[LP CYOA] Spiral

[Kz3r0]

P.S.: can you make rolls when answering and not by editing the post?

Not to my knowledge.

PS:
It is settled then.

 

[Nevill]

I am not opposed to killing him, except maybe for the stated reason. It is dangerous to engage in combat while naked and unarmed, so it can be read as a 'me or him' situation.

However, the villagers will pin Yukina's death on us (if she is dead), since we are the only one who was supposed to be in her hut tonight. It is possible that whatever happens in the mansion is going to be pinned on us as well. The Elder has alerted the families already. If the building burns to the ground, then we are a mass murderer on the loose, a mad dog to be put down.

It might be prudent to have someone witness our innocence so that we aren't disposed of outright. We don't know when or how we get to get out of this reality.

 

[Rex Feral]

B

 

[Baltika9]

There's the maid, she can be our witness.
Voting for A, I don't know how good he is with that sword.

 

[Nevill]

There's the maid, she can be our witness.

Right, and you need to keep in mind what her testimony - or that of any of the surviving servants - will be, and who will they testify to.

Realize that we have no reason for being here that they are aware of. As far as anyone in the village is concerned, we are breaking and entering. Why have we come here? To save Maeda? And how did we know she is in trouble? "A ghost loli told me" is hardly going to fly. And the slaugther in the mansion didn't start before Nami came. Did we conspire with her to kill the owner? The Elder, in jest or not, suspects a government hand in this, and has ascribed us a motive he deemed important enough to gather the major families. The only person in the village that believes our purpose here is pure is Yukina, and we assume she won't be available to vouch for us.

There is also a question of what happens with the spirit (?) possessing the madman once the host dies.

I am not trying to convince you one way or the other, but I think it would be within our capabilities to disarm the master. There is going to be a cost, though. We might sustain an injury, lose time we could otherwise spend more efficiently, or he can get free (or even freed by one of his servants - it's Japan, after all - doing stupid things because the boss tells you to comes naturally ).

All I am saying is that there likely will be a cost associated with killing him, too.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

A>B - We said we would only save those for whom salvation was possible. The black in his eyes means he is corrupted. Without hope. We must eliminate him. And then...

“We will bring it forth, we will defeat it…” Opening your hand, you summon Ei. The black book appears with a rattling of chains. “…and then we will devour it.”

I agree that the ideal option would be to subdue him, but I'm not sure we are capable of it naked and without help. If we want him alive, I think we need to run and prepare - which means leaving him to "finish the job" with the maid.

With her injuries, she's probably dead anyway, but I doubt Shinoseki would want to just leave her to die. It's very similar to the situation with Nami at the end of the first night.

 

[Nevill]

The black in his eyes means he is corrupted.

There was a case with Mori's possession where the black was due to external influence and we managed to break the ghost's hold on the affected person.

I doubt that anything of a kind is possible here, though, but the point is not to discard people because they got a bit of black in them. That's rayciss!

I agree that the ideal option would be to subdue him, but I'm not sure we are capable of it naked.

I am not sure how being clothed would be of help against the sword. Clothes do not provide a good armor.

I don't care about the guy, really - but I am worried about the possible consequences for ourselves.

With her injuries, she's probably dead anyway

Didn't we staunch the bleeding? I am guessing that if she dies, it would not be because she bleeds out. Well, unless we disturb the wound again somehow.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

The black in his eyes means he is corrupted.

There was a case with Mori's possession where the black was due to external influence and we managed to break the ghost's hold on the affected person.

I doubt that anything of a kind is possible here, though, but the point is not to discard people because they got a bit of black in them. That's rayciss!

Nah, we covered this last time. There was an actual ghost there. I don't think this is a ghost this time. At least not here with us, controlling him. There was no chill in the room etc - which we should have felt keenly considering we are naked.

It's less about clothing and more about that we have literally nothing between him and us. No help, no armor, just nothing. Last time we had to subdue someone, Uehara was there to help us tie him up.

As for the bleeding, yeah, holding your hand over a wound is all it takes. She's lost a lot of blood and more is still "trickling" out. Without stitching the wound closed, it's very likely she'll be doomed. But even if she will live, that's all the more reason to eliminate this guy.

 

[Nevill]

Nah, we covered this last time. There was an actual ghost there. I don't think this is a ghost this time.

What is this blackness, then? It looks like something that ate Taketatsu from the inside and affected Kozaka, Shiba and the maid, but what is it and can it be resisted? Supposedly, Juuzo knew a way.

There was no chill in the room etc.

This reality feels different from the bubbleworld. There was no static, even though we've seen a ghost outside of Yukina's house.

Kz3r0 thought those side effects - static and temperature changes - were signs of 'glitches in the Matrix'. If so, they don't apply here.

 

[Baltika9]

All I am saying is that there likely will be a cost associated with killing him, too.

Of course, this is a treave LP, after all.
We have the maid and Maeda to back us up if the villagers will get suspicious, but we don't have anyone watching our back right now if we can't handle the guy. It is regrettable, but I'm not risking the others for the mad baron's well being.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Nevill I thought we established that we are still in the bubble, it has merely gotten bigger.

As to the ghost, we saw the woman in a kimono at a distance. We were never close enough to feel a chill as she was either outside of the room or too far away.

edit: as to the glitches in the matrix, if this is different, why is the biggest glitch - the malice - still present?

 

[Nevill]

Nevill I thought we established that we are still in the bubble, it has merely gotten bigger.

No, we are on the outside.

“We’re not at the exit yet, Acchan,” says Ei. “This is merely the next level of the labyrinth… so, what do you see? Where are we now? Where have the connections you made between the twelve led you?”

It was just my assumption that we were affected by the same rules, but we aren't. The meta-ending denied that.

As to the ghost, we saw the woman in a kimono at a distance. We were never close enough to feel a chill as she was either outside of the room or too far away.

We were close enough to hear her speak when we were in the hut.

Compare it to the Nurse in Kaimei who was outside the room, too.

edit: as to the glitches in the matrix, if this is different, why is the biggest glitch - the malice - still present?

It might not be a glitch, but the bytes the Matrix is made of? It was called the essense of the 'world'.

Why is it present in this world, I don't know, but wasn't it present in the real one as well? Sawada referred to it as if it was a tangible thing:

When Sawada is finished, he says, “Now it all starts. Tokigawa will serve as the initial gateway for the malice of the dead.”

 

[Nevill]

Also, treave, I just realized that the Caretaker update is missing from the Table of Contents.

 

[Grimgravy]

A>B This guy needs to be put down quickly.

 

[treave]

“Lemme look at your eyes so I can see your illness.” The little girl pulls open the eyelids of another child, peering in curiously. She hems and haws before nodding and pronouncing her diagnosis. With her arms held out, the white doctor’s coat flapping comically on her slight frame… I do not catch what she says clearly, but it makes the other children giggle.

“Ah ha, did you give Mitsuki-chan your coat?”

She sits down next to me, grinning proudly like a person who has just found their cat doing something remarkably endearing. Poking my cheek playfully, she says, “You like to bully girls, but you’re actually just a nice guy at heart, aren’t you?”

I tell her just exactly how wrong she is, and she giggles. “Well, I kinda expected you to say that. You are never honest with yourself.”

Sitting silently, we continue to watch the children play doctor in the hospital’s garden. The atmosphere is peaceful. I wonder if it should be normal to feel uncomfortable in such an environment.

After a while, she speaks up. “It’s tonight, isn’t it?”

I nod. We have had this conversation before. Calmly, I tell her that it is alright to go. That there is no need to stay. I have said these words before, too.

“It’s my duty,” she says calmly. “You know, as well as I do, that the obligations of family must be fulfilled.”

She doesn’t understand. There are too many things that can go wrong.

“You worry too much.” She smiles patiently. “This lack of confidence isn’t like you.”

I worry because I care.

She blushes. “W-Well… I know that! But this is why you will be there, to make sure nothing goes wrong. Right?”

I do not answer.

She says, “Then promise me you will take care of my sister and the kids, if anything does happen.”

She is being unnecessarily morbid, and I tell her that.

“Well, you were the one being all depressed and hopeless about the situation just a moment ago,” she pouts. “Don’t turn this around on me!”

I laugh helplessly at my own stupidity and hypocrisy. Yes, that is right. I can only do my best tonight. I must be sure that, even if all else fails, she remains safe. At all costs.

“So, can you promise?” she asks, quietly.

I weigh my words carefully in my mind. I look at her pale face, and her trembling hands. There was no need to put on a front to comfort me. What a stupid girl. Taking her hand, I tell her the truth. She is the only person that deserves it from me.

I say no.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

 

[Nevill]

There was no need to put on a front to comfort me. What a stupid girl.

Fool girl. Foolish girl. If only she would have listened to me. I never hurt the children at all. I need to hide her, but where? Ah, Maeda can help me.

On a more serious note, Seiji does not take his promises lightly too, it seems.

 

[treave]

Current tally:

A - 4
B - 2

 

[Tigranes]

A. It's going to be a hard task to kill him, it'll be even harder to reliably subdue him.

 

[treave]

The Murder of Sakaguchi Maruo

Kill him.

I have to kill him.

“I have to kill him,” you mutter. He is dangerous.

A bolt of incomprehensible memory shoots through your mind… a mess of images and emotions that you are unable to decipher. The only thread you are able to draw out of that memory is the feeling of killing. Yes. You can use this. You have no choice but to use this.

Letting that feeling take control, you begin to walk towards the man with a steady pace, counting every step you take in your mind so that it is in time with every second that passes. Your movement draws his attention back to you, away from the servant girl. In a low tone, he begins muttering to himself over and over: “Protect my family, protect my family, protect my, family protect my, family, protect my family protect my family…” A look of resolve sets in his maddened black eyes. He raises his sword high. You are almost in range of that sharp blade, and without a weapon you cannot match his reach.

The man draws his arm back, preparing to cut you down.

Without warning, you abandon the slow and steady rhythm of your walk, increasing the tempo of your movement in the blink of an eye. From adagio to allegro. The shift in speed throws the man off entirely. He is not a very good fencer, and likely has training in the basics but nothing more. Unable to follow your movement properly, he swings out of sheer reflexive action.

Too late. Too slow.

Even before his arm fully extends, you have brought yourself within striking range. Somehow, your body feels light: you move exactly as you want to, as fast as you want to, like a well-oiled machine operating precisely according to your every thought. Precision. There is no room for error. You intercept his sword-arm with both hands, grabbing it at the elbow and locking it in place under your arm. Turning on your heel, you go with the momentum and become the pivot by which you swing him around, slamming him into the banister. The wood creaks, and he cries out in pain, but his grip on the sword remains firm.

Desperately, he drives his free hand towards the side of your head, in a blow that you cannot evade or block unless you release his arm from your grip. You duck under the awkward punch, at the same time tightening your lock like a vise. The bones in his arm crack and break. The man screams, but his scream is cut off quickly when you rise and drive your knee into his stomach. Still, in a display of inhuman resilience, he refuses to let go of the sword.

You twist him to one side, leveraging your hold on his arm, until he is almost down on one knee. Raising your foot, you stamp down on his bent leg, snapping it like a twig. He howls like one of his dogs. And yet he does not let go of his sword. Bringing his head in closer, his teeth bared, he tries to take a bite out of you. You respond accordingly, butting your head right into his face. The bridge of his nose crunches under your forehead. As the stunned man groans, blood streaming profusely from his broken nose, you throw him over the railing.

The sickening thud of his body slamming into the marble floor echoes around the grand hall. You descend the stairs, calm and stark naked. At the foot of the stairs, you see the broken and battered body of the master of the Sakaguchi house. Even after the fall, the sword is still in the man's hand. His grip on it seems to have finally weakened – his bloodied fingers are trembling and loose. As you approach him, he raises his head and attempts to get up. His broken body, however, refuses to cooperate. Even the resilience of his insanity can only go so far. Though his spirit is willing his flesh is weak.

“Mi… Michiru… I have to save her… return her to me… I’ll kill you… everyone… all of you… I'll finish it... Michiru… where are you?” He groans and coughs, bloody spittle flying from his mouth, trying to crawl but failing miserably at even that.

You stand over him, feeling pity and fear and revulsion all at the same time. Perhaps it would be better not to feel anything at all.

It is time to finish the job.

***

A. You behead him.

B. You dismember him.

C. You disembowel him.

D. You slit his throat.

E. You stab his heart.

F. You break his neck.

G. You strangle him.

H. You beat his head in.

I. You throw him into the fireplace.

J. All of the above.

 

[Nevill]

Codex gonna Codex.

Mercykill him and be done with it. F.

 

[treave]

Hm, I'm curious about the lack of faith in Shinoseki's physical ability even after eventually choosing to be good at everything in the initial nights. Is it because he comes off as not very confident in himself most, if not all of the time?

 

[Kz3r0]

A.

 

[Kz3r0]

Hm, I'm curious about the lack of faith in Shinoseki's physical ability even after eventually choosing to be good at everything in the initial nights. Is it because he comes off as not very confident in himself most, if not all of the time?

The Codex roll convinced me.
Besides, he was possessed by the malice, until now we don't know of any real way to deal with it, only using barriers to contain it, until now we only managed to break free Mori by losing our hand, and as things are now not only we don't have surgical instruments to cure a serious wound but we are not guaranteed to wake up pristine as before.

 

[Baltika9]

Hm, I'm curious about the lack of faith in Shinoseki's physical ability even after eventually choosing to be good at everything in the initial nights. Is it because he comes off as not very confident in himself most, if not all of the time?

It is for me.
F.