>>14569751
Go on...

You awaken with a choking gasp, your eyes wide and darting about. Scrambling to your feet, you brush off the dirt and leaves and take stock of your surroundings. You are in a sparsely-populated forest of trees, in the process of shedding their leaves for winter. As you take a step, you feel the crunch of innumerable leaves beneath your boots. Looking down, you see that you're wearing some sort of uniform. The name stitched over the breast pocket says "Cathaway."

Brushing off the remainder of nature-bits spread all over you, you move to the edge of the treeline to try and get a better semblance of where you are, while at the same time trying to clear your head and remember how you got here.

The forest thins out further down a stretch of hillside. From the position of the sun you're looking either south or north, but it's hard to tell if it's morning or evening. Maybe a mile and a half away you can see the browns and blacks of rooftops and the knifelike white steeple of a small town church. You can see a car or two making their way down the thin thread of road in the distance. Your internal recollections, however, remain stymied, as though you left some of your mind back there in the swimming darkness.

>What do?

>>14569862
Let's approach the town and gather some information.

We need:

>Time
>Date
>Location

>Bleat like a goat and piss on the ground.

>>14569885
With a sigh, you start down the hillside. The atmosphere is peaceful, and by the time you reach the bottom, the sun has sunk farther towards the horizon, making the time of day early evening, and your direction north. It takes you about an hour and a half to reach the first buildings. The town appears to be fairly quaint, brick buildings and a cozy-looking main street. You'd estimate there are probably under 1,000 people total in the town. Likely sources of information:
-Charlotte's, a diner
-The Church of Our Penitent Blood
-A police officer, making rounds on foot

>>>14569953
Charlotte's, a diner
Just pretend to be a passerby and play friendly, to get info

>>14570016
The dented bell clangs merrily as you push open the door to the diner. The plump woman behind the register, presumably Charlotte, smiles as you enter.
"Well hey, stranger!" she says.
The cash register looks old, and definitely not electronic. Several other patrons are seated on metal stools at the counter. Most of them turn to look at you, with varying degrees of interest and suspicion.
"What'll ya have?" Charlotte asks. "Chop steak's comin' right off the grill, it's my best!"

>>14570076
"Just some water for now, please."

Check out the menu. Prices should give us an idea of when we are.

>>14570114
We also likely don't have any money. And we just hiked for an hour and a half out of the woods. So water is still our best choice.

>>14570076
Look around for newspapers or any other kind of media.
The date might give us an idea of when we are.

>>14570129
>We also likely don't have any money
>likely
Hmm.
DM, what do we have on our person?

Keep away from the cop. No idea who we are, and we may be a wanted man.

"Just some water for now, please."
"Sure thing, hon. You look tired." Charlotte pours you a glass of water and passes it to you while you look at the menu.
Coffee is 10 cents. The most expensive thing on the menu, a filet mignon, is $3.50. You look around for a newspaper, but can find none. Thirstily, you drain the glass of water
"You headed home or somethin'? Navy? Nevah seen a unifohm like that befoah," a man next to you says. "Bet you'he just gettin' back from stickin' it to those zippah-heads, ahnt'cha?"

>>14570210
Smile at him, as disarmingly as possible.
"Just doing my part, sir."

>>14570187
>Inventory
Checking your pockets surreptitiously, you can feel the heavy cold metal of a pistol in your left pocket. in the other, you can feel a folded piece of glossy paper.

>>14570247
If there's a bathroom, we excuse ourselves and head for it. Once behind a locked door, examine gun and paper.

>>14570247
Finish our drink, step outside, and read the paper. We need to get our bearings.

>>14570247
Ask where the bathroom is, head there. Pull out the paper and see if it's got anything on it. Then check the gun for bullets.

"Just doing my part, sir," you say with a grin.
"Now theah's a man! Chahlotte, give this boy a chop steak, on me! Bet he woulda been over theah stickin' it to the Kraut's if he'd been a few yeah's oldah."
Charlotte serves up a sizzling plate of meat and grilled vegetables. You didn't realize how hungry you were until you smell it, and you dig in heartily. After a few minutes, you ask for the bathroom, and Charlotte points you to the rear. There's a single bathroom, unoccupied, and you step inside and lock the door behind you before emptying your pockets.
The gun is sleek and silver, with what appears to be a laser sight built into the slide. Releasing the magazine, you can see that it's full of bullets. Repocketing the weapon and turning your attention to the paper you unfold it. It's a black and white photo of two men, both smiling in suits.
One appears in his early thirties, with traces of gray hair beginning just above his ears. His smile seems forced. The other's smile seems more genuine, his head almost actively balding as you stare at the photo. He wears a full beard and mustache, of some brown or red color. His face has been circled in red ink. On the back is written "T.A. and D.A., Miskatonic University, 1947"

>>14570328
We have our target. Ask about Miskatonic University from the couple- even if our target's no longer there, there should be people who recongize him. Them. Put the paper and gun away first though.

>>14570328
>Miskatonic

Goddammit. Turn the gun on ourselves and end it. It's the best way we can go.

>>14570359
We have our duty, these professors won't have access to anything more than a few primitive tomes in this time period, and I think we can handle whatever a merry band of investigators can throw at us, can't you?

Remember your training, man! This is vital!

>>14570350
>>14570377
>target
We have no idea who we're working for. We may have to protect this guy. Plus, we're going to need new clothes and shit in order to blend in, before we do anything else.

>>14570411
We have a gun. The guy's head is circled. If nothing else, we need to find him.

Also, blending in would be nice, but we can't do that here. Hitching a ride is the best thing to do.

You make your way back to your seat, digging into the rest of the plate of food.
"Any idea how I can get to Miskatonic University from here?" You ask as nonchalantly as possible.
"Oh, sure!" Charlotte says. "Don't have to do anything but follow the river down into the city, University's right on the outskirts. There's a road that'll take you straight there. Just don't get off the pike, you'll end up in Dunwich, and there's a right bunch of suspicious uncivilized folks out there."
"If'n you can wait a day, I've got business downrivah," your meal ticket says. "Be happy to give you a lift."

>>14570432
Take his offer, and ask if there's any work we can do around the place. We want to keep them sweet for as long as possible.

Also, keep an eye out for trouble. They're being strangely helpful. Might be the mindset of the times, might be something problematic.

He's gonna ask questions along the way. Think up some shit fast.

Ok, we're a rifleman 32nd infantry, private first class. Finished tour of duty, volunteered for another, got shrapnel to the leg, hometowner wound. We're heading to the university to look up an old friend we left behind when we went overseas.

>>14570477
>rifleman 32nd infantry, private first class
Fuck that, what about our uniform? DM, can we get a description of it, please?

"That's very kind of you," you say. "I'd be glad to accept your offer."
"Think nothin' of it. Hank Noathwood," he says, extending his thick-fingered hand. "What do I call you, sailah?"

>What's your first name, "Private" Cathaway?

>>14570508
>Uniform
The uniform wouldn't really fit the description of any branch of the armed services. It's a dark gray one-piece with your name stitched over the breast pocket. There's no identifying symbols or logos, but it looks just military enough that people will probably just make assumptions. You might want to get your hands on some period clothing, though, because you definitely stick out.

>>14570517
Gil Cathaway.

>>14570547
Ya got any leads? I need some leads, please, I'm beggin' ya..

>>14570547
"Gil. Gil Cathaway."
"Pleased to meetcha," Hank says, pumping your hand vigorously with his own. "Meet me heah around seven o'clock tomorrah and we'll hit the road."
"Do you need any help cleaning up, ma'am?" You ask Charlotte. The plump woman shakes her head.
"That's alright, Gil. Say, you got anywhere to stay tonight? You look a bit out-of-doors."

Do we have any skills that we know of, or have we gone full tabula rasa?

do we know for sure we aren't one of the dues in the picture? or that we aren't gonna accidently shoot our great grandfather etc.

And I'd guess a rough night in a jumpsuit won't exactly make us great either way, we're gonna have to pick up a slag for a sexless in keeper or go the church and hope for a Mission.

>>14570628
The gun felt comfortable in your hand. You can't remember any words in languages other than English. You're pretty sure you could drive a vehicle with automatic transmission. There's some haziness around a lot of memories, but you think you could...calibrate a plasma compactor?

Politely decline. If they're not what they seem, our story could end very, very quickly.

>Miskatonic University

This went from meh to fucking insane in an instant. I am hooked OP.

>>14570686
Nah, I say go with it. They are offering free transport. We're armed, and we know how to use it. Just be cautious.

Politely decline and head to the church.

>>14570737
>>14570686
>Politely decline
No. Fuck that. No reason to do so. Check the church this evening, sure, but why throw away the lift?

>>14570753
We're declining staying the night here. We're accepting the ride.

>>14570677
You're almost positive that you are neither of the people in that picture.
"No thanks," you say with a polite smile. "I'll manage."
"Suit yourself, hon. Best of luck to you."
Leaving the diner behind, you step out, looking down the street at the steepled church. Perhaps they have a bed for the evening. In the back of your head, you hear a high-pitched whining sound.

>>Doctor! There's...something in the pod! It's him!

You are swimming in warmth and light. At the edges of your vision tendrils of darkness wriggle like fingertips.

>>I can't get a hold on him! It's like-

The fingertips crawl inwards until darkness fills your vision, the light expunged by the multitude of exploring digits.

>>The Subjects are not to be trusted. The less you know about them, the better.

You stand in an orderly row with everyone else, back straight and eyes forward.

>>Many of them would kill you if they could. Many of them would kill you purely by accident. Your job is to ensure that this does not happen.

You nod. You salute. You're doing the right thing

>>What in God's name? Cathaway? How did you get in here?

You're standing, drenched in some cold fluid, on the carpeted floor of an office. A mustached man in a white coat is standing shocked in front of a desk. His voice seems to lag behind his lips, and sounds muffled.

>>What the hell went wrong in there? Have you completed the assignment? We've seen no evidence of a temporal shift.

Cough and sputter, "What . . . what the fuck?"

I have no idea what in the blazing fuck is going on and I'm loving it, MaskedDM.

>What the hell went wrong in there? Have you completed the assignment? We've seen no evidence of a temporal shift.
Amnesia, Sir!
No, I haven't completed the assignment, and I have no idea what the assignment was.
Also, I keep seein' these dark tendrils creeping over my vision.
Orders?

>>14570815
Stick around, it'll start to make sense. Or maybe it won't. But I'll try to make it as awesome as possible.

"What the fuck?!" you sputter, the cold viscous liquid dripping from your nose, chin, and fingertips.
"Listen Cathway. Have you experienced any memory loss?"
"Um..." You feel yourself being pulled sideways, although your field of vision doesn't change.
"Shit," the man quickly mutters, then, louder, "Cathway listen. Do you have the photograph? The photograph of the target?"
"Um...yes...yes!" you say. It's hard to concentrate with all that hissing in the background.
"Cathaway!" the man shouts. "You have to kill him! You have to kill him before he kills Mist-"

Everything is so warm. Why can't they just let you sleep?

>>You have to put things right again!!

"Sir, I'm going to need you to move along. Now."
You squint your eyes. A police officer is standing over you, tapping his foot. Your back feels extremely sore. Looking around, you can see that you're on the steps of the Church of Our Penitent Blood.
"Are you drunk, son?" the officer asks.

>>14570898
... Yeash, I guesh I've had a little too mush. Do you know where I live offisher?
Hobble into the church.

Also, for the record, I expect the people who have contracted us to murder our target are the BBEGs, and we should try to preserve his life, lest we unseal ye olde Evil in ye olde Can.
But perhaps I'm just not very trustworthy of people who can drag me through time by their darkened f*cking tentacles.

>>14570898

Apologize profusely, be polite, then find a place where we can be quiet and alone and think.

Sounds like we need to assassinate someone in the past here, but something screwing up and sending us ping-ponging around the timeline.

>>14570944
There's a chance that we need to Not assassinate anyone here, too. Rushing in and killbotting the first thing you're told to killbot when you have Amnesia isn't a safe option.
We have our target, who is apparently going to murder a man whose name starts with "Mist". If this is true we should gather evidence of the planned crime and present it to the authorities, while keeping Mist safe. There is no need to kill anyone. Especially not people who we've been told to kill.

"I'm sorry Officer. I was just leaving."
"Sure, sure..." the cop says, narrowing his eyes at you. "Listen, son, we don't want any trouble around here. I'd like you out of town by tonight. That gives you..." he looks at his watch, "well, nearly 13 hours. I can take you to the police station if you need to make a phone call."
"It's...morning?" you ask. The police officer rolls his eyes.
"Nearly 6:45." he says. "October 18th," he adds, speaking extra slow and raising his eyebrows at you. "Jesus, man, get yourself home."

If it's the same day, go to the diner to meet our ride. Otherwise go walk down to the university.

>>14570982
>Meet me heah around seven o'clock tomorrah and we'll hit the road.
We should meet her theah around seven o'clock todeh and then hit the road.

Wait, roll knowledge - were we talking to that woman on October the 17th? Any calendars, or whatnot, that we could have spotted? Check if the Moon has abruptly changed phases (if it's visible).

Well, we have our orders, and we're evidently on a tight schedule. We should leave as soon as we can, and kill the target. (We ARE supposed to kill him. Told you/me so.)

>character. wergall

>We ARE supposed to kill him. Told you/me so.
Well, thats' what we've been TOLD to do.
The presence of Miskatonic University tells me this game is set somewhere nearby the Lovecraft mythos.
You know damn well where the railroad leads in Lovecraft.

You walk away from the officer, cracking your neck and back to work the cricks out. You notice that you're completely dry.
Hank Northwood is waiting outside the restaurant, reading the morning paper. He's leaning against the door of a solid metal Chevy pickup. When you approach, he breaks into a grin.
"Was beginnin' to think you wehen't gonna show, Gil. You'he just in time, hop into the cab heah and we'll hit the road."

>>14571077
Hop into the cab and hit the road.
Keep an eye out for any time travelling wacky mindfuck shenanigans.

You hop into the cab of the truck next to Hank, who starts the vehicle and pulls onto the other of the two roads crossing through town. He begins driving east into the rising sun, and after fifteen minutes or so, the road picks up with what is presumably the Miskatonic River. Sneaking a peak at the cover of the paper, you see that it is October 18th, 1952.
"What brings you out to Miskatonic? Gonna be a college man?" Hank says, his New England drawl breaking the silence. "Me, I just got business down Boston ways," he says, jerking a thumb back at the bed of the truck. "I run the hahdweah stoah back theah in Aylesbury, and I run it all by my lonesome, which means when theah's a supply run needs runnin', it's Hank doin' the runnin'. To be honest, I'm glad for the company."

>>14571150
Grunt about calibrating the plasma compactors.
If he asks why we were out his way, bullshit about field work.

You mumble something about plasma compactors.
"Oh, a what now? You must be some soaht of brain oah somethin'. Well, good, foh you, Gil. Get a degree and find yoahself a girl, you've eahned it." He reaches over to pat you on the back. Your eyes snap to the road, just in time to see the other truck plow into you.

You can feel the windshield's glass peeling off your skin. You try to scream, but the wind has been knocked out of your lungs. After the initial smashing noise, everything is strangely quiet. There is a sensation, like hitting the water after a high dive, and you feel your fingers and toes go numb.

"What brings you out to Miskatonic? Gonna be a college man?" Hank says, his New England drawl breaking the silence. You suck in a frantic gasp of air, hands racing over your own body. You are intact and unwounded.
"Jesus, Gil, you alright?"

>>14571262
I ... need to get out of the car for a second. Please stop.
When this is done, tell him that you'll just walk the rest of the way.

Balls. 2 lives left. At least the checkpoint wasn't that far back.

BTW: I must now enter slumber in real life. Hopefully someone more cautious than I am can avoid squandering the rest of our 1-ups on roadkill like I just did.

>I really hope I didn't just lose my only player

"Hey, could...could we stop for a second? I need to get out."
"Sure thing..." Hank says, pulling the truck to a stop on the side of the road. You step out of the truck and watch as another truck swerves wildly around the corner up ahead, racing past you.
"Watch it, ya maniac!" Hank screams after the man. "Coulda killed somebody!"

>Continue with Hank? Or walk? It's a long way to Miskatonic

>Continue? I'll keep it up for a while before departing in shame.

"Sorry, I was just...a bit nauseous," you say, getting back into the truck.
"Well, good thing," Hank says, still looking back at the dust of the receding truck.
The rest of the journey passes in relative silence as the pickup winds its way down the waters of the Miskatonic. It's nearly noon when the truck pulls into the outskirts of Arkham, at the gate to Miskatonic University. Hank wishes you well before driving off on his way to Boston. You stand at the wrought-iron archway, holding the picture of your target. All you have to go on, is that five years ago this man was here, and that you're supposed to kill him.

>What do?

>>14571457

Oh man, I don't want this to die, but I don't want to be responsible for our horrible death either.

Well, are the gates locked? Is there anyone around? If there's nothing on interest around, I guess we head on in.

>Suddenly, DesertedQuest

Well, shit. I'll give this some bumps in an hour or two. I was really starting to have fun. Hopefully I can get some interested players a little later this evening.

>>14571546

> Miskatonic

I wonder why, hehe.
Good call, see you then!

>>14571550
It's Lovecraft! /tg/ loves Lovecraft!

:(

Get in the building. ask for the man in that picture.

>>14571546
Fuck it, Im in. I dont even know what im doing, but ill be damned if im not interesting in this. DONT YOU DIE ON ME.

I say we head in and start looking for this "Mist-" guy.

>>14571570

Yeah, and then 1d6 investigators are devoured.

>>14570359
Had the right idea :D

yo OP you aint dead right!?

You make your way up the cobbled walkways of Miskatonic, brushing shoulders with crowds of serious-faced and over-worked looking students, making their way to various classes behind teetering piles of books. You find an administration building and show your picture to the clerk. She peers out of her spectacles, tapping the image with her fingers.
"Well, I don't know who that is exactly," she says, tapping her finger on the uncircled gentleman. "But if you're looking for him," she adds, moving to the circled face, "you're in luck, I'd say." She points to the wall, upon which hangs a flier:
October 18th
There will be a Guest Speaker in the Physics department.
Miskatonic's own Daniel Armitage presents:
"The Spaces Beyond"
With other speakers.
Free admission to students and faculty.

"There's your man right there," the clerk says. Indeed, the picture on the flier seems to match the one in your pocket, although Mister Armitage appears to have gone completely bald since becoming an alumnus.
"You can still catch the lecture, sir."
You turn to thank the woman when out of the corner of your eye you spot someone familiar. Turning to look, you see the other man from the photo, a little grayer and leaner, making his way against the tide of students. He seems to be heading in the opposite direction from the physics building.

>What do?

hmmm... what about we ask students around about this school?

>I'm running out to get some food cause I'm fucking starving. Should be back in 15-20, figure out what you all are doing.

>>14571756
Take note of the guys appearance, make sure we remember him. Maybe ask the girl at the desk who he is/where he might be going? We should try and talk to him after the lecture. After we do that, head to the lecture and find a seat so we can hear the guy fairly well. Maybe try and talk to him after the lecture depending on what its on?

>>14571756
Quickly, ask the clerk who the man is.

bump for interest

>>14572100
>take note of his appearance
You have a picture of him. Aside from the graying hair, he seems to have aged rather well.
"Who is that?" you ask the clerk, pointing at the man. She cranes her neck to get a look.
"Can't say as I know. Looks too old to be a student, but he's not one of the faculty."
Making a note of his direction, you head to the physics building.

A small crowd has gathered, filing into a lecture hall for Armitage's lecture. Despite the students-only restriction, you are able to simply walk in without any trouble, finding yourself a seat near the back. Nearby, you can see several faculty members standing in the back, waiting with apparent interest. Your attentions turn back to the stage as you hear a hush fall over the crowd.

Daniel Armitage walks onto the stage, a bit portlier than his picture would indicate. His hands tremble as he takes the microphone. There is a slight ring of feedback as he clears his throat.
"The most merciful thing in the world," he begins, "is the inability of the human mind to fully correlate all its contents. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality..." he clears his throat again. "But I'm getting ahead of myself."
"My colleagues, here and at other universities and research institutions throughout the world, have been casting the eyes of humanity ever further beyond our placid home. Many of them have made astounding discoveries about our heavenly neighbors. But not all discoveries are as breathtaking or awe-inspiring as Mars' canals or Pluto."

You can see the faculty behind you shifting uncomfortably and whispering among themselves.
"I have seen things in my dreams that would drive men mad. I dream of the ever-silent mouths of great celestial devourers beyond the power of light to illuminate. I dream of stars no man has seen, and when I awaken, they are there! They are there where I have dreamed them, where...where they have told me they would be!"
He recoils from the podium as another faculty member approaches him sheepishly.
"No! What? I was promised a chance to speak!"
"Mr. Armitage," the other teacher says, his voice barely picked up by the microphone. "Please. This was supposed to be a scientific lecture, not a soapbox for you to air out ridiculous theories."
"You will not silence me!" Armitage screams. Another faculty member gets on the stage.
"Please, Daniel..."
Daniel Armitage surprises the crowd by leaping off the stage into the aisle, bowling over several seats' worth of students before scrabbling to his feet and rushing out the lecture hall doors.
Somewhere a student starts to slow-clap. The audience breaks into nervous laughter.

>>14572331
Get after him.

We need to know more about him. I get the feeling that asking anyone else about him will lead to variations on the "gifted, but eccentric" theme, so follow him and try to get talking to him.

>>14572343
This. Chase him down, ask him to hear more. (Learn more about anything Lovecraftian? Insanity here we come!)

>>14572343
>>14572369
>>14572379
You slip out of the lecture hall and immediately spot the portly Armitage hunched over, wheezing for breath.
"Damn fools..." he mutters to himself.
"Excuse me!" you call out to him. He turns to look at you.
"Oh? What is it?"
You feel the weight of the gun in your pocket. This is the man you are supposed to kill.
"I was just wondering if you could maybe tell me more about what you were talking about in there. It seemed...intriguing."
"Oh...c-certainly," he says. "I apologize for my behavior. It's just...it's been frustrating for me lately, and my patience isn't what it should be. Come, we'll visit a friend of mine."

As you meander across campus, Armitage paints a fairly grim picture. He describes areas of space where the laws of physics as we know them break down, and vast cosmic intelligences with more in common with gods than men.
"But with no proof..." you try to interject.
"I'll get proof. But I can't get it on my own, or all the proof in the world won't stop them from branding me a madman," Armitage says grimly. "I see now I was a fool to try and present my findings. It's just...lately, the dreams have kept me from restful sleep. It's hard to think, hard to keep it all straight. But Teddy will help. He and I did some dabbling with the occult after the War, when we were both students here."

>>14572431
Fuck that, silently pull gun as we follow behind him, double tap right to the head. No sanity raping terrors from beyond the realm of possibility today.

>>14572431
>This is the man you are supposed to kill.
Thanks for confirming that.

>>14572461
"The occult? What sort of dabbling?"

>>14572472
Do not kill him yet. Let's see where this goes.

Get him somewhere quiet and kill him. Then go after his buddy.

>>14572472
>No sanity raping terrors from beyond the realm of possibility today.
Then why come to 4chan?

>>14569751
Don't kill him yet. If he's found something, it may be the reason we were sent back.

>>14572461
Alright, consider the point of >>14572472
VERY strongly after the "Occult" part there.

>>14572520
>Then go after his buddy.
Didn't think he had to die as well...

You hold the gun in your pocket, palms sweating.
"The occult? What sort of dabbling?"
"Oh, we didn't much know what we were doing. Some unsuccessful Gnostic rituals. Teddy was the one with the conviction, at least until my own dreams started. Said he encountered some sort of entities during the War, things that made him question the safety of our whole society. I used to think he was a bit crazy. I used to think the way they think about me now."

>>14572541
"What changed your mind, or was it simply the dreams?"

>>14572541
GET HIM SOMEWHERE SECLUDED AND BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT

>>14572573
How about we let him say his piece, then put his demise up for a vote?

Sure, kill the plot fuel, that's a lot of fun...

>>14572552
"What changed your mind, or was it simply the dreams?"
"Mostly the dreams...although there was one case study. I did a psych evaluation of a World War I veteran with serious delusions, memory loss...he refused to wear anything but his military uniform, the nurses said they gave up trying to take it off him after a few days. The strange thing was, he looked just like he'd stepped off the boat. I marked it as a curiosity at the time, but now I'm thinking there may have been something more to it..."
You've come to the entrance to a library.
"Here, I think he said he'd be in here. Told me to meet him after my lecture, but...well, hopefully he got here early." He holds the door open for you.

>>14572626
Sounds like he met another time traveler. Insist that he goes first and follow him in.

>actually people, or at least heated discussion
yay!

>>14572644
I've been here all along, but the metagaming tripfag almost ruined it for me.

>>14572644
Fine, fine. Ill stop insisting we blow his brains all over the sidewalk. Lets blow them out all over the bookshelves instead.

I kid, I kid. Lets see where this is going. Who was he waiting for again? Can he tell us more about this case study or anything else hes seen?

>>14572644
We're loving it guy, keep it up.
>>14572638
This. Lets not surprise his friend with an unfamiliar face.

"After you," you say, following him into the library.
The ground floor is full of students studying or perusing the stacks for some old play, poem, essay or contemporary review. You take a few staircases up, however, and find yourselves in the newspaper archives, which seem to be deserted except for one man, seated at a row of desks and reading a well-worn book he apparently brought himself. He turns at the sound of your approach, and you can see that it's the other man from the photograph. He smiles.
"Fast lecture, Daniel."
Armitage scoffs. "Those people have no ear for the truth. But I was brash, I shouldn't have gone without proof, without support." He looks back at you. "Oh, eh, this is..." He squints, realizing he didn't get your name.

>>14572740
Let's introduce ourselves, and nonchalantly ask what he's reading.

"Gil Cathaway," you say.
"Theodore Arkham," the man responds with a smile, shaking your hand.
"Teddy Arkham. Family has so much money they named the town after him, we used to say," Armitage says with a laugh.
"What're you reading?" you ask
"Oh, a bit of light reading," he says with a laugh. "John Dee, actually. Some interesting ideas hidden in the theological mutterings. Now what about this lecture, Daniel? I thought it was just some sort of astronomical presentation?"
Armitage shakes his head.
"You were right, Teddy. I'm sure of it now. You were right about all of it. There are...things...out there, things that we can't possibl-"
"There are things -here-, Daniel," Theodore says grimly. "But don't worry. Every weapon is a tool when it's not pointed at you. I have a brilliant idea for how to spend my family's money, how to do something of lasting good for the world."

"Every weapon...what are you saying, Teddy?"
"I'm saying there are forces that could destroy humanity without even meaning to. I'm saying there are others that would actively try if they only knew we were here, others that ARE actively trying. Humankind needs to be safeguarded using whatever means necessary. I've been in talks with the Department of Defense, and they're surprisingly receptive to my ideas. As long as we can present them with proof of the efficacy of my methods, they'll be willing to match my funding on-"
"What are you saying, Teddy? What methods?"
"Re-education. Repurposing. Destruction. Containment. An organization dedicated to protecting mankind from everything that might destroy it, protecting it from the dozens of shadows far longer and darker than the atomic bomb everyone's quivering about. Dedicated to protecting it using every tool at our disposal, and by any means necessary."
"You can't be serious..." Artimage murmurs. "You have no idea what you're dealing with!"

slowpokin' like a motherfucker here
>Mist
Mist-er something, maybe? Who's that spooky fucker who runs the underworld in Delta Green?

>>14572904
"Erm...what *are* we dealing with?"

"I have EVERY idea what we're dealing with, Daniel, and that's exactly why what I'm proposing is necessary. As humanity's grasp extends, as we propel ourselves upwards, so to do we open ourselves to catastrophe, so do we draw hostile eyes to us."
Armitage sits quietly for a moment, trying to mull this over in his mind. Slowly he begins to shake his head.
"I want to agree with you Teddy. But there's no way we can make use of the tools you're talking about. There's no way we can contain some of these forces."
"There's no way we can survive if we do not. Humanity is not equipped with the proper tools to safeguard themselves against all the threats of the universe. But tools to combat those threats do exist, though the handles be jagged. We could use your help, Daniel, but we don't need it."
"Help you? Help you doom us all?
"Help me save us! I have the resources, the willpower, the knowledge, the backing of the government, for Christ's sake! Humanity won't get a chance like this again.
Neither man seems conscious of your presence at this point, embroiled in their argument.

>>14572978
Armitage is going to kill Arkham. I'm assuming the group that sent us back came from Arkham's work.

Kill Armitage now. We can't let him do anything crazy.

>>14572978
Vote to pull the gun on Armitage now. I have a feeling we were sent to save Arkham from him somehow.

"Erm...what *are* we dealing with?" you pipe up.
Arkham turns to you.
"Mister Cathaway, what if I told you there was a woman in Europe who would rot anyone she kissed to ashes? What if I told you there were entities so incomprehensible to us that they could tear us apart simply by looking at us too hard? What if I told you that there were kinds of radiation the scientific community had never even heard of, or if any of them had, they were discredited as frauds? All I want to do is make use of what we can, to pro-"
"You're insane!" Armitage sputters. "I won't...I can't...you have no idea what you're toying with!"
"I keep trying to tell you, I'm not toying with anything!" Arkham seems growing more and more frustrated, while Armitage seems on the verge of a breakdown.
"You won't see...you can't see...but who will stop you? Who..." he looks at his own hands, which seem to clasp around invisible throats. He takes quick gasps, staring at Arkham like a cornered beast.
>>14573030
>>14573043
You step between the two men, freeing the gun from your pocket and aiming it squarely at Armitage's chest.
"What-?" Arkham says.
Armitage growls. "You're all a league of dogs!"

>Pull the trigger?

>>14573043

Hmm...we still can't be sure that we are actually the good guys. Who is to say that we won't be hurrying nom-noming of humanity by allowing accelerated occult research in the name of "protection"

>>14573072
"I'm sorry it had to be this way." And fire.

>>14573072
If we try to talk him down, and fail, he will likely try to kill us too. If we suceed, he will likely wait a while and try to sabotage Arkhams work later. Clearly, the best course of action is to "try" to talk him down with an intentionally weak argument, fail, then kill him, keeping Arkham reasonably non-suspicious of us.

>>14573087
We can't, but we have our orders.

>>14573072
Activate it.

>>14573072
>Pull the trigger?
Oh, hells yes. This guy is one more rant away from having a Spider-Man villain origin.

>>14573096
This, shoot him after he attacks

>>14573087
If that is so, then humanity is pretty much screwed anyways, so it doesn't really matter. Personally, I see the most likely scenario here being that Arkham's death caused a slowed rate of development, or perhaps a lowering in the safety precautions of the development taken, that resulted in a really bad situation for humanity, though not yet total destruction, with us being sent back in time to try to prevent it, to give humanity a better chance. Hopefully, anyways. If not, then we are probably so horribly screwed it doesn't matter. Besides, if we /are/ the bad guys, we may as well do the bad guy thing, no?

>>14573072
Kill both, its the only way to be sure.

Fuck...my general ackbar alarm is going off. The setup is too straightforward. Everything is making sense, which is never a good sign in the culthulu mythos

>>14573134

How do you know Arkham isn't some john connor type, and by killing him you kill the human race?

>>14573134
THIS, A THOUSAND TIMES THIS.

>At time of writing, 3 for, 1 against

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," you say, to Armitage, or Arkham, or both.
The pistol reports sound strange in the muffled space of the library shelves, and seem somehow muffled by the gun itself. You fire two shots into Armitage's chest and one into his head, watching him stumble back into a table and clatter to the floor. You turn to Arkham.
"Your work must succeed," you say.
"I don't understand..." he says, in shock.
"Get out of here. Quickly." you say. "Being found with a dead body won't help your cause."
"I...thank you," Theodore says, stepping back slowly. His lips seem to lag behind his words.

>>Temporal streams have been restored!

Everything is dark. Your head feels full and heavy. You think you can feel the gun in your hand. It slithers against your skin.

>>He's there! I've got vitals.

Everything slowly starts to come into focus. You can feel a flow of fluids against your skin. The gun is gone.

>>Prepare to evacuate the chamber, he's about to manifest!

You begin choking and gasping on the tubes down your throat. Around you, air bubbles rush into the fluid-filled chamber as the liquid slowly drains away. When down to about the level of your knees, a porthole snaps open, spilling you and the rest of the fluids onto a cold tile floor.

>>14573171

May the future we just made be better than the one we left for our aim was blind and our shot irreversible.

Hands pull the tubes from your throat slowly, helping you to your feet. You rub your eyes, clearing the fluid from them and trying to adjust to the bright fluorescent light.
"Thank you for that, Agent Cathaway."
You look up. Amid the scurrying white coats stands a confident man in a pinstriped suit, salt-and-pepper hair well groomed on top of his lean face. He's certainly older, much older, but there's no mistaking it.
"Just doing my job, Mister Arkham."

>>ARKHAM RESEARCH, LTD, PERSONNEL REPORT
>>AGENT: GILBERT CATHAWAY
>>ASSOCIATED PROJECTS: ORIGIN
>>PROJECT STATUS: COMPLETE
>>SIDENOTES: Continued temporal displacement a possibility in the wake of transporter malfunction. Retain under observation and consider the possibility of an official designation if symptoms grow out of control.
>>RESERVED: Temporal Isolation Unit, Subject Designation: 116

>>14573205
>>14573205

Irreversable? What did you not get about the whole we-just-traveled-back-in-time shtick?

>That concludes the adventure I had in mind for the moment, but if you guys want to keep going, I've definitely got some more ideas. If you're interested in the world you've been getting a glimpse of, I ran a complete quest about a year ago called Bloodquest that was a Lovecraftian adventure set in the same universe as this quest (Which still needs a name! Help me out!). It's up on suptg, and I'm told it's a pretty good read.

>>14573247
Sweet. Next up, the grassy knoll. We gon' kill us a President!

>>14573278
Stoner? Where's ALCHEMY QUEST!?

>>14573294
Still in mind, just not being actively run. I had a free afternoon, so rather than trying to jumpstart that I figured I would just do a little one-off with potential for more. AlchemyQuest will come back some day, when I have a lot more free time.

Guessing that CoC game in Bavaria is never gonna get a 2nd session either.

>>14573278
That was awesome, man. I don't usually do quest threads, but I'll be keeping an eye out for yours. Is StonerDM your usual trip?

Is TimeQuest suitable for this? I'm always terrible at these names because my quests never fit into an easy one-word description.

>>14573255

Shhh....I was trying to be drmatic. Also, look how accurate we were. Time travel is not an automatic free pass. Think of the stable time loops, man! Also, great job OP

>>14573338
>TimeQuest
That'll do.

>>14573331
Man, I'm sorry about that. Senior semester hit me like brick filled with smaller bricks. I graduate in 3 weeks though, so yay!
>>14573335
Yes, StonerDM is how I usually roll. Theodore Arkham is kind of a major character in Bloodquest though, so I didn't want to tip people off too much by using my normal tripcode.

>>14573354
>I didn't want to tip people off too much by using my normal tripcode.
Figured. Well, best of luck. I'm off to troll one of /x/'s succubus threads.

Quest's been archived on Suptg. Throw me a vote if you enjoyed yourselves, so other people will take notice and read. If I have time I might do another part later this week, either afternoon through evening like today or starting at like 10:00 or 11:00 pm (all times eastern).

I have to be honest, I'm a little disappointed nobody from the original Bloodquest happened by and caught on to what was going on, there's some pretty heavy hinting throughout. All the same, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

Mist...Mister ARMITAGE!

We gotta follow Armitage and keep him safe!

>>14574240
hoo boy. Keep readin'