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>>3316272
Whatever stood before you, does not care for your mental state, it does not care for your fear, your panic. Its clock face head stares down at you, and it speaks. It speaks in a surprisingly good mannered, english accent. If such a voice was not still incredibly out of place for Idaho, USA, it probably would've helped calm you down.

“Hello. Mathew, yes? Mathew Brown? You are dying, would you like me to change that? I'd like to myself, but i need permission first. Times have changed Mathews, your species will need stubborn people like you who cling to life to change to keep them alive. Well, those you can alive. Needless to say, blood and pain is the future i offer you, nothing pleasant, but it is still life, and it will allow you to make a difference. But it is your choice, no one else's. Will you let me save you, let me change you?” it clacks its sickle upon the ground, waiting for you to answer.

And you do. And you would choose to live.

The thing, the creature beyond your understanding nods. And you weren't quite expecting him to be so literal nor meaning so soon on the blood and pain side of this deal.

And your world goes black, as your insides churn and slither about, your blood gushing out and then back into your body, your flesh ripping and mending itself, as people scream and watch, terrified of what is happening to you, as the strange thing nods, and crumbles into dust and is blown away by a gust that should not exist. Then your mind goes blank, and silent, as you go from this world to that of the sleeping, deep and dark, where no dreams nor nightmares may reach you.

---/---

It is a sharp, searing pain you awake to, your mind buzzing, winded, confused. Your clothes are not your own, but you recognize it to be a hospital bed, the clothes that of a patients. But it is quite. Too quite. The light is from the window, not the dead, off overhead lights. No footsteps come from outside your open door, nor no light. The hospital is dead, unpowered, or so it might seem. The medical equipment hooked up to your clammy, pale body is as well.

Like getting hit with a bat, memories flood back.

You are Mathews Brown. You are a 22 year old Male. you have black hair, sharp green eyes. You live in Twin Falls, Idaho. And, and you should be dead. But you are not. You are not, because something, something you should never have seen let you live, tore you apart and put you back together. It was drawn to you, drawn to your will to live, such will spawned from…

>A pure, hearty stubbornness, a simple longtime refusal to die.(+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

>A lifetime of self care and preservation.(+1 End, +1 Phy, +1 Dex)

>A personal desperation to live, to not lose everything you have in life. (+1 Sta, +2 Men)

>You simply are tough, nothing else to say.(+2 End, +1 Phy)

>You simply never know when to stop, never know when to quit.(+2 Sta, +1 Dex)

>Write-In(Apply 3 Points as you wish, but at least ONE must go to End or Sta)

>>3316273
(Hello, and welcome to ‘Life Clings On’, a Horror/Thriller based around a time in which Humanity quickly finds themselves no longer with no competition at the top of the food chain, and a man granted a chance and the ability to fight for his species survival, and just how he might accomplish such a task. Together we shall go about his journey discovering and surviving in a world quickly shifting and collapsing, a world where hope is but fragments to be collected, and death handed out selflessly and readily. But Humanity and Life always clings on, or so we shall endeavour to find out if you can so prove it.)

(This opening section will help decide your Main Characters, Matthew Browns, Starting Stats, as well as Substats, Items and Abilities. The Game Mechanics can be found in the document below, and once this Introductory segment is completed, i shall post his Character Sheet. I'd Highly recommend giving the document a read, and do keep note it shall be changed accordingly as the system is further tested, however to get things rolling I shall do a summary of it here.)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JK5dX0oOaPyS1G2jdzqjA2vYeP8EAUMLzzxcttjr9fY/edit?usp=sharing

(To put things simply, you have 5 Stats, each one acting as a Pool of Points you will spend in certain situations on Difficult Actions, or on every Action in Events such as Combat, in order to do the Actions you wish to take. Each Stat may be spent only on Actions that would involve the Stat, and while many things affect the outcome, the overall goal is to beat your opponents end score, or the difficulty score of the Action you wish to take.)

(For Reference, Base Stats all Start at 5 before you make your choices here to improve them.)

(Voting will Close in One Hour.)

>>3316273
>>A pure, hearty stubbornness, a simple longtime refusal to die.(+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

>>3316273
>>A pure, hearty stubbornness, a simple longtime refusal to die.(+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

>>3316273

>A lifetime of self care and preservation.(+1 End, +1 Phy, +1 Dex)

>>3316285
>>A pure, hearty stubbornness, a simple longtime refusal to die.(+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

(votes Tallied, Writing now)

>>3316279
>(+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

It spawned from a pure, hearty stubbornness, a simple lifetime refusal to die. To remember breaking your leg once, bending it backwards like a folding knife, at a playground way too far from home, and way too lacking in adult supervision, especially for your age. And you bit your lip until it bled to stop from crying, and crawled your way along until someone took notice of your sorry excuse of a state, and the poor woman got you an ambulance ride. You had almost forgotten about it, having let the pain eat away at your mind in order to focus purely on survival.

And just like then, you ignore the soreness in your limbs, the pain and creaking as you pull off the covers and push your legs off the side of the bed. You grimace as you use the I.V. stand next to you as support, slowly putting weight onto legs that did not want such responsibility. You idly look up at the nigh dry bag on the metal pole you clung to, only droplets clinging to the inside, squished against its layers, the thing only a step away from empty. You were no nurse, but weren’t those things supposed to be replaced by now? Maybe not, and it was far from the concern digging at your mind right now.

You take a deep breath, and take a few steps forward, then a few more, careful to keep your footing, before finally the feeling and strength boils back into your legs, and you feel comfortable enough to push the annoying stand aside and walk with your own personal ability. You only nearly bust your head open once, you’re happy to admit.

Mumbling to yourself, head feeling like it was churning with glass, memory still scrambled a bit, you slog into the empty hallway, and grimace. It was a mess. Cloth and gurneys all about, medical supplies scattered on table and on floor. Blood, lots of blood was in lots of places, and judging from the way so much of it was scrapped along the floor, you could guess to why no bodies adorned the chaotic hallways before you. Why though, they had been dragged off, you were not so sure on, and your gut was telling you, it would be a bad idea to figure out why, yet…

>You always were the curious type, always needing to know more and more and more, no problem left to the imagination.(+2 Men, +1 Dex)

>This was not your problem, you had your own to deal with. Best to get out of here, or at least find someone first, to explain what the hell was going on here. (+1 End, +1 Sta, +1 Men)

>This pointed to something bad, real bad going on. Maybe something to do with that beast that put you in here. Best to find something to defend yourself with, before something or someone makes it an issue.(+1 Sta, +2 Phy)

>What the actual hell was going on here? You needed to take a moment, needed to take your time here, let your mind and body catch up with this insanity.(+1 End, +2 Sta)

>Write-In(Allocate 3 Points to Stats as you please, so long as justified by your Actions)

(Voting to close in One Hour)

>>3316518

>This pointed to something bad, real bad going on. Maybe something to do with that beast that put you in here. Best to find something to defend yourself with, before something or someone makes it an issue.(+1 Sta, +2 Phy)

Time to be at least marginally competent in defending ourselves.

>>3316570
Ditto

>>3316518
>>This pointed to something bad, real bad going on. Maybe something to do with that beast that put you in here. Best to find something to defend yourself with, before something or someone makes it an issue.(+1 Sta, +2 Phy)

we might find someone else, let's look for them too

>>3316518
>This pointed to something bad, real bad going on. Maybe something to do with that beast that put you in here. Best to find something to defend yourself with, before something or someone makes it an issue.(+1 Sta, +2 Phy)

(Votes Tallied, Writing now)

>>3316518
(+1 Sta, +2 Phy)

You step back a bit, and quickly start looking around, heartbeat slowly building up in pressure. This pointed to something bad, something real bad going on. And if it had anything to do with the beast that put you in this quickly uncomfortable hospital, then it was best you find something to defend yourself with, before something or someone makes it an issue.

Quickly, or as quickly as your still not exactly tip top body can take you, you head down the opposite direction of the trail of blood, eyes scanning like a falcons for anything worthwhile to defend yourself with, mind still foggy, but recovering quickly, the blood now rushing through your veins at an increased rate helping with that for sure.

Turning the corner at the end, you find the next hallway to be much cleaner, especially of blood, which seems a good sign as any at this point. Unfortunately, you can't spot more than weak, flimsy I.V. stands and the like, and a few scalpels here and there. Neither option really seemed like a good one, especially as imaged of a monstrous, heavily hided beast flash in your head, body tensing as phantom pains roll through your side, despite the lack of obvious injury there. Whatever that, that clock thing had done, you certainly weren't actually injured anymore, but you still weren't so sure you felt the same.

It was then as you fiddle around with an assortment of equipment, trying to properly arm yourself, that you hear something clattering to the ground from deeper into the abandoned abode, the echo sending shivers down your spine as something scurries off, the ear splitting scrape of something sharp on the tiles the last thing you hear, as silence slowly returns.

Whatever the damn sound was, it came from the floor below, the stairs not too far away, the symbol above the open door making them quite obvious, though whether you should investigate you were not so sure. What you were sure about was, you needed to be prepared for the worst, so grabbing some medical tape and prying a slim, silver pole free of its stand, you get to work making…

(cont.)

>>3316759
>Makeshift Spear(Grants the ability to have your Attack Action Hit first at a cost of -1 Dex, turning the Targets Action into a Defensive one, potentially negating some of their Spent Points and putting them in a more favorable order for yourself. However, if they succeed in their Defensive Action, they may immediately perform a free hit upon you with their Same Points Pool they originally spent, with your own not taken into account.this Weapon Deals Endurance Loss at Equal Rates as Points Lost By.)

You weren't sure how much you trusted such a shoddy weapon, but it gave you options you otherwise didn't have. Taking a long, shaky breath, you stare down the deep, dark stairwell before you, and consider your options…

>Go down quietly and check the noise out, make sure its nothing that's a threat.(+1 Men, +2 Dex)

>It may be a person, and you don't have time to subtly, rush down and yell for their attention.(+2 Men, +1 Dex)

>Whatever it is, you can't wait for it to come for you, so you’ll come for it.(+1 Sta, +1 Phy, +1 Dex)

>You don't need to be overly paranoid about this, you can handle what is down there, so just go down and check it out. (+1 End, +2 Phy)

>Write-In(Allocate 3 Points as fits with your Actions)

(Voting to close in One Hour, this is the last Stat Choice you will make, with other Choices coming next.)

>>3316767
>>Go down quietly and check the noise out, make sure its nothing that's a threat.(+1 Men, +2 Dex)

stealth and dex please

>>3316767

>>Go down quietly and check the noise out, make sure its nothing that's a threat.(+1 Men, +2 Dex)

>>3316778
Ditto

(Votes Tallied, Writing now)

>>3316767
(+1 Men, +2 Dex)

You clutch your fangled, makeshift spear close, slowly putting your first foot down on the cold, concrete staircase, squinting into the dim darkness that envelopes it, only the light from behind and below giving you meagre sight, as the silently make your way downward, intent to check the noise out safely.

It seems like an eternity, stepping down one by one, taking great care to void any noise, but in reality you make good time you think. Its as you reach the bottom and are hit the a smell of copper and bile that you start to get second thoughts, and when you peer out the door from the stairwell into the halls below, your stomach churns, and your knuckles go white with just how hard you grip your weapon, blood pounding in your ears, the world becoming a muted symphony of red.

And how red it was. The floor, the walls, even the ceiling. Red, slick with gruesome blood and sticky gore, a few limbs spewn here and there to complete the masterpiece of nightmarish maroon. You feel your jaw tremble a bit, but quickly clench it shut, as you hear more sounds, coming from the double doors that appear to lead to a cafeteria. And looking down, you see the first exit out of this place...past, the large, open double doors of said cafeteria. And you begin to thank whatever god gave you common sense you took your careful time not making a ruckus getting down here.

Your options are simple, you decide. This place isn't safe. You need to get out of here, before whatever is making thoise slurping, bone crunching, stomach twisting noises in that room decides to come out...or maybe...this was the perfect opportunity to simply take it out?

>Sneak past the cafeteria and go for the main entrance.(Dex SubStat Choice; Stealth 2)

>Sneak up to the Cafeteria, then sick whatever is in their in the back while its busy doing things best left unsaid. (Dex SubStat Choice; Sneak Attack 1, Stealth 1)

>Fuck all this nonsense, just run the fuck past it for the doors, full sprint.(Dex SubStat Choice; Sprint 2)

>You need to play this smart. Toss the weapon into the things leg to slow it down, then get the fuck out of here.(Dex SubStat Choice; Sprint 1, Toss 1)

>Write-In(You have a 7 in Dex, so you have 2 SubStat Points to allocate)


(Right, so incase you did not read the Game Mechanics Doc, for each THREE points into a Stat one has, they may choose a SUBSTAT to specialize in, or upgrade an existing Substat. When spending points on Actions related to these Substats, each point spent from its main STAT is counted as Base Spent+Substat Level, after Bonuses talked about in the USING STATS section.)

(you guys went for an even spread of +2 to each stat, minus only a +1 to Endurance, so each Stat has 2 SubStat Points to now be Allocated as we move ahead.)

(Voting to close in One Hour, thank you for playing and your patience, questions are welcome as you feel the need to ask them.)

>>3316966
>>Sneak up to the Cafeteria, then sick whatever is in their in the back while its busy doing things best left unsaid. (Dex SubStat Choice; Sneak Attack 1, Stealth 1)

I like sneak attacks

>>3316966

>>Sneak up to the Cafeteria, then sick whatever is in their in the back while its busy doing things best left unsaid. (Dex SubStat Choice; Sneak Attack 1, Stealth 1)

(Votes Counted, Writing now.)

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>>3316966
(Dex SubStat Choice; Stealth 1, Sneak Attack 1)

Putting the point of your crappy weapon forward, you get low and stalk forward, a silent hunter heading into the abyss of a monsters domain, feet finding their place silently but surely as you creep forward. Whatever was in their was a threat, and monster untold, and if you wanted to get out of here, you needed it dead, or at least injured.

Reaching the door, you can't help bug curl your nose at the intense smell within, and peeking into the shadowy embrace of the cafeterias interior, you finally know where all the bodies went. The place is a tornado zone of blood, body parts, and overturned tables and chairs, a pile of utter sloppy gore, chewed and gobbled guts and flesh high as your chest at its top, and a creature, probably twice your weight, sits before you, head buried into its meal as it slurps greedily at the meat it has hoarded.

And with only a second of hesitation, only a moment more to consider it, you slip in, and aiming for the weakest bit of its side, you lung forward, and bury your weapon deep into its side.

It screams, and perhaps not to even your own shock, as it bends around to viciously snap at you, your flimsy weapon is bent and snapped, leaving itself logged in the stark white hide of the beasts hide, splotched marked with more blood than you care to think about as it whirls around at you as you back up, its howls of pain and rage shaking your ears like a drum of war.

The creature was a brutal thing of bone plating and raw muscles, its white teeth and gnarly face dripping with red slurpeed human, and its eyes burning with a newfound hatred of you you knew could not mean anything good.

Your mind ticked away as the seconds passed. You had to act fast, while the pain made it think you a threat.

>Grab a chair and go nuts on it. Something's gotta give if you hit it enough times. ( Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Blunt Weapons)

>Put your back into it. Lift a table and smack it hard, then get the hell out of there. (Phy SubStats Choice; 1 Lifting, 1 Stunning)

>You got some weight to your hands, get in there fast, and go for the eyes. (Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Crushing)

>Boxing Practice happened for a reason, uppercut this bitch and teach it mano-a-mano.( Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Unarmed)

>Write-In(you have 2 Physicality SubStat Points to allocate)


(Voting closes in One Hour.)

>>3317088
>Boxing happened for a reason

(hrm. well, to be fair i should of expected this, but it seems the late hours have left voting sparce.)
(Because of this, i shall be extending Voting until 6pm CST, which for future reference is usually when ill be able to stat posting for a few hours each weekday.)

(thank you for your interest and participation, ill see in in a few.)

>>3317088
>>Write-In(you have 2 Physicality SubStat Points to allocate)

use our boxing training to keep dodging him with our footwork and head movement, when the time is right bait him into lunging and try putting a table in front of him to stun him
+1 unarmed +1 stunning

>>3317088
>Grab a chair and go nuts on it. Something's gotta give if you hit it enough times.

>>3317154
By any chance are you the same guy who was running that other quest where we were a servant of some eldritch being?

>>3317088

>Write-In(you have 2 Physicality SubStat Points to allocate)

Unarmed and blunt weapon

>>3317088
>You got some weight to your hands, get in there fast, and go for the eyes. (Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Crushing)

Blunt stuff against bone and muscle doesn't much damage other that cause mild swelling.

>>3317088
>Grab a chair and go nuts on it. Something's gotta give if you hit it enough times. ( Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Blunt Weapons)

This is cool so far.

>>3317914
fair, but I feel that putting our hands next to its face could have pretty bad consequences, and punching bone will likely hurt us more than it.

>>3317925
We can try and break of a chair leg to get the wood to splinter and stab it with the sharp end?
I want to take out its eyes and I don't care how.

>>3317088
>>You got some weight to your hands, get in there fast, and go for the eyes. (Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Crushing)

>>3317702
(I may have run such a game that lost most of its interest, aswell as some real life issues popping up, nothing major but enough to cut out my free time for a bit. and my wish to flesh out and better define the system i had been working on was also a choice in that ones fall.)

(so Far there is no specific winner for an overall action, though just under 3 hours remain in which i do have some things to do. if no Action wins out, i will craft one based off what individual two SubStats get the most votes.)

(thank you for your patience)

>>3318265
aren't there 2 votes for use a chair?

>>3318271
(so far we have...)

>>3317702
>>3317917
(2 for Chair)

>>3317914
>>3318082
(2 for Eyes)

>>3317092
>>3317219
(2 Technically for Boxing, though with the Write-In changing where the SubStats go.)

>>3317822
(and 1 Action-less 'Write-In', though of course if it ended up the winner id fill in the blanks.)

>>3318284
Can we use a chair to go for the eyes somehow? or just use the bloody stupid chair then.

>Use chair

>>3317088
>Grab a chair and go nuts on it. Something's gotta give if you hit it enough times. ( Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Blunt Weapons)

(Writing now, sorry for the wait and thanks for your participation.)

>>3317088
>Write-In(you have 2 Physicality SubStat Points to allocate)
Bit late but: grab that nearby silverware tray and start dodging and throwing sure it's just forks but if you can hit the eyes it will be blind
( Phy SubStats Choice; 1 throwing, 1 dodging)

>>3317088
(Phy SubStats Choice; 2 Blunt Weapons)


You snap, mind whirling into full gear, as you almost grab the chair before you tell your body to do so. The beast hisses, it lunges, and you bring the plastic, metal chair forward swinging, a small, feral cry escaping your mouth, before you watch its head snap sideways in the air, bits of plastic and bits of metal flying around like shards of dirty glass.

It smacks into the ground with a crack, a solid, hefty sound that seems to make the room itself shiver for a moment. It growls, low, deep, angry, as it drools out red that for once might be its own, as you see it shake, and a tooth dribbles out from its jaw, spluttering to the ground.

And you go back at it. Chair clenched tight in your hands, you bring the mangled mess of processed materials down onto the things face, watching as it twitches back, animalistic confusion deep in its face. But you dont stop.

“FUCKING. DIE.” you hiss out, dry throat sounding like some creature from the depths of a cave. You scream and scream and scream, the horrid, twisted creatures not even getting a chance to hiss a reply as you relentlessly pow down on it. That is, until the mangled remains in your hands crumples, then simply tears apart, bits going flying all over the place behind you on your next pull upwards. You swing down, but stumble forwards, nothing left in your hands but some scraps of bent piping from the legs.

You blink, and then your world spins, the dark, bloody room becoming a blur as you go flying, hitting the ground hard and tumbling over and over and over. Something cracked inside, maybe more than just a single something. Your breath flees your lungs, leaving you to your fate like a traitor, as you come to a sudden, violent halt against a table, eyes going spastic for a moment as pain floods into parts of your body you had long forgotten about.

(cont.)

>>3318725
The monster on the other side of the room growls. Its jaw seems to split in two and unhinge, a total, alien head shake following, before it licks its jowls and turns to you, its beady eyes shining with a hunger and satisfaction you feared to your very core. And all your effort? A deep crack upon the plating of its face to be sure, but hardly enough to kill such a thing.

Your hands shake, each step it takes, each scueltch of flesh under foot, each crunch of tile crumpling under its weight, its power, made you inhale further and further, eyes go wider and wider. You swore it smiled.

And then, something shifted. Something snapped into place, like a puzzle being completed, and it all made sense. You were more than human, you remembered now. The thing of time and death, it had given you an advantage, and as this crypted of bone, silver shine as the light of freedom and life illuminated its visage like a halo of destruction, you suck in your first fresh breath, and click your eyes a few times, letting them flood away the fear for rage.

And then, you prove to this thing, that you could bite back.

(cont.)

>>3318729
(CHOOSE ONE, IT IS A CHOICE THAT WILL CLING TO YOU FOREVER)

>Yagas Hand(Cost, -1 End)
>>Your hand shrivels up like that of a man over a hundred, your body converting its own lifes energy into a white, silky phantom limb, which lunges out up to Medium Range to strike a target with a devastating Ranged Attack, equal to 5 Stat Points of your Choice. The target loses Endurance Points at a rate of TWO per point they lose the Action by, and on top of that lose One Stamina Point per Three Points they lose by.

>Shadow Arsenal(Cost, -1 Sta, -* Men)
>>You will not fade into the darkness, into nothing, but if pushed towards it, you will take the darkness and mold it into the very tools to keep yourself alive. You may take hold of any Shadow, and pull forth from it a single Melee weapon of your choice. Only one such weapon may be activated at once, and it is lost if you ever let go of it. Its cost is based on size and complexity, a simple knife or dagger costing One Mentality, while a sword or warhammer would cost 2, and so forth. The Weapons will all have their usual effects, however they will always have three extra rules:
>>>1: They disappear if you ever let go of them,and their cost must then be re-applied.
>>>2: If a strong enough focused light source impacts the Weapon, it is destroyed.
>>>3: For every 3 Stat Points you win an Action by, the Target loses a Mentality Point and you Gain a Mentality Point.

>Charon's Breath(Cost, -2 Sta, -1 Phy)
>>Your body churns its insides, your jaw unhinges, and out forth you spew the very stuff of death itself. In a cone effect up to Medium Range infront of you, you spew forth a dark bile, a gut wrenching rot from the depths of despair. Anything in the substances path must spend a Stamina Point to dodge the liquid. If they do not, then once covered, their Action is interrupted, and they immediately take either a Mentality or Physicality Point Loss. furthermore, for 3 Turns, their Stamina is counted as half its current total, rounded up, making their actions all the more costly.


(Cont.)

>>3318733
>Divinities Judgement(Cost, -* Sta, -1 Men)
>>Upon your palm is a third eye, the eye of the divine. When it opens, all that challenges you shall be judged, and face their own putrid sins. When you open the new, third, functional eye upon your right hand, it may shine forth with a blinding light for One Stamina, to which everything within Close range will be stunned and BLINDED for a turn if they catch sight of its beams. Furthermore, for Two Stamina, its range changes to Medium, and anything within Close range is knocked back to Medium range from you, taking the equivalent of a 3 Physicality Point hit if they cannot due to the environment, and all targets in range take a hit equivalent to 4 Dexterity Points as a Melee Attack.

>Weapon of the Soul(Cost, -1 End, or -3 Sta, or -4 Men)
>>Your soul is strong, potent, a tool in and of itself. You may call it forth from your body, taking on the shape of a singular weapon, one it must always take once chosen, a glowing blade of purity, of the very core of life itself. This weapon will not only have an upgraded version of its weapons base ability or effect, but has 4 more Rules applied;
>>>1: It can only be broken by Supernatural Attacks such as most Abilities, and even then only ones that would deal 6+ Points of Endurance Loss all at once. If Destroyed, you will instantly die.
>>>2: if the weapon comes loose from your grasp, you may recall it instantly as part of an Action, the blade turning into an unstoppable light and zooming back towards you before solidifying in your grasp. It counts as LIGHT during this time, and is vulnerable to any effects that would thus effect light.
>>>3: For each 3 Points you Beat a Target in a Melee Action by using this weapon, you regain a Stamina Point.
>>>4: For Each 3 Points of Endurance Loss you inflict on a target, you regain 1 Endurance Point.


(Voting to close in Two Hours, as this is quite the important choice to make.)

>>3318736
>Weapon of the Soul

also, are these powers upgradable? specifically, is the soul weapons durability able to increase?

>>3318771
(its rare but yes it is possible. Both gaining new Abilities and Stat Points will also be possible, though not the most common.)

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>>3318736
>Weapon of the Soul
Taking the form of a mace, to make the most of our blunt weapons proficiency

>>3318736
>If Destroyed, you will instantly die.
Its the only power that can get us killed.

>>3318736
>>3318832
support

>>3318733
Does Yagas hand need line of sigh?
Could we say, use it when we are 1 level above and attack something without it know who or what is attacking it?

>>3318845
(ill say yes, but you would have to be absolutely sure you knew where the target was, and of course still be within range.)

>>3318853
So it doesn't need line of sight or it does?

>>3318853
With weapon of the soul, only supernatural attacks can harm it correct? How often are there such attacks that can harm the weapon?

>>3318857
(no it would not need line of sight, only knowledge of the location of the target without it being a guess or estimation.)

>>3318861
for shadow arsenal, how would it work when its dark out, or in a cave with no illumination?

>>3318865
(you would still be able to use it.)

>>3318873
Would it be that much more effective? Like could anything that moves at night be paralyzed and attacked? Would we have any "night vision" or be able to sense or detect anything that moves at night without looking?

>>3318879
(no, at least not in its current state it would not be more effective, and the other abilities mentioned would be their own Abilities, though taking Shadow Arsenal could potentially make them easier to obtain.)

>>3318860
>such as most Abilities

>>3318860
>>3318891
(this Anon is correct, most Abilities passively count as Supernatural, and would actually state if they do not. something more akin to say, telepathy throwing a rock or other object at you, would be an example of an Ability that does not count as a Supernatural Attack, as it is simply applying force to a physical object that then physically hits you. to take an example from popular culture, Bending form the last air bender would also be non Supernatural damage, as it is a supernatural force bending a physical one.)

So you are saying that darkness or night time does not give any bonuses, or make our ability stronger.

>>3318928
(directly? no. however it would make there more available spaces to create the weapons from, potentially id say even simply forming them in your hand, rather than having to reach into a shadow to pull them out, though this is ultimately a minor thing.)

>>3318733
>Yagas Hand(Cost, -1 End)
Gonna go with this.

(writing now, the choice has been chosen and set, the votes tallied.)

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>>3318736
(YOUR CHOICE IS MADE)

>Weapon of the Soul[Mace](Cost, -1 End, or -3 Sta, or -4 Men)
>>Your soul is strong, potent, a tool in and of itself. You may call it forth from your body, taking on the shape of a singular weapon, one it must always take once chosen, a glowing flnged orb of purity, of the very core of life itself. This weapon has these effects;
>>>It can only be broken by Supernatural Attacks such as most Abilities, and even then only ones that would deal 6+ Points of Endurance Loss all at once. If Destroyed, you will instantly die.
>>> if the weapon comes loose from your grasp, you may recall it instantly as part of an Action, the blade turning into an unstoppable light and zooming back towards you before solidifying in your grasp. It counts as LIGHT during this time, and is vulnerable to any effects that would thus effect light.
>>>For each 3 Points you Beat a Target in a Melee Action by using this weapon, you regain a Stamina Point.
>>>For Each 3 Points of Endurance Loss you inflict on a target, you regain 1 Endurance Point.
>>>As a Mace, this weapon deals BLUNT Damage, meaning a hit upon a limb may break and disable the limb, making it unusable by the target. furthermore, you may do a Hard Swing with this weapon, making the Action unblockable unless the Target wishes to risk their Item being destroyed in the process, but leaving you unable to to block aswell, and if the Hit succeeds by 3 or more Points, it STUNS the Target for the next round. this weapon deals Endurance Loss equal to Points the Target Lost by.

You watch as the stark white monster crouches down, and then, like a ghastly spectre coming for your soul. And you’ll give it to him, in all its rage and all its glory.

With a scream, you push yourself onto your knees, blinding light creeping forth from your chest, flowing into your hand as you lift it up high, a mace of pure soulight solidifies in your grasp, and as the beasts momentum bring it in close, you swing down hard, all your frustration pooled into a weapon of pure destruction, and with but a sickening crunch and spray of black gore, the things head, what you allow to remain, slams into the ground. And you stand, on shaky legs, and scream through clenched teeth, black sludge slipping down your face, your weapon shining like a beacon of life and defiance.

(cont.)

>>3319060
With that, you pull yourself forward, letting your weapon go, watching as it dissipates into pure light and finds its way back into your body, a strange, comforting warmth flowing back into your veins. You sigh, and stumbling forward, you do your best to ignore the stench, the piles of victims laying about. You try and push it out of your mind, out of your sight, as you exit the terrible, mind screeching room, pulling your feet along to the exit, or entrance technically, your body tired, sore, hurt, your mind not too much better, the confusion, the questions tearing at your sanity weighing you down.

You blink as you enter into the bright, warm midday air, breathing in the clean, still air as you look around. Fires, smoke burns in the distance, cars lie abandoned and discarded, trash and nonsense strewn about.

(cont.)

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>>3319062
And blood. Blood and limbs, bodies mangled into meat, though thankfully not too many. It seems the hospital has been abandoned, it seems you got left behind. Or, so you think, until the sound of a raging engine hits your ears, and nigh on before you can even think, some sorta military humvee jumps into view from below the hill to your left, and comes screeching to a stop a bit before you, five people suddenly rushing out, looking more like a poor mans militia than any actual military unit, and judging by all the supplies tied to the top of the vehicle, you suspect they are not the original owners of said vehicle.

One lady comes to a sudden stop as they approach and see you, holding up an arm to halt the rest, four guns suddenly pointed at your person.

“The hell? Where the fuck did you come from? Surely not...no one could survive in that place,, not with that beast in there.” she says, more than asks, and leers at you, studying your blood stained form.

You blink, quite unsure of how to take this situation. Quite unsure of what is even going on. “Uh. I just woke up and, i, the thing, its dead.” you mumble out, not even sure if you could hear yourself. The lady simply leers more.

“Convenient story, but you dont honestly expect me to believe you’ve survived in there with that thing since this all started, do you? Its been three damn weeks, no ones entered there and come back out, no ones been seen leaving it.” she snaps in response, hostile as a starving lion. You gulp, and wipe at the black ichor sticking to your face, and think up what the hell to even say…

>Summon your Soul Weapon. Show them you are more than capable of surviving this.( Men SubStat Choice; 2 Intimidation)

>Try explaining the situation to them, to calm them down. They seem like they have good reason to be suspicious, so put those fears to rest. (Men SubStat Choice, 2 Persuasion)

>Give them a smile, a shrug, play it cool. After what you just did, the evidence is obvious, and you don't think you have much reason to be afraid. (Men SubStat Choice, 1 Intimidation, 1 Charm)

>MAke up an excuse, something believable, like another monster was involved, you were too close to death for it to notice you. Anything to get out of this under the radar. (Men SubStat Choice, 2 Lying)

>Write-In(you have 2 Mentality SubStat Points to Allocate.)


(Voting to close in One and a Half Hours, thank you for playing.)

>>3319071

>Try explaining the situation to them, to calm them down. They seem like they have good reason to be suspicious, so put those fears to rest. (Men SubStat Choice, 2 Persuasion)

No need to antagonize them, lets just explain.

>>3319071
>1 Persuasion, 1 Intimidate
Doesn't matter whether you believe my words or not. I think the fact that I'm standing here and that monster isn't speaks for itself.

>>3319071
>>Try explaining the situation to them, to calm them down. They seem like they have good reason to be suspicious, so put those fears to rest. (Men SubStat Choice, 2 Persuasion)

sure as hell is good to see humans, we are not alone at least

>>3319071
>>Give them a smile, a shrug, play it cool. After what you just did, the evidence is obvious, and you don't think you have much reason to be afraid. (Men SubStat Choice, 1 Intimidation, 1 Charm)

>>3319087
>1 Persuasion, 1 Intimidate

>>3319071
>>Try explaining the situation to them, to calm them down. They seem like they have good reason to be suspicious, so put those fears to rest. (Men SubStat Choice, 2 Persuasion)

>>3319087
Support

>>3319071
>(Men SubStats Choice; 1 Persuasion, 1 Intimidation)

You meet the untrusting womans eyes, and frankly, you simply dont have it in you to put up with their nonsense, justified or not. “Doesn't matter whether you believe my words or not. I think the fact that I'm standing here and that monster isn't speaks for itself.” you say sternly, motioning with your head behind you. “This blood on my face isnt human, if you couldn't tell.”

She looks you up and down for a few seconds, before motioning to one of the men beside her. “Go check inside, be damn careful though.” and as the man rushes off, she spits off to the side, and points at you in a surprisingly casual way, though the fact it's with a ‘finger gun’ gesture you aren't sure how to actually take it. “Boy. name.” she demands.

“Mathew. Now, can i-” you start, before she waves you off.

“No, you can't. You move, they shoot, you do something i dont like, they shoot, you-” She gets cut off as the man who went inside rushes back out, panting. “Marissa, you’re not gonna believe it, but i think the kids telling the truth, the fucking bonehounds heads more paste than skull, at least.” he say, and Marissa blinks, and slowly looks back to you, her sneer softening as she rubs her chin.

“Well,impressive then. You know how many shots those things can take? Not a small amount, ill tell you that. How’d you do it?” you go to speak, but she again waves you off, looking back to her men. “Boys, this is a golden opportunity, go inside, grab what shit ya can, doubt such a prime location will stay under the radar for long.” and with that, the men go back to grab some extra bags and rush inside, leaving you alone with the tough, strange woman, her face painted with a smirk of confidence as she watches them get to work.

“Ok, no, just, three weeks? What? Who are you people, what the hell is going on?!” you practically scream, your frustrations clear and deep in your bruised, tattered throat, you body shaking with exhaustion and pain as you resist stomping your foot to get your point across.

Raising an eyebrow, her smirk only grows as she chuckles. “The fuck? You really dont know? Worlds ending, burning. Civilizations done for my man.” her smirk breaks into a large, toothy grin as your eyes go wide. “My boy, the worlds changed, and changed fast. We live in the world of monsters now, creatures built like a tank and critters slinking the shadows straight from your deepest nightmares. Killers, all of them. Something fierce caught wind of what we were doing on our little blue ball i guess, and didn't much care for it, or, well, thats my personal guess.”

(cont.)

>>3319411
You blink, mouth opening and closing, mind utterly scrambled. Your knees shake, body and mind having taken such a beating that you fall to your knees, heaving a bit as you feel it all slam together and straighten itself out. This is all real. This is all happening. That monster, that slaughter that nearly took your life, it was just the start, the spark of a growing inferno, a storm to wash away everything you cared for.

Hopelessness starts to grip your heart, but something ignites inside of you. A light, a reminder. The words of the clock man. ‘Times are Changing, there will be Blood and Pain, but you may be able to make a difference.’ Its little, its meagre, but its something. You grab at that, mentally and physically, dirt between your fingers. You may not know what he meant, what you could possibly due in the face of armageddon, of affiliation, if you can make such a difference if you can even slow this down but a bit, then it is enough of a reason to cling onto life, to this second chance put into your palms. And you were not going to waste it.

“Kid? Kid? Damn, you break on me already?” Marissa mumbles, suddenly waving a hand infront of your face. You look up, blinking, and see her men finishing loading their goods into the humvee. Her grin still eats at her face, as she squats infront of you. “There we go, still a light on inside that head. Well, ive got a proposition for ya. Were heading south, away from the city, too dangerous, too many of the larger fuckheads and greedy gangs, ya know? Got an empty seat, if your willing to contribute to the team.” she shrugs. “But aint one for slavery, so do as you please.” she pats your head, laughing along with the chuckles of her men as she hops up, and starts walking towards the vehicle.

And so, such a drastic, important decision lingers in the air, with only seconds to make your decision.

>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)

>Write-In(Gain; who knows? You could gain nothing, you could gain more. Only time will tell…)

(I shall be stopping here for the evening, to pick back up tomorrow at 6pm CST. thank you all for playing, and i appreciate the support. if you have any comments, questions, or criticisms, please feel free to say them, and i will try to get to them when i can, though work leaves me little time to do so.)
(thank you, and enjoy your night.)

>>3319418
>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

>>3319418
>>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

>>3319418
>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)
Listen to the beat of the drums thrumming in our chest, we march onward towards the abyss without a wavier looking back. This is what it means to be human now.

>>3319418
>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

Humanity stems the tide of blood.

>>3319418

>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

>>3319418
>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)

>>3319418
>>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)

>>3319418
>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)

>>3319418

>Go with them. You may not like being the new underdog of an established group, but a group it is.(Gain; Character Marissa, Assorted Gear)

>>3319418
>No, they seem like a well intentioned enough group, but they clearly have no long term goal, no wish but to escape from this. And if you’re going to figure out just what you were given life to do, you need to go towards this storm, not away from it. You will be alone, but you will do what you were given this chance to do. (Gain; Minor Ability, +1 Stat Point.)

>>3319418
>Refuse the offer, but make clear our intentions to stop whatever's going on, and that we'd appreciate anyone willing to help us.

>>3320465
This seems like a good tjing actually since we are very split on this one.

Tell them we are going to see what more we can help and if they want to tag along they will probably have more stuff to loot since we just handed them the hospital supplies in a platter

>>3320465
>>3320466
That could work, maybe get the character and one of the bonuses.
Put our persuation to work.

>>3320466
Honestly I doubt that they're going to risk their lives for someone they don"t know that well, and we just revealed that we're pretty new, so that doesn't really lend much confidence.

>>3320508
>doesn't really lend much confidence
I would have hoped that the thought of us taking down the bonehound singlehandedly would have inspired a bit more confidence

>>3320519
this, if they even follow us around there's sure to be more loot incoming, we didn't even get injured and took one down unarmed

>>3320546
(well, i feel i must at least say you did technically get injured, just nothing extreme. now, whether or not beating something in with your soul counts as unarmed or not, ill leave that one up for discussion, haha.)

>>3320672
I meant visibly unarmed, since they didn't see the mace yet

we could show it to them to drive the point home tho

>>3320672
(so far it is looking like voting is pretty much tied, so while there is still time to go before i post, if it does come down to a tie breaker, if everyone is ok with it, ill go for a middle ground approach akin to >>3320465 idea. though please, still vote as you think is best, its simply the contingency plan.)

(Voting closed, and writing is underway, thank you for your patience.)

>>3319418
You slowly pull yourself to your feet, and watch the five strangers idly talk and load up the large Humvee, Marissa happily cracking jokes in between bouts of commands. A strange two faced same coin kinda scenario.

Something inside of you pulls you towards them, makes you wish for nothing more than to join that group. Join in their companionship, trust and strength, to not be alone. But something just as strong tries to push you away. It reminds you they are running from the problem. They dont care why this is happening, or how, all they care about is the next hour, maybe day, and while it was an understandable stance for them to take, it was hardly one you wished to follow in.

But why, then, were only they giving anyone options here? Gulping down a bit of nervousness, you start stepping in their direction, breath shaky, yet determined,as you linger a good few feet behind them a few moments later, catching Marissas attention, as she turns to you, her grin down to her starting smirk. “Ah? Came to join our merry band then?” she says, eyebrow arches sharply.

You stare into her stark, sparkling eyes, meeting her bemused glare with one of stern determination. “Actually, i came in hopes of convincing you guys to come with me instead.” you say, voice surprisingly firm in its vocalization.

Her other eyebrow joins the other in the sky, and she seems on the verge of breaking into one hearty laugh, as the other men turn to you. “Oh, really then?” she asks, half like one would a joke, but you brush it aside, nodding.

“Why wouldn't you? I just got you prime access to a place you didn't even know you would be able to get into, and i took out that, that bonehound by myself, clearly i can handle my own.” she rubs her chin, nodding her head off to the side a bit.

“Yea, and i said you could join ours, buy why, then, would we jump ship on whos in charge to a man in a one-piece?” she jokes, and you can't help but chuckle a bit too, completely understanding her position.

“Well, because i plan to actually do something about this mess, not run away from it and hope nothing's ever fast enough to catch up. Which something will be Marissa, sooner or later.” you smile, as your accusation of cowardice mixed with your outlandish proposition to actually try and understand the apocalypse ripping out their stoic confidence, leaving but a silence to which you dare not drop a pin, only the gentle kiss of a small breeze keeping the moment from looking like stone statues.

(cont.)

>>3321123
And then Marissa break out of her stupor, blinking a few times as she shakes her head wildly to regain her mental configuration. “Geezus you go in there over a concussion?” she asks, laughing nervously, looking to the others, whos reactions range for awkward shrugging to weak chuckles. She turns to you, pointing, not angrily, not accusatory, but still sternly. “First, dont call me a coward. Second, even if i am one for getting the hell out of dodge, you know what the difference in a week will be?” she asks, and then runs a thumb over her throat. “Ill still have this where it should be.” she meets your gaze, both of you unwavering.

But then she sighs, turning around and grumbling to herself, before producing a few things and shoving them into your arms quite suddenly, making to blink as you stumble back, and look down.

>Gained; Olive Shirt, Olive Shirt, Olive Pants, Olive Jacket, Black Boots.
>Handgun[10/10](This weapon allows you to deal a Ranged Attack at the equivalent of hitting an enemy with 6 Physicality Points per shot that hits. while no Points must be spent to use it, Dexterity will increase your chances to hit and overcome their Action attempt to Dodge, and you must spend a Dexterity Point to fire off more than 1 shot an Action, at a rate of 1 Dexterity per 2 Extra Shots. Endurance loss is dealt at an Equal Rate to Points Lost by in an Action.)
>>Handgun Mags[3]

Taking a step back, she smirks yet again, as if that was her resting facial expression. “Well, never let it be said i never gave no one nothing.” she sighs, a sad, wispy little one, as she looks at you, and, for a moment, you think you see a bit of worry in her eyes. “Look, Mathew? If you think you need to go out and be some kinda hero or something stupid, then i aint one to stop you. But im not gonna follow anyone into the thickets of deaths garden, no matter the cause nor reason. Your on your own kid, but like ya said, ya seem capable enough, eh?” she smiles, and it is surprisingly genuine, as she says nothing else, turning to her men and barking orders to load up, leaving you clutching her gifts as you watch them all climb inside, one of the older guys giving you a respectful nod before heading into the passenger seat.

(cont.)

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>>3321127
Sighing, you go to turn, to head off on your mission alone, when you hear muffled comotion inside the iron frame behind you, slowly turning once a door opens and boots impact the ground. “Look, im, im sorry, but- look, i was always the most useless anyways, ok? Maybe i can at least be- ok, well, goodbye then…” you listen, eyes now trained on the vehicle, as a younger males voice trails from the other side of the vehicle. A moment later, it starts up, and drives off down the road, and in that moment revealed to you is a scrawny, soupy blond haired man, no older than you, the youngest of their group by far. He smiles weakly, waving, which you do in return.

“Eh, hey...im David...David Smith. It was Mathews right?” he asks, his smile somewhere between confident and terrified cat.

You smile back, giving him a confident nod. “Mathews Brown, pleased to make your acquaintance.” you say, getting him to nod and start approaching. “Gotta ask though, what made you decide to stick behind?” you question, a bit jealous of the rifle slung over his shoulder. He just shrugs, looking at the ground and he scrunches his brow, and then looks at you seriously.

“I...ive run away my entire life. But, im tired of doing that. Maybe, no matter how stupid it is, ive been given a chance to not do it for once, so, i took it.” he shrugs, and looks off to the burning city. “And i just hope i dont regret it.”

“Same honestly.” you chuckle back, and he can't help but chuckle aswell, before turning back. “Well, where too now boss? Without transport, doubt were getting anywhere before nightfall, but im not keen on sticking around this place either. Theres some camp cabins to the north, i think? Or maybe cause its downhill we can at least reach the scattered buildings on the outskirts of Twin Falls, probably. Regardless.” he smiles, and pats his back, “convinced them to give us a good weeks supplies, seeing as how they had one less mouth to feed. Good folks, wish them the best out there.” he finishes, smile faltering as he leaves you to decide your plan…

>David might find it spooky, but its already kinda late. Camp here for the night, and decide in the morning what to do.

>The forest might just be the best place to be, out of sight and out of troubles mind. Head for the Cabins.

>The City might hold answers, albeit dangers, but still it's where you should go. Head for the outskirts of the city.

>Write-In

>>CHARACTER GAINED; DAVID SMITH(and Equipped Gear).

(i apologize for the wait, but i was finishing this little guy up for you;)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/197xenB66KdsvzTIo8TEFH0hFSmxK2ke-ijkXtorpugE/edit?usp=sharing
(inside you will find both Characters, well, Character sheets.)

(Voting will close in two hours, thank you for playing.)

>>3321134
>>The City might hold answers, albeit dangers, but still it's where you should go. Head for the outskirts of the city.

>>3321134
>David might find it spooky, but its already kinda late. Camp here for the night, and decide in the morning what to do.
We'd be able to barricade the doors to prevent anything nasty from coming in, and it'd also give us an opportunity to scavenge what's left of the medical supplies here, as well as food from its cafeteria.

>>3321134
>The City might hold answers, albeit dangers, but still it's where you should go. Head for the outskirts of the city.
Ok, this is good, we have someone who knows more than us. We should ask David about what types of creatures exist other than bonehounds, Marissa mentioned other gangs, so we should probably also get a quick primer on top dogs in the local area, as well as anything else he feels we should know, basically what would a person who's been in a coma for a decade need to know

>>3321134


>The City might hold answers, albeit dangers, but still it's where you should go. Head for the outskirts of the city.

Damn, was hoping Marissa would stick around, maybe she will come around later.

>>3321134
You decide the city would be best. Dangerous, but it my just hold answers, and it'll leave Davids nerves about this place behind you. “Well, to the suburbs it is, lets get moving, only so much light to burn.” you say with a nod, before a brisk wind reminds you of something. “Er, right after i change i mean.” you mumble, coughing into your hand as David chuckles.

With New clothes on and a path set, you and David head down the road, feet clacking on old paved road as you head towards the devils lair, into the thick of the chaos. A sorta somber silence hangs over the two of you, nerves on end for any sign of danger, and not knowing much about eachother, you decide to break the ice by asking some questions you need information on. “So...three weeks, and the world shits the bed, huh?” you ask, and smirk as he grumbles, shaking his head.

“Yeah, more like one. At first, it was just some random nonsense, creatures like nothing anyone seen before popping up out of nowhere and slaughtering crowds. Military took down most of the first ones, but then the more sneaky fellas started showing up. You know, demented fucks who hide in the dark, kidnap and eat children in basements, real fucked up horror movie monster nonsense. Problem was, they didn't die any easier, if you could even hunt them down. And they seemed like they knew who to go for too. Wasn't long before the big brass and government officials were found less intact then they should be, if you catch my drift.” he shrugs, “news went pretty dark after that. Military tried to keep things together, but with new waves of the more violent monsters, some of sizes and strength i honestly didn't think imaginable, order didn't last long, and what forces survived packed up and headed for more defensible forts and shit, leaving the cities to rot. Typical nonsense came next, those who were left behind started grouping up, and fighting over resources.” he turns to look at you, studying your face intently. “Man, still can't believe you missed all that, but maybe its for the best…”

You nod, unsure yourself if that was the case, mulling over what else to ask. “Well, i was gonna ask what other creatures exist, but you kinda already answered that…” you say, clicking your tongue. David scoffs, shaking his head again as he grinds his teeth.

“Nothing pleasant, and for the most part they seem to be pretty unique, though im sure a more savvy man could classify them into groups. Not my forte though, ya know?” you nod in understanding.

“What about the Gangs, any more info on them?” and David shakes his head no.

“We got out too early to see if anyone really established themselves, and honestly im still apprehensive about heading back, but…” he looks ahead, a glint of something in his eyes, “But i cant see anywhere else being any better, so at least im with someone who has some long term goal, heh.” he smirks, giving you a small elbow push.

(cont.)

>>3321372
You smirk back, and look back to the path. Honestly, you weren't sure how much of a plan it really was, but, you had to start somewhere, right?

---/---

It was probably three hours later, the light starting to die on you, when you finally see your first building, a burnt out gas station, then pock marked stores and houses start to crawl forth, slowly growing in numbers as the two of you march ahead, eyes peeled for any signs of danger.

It was only as dusk was fully embracing the land that David pointed out what seemed to be a motel, but what really caught your eyes was that the power was still on, the bright sign flashing, of course, ‘MOTEL’ high above the elongated building, the sign in the window to the office bright with an ‘OPEN’ sign.

No activity seemed to be happening around it though, no footsteps, no voices, only silence, as the two of you crouched behind some cars across the street from the place.

“I dont like it man. I mean, ok, yeah, portable generators and shit exist, but why the fuck would you turn your hideout into a godamned beacon for gangs and critters alike? And where IS everyone? If someone's here, then surely there would be a sign, right? No people, no monsters, yet someones keep a generator fueled? Fishier than a salmon deep fry.” he says with a heavy nod, looking to you for a response…

>Fishy it may be, but its getting late and it has beds, and potentially people, which may mean aid and supplies. Lets go in.

>Yeah, nah, that shits a trap, and whether its a trap made by people or something worse, you want no part of it.

>Write-In

(Voting to close in two hours.)

>>3321374
>>Fishy it may be, but its getting late and it has beds, and potentially people, which may mean aid and supplies. Lets go in.

>>3321374
>Fishy it may be, but its getting late and it has beds, and potentially people, which may mean aid and supplies. Lets go in.
But go in quiet, scope the place out for anything too out of place

>>3321374

>Fishy it may be, but its getting late and it has beds, and potentially people, which may mean aid and supplies. Lets go in.

We are here to kill them right? Lets creep inside from the dark, don't announce ourselves, let's try and scout it out before moving in

>>3321483
Supporting

>>3321374
“Fishy it may be, but its getting late, and theres beds in there.” you say, shrugging as you look away from the peculiar motel and back to David. “Plus, its possible theres people in there, or at least supplies. We’ll check it out, but sneak around the side, just in case.”

“I dunno…”David says, biting his lip as he peeks over the car again, taking a few seconds to let its image burn into his retinas before he sighs, bumping his forehead against the car before nodding in acceptance. “Alright, i see your point.” he mutters and unslings his rifle, checking to make sure its chambered before looking back to you. “Lets get this over with.”

“What? No confidence in our abilities?” you joke, as you pull out your handgun and start making your way around the car.

“Oh, i trust our ability to survive, sure, but that doesn't mean this isn't gonna be a trainwreck.” he says dryly.

“Duly noted.” he smirk, as the two of you wrap around to come at the place from the much less exposed right side. Your eyes scan the place steadily, squinting in the ever dying light, gun ready to be used as necessary, before you find yourself pressed tightly to the brick of the office, peeking around its far corner to look down the row of rooms, not a single door open, no curtains pulled back, nothing stirring. You contemplate what your next move should be, before an odd sound catches your ear. At first guess, you would've thought the odd, whirring sound was that of the so called out generator, but its rhythm is wrong, in consistent.

You turn to David, eyes squinted in curiosity. “You hear that?” you whisper, receiving an affirmative nod from the man.

“Coming from out back.” he says, pointing with his head around the back of the motel rooms. “Probably should check it out…” he says, though sounds a bit unsure. You nod, and leading the way ahead, carefully approach the curve of brick to the back area of the lot.

(cont.)

File: of flesh and metal, tortu(...).png (612 KB, 616x468)

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>>3321738
What awaits your visage is a creature which brings you to a halt in an instant. Nearly a story tall, the spindly, grotesque amalgamation of flesh and metal lays curled inside a crater it seems to have dug into the cement, its form whirring and buzzing in a cacophony of organic and mechanical sounds that all scrape against each other as if trying to kill one another. The creatures body constantly twitches and bends, as if in a nightmare, which is some place you certainly would expect to find it. Sparks and arcs of energy jolt between its metal fragments, and you idly notice a downed power cable snugly caught up in its mutilated plates.

It was accidentally,or so you hoped, powering the motel.

You gulp, and slowly pull yourself back around the corner, turning back to meet davids wide eyes, his lips pulled back as he sucked in quite air through nervously clenched teeth. No one said a word, as the two of you slowly retreated back to behind the office building, hoping the distance would give you some breathing room to whisper, and run if it so chose to awaken.

“Well.” David hisses out quietly, “that explains that i guess. Now what?” Now what indeed, you ponder, as you look up, the light of day now nearly gone, the red and orange of the fading light no longer enough to truly lighten your way to anywhere.

>Sneak up on the thing and kill it. With it out of the way, the Motel will be a nice place to rest. (Choose who will sneak up on it, Points spent on the Action, and Weapons used, including their Costs.)

>maybe just, sleep here anyways? If your quite enough, it probably wont notice, and it will keep other things away from the area. Just leave when its once again asleep, or out and away from the place.

>This isnt worth the risk, get the fuck out of here, and find another place to rest.

>Write-In


(i will be stopping here for the evening, to resume as always around 6pm CST. thank you all for playing, and i will endevour to answer any questions or concerns as i can throughout the day.)
(thank you for playing, and have a good night.)

>>3321742

>Sneak up on the thing and kill it. With it out of the way, the Motel will be a nice place to rest. (Choose who will sneak up on it, Points spent on the Action, and Weapons used, including their Costs.)

Mathew sneaks with the soul mace

>>3321757
This

>>3321742
yeah fuck that.
>maybe just, sleep here anyways? If your quite enough, it probably wont notice, and it will keep other things away from the area. Just leave when its once again asleep, or out and away from the place.
we have no idea what it can do or how fast it can move, we only beat the bonehound because we had better reach than it, while this thing looks like it would skewer us if we got close(in hindsight, we should have picked a spear instead of a mace but whatever)

>>3321742
>>This isnt worth the risk, get the fuck out of here, and find another place to rest.
That thing is bad news, and we're gonna have to find keys to the rooms anyway

>>3321742
>maybe just, sleep here anyways? If your quite enough, it probably wont notice, and it will keep other things away from the area. Just leave when its once again asleep, or out and away from the place.

>>3322337
If we had ghost hands we could drain if from the motel without it know whats hitting it.

(as something has come up, and there appears to still be a tie, i shall be extending voting for another hour and a half. if the tie is still not broken, i shall decide between the two choices randomly. sorry for the extension, and thank you for your patience.)

>>3321742
>maybe just, sleep here anyways? If your quite enough, it probably wont notice, and it will keep other things away from the area. Just leave when its once again asleep, or out and away from the place.

(writing now, votes tallied.)

>>3321742
You take a moment to think, before you shrug, turning to David and letting your insane idea fly free. “Maybe we just, sleep here anyways? If we stay quiet, it probably-”

“Probably?!” David mutters, but you shush him down. “-It probably won't notices ,us, and it'll keep other things away from the area. Wont have to worry about anything sneaking up on us, and while yeah, ill be nervous, that thing isnt sneaking up on anyone. We can just leave once its back asleep, if its even still around once we wake up, ok?” you finish, and give your partner a moment to let the idea ring around his head.

He sighs, and rubbing his forehead, nods, letting out a long annoyed huff of air from his nose. “Yeah, ok, that makes sense. Still dont like it, but its dark now so we probably shouldn't be out anyways.” you smirk, and pat him on the shoulder, leading the way towards the front of the office, they room keys hopefully inside.

---/---

The night was well away as you layed below the covers of on an all too cheap mattress, a bit too thin even for a single bed, David off and in dreamland in the one further into the room, the bastard having fallen asleep far too quickly for being the one not up for the idea.

It was not fear that kept you up, or at least not of the buzzing, muffled creature on the other side of the buildings back. No, what stirred in you was the most primal of fears, fear of the unknown. Of what you were going to do, what you could even do, to help soften whatever was happening. Or just what it would cost. Fear, fear of just what had caused this, and why. You pull the covers up a bit, looking down at your palm, feeling a warm tingle through your system as you imagine the mace, you solidified soul, once again in your hand, though you are careful not to actually summon it.

Such strange, otherworldly strength, yet it felt all to natural, like you had always wielded it, since the day you were born. Considering what happened to you back on that day, when you met the being who gave you your second chance, maybe in a way that was true. You clench your fist, before sighing, and stuffing your head deeper into the all too stiff pillows.

You may not really know what you were doing, but you were determined to find out. Tomorrow though, now was the time to sleep, and boy, you felt like someone who needed to sleep.

---/---

You blink, eyes slowly prying themselves open, before they shoot wide, and you find yourself stumbling out of bed quickly, panic ripping at your head as you try to quietly stumble back to balance, pistol flimsily getting shoved into your hand by a similarly disjointed David, the mans Rifle in white knuckles as he meets your gaze, and the two of you silently come to an agreement, as you turn to the window blinds, mind slowly coming back to rationalization as your heart beats steadily, and the loud, hefty speech being shouted to the heavens that had awoken you so suddenly comes clear as day to your ears.

(cont.)

File: the warrior of god, insan(...).jpg (438 KB, 1627x2048)

438 KB JPG

>>3323778
“And lo! LO! LO! BEHOLD! For i am but a warrior of GOD, and GOD is EVERYTHING, so ALL are my god and all SERVE my god. For what my god wishes to be CEASED, i shall make SILENT, SILENT AND ROTTING, so he may be pleased, and he may reclaim his MISTAKE, to remake anew as something PURE! PURE, PURE and…”

The loud, muffled male voice was far from comforting, in words nor action, as the two of you slip over to the blinds and peer outside, and are met with a doubly terrifying and strange image.

It appears to be a man, but must stand at least seven feet tall, covered in mismatched armor of various kinds, tattered tapestries clinging haphazardly to spikes adorning the metal, his helms face glowing with an encircled cross, the unnatural orange light churning your very soul with disgust. He stand upon the mutilated corpse of the beast from out back, so mangled beneath feet and sword that you wouldn't think it the same terrifying monster you had just witnessed, if not for a few spikey legs and the fact you had no idea what else would be of both flesh and machine.

And what a sword it was, nigh as tall as him, blade slick with black, putrid blood, buried deep in the creature, as the man waved about his other hand in the air, staring up at the sky as he rambled on and all, his words meaning nothing to you but religious zeal.

“I dont like this. Not one bit. That fucking light, something bad about it, i, i just feel it...but dammit there's no way out but right into his line of sight.” he clutched his rifle, looking down at it, before looking back over at you. “I say we fucking unload on him, hes, hes still just human, right? Right?” he asks, nervous as all hell. “I mean, even if he isnt, being full of lead should slow him down. Right?” Davids foot is tapping silently like a piston on full drive, teeth so tightly shut you fear he may shatter them.

You mull your tongue around inside your mouth. As much as it unnerved you, you too wondered just how human this man really was, and your own instincts told you he was a threat but, well, should you really jump to conclusions? Either way, David was right, if you wished to get out of here, you were gonna have to go through his line of sight, and my god, was he picking UP the pace on his speech? Geezus how long could he go?!

>EVENT STARTED;
>Ode of the Forever Knight, Slave to God

>Action Required.
(if you have not yet done so, id recommend reading in the Game Mechanics Doc posted in the second post how Events work.)
(but i also know people can be lazy, so ill summarize how they work here;)
[in an EVENT, every Action requires STAT POINTS to be spent, to a minimum of one, and will be entirely freeform. Actions and Points must correspond, as in, Points spent must fit the Actions chosen. no using Physicality Points to talk your way out of a situation, for example.)

(With that, please feel free to ask questions, and Voting will close in an Hour and a Half. thank you.)

>>3323798
Good lord, this is the part I dreaded. Is there a window or vent on the side of room opposite the scary sword man that we could escape through?

>>3323817
(no. it is quite the cheap roadside Motel, so theres basically just the front door and window next to it. no major venting or anything a human could fit through.)

>>3323843
Could we simply wait him out? It doesn't seem he's noticed us here, and i doubt he'll stand there forever.

>>3323862
(yes, you can try and wait him out, it is entirely an option, but would still require Points in an Action. in this case, to avoid detection for the period he is around, to give a hint.)

>>3323869
In that case
>Hide in the room, 3 Dex(?)

(I shall be extending voting for another 30 minutes, to see if any latecomers crop up, though it seems the midweek blues may have creeped in upon us, a understandable situation as it is.)

>>3323938
This but spend 1 mentality point to help keep david from freaking out.

>>3324176
I can't remember if I told you in the last quest you ran, but players can often choke, so to speak, when a quest becomes reliant on write ins.

>>3324260
(writing now, thank you for your participation.)

>>3324260
(that is a fair point, though i have seen it work. perhaps i should've found a better chance to introduce the mechanics here, but it is what it is now.)

>>3323798
>Mathews, -3 Dex, -1 Men
End 6/6
>>Hide and keep David Calm

>David, -3 Dex
End 5/5
>>Hide

VS

>THE INSANE ZEALOT, -2 Men, -1 Dex
End 12/12
>>???

Score:
>Mathew, 4
>David, 3
>Zealot, 5

You shake your head, and press Davids gun back down, lifting a finger to your lips, whispering “we say still, stay quiet. We wait til he leaves, ok?” it takes a moment, but David nods, and the two of you sit, and you listen, and you watch.

And boy, the man, he just, he just keeps going. Lungs like a hot air balloon, the zealous knight continues to preach, his babbling incoherent nonsense as far as you reckon, as he seems to almost be putting on a performance for the nothingness around him.

You swear an hour passses, and the mans lungs do not let up, his conviction to speaking non stop grating to no end. David seems to only grow further and further agitated, and while its concerning, your own nerves are starting to fray here a bit too. You pat your comrades knee a bit to try and reassure him and get him to stop shaking it so damn much, but it hardly helps, the man just shaking his head.

“OH, LORD, God, yes he who grants me power, he who would save all from themselves, i THANK YOU, DEEPLY, for your embrace...thank you.” and then the man bows, and you unwittingly let out a sigh. And then both of you tense up, muscles clamping tight with sudden dread, as the man looks up at your window, and speaks once again.

“So, how way my sermon, little ones? Did it so convince you of the ways of the world? Ah, yes, silent you may be, but forgotten you are not. Come out, lets face the light together, and in turn i can offer you salvation from your turmoil.” he cricks his neck, the sound of scraping metal and popping bone mixing into a concoction of utterly disturbing implications, as his hand drifts back to his sword.

“Or, must i bring Gods light to you? It matters not, in the end, your flesh shall be shown what it truly is, and your souls shall be freed, one way or another.” with utterly disturbing strength, he rips the giant bastard sword from the remains of the mechanical beast one handed, and leans low, his stance making it clear he meant to come forth with no hesitation.

“Shit.” David says, up and armed in an instant. “He played us like a goddamned violin!” he hisses, as you too leap up, handgun at the ready, as you think up your next move.

>Action Required.

(Voting shall remain open for one and a Half Hours.)

>>3324367
(ah, my apologies. Mathews score should of been a 5 at the end, due to your 1 bonus in Stealth, meaning he would of tied with the Zealot, though this situation would still of played out the same this time around.)

>>3324367
Bro what the fuck
>Come out and try to convince the man that we greatly enjoyed his sermon, but that we really need to get going, to make the world purer, as our god would want it and so on and so forth. (Men 3, Persuasion Substat 1)

(ill be extending voting til 6pm CST as is the usual. thank you for playing, and i wish you a good night.)

>>3324455
support.

>>3324455
This

>>3324367
So he could either be a heavily mutated humanoid, or he could be like us, and actually has met "god". I'm willing to bet hes human.
>>3324455
supporting this, but i'm going to add pulling out our soul weapon. Try to emulate some of his rhetoric(we've been listening for hours after all), and really emphasize that we, too, are on a mission from god.

okay so i've read the mechanics doc, and I wanted to ask about something. Does the type of action anons take affect the likelyhood of it succeeding?

For example, say we have a dagger, and are facing an armoured opponent, say the opponent is using 3 phys to charge us, and we use 2 dex to either trip him or find a chink in his armor and stab him, (4 v 3) wins in our favor so our action happens regardless of which one. I would think that one action would be more difficult over the other, but because they use the same stat they have an equal chance of succeeding(that is, both actions succeed with the same dex cost). is this intended, or am I missing something?

>>3325326
Another question in the same vein, since we're being introduced to the mechanic right now, how much does roleplaying affect the result?

If Matthew was trying to rally a group to his cause, and anons used 3 men, would it make a difference whether or not anons came up with a rational argument or inspiring words as write ins? or would it auto resolve since the stat usage exceeds the difficulty threshold regardless?

>>3325326
(On phone)
(The type of action does not affect how many points you must put into it to succeed, but the degree of success per extra point over the threshold will be different based on the actions difficulty.)
(It is indeed intended that the could both pass at the same cost, but just how good a success it is would vary greatly between them.)

>>3325336
(Same thing really. Same points threshold to succeed, but well written write-ins and speeches would Garner better results from the action. The difference between a few people joining with little conviction, or a while group cheering as they follow you forth.)

>>3325524
Ah, alright, that makes sense, thanks for clarifying.

>>3325548
(its no problem, happy to answer questions and the like as people have them.)

>>3325939
do we really have to wait till 6pm for the next post?

>>3325949
(i might be able to post sooner today, but no guarantees. the reason for the 6pm CST is for a few reasons, firstly that my work can often run ten hour shifts, meaning i would not get off til 4:30 pm, and regardless of when i get off, i have animals to feed, sometimes other minor things to take care of, and would like to wash the powdered metal off my skin, aswell as sometimes rest up a bit before writing. therefore, even if not ll those things are done each day, its better to prepare for the worst as they say, then have to push the time back after saying it would be sooner.)

>>3325983
Hey man dont worry about it, honestly I prefer consistency and quality more than anything else, and you've been doing a good job so far.

(voting closed, votes tallied, writing now.)

>>3326165
(thank you.)

>>3324367
>Mathew, -3 Men
End 6/6
>>Convince the Zealot you enjoyed the sermon, but you really need to leave now.

>David, Biding Time
End 5/5

VS

>THE INSANE ZEALOT, -1 Dex, -2 Sta, -2 Phy
End 12/12
>> Charge and CLEAVE.

Score;
>Mathew, 5
>Zealot, 5

“Wait, Wait, were, uhh, coming out, ok?” you yell out, and with only a second of hesitation, run to the door and fling it open, blinking at the sudden harsh light of day as you carefully step out onto the decimated lot of the motel, David one step behind you, muttering obscenities like a machine gun under his breath. “Fuck you better know what the fuck you’re doing…” he hisses silently, and you waves at his face to get him to shut the hell up.

The large, armored man watches carefully, his stance still low, ready, silent and still like a spring pulled tight. One wrong word, one wrong move, and he would be on you, sword slamming down like a guillotine to spray you across the walls like the world's worst water balloon.

“We, actually liked the sermon, it was, something pretty unique. Pretty passionate too, im sure god was pleased, and it certainly kept us awake and alert without a doubt.” you say, trying to spin your voice into something casual, as you nod politely a few times. “You did a wonderful job, ah? We didn't catch your name. Im Mathews, and this is David.” you nod to your partner, who is looking at you like you just signed the both of you up to be counselors at a summer camp for toddlers without his consent.

“Yeah, hi.” he mutters to no one really. Silent stings the air, your steely green eyes meeting the unnatural cross burning in the man helmet.

And then he twitches, and with only just enough time for David to pull you sideways, a deep crack appears in the door behind you, the window next to its shattering, the concrete underneath where the massive sword impacts sending up fragments into your face. And then a strong, metal hand grips onto your shoulder, and you find yourself held firm, staring into the heat of the cross nearly point blank.

And no one dared twitch, until the death grip slowly unleashes you, and the helmet speaks. “I am Johnathan. Your acquaintance has been met.” he says, pulling himself up to his full height as he has a haughty laugh, slamming the sword into the ground infront of him, to hold it still to himself in an imitation of the cross upon his head. “You...you are touched too, no? I sense it in you.” he says, and you can feel his eyes digging into you, despite not seeing them.

You, nod, and hold out your hand, and watch as a bight, pure light floods from you, whisking around your are in a gentle caress before coming to your palm, solidifying into a mace of pure brightness as you grip it tight. “What the fuck?” David mutter behind you, eyes blinking as his face contorts in utter confusion, looking between the two of you as he tries to understand what the fuck he just saw.

(cont.)

>>3326462
John stares at the weapon intently, and after a moment, nods slowly. “ I too, was given a second chance by our lord, our everything.” he stares a moment longer, turn his focus slowly shifts off to the side, as he seems to stare into nothing. “It was, a week or so, after the deamons came. I was with a group trapped upon the twentieth floor of a office skyscraper, some foul imitation of man hunted us through our reflections, slowly whittling down our numbers as panic gripped us, before i lead us to the elevator, finding emergency power still worked. “ he turned back to us, and his body's rigidity softens, as he seems to sigh with a deep sorrow. “I waited and kept watch as the rest piled in, but as i went to enter, i suppose someone saw something, and pushed me out to act s bait to slow our adversary down. But the deamon, it would not pass up such an opportunity, so it gutted me quickly, then entered into the elevator. They died like sardines in a can, as i gurgled on my own bile upon the floor. Yet, i did not feel anger, only pity. I did not wish such a fate on them, it was but fear that drove them, not malice. Something, clicked inside me. And i clung to life, though why i did, i do not know.”

He clanks his sword on the ground, and sighs, a deep, pure one of joy, “and then he came to me. God, a face of time, the harvesters sickle in his arms. He said it was rare, to find one who had such little malice in their heart, even after such an event. Rare to find one to use that to cling to life. He said he had a second chance for me, and what fool turns down god?” he words it like a question, but it somehow sounds more like hes stating a fact. “I woke several days later, gifted, and with his words inside my head. ‘You will suffer, but you may yet make a difference.’ and so i have endeavoured to do so. To help others see his light, and to give them their chance to accept his second chance, be they worthy.” you freeze up a bit, those last words being spoken with such purity, such kindness that the implications behind them make you sick with their sweetness.

His hand grips your shoulder, but it is one meant to comfort, one meant to signify respect. “You have seen the light, and were worthy. I am proud of you my friend.” your face flushes white, as he turns to look at David, his hand slowly slithering from your shoulder to rest at his side. And you see the fingers on his other hand, his right hand, start to glow with a familiar unnatural hue. “Your friend though, has yet to get his chance at salvation…”

>Action Required.

>>3326468
(A note on Side Characters. While you are not totally in control of your Party Members, do note they will ALWAYS take what you suggest doing for them into account, many characters being passive enough to fully obey your plan, though some will be hard headed. regardless, especially if you do not state actions for them, i shall play them as they would act in the situation, though this is of course riskier than commanding them yourself.)

(TL;DR, you are technically in control of your Party, but they are still their own characters)

(Voting to close in One and a Half Hours, thank you for playing.)

>>3326473
(oh, one late note. technically your Soul Mace is not 'formed fully', thus it did not cost you any points, but cannot yet be used. this was a middle ground i took and hope does not upset anyone, as it was of great aid to your character, but no one actually agreed to spend the points.)

>>3326468
OK, fuck.
alright, so I think calls for another 3 men for Matthew.
> Jonathon, I understand the kindness behind your intentions, but please consider, that God found you worthy because of your recognition that some are not as worthy as others, but they need not be judged for it, as long as the virtous and the chosen can shepard them, the flawed flock need not be tested. (I dont expect Matthew to be nearly this eloquent while hes actually saying it, but as long general sentiment gets across in time its fine)

David 2 dex get ready to dodge fucking dragonslayer if Matthew cant stop him.

>>3326468
>"No! Wait! He hasn't had the opportunity! Instruments of God we may be, but remember that it was through the hardship and suffering wrought by the demons now ravaging this world that we were given our second chance! I don't think purposefully driving him to that point will work. It has to come in its own time. Naturally. Or as naturally as things can come in these dark days. God will call him when his time has come. Think about it, please?" (Trying to speak semi-archaically here, in imitation of John's speech pattern. Maybe it'll put him at ease, it's worth a shot I think)
>Quickly step between John and David.
>(2 Mentality + 1 Persuation, 3 Dex)

>>3326563
This is nice too.
>>3326495
Do you count ours and David's stat usage combined VS our opponent's, or is it on an individual basis?

>>3326573
Yeah I feel like a mix of ours would probably work out best, maybe lead up with elements of yours just to get him to stop charging at david, then mine once hes listening.

If stat usage is combined I think we should use 2 dex ourselves to firmly grab his shoulder and kind of halfway position ourselves between john and david, and David should prep 1 dex to get ready to dodge

>>3326573
(Individually, though this can still be an advantage as many actions can only target a single person.)

>>3326583
Sounds like a plan

>>3325983
Ah, okay. Just wondered why the vote time got extended a crazy amount.

>>3326563
>>3326565
Both of these are good. I'd like to also point out that not everyone rises up to be a hero or champion, but many have normal or unblessed family or parents.

(votes tallied, Writing now.)

>>3326468
>Mathew, -2 Men, -1 Dex
End 6/6
>>Talk John down and Defend David.

>David, -2 Dex
End 5/5
>>Dodge

VS.

>John the Zealot, -1 Sta, -1 Phy
End 12/12
>> Wrathful Touch
(Wrathful Touch(Cost, -1 Sta, -1 Phy)
>>>(You reach out, hand burning with righteous anger, and your very skin becomes like acid to your enemies. anything you touch in Melee Range for one Action Automatically loses an Endurance Point, unless they instead sacrifice a Stamina and a Physicality Point.)

Score;
>Mathew, 4
>David, 3
>John, 3

“No! Wait!” you blurt out, and as Johns hand starts to raise, you push David behind you, one arm holding him back, the other forward, hoping to halt John in his tracks. And it does, for the moment, as his arm freezes halfway up, the tips of his metal gloves looking molten. David looks ready to kill this man, to his credit no fear in his eyes, Rifle only not to his shoulder as your arm is in the way, eyes burning with a distaste for the armored giant.

“Instruments of god we might be, but please, remember what made us worthy of gods recognition in the first place? It was the hardship and the suffering wrought by these deamons, who brought our lives down, and gave him the opportunity to give us that second chance.” your heart feels like it wants to rip out of your throat, your head pounding, not used to having to so quickly keep a man at bay with words alone.

(cont.)

>>3326892
you reach out, putting a hand gently on his gauntlet and pressing downward. “God will call him when his time has come, and it will come on its own, as naturally as can happen these days. We need not be judges for them, it is not for us to cut down the virtuous or kind, but to protect them with what he has given to us. Just, just think about it, please?” you plead, giving him a soft smile, hoping your words got through to him. The helm stares back, an emotionless golem of red, bright with conviction.

But he pulls back, the glow fades, and he straightens back out, hands resting again upon his weapon. “Well, i cannot say i agree with you, young Mathew, but, who am i to say what mission our holy god has given you? Very well, i will leave those under your care to be sheppard as you see fit, but do know this; I have seen visions of what lies ahead, and it is no place for the soft of heart. We cannot save them all Mathews, and i only hope when you truly come to see this fact before your own eyes, you will understand that even if they are not found worthy, i may still be giving forth a mercy with my mission.”

He turns, meeting Davids death glare, and somehow, you can't help but think he smiles. “Though, that light within your Companions eyes tells me, he would of been found more than worthy regardless. Take care of one another then, my comrades, you will need eachothers support if you tredge any further into this lost pit of hell. Even i am making my way out, for some places are too far gone to save.”

With that and a small bow, John, the Zealot of god, Warrior of slaughter, leaves without another word, sword rested on his shoulder as he marches away, onto the next people in need of his brand of mercy.

>Event End

(cont.)

>>3326902

Both you and David find yourselves collapsed against the brick wall of the motel, not a single word uttered in the last hour, both of you simply letting your mangled nerves rearrange themselves as you take in just how close you both came to death today. You feel your head pounding, heart stirring, and unsure of just what to do next.

“Fuck.” David utters, and draws your gaze as he chuckles, then laughs a hard, heavy laugh for a moment, before letting his head slump as he throws up his hands. “I really cannot believe you talked down a seven foot tall metal berserker man. Like, what the actual fuck?” he turns, and with a half smirk, half stern seriousness, points to your chest. “And what the fuck was that light show you put on? And all that fucking talk about a clock god? Second chances?” he narrows his eyes, not in anger or accusation, but annoyance at being out of the loop. “Im your partner right? You ever planning to trust me with that, or just hope id never notice a mace spawning out of fucking phosphorus?”

“I, no, sorry. I guess i just didn't know how to bring it up.” you say, sighing as you rub at your head shrugging. “Look, it's just about how he said it. I Died, some weird creature, god maybe? I dont know, but something appeared, it said i had traits that humanity would need, and wanted to give me a second chance to make a difference. I woke up just like an hour before you guys found me, and suddenly i could rip my soul out and beat things to death with it? Its weird man, and im sorry, but how the hell do you bring that up to anyone casually?” you finish, turning to the young, still stranger beside you.

After a moment, he sighs, and nods, looking back out at the mutilated remains of the machine monster. “Yeah, i, you’re right. Thanks for saying it now i guess.” he clicks his tongue, and with that, jumps back to his feet, and stretching a bit, looks down at you. “Well, that enough of this fucking place, where to next?”

As you get up, you wonder that aswell…

>keep heading into the city. It may be afternoon, but nows theres plenty of places to take cover from at night, and you still want to see if it holds answers, besides Johns warning.

>Turn back, and head out via the road. You might end up camping out in the trees tonight, but if even a Warrior like John is fleeing the city, then it must be a dead end.

>go around the city, sticking to the suburbs and outskirts, not venturing too deep inside. Its a good inbetween of avoiding the worst of it, but still giving you a chance to possibly find some meager clues.

>Write-In

(Voting to close in One and a Half Hours.)

>>3326902
That encounter was fucking awesome. I want Mathew to be a religious zealot now.

>>3326920
>keep heading into the city. It may be afternoon, but nows theres plenty of places to take cover from at night, and you still want to see if it holds answers, besides Johns warning.

>>3326920
>keep heading into the city. It may be afternoon, but nows theres plenty of places to take cover from at night, and you still want to see if it holds answers, besides Johns warning.
Was sort of hoping that John would join our party, but oh well.

>>3326920
>go around the city, sticking to the suburbs and outskirts, not venturing too deep inside. Its a good inbetween of avoiding the worst of it, but still giving you a chance to possibly find some meager clues.

Matthew and John are fairly biblical names.

>>3326920
Now on your feet, mumbling to yourself a bit as you point down the road towards the tall skyscrapers beyond, you cant help but dryly scoff. “We keep heading in. deeper into the city. There will be plenty of places to hold up when night hits, and as much as im off put by our good friend Johns warning, it still is the best place to find answers in.” you lower your hand, turning to scan Davids face for his response.

He frowns, deeply, but nods, looking back out at the city. “Well, dammit i guess we got this far, so why the fuck not?” he shrugs with exasperation, and the two of you start the march into the one place you know you probably should avoid.

---/---

It was an hour or two later that the first signs of life drove you off the main road and into the more secluded alleyways, a big rig decked out into a war rig of twisted spikes and plate rushed by, heavy metal blaring from speakers as a man fired into the air in short bursts from a machinegun mounted on top. Thankfully, just as quickly as the contraption appeared, it was gone, though it was a sure sign things were getting...interesting, to say the least.

(cont.)

>>3327205
You tread more carefully from then on, noting the utter chaos of the city. Cracked and shattered roads, toppled buildings, fires, so many fires, and the occasional corpse, in varying degrees of recognizability, a cherry on top to remind you of what happened to most of your home cities inhabitants.

But besides that, nothing stood out, if anything, the chaotic destruction blended everything together in a obscure, twisted way, making it hard to navigate for more than just the lack of viable pathways.

You tap your finger against the guard of your handgun, eyes always peeled, David ready to fire at a moments notice as the two of you creep forward, like mice in upon the underbelly of the once proud monuments of humanity, now crumbling in a new, darker era.

It was not much further along that you heard a bit more action, the sounds of gunshots echoing across the concrete jungle from over a desolate bridge, the sounds of orders and screams more than a touch unnerving. Something almost human laughed, mocking whoever it was fighting, before another scream and the tearing of flesh as met with a severed limb going high and over the crumbled bridge you now stood half upon, landing a few feet to your left with a wet crunch. You and David meet eyes, the sounds from just above making it more than clear, whatever group of people was atop this rubble, they were losing, badly.

Gulping, you silently contemplate what in hells name to do here.

>You have had enough action for one day, you’re in no position to help anyone. You need to sneak away, and fight another day.

>You came here for answers, nothing else. Creep up and watch, see what is so strong as to rip apart a seemingly well armed squad, but don't engage. The fight sounds almost over anyways, you probably couldn't save them now anyways. (Mathew; -1 Dex, David; -1 Dex)

>You dont have time to waste. Rush up, guns ready to blaze. Time to save some lives, even if you know it's a risky move to make.

>Write-In

(ill be taking a break for the evening, and it is very likely i will be able to post sooner tomorrow, as always i will at least be back by 6pm CST to continue.)
(Thank you for your support and participation, ill try and answer any questions like always, and i wish you all a good night.)

>>3327208
>You dont have time to waste. Rush up, guns ready to blaze. Time to save some lives, even if you know it's a risky move to make.

If we can't face something at the edge of the city, then no way in hell we can face anything deeper.

>>3327208
>You came here for answers, nothing else. Creep up and watch, see what is so strong as to rip apart a seemingly well armed squad, but don't engage. The fight sounds almost over anyways, you probably couldn't save them now anyways. (Mathew; -1 Dex, David; -1 Dex)
I think it's prudent to remember that our stats have yet to recover from our previous engagement.

>>3327208
>You dont have time to waste. Rush up, guns ready to blaze. Time to save some lives, even if you know it's a risky move to make.

>>3327208
Honestly, from the impression im getting from this place, some of the scarier things in the city could probably take down a tank, I doubt we could change the outcome at this point.
>You came here for answers, nothing else. Creep up and watch, see what is so strong as to rip apart a seemingly well armed squad, but don't engage. The fight sounds almost over anyways, you probably couldn't save them now anyways. (Mathew; -1 Dex, David; -1 Dex)

>>3327250
Uh, did you vote for the wrong option? we're already in the deeper parts of the city, so we're unlikely to get out alive if we rush in guns blazing.

>>3328166
I doubt we are anywhere near the thick of it.

>>3328297
ok, I misread your post then, my bad.

>>3328318
Well my idea behind it is that the closer to the center of hell we get, the more powerful the monsters will likely be, or they will be more power around our "objective".

>>3328166
>>3328297
(You are in the 'mid city', past the suburbs and outer city, but not in the center just yet by a decent bit.)

>>3328404
Well, whatever, we are tied right, so just creep up then so we can move on.

>>3328411
(My appoligies, im still at work, i simply was on my lunch break.)

>>3328428
Whats for lunch? I'm haveing chicken wings with bbq & ranch.

>>3328433
(I went to wendys. It's that or chicken express where i am.)
(Also i should at least be able to start posting by 5pm cst, for what it is worth.)

(Writing now, thank you for waiting.)
(i have added a bit on ARMOR to the Mechanics Doc, to keep you busy in the meantime, though it is short.)

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>>3327208
>Mathew, -1 Dex
>David, -1 Dex

You’re not sure you like the idea of leaving those people to die, but you’re already tired, and getting yourself killed wont help anyone. You hold a finger up to your lip as you turn to David, and motion for him to crouch and stay silent. He complies, and you slowly approach the dying sounds of battle, now nothing but dull groans and someone whimpering weakly, begging for their life.

You gulp, nerves on end as you reach the top, and slowly, carefully, peak over the rubble to the street below.

What you witness is carnage. At least ten people lay strewn about, dismembered and brutalized, limbs flown about wildly like someone had gone at a pack of dolls with a hacksaw, red streaks glistening in the sunlight like crimson glass, as your eyes scan over the scene and rest upon its perpetrator, and you blink.

The girl looks young, younger than you for sure, but while a human form lays under the visage presented before you, its shell is no longer quite so. He lithe frame is coated in dark, hooked feathers. What skin you can see, mostly her face, is gray, ashen, her eyes glow with a red like a furnaces embers, and the smile upon her face reveals teeth like daggers.

Your body twitches on instinct, something tugging at your very soul. She was evil, unnatural, corrupted. This was different than the light upon johns helm, no, that had merely been your nerves acting upon its unnaturality. This, this was something more, something deeper, warning you, telling you the girl before you was a daughter of the darkness, a creature no longer to be seen as human.

(cont.)

>>3329192
“Fuck.” David whispers, gun clenched tight. You frown, understanding his sentiment, as you watch the feathered girl chuckle, holding up another young girl, dawned in makeshift militia clothes it seems like, red cross backpack slumped down on one shoulder, as she claws at the hand clenching her throat. Tears welled in her glistening eyes, the sounds of her dying comrades, all far too gone to save, echo across the concrete, as the monstrous thing holding her licks her lips.

“D’aw, you are scared! how adorable! Do not be scared, you already know how this ends, so what do you have left to fear?” the ashen girl giggles, other hand over her mouth, before she brings her victim in close. “Now, do i just, go at your throat to savor the gush of blood, or should i eat your limbs first? That would be fun, listening to you scream, but it gets old kinda fast, you know?”

“Wait, what?” David mutters in a low whisper, “i, shes not serious right? Fick, Mathew, we, we can't just...just watch her eat someone. Thats, fuck thats not right.” David clenches his teeth, and suddenly his rifle is to his shoulder. “Fuck, man we gotta take a shot here, im not sitting by and doing nothing godamnit!”

You mind races, eyes snapping between the creature below and Davids gun, his anger overshadowing any reason or personal self preservation.

>Let him shoot the thing, though it might not kill it, it’ll at least draw its attention to you, and the girl can get away.

>Quickly shoot the victim yourself, so she dies peacefully, and you can slip away while the feathered girl is trying to figure out what happened, before David pisses the thing off by wounding it.(-1 Dex)

>Try and wrench the gun from David. This isnt your fight, and you should not risk it becoming yours.(-1 Phy)

>Write-In

(Voting to close in One and a Half Hours.)

>>3329196
Man, after this is over, we should get the fuck out of the city, we really need to rest.

but anyway, you know what? fuck it. If we're going to just keep hiding then we might as well have gone with Marissa, its big damn hero time.
> summon your holy mace, do a halfway sprint into a leap from above, and crack her skull after David shoots her and hopefully stuns her.
(1 end, 1 sta for reaching her in time and with a lot of momentum, and fucking 3 phys for a bashin')

>>3329252
Also, considering its a clear shot on a surprised foe, does David need to use stats since its not an event yet?

>>3329270
(no, but doing so would still grant better results.)

>>3329252
I forgot to include the +2 blunt substat since we're using phys. So it should be
(1 end, 1 sta, 3 phys + 2 blunt bonus)

>>3329281
in that case, I'm going to say that he should use 2 Dex, we really dont want him missing.

>>3329252
Can we use our mace like a boomerang? Or just throw it at her, then make it reappear in our hand?

>>3329252
>>3329196
Also supporting this.

>>3329298
>>3329252
Supporting a combination of both of these, have David shoot the monster lady to wound or distract her (relying on his +2 bonus to Aim), with us charging in with our Soul Mace. However, if I had to change one thing, it'd be switching the -1 Stamina that was first suggested and have the Endurance point used to restore Dex, and use 2 Dex to sprint into melee range. Count this as a polite reminder that lowering our Stamina total also brings down our other stat maximums.

(voting closed, writing now.)

>>3329551
Yeah, good call. But i'd personally amend that to only 1 dex, since we're running low, and I think that the +1 from sneak attack would compensate anyway. But in general, we should sneak down to attack, then when we're a couple of meters away, have david shoot, and capitalize on the oppurtunity.

>>3329581
Ah, forgot to mention, the 1 END is spent to restore 5 DEX points, which is in this case would be very useful. It's why I suggested 2 instead of just 1.

>>3329595
Yeah, thats fair. But anyway, only thing left to do now is to see how it turns out.

>>3329581
>>3329595
(actually, i would ask real quick for clarification on finalized Points Spent, and what they were spent on. do keep in Mind summoning the Mace has a cost, so both summoning it and regaining 5 Dex would take 2 Endurance Points, unless you wished to summon the Mace a different way, in which the only available one would be 3 Stamina.)

>>3329655
We're about to enter CQC so I'd rather keep as much end as possible but we do need the mace, so Im going to say summon mace, but dont exchange for now.
so it would be (1 end for mace, 1 dex+1 sub-sneak for sneaking, 3 phys + 2 blunt) + (david 2 dex + 2 aim)

>>3329655
>2 End
>2 Dex
>3 Phys

David
>2 Dex + 2 Aim and maybe +1 Quickdraw(?)

>>3329693
Oh my, I forgot about our Sneak and Sneak Attack bonuses. In that case, I'll support that.

>>3329693
>>3329707
(right, NOW im writing, thank you for the clarification.)

>>3329693
>>3329707
And also our Blunt Weapons Substat, can't forget that.

>>3329196
>Mathew, -1 End, -1 Dex, -3 Phy
End 5/6
>>Summon Soul Mace, sneak smack a Bitch.

>David, -2 Dex
End 5/5
>>Aimed Shot upon a Bitch.


You clench your teeth, hissing air between them as you curse your hesitation, silently leaping over the rubble and going low, wasting no time giving David the simple plan. “Dont shoot until im close or you must to save her life, ok?” You whisper out, taking only a moment to look back, glancing his nod off the corner of you sight as you slip out of sight, mace forming in your hand as you crouch into the shadows, and make your way forward.

You curse though, as you round the corner near the scene, hearing a shot ring out. You leap forward, seeing the feathered horror lurching back, body twisting, tossing the young victim past you as you take the opportunity, and mace raising high, run forth, eyes narrowing on your target as she manages to catch herself haphazardly.

And then your mace slams down cross her face.

>David, 8 Phy Attack, FALLEN HEIR 2 Phy Armor.
>> FALLEN HEIR 4 Endurance loss, Armor Absorbed 2.
>>>FALLEN HEIR 4/8 End, Armor 1/3 End.

(cont.)

>>3329824
You feel your mace impact her face, bone cracking underneath, but blink, the momentum suddenly stopping hard, and you grimace, seeing the light, fluffy feathers upon her face have stretched and wrapped around your weapon, holding it place as the girl smiles, bright eyes meeting yours. And you scream, as your body lurches back, grip letting go of your weapon as you fall back, eyes feeling like they are on fire.

>Mathew, 5 Phy Attack, FALLEN HEIR 2 Phy Armor.
>>FALLEN HEIR 2 Endurance loss, Armor Absorbed 1.
>>FALLEN HEIR 2/8 End, Armor Broken.

>FALLEN HEIR, -1 Phy, -3 Men, -3 Dex.
End 2/8
>>GRIP, Devils Stare, and Fleeing.

>(Convulsion of Feathers[Light][End 3/3](Cost, Passive)
>>Body mutated, twisted, now covered in a layer of sharp, thick feathers of unnatural strength. any Unarmed Attacks upon you deal Equal Damage you take to your Opponent, and any Melee attack upon you may be GRIPPED at a cost of -1 Physicality, to which you must further do regular Actions to keep it gripped within your Feathers Embrace. Furthermore, the Feathers act as an armor equal to 2 extra points of Physicality when hit.)
>(Devils Stare(Cost, -3 Men)
>>With eyes as red as cinders, you lock eyes with an opponent, and you torture their very soul itself. choose one Target, and as an Action, lock eyes with them, instantly making them take either 2 Stamina loss, or 3 Mentality loss, their choice.)

You grimace upon the ground, body convulsing, spitting out what feels like acid from your mouth, as you blink, blurry vision seeing the feathered girl rush away, speeding away as another shot barely misses her, her visage disappearing into the dark depths of a skyscraper, as another form is suddenly over you, as your weapon wafts back into your fumbling grip.

“Oh god, oh geez, are you ok? Sir?” it is the woman from earlier, and shes digging into her red bag, nervously panicking as she fumbles to find something to help you…

CHOOSE ONE;

>-2 Stamina

>-3 Mentality(Warning, not enough Mentality to lose, choose at own risk.)

AND,

CHOOSE ONE;

>Hunt down and finish this bitch off...once you can feel your face again that is.(starts event; HUNTING DOWN THE HEIR.)

>Fuck this shit, shes gone, girls saved, best to retreat for now, and lick your wounds.

>Write-In.

(Voting to close in Two Hours as i get Dinner, thank you for your participation.)

>>3329843
>-2 Stamina
>HUNT DOWN THE HEIR
We have her on the ropes, don't give her time to recover.

>>3329843
Holy shit that was tense. Damn, she had total of 11 health basically, and we dealt 9, considering her ability soft counters ours, that went as well as it could have.
obviously
>-2 Stamina
but for the second choice, I'm going to have to ask whether shes running deeper into the city or to the outskirts before deciding.

>>3329910
(Deeper into the city.)

>>3329843
>Hunt down and finish this bitch off...once you can feel your face again that is.(starts event; HUNTING DOWN THE HEIR.)
She'll harrass us later at the worst possible time later on. Buuuut, killing her may incur the wrath or attention of something stronger.

also, just for the schadenfreude, I have to ask how visibly damaged her face is after we whacked her. Considering shes a remorseless killer, it better scar.
>>3329910
In that case,
>Fuck this shit, shes gone, girls saved, best to retreat for now, and lick your wounds.
there's an uncountable number of horrors just like her throughout the city, we dont need to exterminate them yet, we saved a human, and thats good enough for now.

>>3329943
(You didn't get a good enough look yet, perhaps if you follow her into the dark, cramped building you can find out, or perhaps find out later if you do not.)

>>3329943
to further add on to my reasoning, since its a 'hunt', we're likely going to have to track her down, and considering we're mentally exhausted(men cant be gained from end either), I'm not confident about our odds. In addition, even though shes physically frail, she did take out around a dozen armed opponents without taking any damage, we really shouldnt underestimate her now that we dont have the element of surprise. We've already saved the girl, I really dont think we should risk going deeper, we need to recuperate.

>>3329985
well shit, when you put it that way
>>3329881
>Changing vote to fight another day

>>3329980
Lets set the building on fire then fuck off.

>>3329985
Shes almost dead. We can end her in a single turn.

So like she has 3 hp left?

>>3329985
I don't want her to be a problem later on and she definitely will be at the worst time possible.

Alright, I'm going to have to call it a night, good luck, and dont kill Matthew, anons.

>>3330071
You mean, don't help awaken him

(writing now.)

>>3329843
>Mathews, -2 Stamina

You mumble to yourself, blinking your eyes clear as you feel the woman lift your head, putting your head on her leg as she pats at your cheek. You swipe at her hand, shaking your head clear as you sit up, rubbing at your face.

“Oh thank god, you’re ok.” she sighs, and both of you look over as David comes to a skidding halt next to you, Rifle still at the ready, eyes glued to the far off pit of blacky, oily darkness your adversary had slithered into.

“You guys ok?” he asks, the deep seated worry in his eyes only helping outline his clear exhaustion, something you can understand greatly, your own body not feeling too up to snuff either. “Yeah, im fine, and i think she is too, miss?” you say, pointing your thumb to her.

“Olivia, Olivia Dornwall.” she mutters, looking down, “i, thank you for saving me. I…” she stutters off, eyes trailing to the gore all about that was once her teammates. “Yea...thanks…” she frowns, a few tears running down her face.

“Hate to sound like an ass,” David pipes up, “but we need to get moving. I doubt it’ll be safe here for long, whether she comes back after us or not.” you nod, more than happy to go along with that plan, feeling like going in after her in your condition would be akin to suicide, no matter how injured she is.

“Right, lets get the fuck out of here.” and as you get to your feet with the aid of your ally and newfound rescue girl, you all head off back over the downed Bridge, back towards safer lands.

---/---

(cont.)

>>3330402
You find yourself once again leaning back against concrete walls, hold up in some apartment stuffed into a less savory part of the city, body and mind screaming at you as Olivia checks your eyes.

“Well, there's no damage, i think, though with how you reacted i expected them to look like they’d been burned clean out.” she say dryly, sniffling as she tries to hold herself together. You nod, thanking her as you look past her to David, the man glued to the window, still as a statue as he peers out into the darkness of the now dark night, moonlight the only thing giving any sight to the shadowy streets below, each far off sound making him grip his gun tighter, his knuckles looking close to splitting open on him.

“So…”you say, trying to break the tension a bit, “Olivia right? Im Mathew, Mathew Brown. And thats David.” you nod towards the man, who only does an off handed wave back. She nods, and meets your eyes, he stark blue orbs glazed over a bit, looking ready to burst.

“Its...nice to meet you, i guess.” she shrugs, looking away again. You frown. You cant blame her for being so offput and distant, considering everything that has happened, you only hope she doesn't break, or collapse in on you. Maybe, you can do something to help?

>Ask her about what exactly happened out there, and what they were doing. Maybe venting about it will help relieve the pressure on her mind.

>Talk to her about yourself, about your own encounters. Maybe if she knows shes with some able bodies, it'll make her feel safe, at least.

>ask her about herself, maybe being casual will make her feel less out of place.

>Write-In.

(Voting to close in One and a Half Hours.)

>>3330405
>>Talk to her about yourself, about your own encounters. Maybe if she knows shes with some able bodies, it'll make her feel safe, at least.
This should help to defuse things a bit, help her get her mind off of the events of the day. She can tell us what happened on her own time.

>>3330417
Isn't that what happens after letting them vent and asking what happens?

At least in the movies.


>Ask her about what exactly happened out there, and what they were doing. Maybe venting about it will help relieve the pressure on her mind.
>Talk to her about yourself, about your own encounters. Maybe if she knows shes with some able bodies, it'll make her feel safe, at least.
Do both.

(writing now, thank you for your patience.)

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>>3330405
You stare at the stranger before you, the small, thin frame of the girl, pale, slanted green eyes contrasted sharply by long black hair with a tint of blue in the light. She couldn't be older than twenty, hell you would guess she was in her late teens at best. You take a deep breath, mulling over the best way to put the short, small lady at ease.

“I know, what you went through must of been..hard.” you say, careful of your tone, “I myself woke up from a coma only yesterday, heh. Found myself in an abandoned hospital, those who didnt make it out were slaughtered by some sorta, big, bone plated hound.” he shrug, “had to smash the things head in atop a pile of mutilated human remains, so yeah, i get things are fucked up right now.” you say, smiling softly as you meet her eyes, shining a bit now with curiosity. “Hell, earlier today me and David met a seven foot tall man decked out like a crusader who ranted like a preacher at us for over an hour. Took alot of talking to convince him not to kill us ‘for our own good’.” you laugh a bit, and finally Davids tension eases a bit, his head slamming against the window softly as he groans.

“Fuck that guy man,” he says,trying to hold back some nervous chuckling, and failing miserably, “Fucker was more insane than some of the goddamned beasts out there i swear to god.”

You nod, smiling softly as Olivia stares between you two, he expression having softened at your tales of triumph, though odd and meagre they may be. You let your expression break out into a genuine smile, and pat at your knees a bit. “All im saying is, i guess we understand your position, but it doesn't always end up so fucked up, and now were here to make sure of that.” you say, winking, getting a small, genuine smile from her.

“I...yeah, thank you. I didn't want to impose, but...yeah, i guess im lucky to have found someone, even if...well.” she shrugs, and you nod.

“We cant replace your friends, i get that.” you say solemnly, “if, you dont mind, what exactly did happen out there?”

(cont.)

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>>3330832
She Sighs. “Its ok. We were actually investigating something. That thing, that girl, she came out of the shadows, killed a few of us before we were prepared to fight back at all. She was fast, and focused on slow dismemberment, using us as living shields so we couldn't help anyone, it, it was hopeless. If it was her stupid eyes and speed, it was her sadism and, and...she would drag people behind cover if we did get a hit on her...and come back out, teeth full of flesh, but somehow healed.” she shudders, shaking her head. “We hesitated, were too unwilling to put down eachother to kill her and save them from a worse fate.” she chuckles, a weak, sad sound, “she used our sympathy against us, the bitch.”

You just sit, listen, nodding slowly. David too now found himself sitting down, leaning on his rifle as his face contorted with disgust as he learned more about the thing we had driven off. “Well fuck, wont live down missing that second shot now…”he hisses, but Oliva is quick to wave him off.

“No no, i, really, you did your best, more than we were able to. I, thank you. You saved my life, and, if you dont mind, i plan to repay that, going forward.” you both nod, letting a silence envelope the group, as you all came to an unspoken agreement to stick together.

>Character Gained, Olivia Dornwall

You all let a calming silence linger, a strange sense of understanding wafting between the group. You’re not sure how much time really passed, how long you all sat in utter numbness, before something clicked in your head, and blinking, you turn back to Olivia.

“So, what exactly were you investigating by the way?” you ask casually, wondering what had been worth such a risk.

“Oh,” she says, a frown spearing onto her face, a sudden seriousness enveloping her face, “Well, its a bit complicated really, but to put it lightly, an Angel came down to us, and well, i know this all sounds insane but...it told us, something important had crashed into the center of the city, something that needed to be closed,” she blinks, shuddering, “she said it was a portal, a portal that if opened, would let loose beings far worse than anything yet unleashed.” her eyes snap open, and she droops down low, a hopelessness suddenly in her shoulder.

“And, she said we only had a week before it would be too late to stop it...that, that was five days ago…”

You blink, David blinks, and your mouth hangs open. Oh.

Well fuck.

[End of Volume 1; The Beginning of the End]

(Players, i shall be concluding here for the weekend, to return Monday 6pm CST with a new thread.)

(Thank you all for playing and giving your support, you have been a wonderful group to work with, and certainly have gone down a few options i did not fully expect. i do apologize if it was a little light on over arching story, but the point was more to set a general feel, aswell as get the mechanics, setting, and characters setup well. i do hope you enjoyed your time, and i will be around here and there throughout the weekend to answer any question, concerns, or criticisms. thank you, and i hope to see you all in the next one.)

>>3330871
Thanks for running, humble.
You dont have to answer if you dont want to, but I'm curious, how would the bloodspider and john fights have turned out if we decided to engage?

Here are some QoL suggestions that I feel would make it easier for anons in the future to participate: Its a bit difficult to figure out who won the stat trades, I'd prefer if you kept doing the "score" section like you did during the john event. You should probably post the character sheet every time an encounter occurs. Also, would you mind including all the substats and equipment we have in the doc, I believe we have sneak attack 1, stealth 1, blunt 2, persausion 1, intimidation 1, and a pistol, I believe David also has a rifle.

>>3330871
Okay see you then.

>>3331452
We can loot the dead guys, they got rifles and a bunch of stuff.

>>3331477
oh yeah, thats a good idea, considering there were around 10 of them, they should have a decent amount of ammo, guns, armor, and hopefully explosives considering we're probably going to have to siege the center of the city.

>>3331513
We definitely need explosives for the gate and that demon girl thing.

>>3330871
also, since it not much happens directly after the fight, can we retroactively say that Mathew and gang just grab whatevers of interest from the corpses? I dont mind if you say no, but I feel like its something mathew wouldve thought of since he would be standing right next to scattered guns and stuff.

BTW, are you gonna archive the thread soon?

>>3331452
>>3331581
>bloodspider
the thing basically had an ability like your Soul Mace, but with a much lower defense, basically it reveals its heart to fire off a stream of boiled blood plasma at you, but once you caught on, you could kill it pretty quickly if you noticed said detail.

>John
i cant reveal too much as he is still around, but know he is an absolute unit in melee with really good armor.

> Its a bit difficult to figure out who won the stat trades, I'd prefer if you kept doing the "score" section like you did during the john event.
hm, fair point. due to it not being an actual event or engaged combat it was less about actual Action VS Action and a bit more like just everyone smacking eachother while they weren't prepared. however i will still commit to making it easier to understand in the future.

>You should probably post the character sheet every time an encounter occurs."
ill commit to posting the sheet link and maybe based stats, but to post all of it would take up too much space in the thread in my opinion.

>Also, would you mind including all the substats and equipment we have in the doc.
ah, my apologies if it broke somehow, my friend told me it was working properly. there should be a little drop down arrow on the SUBSTAT, INVENTORY, and ABILITIES sections of everyone's sheet, allowing me to save some space on it, and you choose between which options are being shown. if it has somehow stopped working i will endevour to fix it, though as the author of the Doc it is difficult to tell how it looks from others perspectives, the one issue i have with GDs programs.

>can we retroactively say that Mathew and gang just grab whatevers of interest from the corpses?
In the next thread ill say what you grabbed, though note you were focusing on leaving a potentially bad situation, so were not spending extra time thoroughly looting.

> are you gonna archive the thread soon?
i prefer to Archive once i have posted the link to the next thread in here, it also allows for more discussion to potentially get archived, though i do understand there is yet too much to discuss.

>>3332207
Alright awesome, sounds good.

>>3332207
Yeah, sorry if I wasnt clear, but I did mean just the link for the char sheet.
not sure about the dropdown, but I just realized that most of the stuff I was talking about is already in a second sheet, so its probably fine.

File: 23d020d1d334c27878dcd567c(...).png (2 KB, 127x115)

2 KB PNG

>>3332238
do these not appear for you? it would be very much annoying if GD was indeed breaking on me here, as this setup took more work than id like to admit haha.

File: no dropdowns here.png (7 KB, 1399x104)

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>>3332262
Afraid not, sorry.

>>3332323
Hrm, ill look into it once home. My mistake for trusting something to work properly i suppose.

>>3332323
>>3332379
hrm, well as of now i cannot figure out how to fix the issue as it needs to be fixed, so here is a Public Version of the Doc that seems to and should allow the Drop Down Menus to work. just be careful with what you click on i guess, but ive still got the old version so dont freak out too much if you accidentally change something.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zUfACL-duJ7PcQvZWzL6KSCJ5eLcQDei5gTqzOuLxwc/edit?usp=sharing

(Players, the new thread is up, and thus this one has been archived.)

>>3340708