OP8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJXLcmaw4JI
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConfettoQM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=occultic%20quest

Miku: 1
Aya: 1
Hinami: 1

I'll be very clear from now on who the intervenes are from now on.

>>3055923
>”No promises.”
aaaaaaaaaaa

>>3055958
no promises

writing

>>3055934
are for*

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“No promises,” you say as you flop back down like a dead fish.

A second of silence. “That’s not a ‘yes’.”

You slowly nod. “That’s because it wasn’t.”

“It’s bad luck,” she says, “Your charm’s not gonna do a thing against it!”

“Aren’t you going to be late?” you simply reply.

“Ah crap, I’m going now!” Miku says, panicking while she rushes to shut the door.

“Bye,” you tell her as she locks it. She does have the spare key after all.

You lie there, head against the floor, enjoying the fact that existing brings you pain.

Did someone curse you or something?

Very slowly, you turn and push against the floor with your forehead, arcing in some kind of strange slug-snake like motion. It’s only then that you can straighten your back so you’re sitting upright again, and without moving your arms, you go from sitting, to kneeling, to standing, all the while wobbling.

You are clearly in peak condition right now.

You’re also alone. Blankly, you survey the living room for anything to do, finding only a game console connected to the television. Your laptop’s in your room, which thanks to thoughtful architecture, is completely in the dark at this time of day.

Footsteps cause you to pause. You thought it was Miku returning because she forgot her bag or something, but when you wait, you’re only met with silence.

You should do something.
>Get some sleep.
>Play some games.
>Sit in the dark in your room and subject yourself to the blindingly bright laptop screen.
>Go for a walk.
>Write-in.

>>3056053
>Get some sleep.
Realistically it's the second best choice after downing down some fever meds.

>>3056053
>Get some sleep.

>>3056053
>go for a bath.

>>3056063
>>3056071
slep

>>3056075
broth

writing

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You took some meds after you managed to eat what little breakfast you could with your tiny appetite, and now, you could really go for some sleep. Except it’s definitely not happening, going by the mixed signs your body’s giving you. Regardless, you decide to trudge on over to your room and stand there for a brief second before allowing gravity to pull you onto your bed.

You manage to crawl about halfway on before giving up, your face buried in the sheets.

It’s in this position that you remain for a minute or two until you realize it’s not going to happen. Nothing’s going to happen.

To your window, something makes a strange sound, resembling fine, grainy objects being poured out. Despite you not budging and paying it no attention, it continues to the point where you begin to realize it exists and it’s not stopping.

Turning to see what it is, you find sand draining from outside into your room, as if your bedroom was suddenly placed half-sunken into a desert. The mound of sand grow by the second.

You blink and it disappears.

You stare at where it was pooling at, only seeing your floor.

“Uh.” You don’t like this at all. Shaking your head, you leave the blanket behind and stumble your way to the bathroom. You’re seeing things. Maybe a bathroom will help you relax so that you can finally shut your eyes and stop losing your mind.

You nod to yourself as you chart your course for the most logical course of action, turning on the water.

It spews out chunks of black, undulating globs of ooze that splatter along the tub. A quick splash of water has it all swirling down the drain in a second.

Hm.
>Take a bath.
>Maybe you shouldn’t.
>Write-in.

>>3056138
>>Maybe you shouldn’t.

>>3056138
>Maybe you shouldn’t.

>>3056138
>Take a bath.
Fuck it

>>3056138
>Write-in.
Call the nearest mental hospital and check ourselves in.

>>3056138
>Maybe you shouldn’t.
If you're at the point where you're actually hallucinating, maybe you should just t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶L̶S̶D̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e go occupy yourself somewhere you're less likely to hurt yourself reacting to something that isn't there.

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>>3056143
>>3056147
no

>>3056154
yes

>>3056159
help

>>3056160
hide

>>3056138
>maybe a bathroom
maybe a bath*
what the fuck am I even typing

writing

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Maybe you shouldn’t.

You stand there, watching as the water run.

Okay, you shouldn’t. You turn it off, finally coming into terms that maybe something is wrong.

Alternatively, something could’ve gotten into the pipes and you’re just too disoriented to have cared. If that’s the case, you definitely should stay far, far away from it.

Or maybe you’re seeing stuff.

With a hand to help you brace against the walls as you walk out, you look around while walking back to your room. There, on your desk, is your phone.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to make a call. Maybe not a mental hospital; that’s a little extreme. What if you get locked up or something?

Calling Miku, the person at the top of your contacts list, you wait for the tone to appear. Anything to appear. Silence.

Then, something licks your ear. Recoiling in disgust, you turn to find something growing out of your phone, plant-like tendrils. They’re brown with green splotches, seamlessly transitioning from rigid structures to flowing whips.

Gently, you lower your phone back onto your desk, only for it to be lifted into the air.

You’re not quite sure how to take this. Ever so slowly, you back up onto your bed until your back’s against the wall.

You watch as the mass of intertwining plant-life grows and grows, reaching the ceiling and starting to grow along it.

It’s not stopping.
>Stay very, very still.
>Bolt out of the room.
>Kick it if it comes close.
>Write-in.

>>3056221
>Kick it if it comes close.

>>3056221
>>Bolt out of the room.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>3056242
1
>>3056276
2

writing

>>3056221
>You're clearly imagining things, or dreaming. Calm down; there's no point panicking anyway.
>...
>PANIC ANYWAY!
>Bolt out of the room!

>>3056280
I'll count this I guess since it's better than a die roll

I'll come up with something

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You’re not sure what to do.

What is there is to do in this situation? It’s not as if life has ever prepared you for it. This is obviously not real, and there’s no need to panic.

It isn’t as if you could smell the pungent aroma of the earth mixing in with the tinge of plant life that dyes the back of your throat. It isn’t as if you didn’t feel its smooth texture rub against your cheek when you held it up close. It isn’t as if they aren’t very, very clearly gripping against the walls, creeping forward with every second you waste sitting here, watching as it extends forth reaching toward you.

You snap. You drive your heel into one of its appendages, but the hit is far from solid. It simply moves backwards, and when your momentum’s gone, it begins to latch around your leg, swirling around and around.

Crying you, you tear it off only to find another one has snuck in from behind. It wraps snugly around an arm, and try as you might to put it off, it’s already tightening its grip. You don’t have the strength to fight. All around you, the growths have already touched all the walls, now closing in.

Desperate, you kick off your bed, throwing your entire body weight forward while holding your arm tight in front. You’re jerked around before the tendril snaps, and not even looking back, you pick yourself off the floor, run out of the room, and slam the door shut.

You see branches peek out from the gaps from the door to the frame, but they don’t reach out any further.

You let yourself breath out a sigh of relief.

Then, discomfort. A pair of eyes seem to stare at you from the window, even with the curtains drawn. There’s nothing there, nothing to cast a shadow.

What are you doing?

The feeling vanishes when you hear something bubbling. Wary, you make your way to the kitchen, and then, anxiously, you take a peek at the sink. Black ooze slowly emerges from the drain, a large bubble forming and then popping. It’s slowly rising, but definitely so.

A bit of it splashes on your face, and you wince.

How are you supposed to stop this?
>Find something to plug it with.
>Time to get out of here.
>Turn on the faucet.
>Write-in.

>>3056334
>Find something to plug it with.

>>3056334
>Turn on the faucet.

>>3056334
>>Find something to plug it with.
>If there are any knives in the kitchen, grab one

>>3056354
>>3056371
plug

>>3056363
wash it away

>>3056371
knife

writing

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You could just wash it away.

Just a little water would get it clean.

A simple turn of the faucet is all you need.

You move your hand, and then stop. You remember what came out when you tried to fill the bathtub.

Shaking your head, you swiftly move to find something to plug it with, or rather, as swiftly as you can. The dirty dishes from this morning are still there.

Think. Think.

Everything’s okay.

Someone’s watching you. You hate this feeling.

It’s always there. It’s as if someone’s always breathing down your neck the entire time.

Underneath the sink, you find tape.

Pieces are jumbled in your mind, your brain assembling it all together by throwing them all over. You grab a towel, and start wiping. The muck is cold and viscous. It isn’t perfectly smooth either. It’s disgusting in your hands.

You tape the upturned dishes down over the drain and try to seal it.

It bubbles.

Groans.

Steel screams.

Something struggles as it crashes into the walls and crumples to the ground. Somethings, plural.

Then, silence.

Hands shaking, you drop back down, sitting onto the floor.

When you check the living room, you find something at the window. Slowly, you move toward one of the knives in the rack, pulling it out with ease. It’s hard to hold it firmly, with the ooze coating your hands.

It taps onto the glass. One, two, three times.
>Answer it.
>Hide.
>Yell at it.
>Write-in.

Be back in 20.

>>3056400
>Knock back at it.

>>3056400
>Write-In
>Give up an accept your fate. Let the plant monster consume you.
Komm Susser Todd

>>3056400
>Ditch the knife and hide. You're in no state to fight in your current shape; you'll more likely hurt yourself instead.
Breaking news: video recording of local schoolkid leaping from apartment window goes viral. When asked for comment, the boy replied: 'I couldn't let the plant monster get me!' More news at 8.

>>3056411
polite

>>3056431
lie there and die

>>3056439
don't hurt yourself

writing

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Your thoughts are a complete mess, a tangled up string catching everything around it until it’s an endless ball of chaos.

You put down the knife. You shouldn’t. You might hurt yourself. You can even barely muster the strength to run straight.

You reach to pick it back up. What if it comes?

You leave it on the floor.

You could just accept it all. It wouldn’t require the effort of fighting against ooze and plant monsters.

The next best thing, you conclude, is to hide. Sitting on the kitchen floor, you sit and wait it out.

And wait.

Minutes becomes hours, hours become days.

The knocking never goes away.

Taps, drumming, rolling thunder, the beat of your heart that fades into noise.

When they finally disappear, you brave a look at the curtains.

And you see nothing.

There, outside, waiting, watching, is no one.

To your feet you go, a hand feeling the wall as you walk forward until it’s no longer there.

Did they disappear?

Where are you?

The vine entangled around your arm is gone, and all the muck from before has disappeared.

The glass is so thin. The light that comes from outside pierces the curtains, forming a one-way mirror.

One hand on the curtain, you—
>Unveil.
>Stop.

Intervene: Escape. (Miku)

>>3056507
Intervene:Miku slap you awake and this is all a dream.

>>3056507
>Unveil.
Gaze into the abyss.

Oddly enough, the default options feel the most interesting to me here.

I really don't want to roll to break a tie when one of the votes is an intervention. I'll wait 5 minutes I guess

>>3056507
>>Unveil.
I gotcha Hopeless

>>3056528
>>3056541
Unveil!

>>3056525
Intervene

Writing

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—unveil.

A fractured view of the sun high in the sky, shapes endlessly shifting as they pass from one split to another.

You stare at them.

Some stare in return.

Frozen, you’re unsure as to what to do. What to even make of it.

It’s completely incomprehensible, something on a scope larger than what you can possible parse in your mind.

They start murmuring.

You feel the world shifting, as if you weren’t supposed to see, but—

The world tilts, as if you were thrown out. Like an hour glass, sand begins to fill the upturned room. The door to your room creaks and splinters as the plant life bulges out, and the ceramic plates explode as the ooze pour forward at a torrent. Like a waterfall of ink, it splashes onto the walls, dying the rising sand its color.

You did this.

The creature that was once inside your room now crawls out as you’re backed up against the front door, its number of fingers ever-changing. It wears a sharp arrangement of dead branches and leaves like a mask, staring at you, through you. You try to unlock it, but the sand’s jammed it.

You don’t have any regrets, do you?

The door swings wide open.

[1/2]

>>3056590
This could be bad.

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>>3056590

“...Have you been taking a nap here?” Miku asks with the door open.

You’re sitting in the hallway, your blanket wrapped around you. Unable to form any words, you can only gape in confusion and silence before turning around to check on the state of the living room.

It’s fine, untouched since you last saw it. The kitchen is free of any blotches of ooze, and your bedroom door isn’t lying in pieces on the floor.

It’s as real as real can be.

“What are you, a puppy?” she asks before walking in and starting to take off her shoes. “Jeez, don’t just drag that everywhere. You’re going to dirty it.”

You stand up. Your hands don’t reach for the walls, and you don’t wobble. “I think I passed out.”

You were awake as awake could be.

“How are you feeling? You look better,” she tells you.

“Fine, actually,” you reply, stretching a little. “Weird, it’s like I never got sick.

She grins, “Turns out all you need was a good rest! It always works magic.”

“Magic, huh?” you repeat, agreeing. When you head inside your room to put down the sheet, you see that your phone’s settled right on the desk where you placed it back. It’s on the contacts list, and you close it.

There’s a feeling you can’t shake off. You fought off whatever that was well enough, but maybe that was because you got too close. You can’t help but wonder if they meant anything. The feeling’s the same you had back then, with the exorcism, with the circles.

Like you’re being watched.

Like they’re peering into your mind.
>Acknowledge.
>Ignore.

Be back in 30

>>3056653
>Acknowledge.
What could go wrong?

>>3056653
>Acknowledge.

>>3056751
>>3056758
acknowledge

writing

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There’s nothing you can do.

You’ll just have to accept it.

They win this time.

Frustrated, you rub the bridge of your nose as you realize you’ll never enjoy the comfort of having the privacy of your own thoughts ever again. But then again, it’s not like you ever really had it, going by how long they’ve been around.

That’s going to take some getting used to, and you doubt you’ll ever get used to it. You begin to have another thought, but then you forcibly suppress it.

Setting your phone back down, you start to walk out when Miku cries out.

She says, “Ryuuta, what did you do?! Why did you tape all the dishes down?”

You stop.

It’s going to be tough trying to explain this one.

[1/2]

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>>3056825

Though it still bugs you, you find that most of the time, you don’t remember that’s someone’s always watching.

And sometimes, you’re just distracted.

Saddened about a loss of a new club member that only just joined, you can only think about Arisu when you touch your pocket to find you forgot to bring the key. When you look up, you finally notice that it was unlocked and someone’s already inside.

Two people, in fact.

As you open the door, you find Aya talking to Nemuri, and from the bits you overhear, it’s an interview thing for her newspaper. They both notice you entering, and a tad bit far for you to hear if they greeted you or not.

They talk for a short while more before Aya thanks Nemuri. The former turns and approaches you. “Ryuuta.”

“Aya,” you reply, “What brings you here?”

“Doing a report on what happened over summer break,” she answers, “In regards to the Incident of the Test of Courage.”

Raising an eyebrow, you ask, “Aren’t you an eyewitness? Why do you need to conduct interviews?”

“It’s called being unbiased, it’s kind of really important,” she says, “I’m just going to ask a few questions.”

You wonder if she’s going to paint you as the bad guy.
>”I refuse.”
>Agree to go along.
>Answer, but do so curtly and begrudgingly.
>Write-in.

>>3056880
>Answer, but do so curtly and begrudgingly.
FINE

>>3056880
>Agree to go along.

>>3056880
>Agree to go along.

>>3056888
yes, but

>>3056889
>>3056899
just yes

writing

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“Go ahead,” you tell her. She seemed pretty understanding back then, so you’ll put some faith into her now. Even though she’s Aya.

“What was your role exactly during the event in which the incident occurred?”

“To scare the people doing the test,” you reply, “We dressed up in costumes and hid in the tree lines. We were in groups of two, and I was with Miku.”

She nods and scribbles some words down. “How effective were you at it? Would you say you overdid it?”

“A little too effective,” you answer. This is getting suspicious. “It was a complete accident; I never meant to scare her off the trail. In fact, I didn’t even chase her.”

“You’re right,” she says, smirking, “You chased after me.”

“Gh,” you say, making some kind of choked sound. You find it hard to say anything after that.

“Okay, what are your thoughts on the test itself? Some faculty are calling it dangerous and demand for the end of the tradition.”

You pause, thinking about it for a moment.
>”We should all be more careful and more prepared.”
>”They’re right. It is dangerous.”
>”I think it’s a little overblown.”
>Write-in.

[Intervene] Unfinished business. (Aya)

>>3056961
[Intervene] Unfinished business. (Aya)

>>3056961
>[Intervene] Unfinished business. (Aya)

>>3056966
>>3056976
this

writing

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“Can’t say I agree,” you say. Something starts to float to the top of your mind. “It was just an unfortunate series of events.”

A thought, one that reminds you of something.

As Aya is writing down what you say, she says to you, “I agree. I really don’t want to write this, but parents are freaking out about this, so I need to do something.”

Listening, you nod. She wasn’t out for you after all, and if anything she’s trying to paint everything in a more favorable light. Then, it clicks, “Ah, I kind of scared Daisuke pretty bad back then. A bit unrelated, but how’s it been for him?”

“Fine,” she off-handedly replies, “Why?”

“I kind of got his girlfriend pissed off at him. Then he asked me for advice, which I think is a terrible idea, and then I don’t think I ever heard from him again.”

Aya pauses. “Why would I know about his love life?” First, she only looks at you with her eyes, but then she pulls face out of the paper and stares you dead on. “They broke up. Congratulations.”

“Ah crap,” you say, groaning, “That’s all my fault. Is he angry at me? I need to go and apologize.”

“He’s fine, and he blames himself. It’s not your problem anymore.” Before you can get in another word, you hear the door noisily open as Miku enters. Aya, seeing this, says to you quickly, “Thanks for actually answering my questions.”

She walks off to accost Miku, leaving you behind.

You blink. That was a surprisingly not-unpleasant exchange, and she wasn’t even holding back anything either.

[1/2]

Oh please tell me this isn't almost over. I only just saw the thread. And the mind trip is great.

Didn't we burn two interventions on aya? The ink, and the forest comes alive? The hinami one was the fortune telling, right? Or was it the exorcism

>>3057091
were going for Aya route i think.

Then what will happen to Hinami Future? The time traveler said that Hinami and Ryuuta end together.

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>>3057061

Behind you, Aya goes on to ask a Miku a handful of questions, but you’re not really paying attention.

Nemuri, watching you, waves you over. With nothing better to do, you oblige her.

She’s leaning on the cabinets, half-sitting and half-standing.

You wait, expecting her to say something, but when she doesn’t, you do. “You’re here early. Did Aya call you here?”

“No,” she replies. You barely caught it, with how quiet it was. “I wanted to talk to you, but she appeared.” She mumbles something about getting in the way.

The conversation dies once more, the only sound in the room being Miku and Nemuri’s talk.

“So,” you start to say, “What is it?”

With a conflicted look on her face, she stares at the other two. A long second passes before she decides on something.

“I wonder, what’s my 1000%?” she quietly asks. “Ryuuta—”

Gripping something tightly in her hand, she gets up and takes a step forward. Then, she spins around to face you.

Her hair sways for a moment, her face starting to become flushed. Her mouth opens, and she says—

“Go on a date with me.”

[Chapter 9: “Are You Looking?” - End]

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ED9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdObwlWwwUA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConfettoQM

Thanks for playing! I don't think we'll hit 13 threads, but we'll have to see.

As always, comments, criticism, and questions are very welcome.

>>3057119
>The time traveler said that Hinami and Ryuuta end together
People can be mistaken. And plus, time-travel talk is nonsense anyways, only crazy people think that's possible.

>>3057091
You only used one, now two. The first was the ink. The living forest was for very concretely shattering Daisuke's relationship into tiny little pieces, but I did offer a second intervention to "stop both" Aya and her friend. The intervention vote did not win for either.

>>3057136
I did get here at the very end, I knew it!
At least our relationship with Aya has improved past "mutual distain" and we can hold a conversation without any barbs.

Oh well, this was a tremendously fun read either way. I kind of hope this never ends, but I understand the importance of having a consice ending. I just wish we weren't 3/4 of the way there already.

How many interventions do we have left, OP? We haven't been rolling recently, have we still been getting more? Did accepting the things in our head give us one?

>>3057125
>“Go on a date with me.”
I AM AFRAID FOR MANY REASONS

>>3057136
Thanks for running!

>>3057154
>How many interventions do we have left, OP? We haven't been rolling recently, have we still been getting more? Did accepting the things in our head give us one?

You have one. Only one! It's very unlikely you'll get any more. Accepting things, well, no, there aren't any immediate effects yet.

>>3057136
Thanks for running

>>3057119
>were going for Aya route i think.
Definently. She has the best dynamic with the mc out of everyone imo. I'm really curious to see their backstory fleshed out

>>3057119
>>3057267
Don't be hasty, anons. If this goes anything like Psion Quest, every girl will be fleshed out in time. Wait until then before routelocking.

>>3057125
Wait, Nemuri, stop, it's to early to routelock!

>>3057136
Good to see that even when I miss a session my Aya bros have got my back. Gotta respect Nemuri for taking initiative though. Either way, thanks for running Hopeless, hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.

>>3057339
I don't think so... We are alredy on the 9th thread, and a relationship could be a really nice mechanic in the thread.
Also Nemuri is the Best Girl for me, i'm down for it