[LP CYOA] Spiral

[Baltika9]

The spirit of the RESPONSIBILITY TIGER is not so easily lost.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

The spirit of the RESPONSIBILITY TIGER is not so easily lost.

Wasn't it YOLOtiger.

Of course we are not exactly living just once here.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Final tally:

A - 5
B - 3
C - 2

Hm, Codex still being Responsible lemmings it seems.

Fixed

 

[Nevill]

As for the others, well, let's be honest, how the heck are they going to help us defeat this ghost? We already know one of them is either possessed or worse and wants our book - and knows we have it now too. Also, don't forget that some have been bitten. Who knows what effect that will have. I say that going to them without a plan for the ghost first is just asking for trouble. Let Sakimura whine. Uehara will support us and then he will fall in line like a good little doggy.

The point is probably moot since the votes are closed, but I don't necessarily agree.

Why would Uehara support us, considering she agreed to put us in the lead specifically to see if we fail at leading the others (which we would, if we abandon them)?

Her own inclinations at what should one do in these situations were stated in the 3rd chapter:

“It’s none of your business.” Shoving the omamori back into her shirt, Uehara snaps with such cold fury that Amanozaki falls back, cowed into silence by her sudden glare. Uehara takes a second to compose herself, breathing in deeply. “I’m... look, I’m sorry, but please do not poke your nose into my affairs. I do not believe in your ghosts. Leave it at that. More importantly, what should we do now? I want to go look for my friends.”

She was going to look for her friends while Amanozaki was the one who wanted to exorcize the ghost.

By the way, attempting it was an option when we only had Amanozaki with us, so at least it should be possible without Hidetaka, although no doubt more difficult. Kayano might know something about the hospital and its workings, though good luck loosing her tongue.

 

[treave]

Warding Circle

“Why didn’t you choose to go with that man?” asks Uehara, not bothering to hide her suspicions.

“Why should I?” you respond, puzzled.

“It’s Hidetaka Matsui. It’s the ghost that probably knows more about this building and its history than anyone else… he probably knows even more about my family’s traditions than I do!”

“You sound like you wanted to go with him, Uehara-san.”

“No, I’m more surprised that you, of all people, did not go for a chance to talk to him more. Why is that? Do you already have everything you need?”

“I just want to make sure that the others are alright. That comes first,” you say simply, and Uehara falls silent. You cannot tell whether she is convinced by your words.

***

“There they are!” shouts Sakimura excitedly. After descending the stairs, it does not take you long to find the lobby again. As he had hoped, his friends were there, seemingly unharmed. Sakimura rushes forward, running towards Kozaka and Shiba. Uehara quickens her footsteps too, a small smile on her face. You follow them, and cross the threshold of the lobby.

That feeling… Acchan, wait!

Ei’s warning comes a second too late. A prickling, uncomfortable sensation invades your body. Through your narrowed vision you can make out a faint glow in the air, emitted from a circular pattern that has formed around you. When you reach out, your fingers seem to push against an invisible wall – it is firmly solid. A barrier. Thin filaments of light shine briefly, and you notice that it leads to the corners of the room, where Amanozaki’s string has been set down.

“See! See it with your own eyes,” crows Kayano triumphantly. “He is not human.”

I’m… I’m so sorry! I let my guard down!

Ei apologizes profusely, sounding extremely mortified. You shake your head. I should have been more alert too. Kayano had to have led the others away for a reason. Of course, you did not expect her to set up a trap, let alone one involving a spell.

“What is this?” shouts out Amanozaki testily as she marches towards you, but Maid pulls her back, restraining her. Similarly, Shiba moves towards Uehara, blocking her way.

“Kayano-san told us all her suspicions,” says Murano, glaring at you. The black mark on his forehead seems to have spread. “Shinoseki-san, you haven’t been telling us the truth, have you?”

“Leader, if you must know, I was definitely against this plan,” smiles Sawada awkwardly, ruffling his well-permed hair. “But what Kayano-san said had a bit of the truth. I mean, you opened the door and provoked the ghost, and then there’s that strange book you made appear out of nowhere… I still trust you, man, but it’d be great if you could give me something to work with.”

“It was stupid of him to open the door, but he distracted the ghost and let us all get away,” says Uehara.

“Really? That is what you saw when you went back for him?” asks Kayano.

“Yes.” A defiant reply from Uehara.

Kayano smiles. “We can’t be certain about that, right, Kozaka-kun?”

“There… there’s no guarantee you weren’t tricked, Uehara-san,” Kozaka says.

“Yeah, Shizuka! I mean, look at him! He’s being trapped inside that… that magic circle,” exclaims Shiba. “He’s not like us at all!”

“The protection barrier only works against spirits, right? Amanozaki-san? You set this barrier up yourself earlier,” Kayano changes her target, looking at the perplexed psychic. “

“Ah. Oh. Uh. Y-Yes… of course, but… Shinoseki isn’t a ghost…” She bites her thumb and stares at you, trying to understand what is going on.

Her useless barrier can be repurposed easily for different spells of a similar nature. I wouldn’t think too much about it. It’s likely that the old bitch knows some spells of her own.

“B-But… I was here when Amanozaki-san completed the barrier,” you point out, a slight stutter in your words. “It didn’t affect me at the time.”

“You might have been normal at the time,” shrugs Maid. “It meansnothing, Kayano-san already pointed that out to us before you arrived.”

“It could have happened when he was separated from us…” mutters Sakimura, who seems to be coming around to their way of thinking.

“It’s that book, isn’t it?” presses Murano. “That book is the key… Kayano-san suspected it from the start!”

“Exactly, Murano-san.” Kayano comes closer to you, lowering her face at an angle and showing you a smile hidden from the others. “Give it to us so that we can safeguard it. Then we can decide what to do with you… ghost.”

You glare back at her silently.

Do I have any options of breaking out of here, Ei?

Spell-wise? No, we’re not strong enough yet, Acchan. I suppose you could materialize me again… I might be able to break free through brute force. The process would drain some of the life force you lend me, but after that you’ll be able to snap that old hag’s neck!

What about passing you to her temporarily, and then calling you back once the barrier is lowered? Could that trick work?

Do you actually trust her to keep her word, Acchan?

The scathing tone in Ei’s voice tells you exactly what she thinks of that plan.

Besides, I cannot guarantee that our bond will remain once I cross the barrier. If we are cut off from each other…

***

A. You materialize Ei again, allowing her to try and break you free. You just hope that she doesn’t appear in her tentacled form: that would definitely do your image no further favours even if – or maybe especially if – she smashes her way through the barrier violently. But it seems that you have no choice, and if your hand is being forced right now, you will just have to show them what they wanted to see...

B. You tell Kayano that if she wants the book, she can come closer and take it from your hand... though she probably would not dare. That Kayano elected to imprison you in a barrier instead of trying to overpower you physically with the others is telling. You’ll just calmly take the opportunity to rest, recuperate, and reconsider your options inside the barrier while they worriedly discuss what to do next on the outside...

C. You attempt once again to appeal to them. Kayano must have lied to them, or played some trickery to get them onto her side. Their sudden demands and change of demeanour are unusual. If you can draw them into conversation, to get them to open up further by any verbal tactics you can employ, you should be able to point out the flaws in her story...

 

[ERYFKRAD]

B

 

[Nevill]

Oh, come on.

We can just as easily implicate Kayano in cursing Kozaka and Murano. It's her word against ours, and we have an added benefit of both being a leader and helping them out before while Kayano has largely been useless and is only feeding off their mistrust and unease.

If we then promise them help, I wonder how strong her position will remain.

I worry about letting Ei materialize again because the last time we did it we have been weakened enough to let the neighbour slip through, and that is one person we can do without.

On the other hand, inaction is not a perfect way of going about things - the last time we decided to turn the matter to others we got locked up with a corpse.

I suppose one thing that is working for us is that Ei is hidden in another dimension, so they can't actually take her by force even if they wanted to, unless we materialize her. Is my interpretation of our concealing ability correct, treave?

 

[treave]

We can just as easily implicate Kayano in cursing Kozaka and Murano. It's her word against ours, and we have an added benefit of both being a leader and helping them out before while Kayano was largely useless and is only feeding off their mistrust and unease.

Implicate how? Your word isn't really worth much considering you're the one trapped in the "anti-spirit barrier", hence proving you're a "spirit".

Is my interpretation of our concealing ability correct, treave?

Yes.

 

[Nevill]

Implicate how? Your word isn't really worth much considering you're the one trapped in the "anti-spirit barrier", hence proving you're a "spirit".

We are a spellcaster. So is Kayano. They know about the existence of spellbooks, they have seen one, and they have heard us cast.

We are not like them, yes, but that does not necessarily makes us a spirit.

Most of them want an explanation, a plausible theory to work with and ease their doubts. We can give them that.

Since they are relying on Amanozaki's expertise to determine whether we are a spirit or not, we can submit to her tests and let her check us. We know she isn't really a psychic and won't find anything damning, and she gave us a vote of confidense before. Plus, we have talked with her earlier and saved her life recently, so given no reason to doubt us she will clear our name.

I just think that the basis for Kayano's accusations is extremely fragile and that she is more dependant on our silence so she could spin her narrative. Given that we have made Amanozaki the authority on spiritual matters and that she is on our side, as well as Sawada, - and that two of the present are suffering from a curse and want to be healed regardless of where the cure comes from - we should theoretically be able to turn this around.

 

[treave]

We are a spellcaster. So is Kayano.

You have no proof of the latter right now.

At the moment they don't fully trust any of the people who went to bail you out. Who knows if you bewitched them with your ghostly powers? That's why Kayano's group was prepared to get in the way of the others once you were trapped.

 

[Nevill]

If they don't fully trust Amanozaki, then they can't use her words against us.

“The protection barrier only works against spirits, right? Amanozaki-san? You set this barrier up yourself earlier,” Kayano changes her target, looking at the perplexed psychic. “

It does not work selectively. They will believe her when she says the barrier only works on spirits, but they won't believe her if she checks and confirms we aren't one? That is bullshit that we can call them out on.

Anyway, we should at least throw Sawada and the ones who doubt a bone instead of letting Kayano have the stage. Offer them an alternative explanation.

Also, can we project our spells outside the barrier? Would be funny to make a similar barrier around Kayano and stare at each other.

 

[treave]

It does not work selectively. They will believe her when she says the barrier only works on spirits, but they won't believe her if she checks and confirms we aren't one? That is bullshit that we can call them out on.

She set it up long before she separated from the group to help you with the Nurse. She could be trusted then. She can't be trusted now. No contradiction here.

Anyway, we should at least throw Sawada and the ones who doubt a bone instead of letting Kayano have the stage. Offer them an alternative explanation.

I don't get what alternative explanation you're offering? If it's that the barrier targets magicians, I can assure you that Amanozaki will be considered one by them and she passed the threshold with no problem.

And you can't use the blood shimenawa through the barrier unless you bleed a lot.

 

[Nevill]

She set it up long before she separated from the group to help you with the Nurse. She could be trusted then. She can't be trusted now. No contradiction here.

They are asking her now. If she was bewitched by us, she would just deny their claim that it only works on spirits, but she didn't.

There is a contradiction - only Amanozaki knows how exactly her barrier works and nobody bothered to ask her before. All they have against us is a barrier they know nothing about but what she tells them.

Kayano just used the psychic's authority to validate her claim. That means Amanozaki's words - as of this moment - carry some weight. Then it is fair game to use her to validate our claims as well.

 

[Tigranes]

I'm not usually one to argue for new options, but:

" “Give it to us so that we can safeguard it. Then we can decide what to do with you… ghost.”"

Surely there is something sufficiently preposterous in this demand that we can work with here. My freeform choice would have been to say, "Look, I understand you guys might be suspicious, but I'm the only one that risked my life to fight the ghost head-on twice, I also chose to come back with Uehara and the others to find you guys. Also, Kayano has been obsessed with our book even before anything happened, and she's been trying to take it for herself forever, which I find worrying. You guys are telling me I should give up my only way to defend myself - and us - and you're not even going to let me out of this trap."

I'm sure the characters/treave will have some explanation that they won't be convinced, but I'd like to hear it. I can see how while we were gone Kayano et al might have convinced the others that we opened the door out of malice and so on, and I can see how the very fact the barrier traps us is suspicious, so I don't think we can bring everyone round at this moment. But I don't see any reason that everybody should trust Kayano so much, and especially, I should think that Uehara et al. that we just helped would be much more willing for a compromise, since they literally just saw us save their arse. At the very least we should aim for an outcome where Kayano can no longer afford to lust after the book and lob accusations at us without any danger to her own credibility.

 

[treave]

They are asking her now. If she was bewitched by us, she would just deny their claim that it only works on spirits, but she didn't.

Or.... she's been bewitched to think you're not a spirit.

A few. That the barrier was modified. That it targets spellbook owners, of which Amanozaki isn't one. That it targets people touched or wounded by ghosts. There are some explanations that do not require us being a malicious spirit, and some of them are willing to give us a benefit of the doubt.

You can't prove it's modified without demonstrating that it can be. That needs the barrier to go down. You can't prove it only targets book owners on just your word, when it's "common sense" that those sort of barriers protect against spirits. You can't say it's changed to those wounded by ghosts because Sakimura remembers getting smacked around by one and he passed it, and Murano has that spreading mark you scared him about but he's still walking free.

 

[Nevill]

I don't get what alternative explanation you're offering? If it's that the barrier targets magicians, I can assure you that Amanozaki will be considered one by them and she passed the threshold with no problem.

A few. That the barrier was modified. That it targets spellbook owners, of which Amanozaki isn't one. That it also targets people touched or wounded by ghosts. There are some explanations that do not require us being a malicious spirit, and some of the group are willing to give us a benefit of the doubt.

Or.... she's been bewitched to think you're not a spirit.

Right, so she can't be trusted? So her words about how he barrier works are hollow?

Kayano's whole narrative is bullshit built on fearmongering. It may convince people who are afraid and looking for someone to blame, but it does not hold under scrutiny.

I thought that since we chose a [Rational] character (seeing how we dealt with Uehara's situation), we could work with it and dismantle it bit by bit.

 

[Kipeci]

This sort of junk is why I wanted to ditch these guys. I'm not sure what to go for... I guess we wouldn't be able to feed any of them to Ei, would we?

 

[treave]

Right, so she can't be trusted? So her words about how he barrier works are hollow?

She thinks her barrier will stop spirits. This is stated before you have the opportunity to influence her. You are stopped by the barrier. She is confused, because she thinks you aren't a spirit. They blame her confusion on your influence. And you think they're going to let her approach the barrier so that she can possibly free you?

Kayano's whole narrative is bullshit built on fearmongering. It may convince people who are afraid and looking for someone to blame, but it does not hold under scrutiny.

It's extremely unfortunate that not everyone here are bastions of mental fortitude who are able to keep their head clear in stressful circumstances, I suppose.

You might have picked a rational character, but you certainly didn't pick a diplomatic one.

 

[Nevill]

This sort of junk is why I wanted to ditch these guys.

And why did you want to kiss the Nurse?

It's extremely unfortunate that not everyone here are bastions of mental fortitude who are able to keep their head clear in stressful circumstances, I suppose.

Oh, no, I get why Kayano chose to pursuit this strategy.

But that is why we should be actively working on making them less afraid, no? That's how we get them to switch from following their 'feels' to something more productive.

Eh, never mind.

 

[treave]

I'm not usually one to argue for new options, but:

" “Give it to us so that we can safeguard it. Then we can decide what to do with you… ghost.”"

Surely there is something sufficiently preposterous in this demand that we can work with here. My freeform choice would have been to say, "Look, I understand you guys might be suspicious, but I'm the only one that risked my life to fight the ghost head-on twice, I also chose to come back with Uehara and the others to find you guys. Also, Kayano has been obsessed with our book even before anything happened, and she's been trying to take it for herself forever, which I find worrying. You guys are telling me I should give up my only way to defend myself - and us - and you're not even going to let me out of this trap."

I'm sure the characters/treave will have some explanation that they won't be convinced, but I'd like to hear it. I can see how while we were gone Kayano et al might have convinced the others that we opened the door out of malice and so on, and I can see how the very fact the barrier traps us is suspicious, so I don't think we can bring everyone round at this moment. But I don't see any reason that everybody should trust Kayano so much, and especially, I should think that Uehara et al. that we just helped would be much more willing for a compromise, since they literally just saw us save their arse. At the very least we should aim for an outcome where Kayano can no longer afford to lust after the book and lob accusations at us without any danger to her own credibility.

The reply to that is: "If you don't trust us to hold onto that book, we can't trust you and you can stay inside until you change your mind."

At present, Amanozaki is confused, Uehara definitely knows the truth but has decided to not say anything for now, Sawada is on the fence, Sakimura is liable to side against you, and the others have firmly bought into her bullshit for some reason.

 

[treave]

But that is why we should be actively working on making them less afraid, no? That's how we get them to switch from following their 'feels' to something more productive.

Actually, that's partially addressed in the choices given. And you have the power to actually demonstrate you're not a spirit if you want to, by shattering the barrier to start with.

This sort of junk is why I wanted to ditch these guys. I'm not sure what to go for... I guess we wouldn't be able to feed any of them to Ei, would we?

You can, they just need to die first.

 

[Kz3r0]

B.

 

[Kipeci]

And why did you want to kiss the Nurse?

Surely the power of love would have prevailed? I've voted for retarded diplomacy attempts with I think every other incomprehensible murder creature from an alternate dimension when they and that option have turned up, and eventually I think the bad luck will run out and we'll have that pet sphere.

 

[Tigranes]

The reply to that is: "If you don't trust us to hold onto that book, we can't trust you and you can stay inside until you change your mind."

At present, Amanozaki is confused, Uehara definitely knows the truth but has decided to not say anything for now, Sawada is on the fence, Sakimura is liable to side against you, and the others have firmly bought into her bullshit for some reason.

Alright. I guess we should really find out the 'some reason' here. I suspected Kayano from the start of something but I didn't think we'd be hit like this.

At this point I'm thinking screw them as a group and go with B, and try and work something out with Uehara and Amanozaki later.

treave these barriers we know don't hold forever right?

Guys, I think if we go with A we should still stress that Kayano has obsessed about wanting the book for a long time and this is suspicious. I would try and nominate someone else to hold the book - Amanozaki would be ideal, I guess.

 

[treave]

treave these barriers we know don't hold forever right?

Since Amanozaki's strings are used as a focus for the barrier, they can last for quite some time. Not forever, but long enough that you can take a nap and still wake up imprisoned.