyrie is sitting at her desk as usual. The man stands behind her, one hand placed gently on her shoulder. The handsome face is instantly recognizable; I had seen far too much of it on the magazines that my sister used to buy – and it belonged to Relius Engura, the scion of one of the oldest noble houses in the Empire.

I still recall the sycophantic biographies that Chinatsu would read out to me.

Relius Engura, age 26. Net worth of 12 billion. Made his first million when he was 13. Champion runner, winning over ten international competitions. Conquered the peak of the highest mountains at age 16. Celebrated artist. World-class pianist. Trusted philanthropist. Genius entrepreneur. Voted “Most Desirable Bachelor in the World” for 10 years in a row. Currently holds a position on the board of directors of the Imperial Shinar Corporation, and is the youngest director ever in the 250-year history of the corporation.

His elegantly manicured fingers rub Kyrie’s shoulder gently. Sweeping a lock of perfectly curled dark hair from his immaculately high cheek bones, Relius leans down and brings his face close to Kyrie’s, his delicately pointed nose expanding as he sniffs. She appears to panic and starts to turn red. As her eyes dart around the room, they meet mine before I can pull away. She stares at me desperately, but in a situation like this the safest choice is to leave. Relius Engura is definitely a person I do not want to anger.

After breathing in deeply and running through a plan of action in my mind, I knock on the door and go in. She’s already seen me anyway, and sometimes the safest choice isn’t always the best. I prepare myself to speak boldly. “Miss Vice-President, I’ve something to talk to you about regarding the Kenjutsu Club…” I let my voice trail off in surprise as I stare at them.

“Oh, sorry for interrupting,” I grin abashedly as I bow my head in apology. “Unfortunately, this is something urgent-“

“This is not urgent, boy.” Relius did not even lift his eyes to look at me. His voice is cold as he commands me. “Leave us.”

“I’m sorry, sir, are you a teacher here? I haven’t seen you before.” I ask.

He gives an exaggerated, drawn out sigh and straightens himself. He walks up to me, patting down his exquisitely tailored suit. Though he is about my height, his posture, bearing and confidence makes him look taller than he really is. His dark eyes attempt to stare me down. I probably should frightened by him, but I’ve seen scarier eyes. One of it tried to slither down my throat just last week.

“I am not a teacher, and you are interrupting my conversation with the… vice-president. Do you not know who I am?”

A blank look crosses my face.

“Who… are you?”

An irritated look flashes across his.

“My name is Relius Engura, lord of House Engura.”

“Ah, that’s one of those noble houses in the Empire, right? I heard that you have many of those.”

“One of? No, we are the greatest. Sadly, I would’ve expected even an uneducated foreigner like you to know about me. Now, if you would kindly leave us…”

“That’s wonderful, being able to meet a real lord! It’s an honour! Miss Vice-President, could I discuss the matter of the Kenjutsu Club with you?” I look away from him, towards Kyrie. She is a bit startled, but nods her head.

“Of course. I will always sacrifice my personal time for the sake of the school’s students. Have a seat. Relius, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I’m afraid regulations state that student council consultations are a private matter.”

The handsome billionaire clicks his tongue in slight frustration. “That is alright. I will return to my hotel room for now – I still have other things to do. Goodbye, Kyrie. I will see you soon.”

“Goodbye, Lord Engura.” I wave cheerfully, but he ignores me, already treating me as part of the background as he leaves with elegant footsteps.

We pretend to chat for a few seconds before Kyrie furtively peeks at the door again.

“Is he gone?”

I walk over and look around in the hallway before closing the door.

“Yeah.”

Track 6

“Thank the Emperor!” She stretches out and then slumps back in her chair. “I thought he’d never leave. It’s a good thing you came when you did.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to interrupt, actually. Your stare was not very informative. I half thought you were asking me to go away.”

“No, no, that was definitely a ‘help me out here’ stare.” She giggles suddenly, perhaps relieved as all the tension drains out of her. The pressure leaves me too. Though I wasn’t exactly intimidated, putting on a performance of bravado in front of the most desirable man in the world is not entirely easy on my nerves. “By the way,” she added, “you really have got guts, talking to Relius like that. He does not have much patience for fools.”

I shrug, taking my seat across her. “The way I see it, he thinks of everyone else as fools. To him I am just another fool among many. A man like that will not hold a grudge over some ignorant student.”

Kyrie agrees with me, rubbing at her eyes. “I suppose so. He’s never been the sort to concern himself with petty insults as long as they don’t become a serious obstacle to getting what he wants.”

“I’m glad to be right. By the way, are you feeling okay? I will always sacrifice my personal time for the sake of the school’s students?”

“What do you mean?”

“It… just doesn’t sound like you.”

“You mean to say that I don’t do my best for the sake of the school?”

I shake my head. I know how hard she works. The stories that she stays back alone in the student council room come about because she is usually the only one still working there after school hours. I have spotted her around the school from afar, and not once have I seen her with a friend. Just copious amounts of paperwork in her arms.

“I mean to say that you would usually say something like… I will always sacrifice my personal time for the sake of the pieces of shit studying in this school.”

“Hey, Senya.” She suddenly looks grim.

“What?”

“Do you think I talk crudely like that all the time?”

“Well, you usually do.”

“I’m not so stupid as to do it with my father and the higher-ups in the corporation. I do know etiquette.”

“You should use it with the rest of the school, then. Perhaps it would make life easier for you.”

“I know, but it’s just stifling. This is the only place where I can say whatever I want, and I don’t plan to change that.”

I get it. “This is your kingdom, huh?”

“Yes. This is my kingdom, and when the dream is over I will never be able to return.”

I glance at her. The setting sun casts shadows over her face, and in the orange light she looks weak and vulnerable. “Kyrie?”

“Yes?”

“You’re being very depressing.”

“That’s… you tactless turd! Is that any way to comfort a lady? You started it with that lame talk of kingdoms!” A styrofoam cup flies at my head and bounces off.

I laugh. The fear of her I had on our first meeting is no longer there. She’s just as human as any other person. It might be clichéd to say this, but I think she’s just lonely. Of course, she’d really try to kill me if I told her that.

“Anyway, about the investigation...”

“Actually, that is why Relius was here.”

“You asked him for help?”

“Oh, no. I would never ask him to help me.” She shudders. “The price would be too great.”

“Your chastity?” I had been thinking about that since I saw him try to get close to her, and the words just slip out of my mouth. Kyrie turns red, even redder than the sunset.

“Well… probably… he’d ask for something bad…” she mutters almost inaudibly. Then, an evil gleam appears in her eyes, and she smiles nastily at me. At least, she tries to; it's not too convincing when that flush is still on her face. “So you think my chastity is a great prize?”

“Uh, I…”

“Hm, you really are disgusting, aren’t you? Anna was right. Are you fantasizing about my chastity? Do you think I would even consider giving it up just to satisfy your base urges to investigate some rotting monsters? You disgusting pervert. Your dick probably rots off if you stop thinking about dirty things.”

“I am very sorry, pure and chaste Princess, so please stop trying to channel Anna. I will not speak that word again.” I humble myself in my apology. While Anna’s banter is just sexual harassment, Kyrie tends to take it into sadistic territory. Frighteningly, I think I might just get used to this... that would make me an actual pervert.

“Hm. Very well. See to it that you do not sully my pure ears any further with your filthy perverted words. So, shall we continue the discussion?”

I nod wordlessly.

“He seems to have found out I was asking about him.” Kyrie was serious now, all playfulness gone from her face.

“Relius is involved?

“Possibly. His men have been in contact with some of the delinquent gangs in the town. I can’t find out the details of their meetings, but he shouldn’t have a reason to contact them in the first place. The wet market has reported multiple incidents of theft recently, amongst them a prized specimen of a large bluefin tuna. I suspect the delinquents are behind that. Also, he’s recently engaged the services of the Dunamis private security group for reasons unknown. They just came into town together with him a day ago. He doesn’t seem to have hired them to guard him as they are moving about separately.”

I whistle. “That’s very impressive work. You found out about this so easily?”

“I think they weren’t expecting me to investigate since I usually only concern myself with matters of the Academy. All of this information was obtained from my contacts around town. I was actually planning to tell you about this tonight.”

“I see. I suppose this is where we stop using your contacts?” It was probably too risky to continue doing the same thing.

“What do you mean?” Kyrie turns her head quizzically, and I explain. “He came looking for you within a week of the investigation, and he suspects you have been investigating him.”

“From his words, he probably knows I have been investigating him.”

“That makes it even simpler. I’m guessing some of the people you asked probably told him. That’s how he found out so fast.”

“If that’s the case…” Kyrie bites her lip pensively.

“Can you ask your father for help?” I ask.

“No. That’s not possible. If I want to seek his aid it will become a board matter when he acts against a director, and if on the off chance we are wrong about this…”

“I see. Whatever we do next, we will have to do it ourselves, at least until we gather concrete evidence. How sure are you about these leads?”

“He is definitely up to something. We’re going to investigate this personally, then?” She seems a bit excited about it.

“I’m considering it.”

“I could get the police to try and bring in the delinquents for theft.”

“Could the police be compromised?”

“I’m… not exactly sure about that. I know a few trustworthy officers, but I can’t be certain news won’t get to Relius’s ears.”

“What are our other options?”

“We could track down the delinquents ourselves. Relius will be in town until morning the day after the next – we could try to investigate him directly.”

“Hm, what about the Dunamis private security group?”

“About that… I do need to tell you something.” Kyrie pauses, a hesitant expression on her face. “They’re run by the family of a classmate of yours. Erika Dunamis… I saw you sharing your lunch on the rooftop with her.”

“I’ve only met with her once and she stole all my sandwiches.” I didn’t know Kyrie had seen us on that day. She shakes her head, as if to say that it doesn’t matter, and continues.

“Are you sure you want to check on them? Things might get awkward between you and her. Besides, their rooms have been booked for a longer period of time than Relius’s – they will be staying here even after he leaves. We should have time to investigate them later, if you want. What do you want to do?”

I wonder about the choices that I have, and realize one thing. Since when was I in charge of the investigation? Why am I calling the shots? Kyrie looks at me expectantly, waiting for my decision. Since she has already asked me, I might as well offer my suggestion to her.

If we track down the delinquents ourselves, we won’t have time to investigate Relius before he leaves. Going after Relius, however, would probably make me a target in his eyes in the future. He overlooked what happened today, but if I continue to cross his path I might not get off as easily the next time. It would also be more difficult to succeed, but if we did manage to get conclusive evidence of his misdeeds (which, to be fair, appear to be limited to an attempt at creating dangerous abominations...) Kyrie would be able to get the Emperor to act.

***

A. Track down the delinquents ourselves.
B. Ask the police to bring them in.
C. Ignore them.

(If B or C,
1. Investigate Relius.
2. Do not investigate Relius.)
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Investigation, yay?

Ah well, can't be helped, we're in an anime after all.

Let's do the most we can. B1

Been thinking about our relationship meters. Such are importan in Anime, right?

C1
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
The previous A would've landed you in a katana duel so it's really a question of what type of anime you prefer. :smug:
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
I think if we choose B, investigating Relius will become counter-productive, as he'll likely be occupied with making sure his hands are clean, instead of pursuing his diabolical monster manufacturing program. Therefore, the optimal choice is either A or C1. Since the delinquents are Relius' procurers, they're tangential to the real issue, which is the manufacture of fishmen abberations. There's no guarantee that we'll catch Relian in the act, but since we only have a limited interval of time to investigate him, we should saisir l'occasion, so I'm voting C1.

Keep in mind, if we make sure they aren't arrested, we can investigate the delinquents later.
 

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
A

Gather more intel before going after someone so powerful.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
I agree with Smashing Axe. C1, investigating the bandits in the same interval as him may very well tip one of the parties off as to our goals, with all the consequences that entails. Besides, this fits with our skillset.
And I suppose if we solve this one, we may very well get that Watcher position I'm harping on about so much. Maybe they'll even put us on an advanced course out of this damned place, "Pack your bags, son. You work for His Imperial Majesty's Secret Service now."
I'd like to reserve a handle right away: "Vanilla Ice.":yeah:
“Thank the Emperor!”
The Emperor Protects, Ean is watching :salute:
Edit: as for that Engura fellow, he does remind me of Dio, or rather what he would have been like had we played politician instead of general.
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
C: We don't tip our hand or piss off Erika by going after the little fishes.
1: High risk, high reward.
 

Zwist

Learned
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
236
The difference between the early updates and the anime ones is rather extreme. I know some of you do not listen to the soundtrack, but you should. It really helps enjoying them for what they are.

As for the choice: C1
We will end up antagonising him anyway, he is in our way.
At least if you guys keep chasing princesses instead of making them.
 

Bloodshifter

Educated
Joined
Jul 7, 2012
Messages
542
Location
Somewhere with dead bears
Just want to say at this rate we are going to pick up the Submissive trait at this rate at the very least we will like pain.

They just happen to contract the Security Company Xeno Hunter is at?
When monsters show up?
I think that this is a operation from on high we are getting in over our heads here.
The "gangs" may be fronts for the Monsters.
Reg is clearly in charge of ridding them. As such...
A2
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
C1. We'll piss him off sooner or later by continuing to pursue the princess.

Flopping (surprise, surprise) to A.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
We'll piss him off sooner or later by continuing to pursue the princess.
Hmm... I wonder if we can sell everyone and everything out to him for a massive benefit or just plain cash, drop of charges and voiding our contract? Not exactly difficult to puzzle out his motives here.
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
Wait a minute... He hired the Dunamis group? Erika's group? The same Erika who killed that creature? Why would he do that if he's behind the creatures?

What if he was in contact with the gangs in order to investigate the creatures and hired the group to hunt for them?
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Well, that's what the 'don't do anything' option is there for, if you're not sure what to do. There've been no attacks on our protagonist and there certainly isn't a pressing need to get the investigation done.

Though teens being teens will usually want to do something, and besides it could serve as a bonding activity. The suspension bridge effect can be pretty effective.
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
If this is just a bonding activity, then there's no reason to stir up any real trouble for Senya with this billionaire just yet. Flopped to A. Bonding with gangs.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Only you're forgetting that this isn't about bonding (personally, screw all of 'em, "Oh Shepard Senya, won't you fix my daddy issues... with your mushroom?"), this is about the weird shit going down in town and this guy seems to be in the middle of it. Hence his house will need to be searched and we have the perfect skillset. We let this opportunity go, it may be a long while until we receive it again.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom