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[LP CYOA] Epic

TOME

Cuckmaster General
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May 25, 2012
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A - Protect the princess.

Since we can communicate directly with Yua, can't we just scan the book and send to her/it and have her/it read it to us while we sleep or something?
 

treave

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Codex 2012
It's not fully translated. She's constantly devoting part of her computing power to completing a translation, but this is the sort of thing that would usually take a well-funded research group years, if not decades, because of the alien concepts set forth in the books. You managed to get the superficial gist of things but to actually understand the details would require a considerable amount of time. Studying the books yourself will make the process go faster, and you might be able to pick up things an AI would miss, perhaps even achieving a breakthrough.



Still, even if you guys did throw away the game Shulgi gave you because of let'snukeourselveslol shenanigans, don't overcompensate for that mistake. :troll:
 

Azira

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Codex 2012
Still, even if you guys did throw away the game Shulgi gave you because of let'snukeourselveslol shenanigans, don't overcompensate for that mistake. :troll:

That game taught us one smart move in combat, but have we gained anything else from it? Not immediately apparent..
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Well, you didn't have the chance to progress to the part where Ean jumped into the void. That would have been important. It's alright though, I compensated for that in 'other' ways. :lol:
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Well, just in time for it to be of use, which wouldn't be in Chapter 2 or 3.
 

TOME

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That makes the D-option more appealing, but I think participating the dinner will yield us more; we can talk to Naim without flashy mech moves.
 

ScubaV

Prophet
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Feb 20, 2011
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I do like D, but we've got a job to do and we're not at a point yet where we can risk totally pissing of Azo. Unless someone has some compelling arguments for another choice...

A

B, a nonlethal takedown is the most silent takedown.
 

Kipeci

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B allows for more flexibility and secrecy in protecting them. The most dangerous threats aren't always the nearest ones; a perspective from a distance away when no one knows that a guard is present could be very beneficial.
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
E - FUCK. YES.

I take it by "suggest" you mean silently use our powers to cause her to do it. :D

edit: If E doesn't have the votes, then B. There's no advantage to tagging along. Listening in is where we can really get some info.

edit2: Alright, B, you lame jerks.
 

ScubaV

Prophet
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Mmmm, now that I think about it some more I'm going to flop to B. If we're going to play JC Denton it's time for some stealth mode. Let's hack some terminals and do some silent takedowns.
 

Kayerts

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Jan 28, 2011
Messages
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A for now.

Leaving our charge unguarded two hours after a murder attempt is slightly better than leaving her unguarded two minutes after a murder attempt, but still well into "amazingly incompetent bodyguard" territory. That rules out C and D.

B would be good if we had the surveillance capabilities to make it work well, but I don't think we do. We lack a bug or any other reliable way to listen in on their conversation (something wacky with security cameras being fed to Yua for lip-reading, maybe?), and being at a distance could put us at a disadvantage during whatever shit goes down tonight. (Shit going down seems likely.)




Also, treave, what's the deal with Higashi names? I can't tell whether they're supposed to be in the style of our Western (family name last) or East Asian (family name first) names? Hoshikawa Senya seems to be from the Hoshikawa family, but Qin Kawano seems to be from the Kawano family.

Course, Qin looks more suspicious with every update. And I remembered this:

At the same time, Kyrie enters, excusing herself. “Sorry, Senya, they were really insistent I sang them a song.”

“I didn't know you could sing,” I mutter. “And you just used my name.”
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Yeah, sorry, I've been pretty inconsistent with the order of the names. Was undecided whether to stick with Western or Eastern convention. I suppose I'll stick with Eastern from now on, though there's always the excuse to be made that it's her stage name or something.
 

Kayerts

Arcane
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Cool. Didn't mean to nitpick; was just checking if it was something Senya should be paying attention to.
 

Zwist

Learned
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Hmmm, E would put Naim out of the Idols reach for good. D would put this situation out of our reach for good. But as E has no chance of winning...
B. Please don't fuck up.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Case of the Cursed Songstress, Act III


Half a kilometer up in the air, the view of Kyoto is breathtaking. 100-floor skyscrapers are not uncommon in the heart of the Higashi capital, where space is limited, and in the night they appear as glowing pillars lighting up the sky with a rainbow of colours. Further in the distance, a long, thin thread of light stretches up far into the atmosphere; in fact, it would extend into space – that is the Higashi space elevator.

“It’s… pretty,” whispers Yua. She’s drawing her visual input directly from my eyes now – not surprising given the extent to which she has been integrated into my sensory systems as a passive observer, thanks to the neural-digital interface.

“That’s right, I haven’t shown this to you before, have I?” I muse. “We’ve never been to one of the towers after I made you. I think the highest building we visited together was that little bank near our house? Fifty metres, was it?”

“You’re mistaking me for my predecessor again,” she replies, irritated. “We are different.” Somehow, I’ve recently started to doubt that, but I just say, “Yes, of course.”

I look around the Yamaten restaurant. It certainly looks expensive. The concept is that of an open-air garden – the customers sit around low wooden tables that are separated from each other by make-shift divisions formed from shrubs and rows of flowers. A stream burbles through the garden, circling around to end in a pond. It looks like there are real fish within. The lighting is dim, provided only by lanterns set up by each table, but the moon is bright in the cloudless sky tonight. I can see it clearly if I look up; the ceiling and walls consist of panels of variable opacity glass and tonight they have been set to full transparency, showcasing the clear night sky. It is rather more expensive than plastic with similar capabilities, and usually only in use by establishments that are concerned with the perceived value of the material; there are people who would refuse to eat at a place with plastic. A few people with more money and sense tried building houses out of it, but it didn’t catch on.

Living in a glass house has its drawbacks.

I shift my weight. When Naim said he only reserved places for two, he wasn’t kidding. There’s no place for me to sit, unless I were to rest my arse uncouthly on the pebbled ground. It’s not that I’m not tempted to do that, but glances from the servers in my direction make it clear that I shouldn’t. I content myself with standing behind Qin, keeping an eye and a ear out, and my mouth shut. She is discussing the shoot with Naim; it’s progressing slowly due to all the troubles plaguing the set.

“Have we any leads on all these accidents?” he asks.

She shakes her head. “No, the key grip can’t find anything wrong. He says that it’s just unlucky.”

“Well, I don’t believe in curses, and neither should you. There must be someone stalking you. Aren’t you getting letters from some creepy fan? Could he be behind it?”

“I don’t know,” she sighs. “I just want it to stop. I’m starting to get nightmares… I think I’m seeing and hearing things from the stress sometimes.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Naim gives her a sympathetic smile. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I really do want to see this film completed. For her memory, you know? You remind me of her somewhat. They chose well when they cast you.”

“Thank you, Sir Naim. I did meet with her, once, when she came aboard the Spirit of Adventure. I suppose you could say the princess was the reason I decided to enter show business.”

“Oh? Please do continue.”

“She was just… well, how do I put this… stunning? She was a person that shone brightly. She sang a song to us and it just touched all of us deeply. After that, I told myself that I want to be someone just like her. Someone that can inspire hope in the hearts of the people.”

I successfully hold back a snort of laughter. Kyrie, shining? The only time I can remember her doing that is when she messed with a little bioluminescent contraption I had been building. Her forehead was shining for a week after that.

“Ah yes, you would have seen her there.” Naim gives a heavy sigh. “By the way, did you know that the director is still insisting we keep the character of Hoshikawa in? Why bother, when no one wants to play him?”

“Ah, that’s right! He was on board the ship too, wasn’t he?” Qin suddenly perks up, interested. “What was he like?”

Naim pauses, thinking of what to say. After a while, he replies, “Reckless and insubordinate. I suppose he had his talents, in a way, but he would have made for a poor soldier. I don’t think we ever got along.”

“Hm, that’s a pity.”

“Why would it be a pity? Because of him, she left me,” remarks Naim absent-mindedly.

“Well, can you imagine the mindset of one of the worst traitors in history, or how his target must have felt when he stabbed her in the back? Was he utterly ruthless, or did he feel conflicted about it? It would take an excellent young actor to portray the character convincingly.” Qin turns to address me. “How about you, Kurou? What did you think of Hoshikawa? You met him too, right?”

Great. Just great. I carefully keep the impassive expression on my face.

“What do you mean?” asks Naim.

“I introduced the both of you earlier today, right? Weren’t you two shipmates? I thought it strange you didn’t say anything to him, nor he to you.”

Naim’s brow grows dark with suspicion - it seems as if he's seeing me in a new light. “I don’t know of any Higashi crew members named Kurou who served with me.”

“You wouldn’t have remembered,” I reply calmly. “I was running errands in the kitchen.”

He doesn’t seem too convinced. “I do not like it when people claim to have served aboard the Kaguya-hime in order to take advantage of our achievements.”

“I have, and that is the truth.” For a brief moment I’m tempted to remove the sunglasses and stare the nitwit in the eye.

“Maybe you can take off those shades while you are in here, Mr. Kurou. I would like to get a good look at you.”

“It is part of my dress code, Sir Naim. I am afraid I cannot comply. I am sorry if I offended you, Sir Naim, but I was never the type of person your good self would ever notice.”

“Your impudent way of talking reminds me of someone.” He grits his teeth, getting irritated. I hope I haven’t overdone it. This is not the time and place to reveal my identity, not when I don’t know what he will do if he finds out.

“No fighting, boys,” says Qin crossly.

“Sorry.” I apologize quickly and shut up, but Naim just continues glaring at me.

At that moment, the server comes with a plate of sliced raw fish, interrupting us. Looking at it, I can tell that it was carved apart with a knife of the finest quality. There are seams of marbled fat running through the pink, fresh meat, and it appears to be both tender and firm. My stomach grumbles slightly in protest; I haven’t had anything to eat the whole day.

Halfway through their meal, Naim gets up. Giving Qin an apologetic smile, he excuses himself. “I need to head to the washroom for a while. Could I borrow your bodyguard for a while? I have things to ask him.”

I stare at him from under my shades. “My place is with Ms. Kawano.”

“Oh, I insist.” He leans in close to me and hisses in my ear. “I need to talk with you… Hoshikawa.”

It seems that he realized who I am after all. I curse silently as I look at Qin, who shrugs and waves me away. “I’ll be fine. I won’t die just because you leave me for a couple of seconds, but come back soon!”

“Yua, have we obtained control of the cameras yet?” I had surreptitiously extended a thin tendril along the walls while standing there, having spotted the unobtrusive security cameras on my way in. Progress was slow, as I kept having to remake it after the stretched tendril snapped repeatedly from the tension, but finally I made it.

“Not all of them – the connection is weak, but I’ve managed to access the feed.”

“That’s sufficient for now. Keep an eye on Kawano and let me know immediately if anything out of the ordinary happens around her. Work on getting full control of the cameras as well as the rest of the Yamaten's systems in the meantime.”

“Roger that.”

I nod, turning my attention to Naim as if I had been considering what he said. “Only for a while. My duty is still with Ms. Kawano.”

“It won’t take long,” he says, though he seems worried about something.

As he leads the way to the toilets, I notice one of the wait staff staring at me. I recognize her almost immediately and I freeze in my tracks for a moment. Of all the places in the world. That’s… my sister. Chinatsu. Judging from the uniform, she’s working part-time here, and it seems that she has identified me by sight. Well, I’ve lived with her for… what, 6 years? It wouldn’t be surprising. I also knew there was always a high risk of running into her or my parents when I returned to Higashi - I've prepared the words I have to say should that happen. She doesn’t come towards me, however – her eyes just track me as I head towards the toilets.

I sigh; my problems just doubled.

“Yua, keep an eye out for her too.”

“Roger that.”

Once we are in the washroom – the ceiling is opaque here – Naim wastes no time before grabbing my collar. He shakes me strongly enough for my sunglasses to fall off. “What are you doing here? Are you insane? I almost didn’t recognize you. If Kawano hadn't said anything...”

I look around, making sure there is no one in here before I reply.

“I am working as Ms. Kawano’s bodyguard. It is as you see.”

“You expect me to believe that? What are you planning?”

“I’m planning to keep her safe.”

It’s true – of course I’m planning to keep her safe. Seeing no falsehood in my eyes, Naim lets me go and walks over to the sinks. He stares into the mirror, looking at my figure reflected within it. He seems to be undecided about something, a torn and haunted expression growing on his face. He lets out a heavy sigh, finding his determination.

“It might be a blessing in disguise that you appeared before me, Hoshikawa. There are things I need to clear up with you… things I need to put an end to,” he mutters.

“What do you mean?”

“What if I told you…”

He takes a big gulp of air, gathering the courage to press forward.

“What if I told you that she… Kyrie was alive?”

***

A. I tell him that I already know that. I don't mention why and how, of course, but he should know I haven't idly wasted my time.

B. I express my surprise at the news. Clearly this is a shocking turn of events, one I would have never predicted.

***

1. I claim that I am not interested in doing anything about her. I'm not about to recruit him to my cause. I can track Kyrie down myself; that is why I had signed up with Azo after all.

2. I ask for his assistance in finding her. If he knows she's alive, he probably has a good idea as to her whereabouts, if not her exact location. This is information I can't pass up.

***

C. I attack him, subjugate him, and begin my interrogation. I will pry the knowledge out of his brain by force, even if it leaves him a scrambled, drooling invalid. He was a fool to ask me that question, and the less people who know my real identity the better. Well, I suppose the good thing about having an unidentified cyber-terrorist on the loose is that I can always get away by blaming any suspicious acts on the mysterious criminal.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
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Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Ahh, screw it. Evil fuck option it is. Voting C

Let's be Cassius Dio, but with a waifu!
 

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