>>4430486
>Keep up in the trees and take one out with your sniper rifle, allowing Orion to take the other.

>>4430486
>Keep up in the trees and take one out with your sniper rifle, allowing Orion to take the other.

>>4430486
>Keep up in the trees and take one out with your sniper rifle, allowing Orion to take the other.

synced kills are cool

>>4430490
>>4430492
>>4430505
This goes through, writing now!

Hope everyone's doing well today!

>>4430506

“Let’s pick them off from here, Orion.” You murmur into the communicator, sliding the bullet into place on your rifle.

“Got it, boss.”

“You want the left or right?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’ll take right, then.”

You exhale through your nose and brace the gun against your shoulder, easily able to bring the purple haired one into your scope. The slow pace they’re moving at makes them nothing better than sitting ducks, which makes you wonder if they even saw the loadout you had when you fought against them earlier.

Sharing a quick look and nod with Orion, you both pull the trigger simultaneously. The crack of the gun overtakes the sound of the rain for just a moment, and you watch as the bullets race through the air and tag the pair of greasers without any fuss. They immediately fall forwards, and their bodies hit the wet ground the next moment.

>MATCH DECIDED!
>n0v4_c43s4r & Orange def. elasticlove & theREALVENOM
>CONGRATULATIONS!

“Man, they’re a bit shit, aren’t they?” Orion says with a smug chuckle, shouldering his rifle as the two dissipate into blue polygons.

“No need to be rude, it’s just a game.” You toss him a sideways glance and sit on the thick branch.

“I know you were thinking it at least somewhat, right?” The haughty look is turned your way, and you resist the urge to shove him to his death.

“No comment.”

The game pulls you into darkness a few moments later.

This has been how your training has gone over the last two days. It’s been an hellish grind in order to get Orion back up to speed for the tournament, especially with only you and Cinder being around to help adjust him. You’ve refrained from contacting Fletcher over this due to not wanting to bother him, and while you lack his training expertise, grinding has literally always helped hone talent – especially when you’re playing an upwards of 20 hours a day.

Ah, it reminds you of the old days in Genesys – shit was rough. You’re glad that both you and Cinder have been switching on and off in shifts.

Putting aside the grind, however, you’ve been trying to decide what role that Orion should be playing in the tournament. He was a very adept breacher and front-liner five years ago, however you’re not entirely sure if that would fly in a duos only tournament.

How exactly have you been training Orion over the past two days?

>You’ve kept him as a front-liner for the most part – sticking with what he knows is what you felt was best, especially when it comes to dipping his feet in again.
>You’ve been teaching him how to snipe properly – if there are two snipers, your odds of being able to pick off the enemy without conflict increases.
>You’ve kept him firmly in the mid-range with an assault rifle – perfect area for cover and engagement, which is a solid base for him to work with.
>You’ve gone with a mixture of all three – it may have left him without a certain specialty, but a jack of all trades keeps the enemy guessing, at least.
>Write-in.

>>4430511
>You’ve kept him as a front-liner for the most part – sticking with what he knows is what you felt was best, especially when it comes to dipping his feet in again.

>>4430511
>You’ve kept him as a front-liner for the most part – sticking with what he knows is what you felt was best, especially when it comes to dipping his feet in again.
Welcome back cirno

>>4430511
>You’ve kept him as a front-liner for the most part – sticking with what he knows is what you felt was best, especially when it comes to dipping his feet in again.

>>4430518
>>4430523
>>4430524
Keep him on the front lines, his shotgun game be fire. Writing now!

>>4430523
Thank you kindly, anon, it's good to be back!

>>4430530

You saw it as only natural that he should keep doing what he was good at. Him and Buster were a hellacious combo on the battlefield – Buster was the tank with the LMG, while Orange moved around swiftly with a shotgun and machine pistol. They were able to maneuver people wherever they wanted them, and they had kept your ass out of the fire multiple times back in the day due to that.

After a few seconds of drifting through the endless virtual void, the sound of loud conversation begins to hit your ears. When your vision returns, a sight that’s slowly becoming familiar to you appears – namely, a packed multiplayer lobby.

There isn’t a ceiling here – the only thing above you is the wide blue sky and the sun, not a cloud in sight. It isn’t warm in the slightest, however, as the lobby is kept at a relatively cool temperature despite the sun beating down on the whole area. The ground itself is made out of a white, slightly translucent material. There are tables, chairs, and couches scattered about for the players to rest while they challenge people or wait to queue up – all in all, it’s a pretty comfy environment.

Well, comfy is a stretch, you’d say. The amount of people here makes you very uncomfortable.

It isn’t packed super tight or anything, but the mere presence of all these people is enough to make you sweat. You can spot a group of avatars with cat ears discussing a 5v5 win a few feet to your left, or a black haired boy trying to hit up a bunch of older-looking women. You can really find all types of people in a Warscape lobby, it would seem – you’re still not used to how flashy things have become.

“Maaaan, I’d say that was a pretty good match, huh?” Orion speaks from beside you, collapsing onto a couch and propping his feet up on the arm. His tone is completely casual, but his face is still perpetually frustrated – it’s something that’s been very hard to get used to, especially with your constant fear of ridicule or hatred from the man.

It’s funny how the mind works! You still probably need therapy, and you still probably won’t get it.

>Tell him honestly that he’s getting better – he’s not perfect, nor would you expect him to be, but at least he’s not getting spooked by a gust of wind.
>Find something to critique him on – the whole point of this is to train him, and it’d be a useless exercise if you didn’t find something that needs improving.
>Agree with him and leave it at that – the both of you did pretty good, especially with that synchronized kill at the end. Shit’s always rad.
>Shoot off a message to Cinder and ask her if she saw it – she’s currently manning the counter of the arcade in real life, since she’s literally the only one you’d trust with that.
>Write-in.

>>4430542
>Tell him honestly that he’s getting better – he’s not perfect, nor would you expect him to be, but at least he’s not getting spooked by a gust of wind.

>>4430542
>Tell him honestly that he’s getting better – he’s not perfect, nor would you expect him to be, but at least he’s not getting spooked by a gust of wind.

>>4430542
>>Find something to critique him on – the whole point of this is to train him, and it’d be a useless exercise if you didn’t find something that needs improving.
Time to put on those big boy pants. It'll help improve him and build up our confidence in dealing with him.

>>4430542
>Find something to critique him on – the whole point of this is to train him, and it’d be a useless exercise if you didn’t find something that needs improving.

>>4430542
>Find something to critique him on – the whole point of this is to train him, and it’d be a useless exercise if you didn’t find something that needs improving.

>>4430554
>>4430555
>>4430559
Critique him - there's always something to improve. Writing now!

>>4430563

“It went well enough – there’s stuff to improve on, though.” Facing the man, you cross your arms and attempt to put on your big boy pants. You gotta break your nervousness around him somehow, and what other way to do that by critiquing his performance in the name of self-improvement?

That sounds pretty fucking woke to you, to be honest.

You can see Orion’s eyebrow raise, but he doesn’t interrupt you, so you can only hope that he’ll take this the right way.

“During the fight in the depot, you hardly took cover at all when pursuing those guys. It was fine since they were cowards—” Orion snorts “—but doing that in any capacity in a professional setting will get you killed nowadays. Also, I could tell how flippant you were being towards them – for all we knew, they could have been leading us into something, and their cowardice was a farce.”

“That’d be a hell of a reach, Wolf.”

“You can’t underestimate people, is what I’m trying to say to you.”

There’s a bit of a standoff between the two of you, and just when you feel yourself begin to falter, Orion shrugs his shoulders.

“Alright, I get it – there’s more for me to improve on. Still, you ain’t gonna stop me from takin’ pride in a good match, so take the stick out of your ass and try to have a good time.”

“The only reason I’m here is because you need money.”

“No reason not to have a good time doing it then, right? Mix business and pleasure, rather than being a little recluse like you’ve always been. Live a little.”

“You were in your room more than me!”

The sound of someone chuckling brings you out of the staring match, and you realize that you’ve attracted the attention of quite a few people with your conversation. Sighing deeply, you sit next to Orion and run a hand through your hair.

“So, what’s the game plan then, Mr. Trainer? Do I get to use my shotgun this time?” His voice is a bit snippy, and you’re not sure if it’s in jest or not.

At this rate, you’re not really feeling up to another match with him – it’s getting close to Cinder’s shift anyways, which will help his CQC training even more.

What would you like to do?

>Log out of the game and let Cinder take over – you’re starting to get a little bit heated.
>Take Orion to the marketplace and browse for new items to use in the tournament.
>Ask Orion to recap you on the tournament details – it’s tomorrow morning, after all.
>Write-in.

>>4430578
>Take Orion to the marketplace and browse for new items to use in the tournament.
Can we get Cinder to go with us to the marketplace? Her playstyle's pretty similar to his, right? She'd probably provide better advice for gear than us. And shit if we can get a recap of the details on the way, that'd be real neat too.

>>4430590
+1

>>4430578
Supporting >>4430590

>>4430590
>>4430594
>>4430610
Take Orion out on the town, and maybe bring Cinder to third wheel! Writing now!

>>4430630

“We’re not going back into the queue right now. We’re gonna take you to the marketplace and get ourselves outfitted with some weaponry for the match tomorrow.”

“Sounds logical. Do you have the money to spare?” Orion quirks an eyebrow, making you shrug.

“I can cover myself, and you can more than definitely cover yourself. My account got nuked – yours didn’t, so don’t expect any freebies from me.” Your voice is firm, and Orion sighs, adjusting his jacket.

“Alright, then let’s go.”

“Hold on – I’m gonna get Cinder in on this. Her playstyle is similar to yours, so she’ll be able to pick some good stuff out for you.”

“Isn’t she manning your arcade for you?”

You stealthily check your menu, and you see that it’s approaching closing time. How convenient! You’re a bit shocked at how easy it is to lose track of time in here.

“It’s just about closing, so I’m sure she it’ll be fine.”

Pulling up the messaging menu, you locate Cinder’s username and pull up the window, idly noting that she’s online on her phone. Apparently, you can link the in-game messaging system to your phone in a snazzy little app, which is pretty useful! Not that you’d ever need to use it in most scenarios.

>n0v4_c43s4r: Hey, Cinder. Think you can get to the marketplace in a few minutes for some window shopping?

It takes a few seconds for a response, but she’s quick on the ball.

>Drag0n: Sure! Am I gonna need to show you around again?
>n0v4_c43s4r: Nah, Orion. Figured you’d be able to help him better than me due to having similar playstyles.
>Drag0n: Sounds good to me! Race you there!
>n0v4_c43s4r: It’s not a race.

“Alright, that’s sorted. Shall we get going?” You pose the question to Orion, who’s already pulled up his menu and is ready to press the button. He says nothing in response, causing you to sigh and begin mentally planning your own purchases as you’re transported.

You only have $1,930,000 on you. Each level up seems to give out $100,000 plus a $10,000 bonus per match win, and you’ve climbed up to Level 14 since you last checked after your match with 0phelia.

What might you be looking to buy on this fine, yet slightly tense, night?

>Focus on weapons – you’d like to find something that’d be able to compliment Orion’s loadout, even if you need to get some of Auxilia’s basic stuff.
>Focus on items and consumables – these will allow a tactical advantage, since no one can truly expect you to pull random shit out of your pocket.
>Focus on finding a good gacha – you’ve heard the stories, you know the risks, and you’re ready to potentially get some good items.
>Don’t buy anything, actually – you’re happy with your current setup, and you’re more than willing to chit chat while the other two shop.
>Write-in.

>>4430659
>>Focus on finding a good gacha – you’ve heard the stories, you know the risks, and you’re ready to potentially get some good items.
Gacha is my crack cocaine, gib

>>4430659
>Focus on items and consumables – these will allow a tactical advantage, since no one can truly expect you to pull random shit out of your pocket.
Our weapons are good enough and we aren't going to become whales.
Items can turn an entire match.

>>4430659
>>Focus on items and consumables – these will allow a tactical advantage, since no one can truly expect you to pull random shit out of your pocket.
We did pretty well with our current set-up in the Edit fight, so items sound pretty good.

>>4430659
>Focus on finding a good gacha – you’ve heard the stories, you know the risks, and you’re ready to potentially get some good items.

>>4430659
>Focus on items and consumables – these will allow a tactical advantage, since no one can truly expect you to pull random shit out of your pocket.

>>4430667
>>4430669
>>4430708
Find some consumables - the element of surprise is a valuable one. Writing now!

>>4430664
This is an intervention, anon.

>>4430711

Despite the marketplace having a lot of people in it at this time of night, it somehow doesn’t seem as crowded as it would be if there was daylight.

Unlike the Warscape lobby you were just in, you’ve become aware that the marketplace’s sky changes in accordance to the time. The smell of the sea hits you like usual, and you can spot the vast expanse of the virtual ocean from the spawn point – there’s a railing that stops people from jumping off the top and down to the beach, and you’re willing to bet that if you walked closer, you’d see some people going on a night swim with some friends.

“I’ll tell ya Wolf, this place is a lot more lively than it used to be, even at night.”

Orion’s head is on a swivel, looking at the various colorful signs with a hint of interest in his eyes. He’s only been here once so far – that was because Cinder picked up a set of frag grenades to train him with, so you doubt he’s had time to idle and take a look at this place.

“I know, right? When I first logged in here, it was like a sensory overload.”

You lead Orion over to a table that has an umbrella stuck in it, taking a seat and gesturing for him to do the same. The smell of something sweet hits you, and you turn your head to regard a patisserie a few buildings down to your right. You’re not sure if you remember that being there the last time you were here, leading you to conclude that renting out buildings is like paying for ad space.

A moment of silence passes between the two of you, before you decide to break it.

“Alright, Orion, give me the lowdown on the tournament one last time.”

“It’s a relatively small affair – 16 teams are gonna go at it, and whoever makes it to the end of the bracket wins. Each match is capped at an hour, and it’s going to be spaced out over four days. The prize is enough to pay off my rent, meaning I can get out of your hair at the end of it.” Orion kicks back in the chair and props his feet up on the table. “All the teams need to have some repute to their name, which is why I was able to get us in so easy. As soon as I showed my ID and said we were Genesys, the woman looked like she was about to pass out.”

“So we’re enrolling under that name?” You frown slightly, to which Orion looks at you like you’re stupid.

“Well, that’s what we are, right?”

Blinking, you shrug your shoulders. He almost sounded serious, although that could just be your residual fear of being rebuked.

“I guess you’re right.”

>Wait in silence for Cinder – you’ll take this moment to rest.
>Walk around the marketplace and see if you can find anything interesting!
>Ask Orion any other questions you may have about the tournament.
>Write-in.

>>4430730
>Walk around the marketplace and see if you can find anything interesting!

>>4430730
>>Walk around the marketplace and see if you can find anything interesting!

>>4430730
>Walk around the marketplace and see if you can find anything interesting!

Went and had a late lunch, was pretty great!

>>4430740
>>4430774
>>4430776
Search for some interesting things! Writing now.

>>4430870

“Well, I’m sure Cinder will shoot me a message when she arrives. Want to walk around and see some of the sights?” Looking at Orion, you shoot him a glare when his eyebrows raise. “You know, in the name of living a little.”

You spot the briefest hint of amusement in Orion’s eyes before he shrugs and rises out of the chair.

“Lead the way, boss. I’m curious just what kind of stores they allow in this place – it was about as barebones as it could get back in the day, and now I’m smelling fuckin’ pastries. What, can they fulfill hunger through a console now?”

“That’s physically impossible, but you can taste them, and that’s pretty neat! Had chicken with Fletcher a week or so ago, and it tasted like the real deal. Apparently companies can rent out buildings as ad space to advertise their food in real life, and I can only imagine that it works if people are still doing it.”

“Hold on - does he still do the bone thing?”

You can’t help but crack a wry grin.

“He still does the bone thing.”

“Fuckin’ weird, but hey, that’s one of his good points. Let’s hotfoot it, then – I’ll trust your judgement.”

Oh boy, you’ve been put into the role of travel planner! Considering Cinder was the one guiding you literally every time except once, you’re aware that you don’t know all of the hip spaces around the market. Can you truly take this man out on the town and keep him entertained?

The answer is yes, there’s literally so much shit to do. Where do you want to start?

>Find one of the aforementioned food places – show Orion just how far technology has come!
>Look for some amusement on the street – on your first day in here, you had that duel that scored you some money.
>See if there are any weird shops to take a look at – surely there has to be a place selling inane shit, right?
>Find a gacha place. This is the course of action you have decided on, and by god the whaling calls.
>Pick a direction and walk in it – who knows what you’ll find? Life’s a mystery. (This will require a roll.)
>Look for any place in particular you think could be interesting. (Write-in)

>>4430892
>Look for some amusement on the street – on your first day in here, you had that duel that scored you some money.

>>4430892
>>Look for some amusement on the street – on your first day in here, you had that duel that scored you some money.
Didn't we also get a pretty good weapon out of that? Either way, probably the most comfortable way to bond right now. I can see Wolfgang being awkward as hell when eating with Orion.

>>4430892
>Look for some amusement on the street – on your first day in here, you had that duel that scored you some money.

>>4430902
>>4430918
>>4430924
Find some roadside funsies to partake in. Writing now!

>>4430918
Yep, you got a slick revolver out of it!

>>4430938

“Then let’s wander around and find some stuff to do on the road.” You nudge the man and start walking in a random direction, putting your hands in your pockets as you do. “First day in here, I got into a duel with a girl – can’t remember how much money I got out of it, but she also gave me a pretty slick weapon.”

“Huh, interesting. So Warscape allows that kind of stuff on the streets? I wonder if people try to make money only based on that stuff.” Orion muses to himself, stroking his chin with his hand.

“I can imagine it being a fun little time waster. They have stuff like that, a gacha system, and I could have sworn I saw a casino last time I was here. Seems like you could play this game only for the marketplace and make bank while you’re at it.”

“Sheesh, no wonder it’s still as popular as it is.”

The two of you idly converse as you make your way down a side street, the air still tense between you. It’s not like you’re purposely trying to create this feeling – a part of you is relieved it’s not abject hatred like you’ve been fearing for the past five years – but it’s not much better than that. You feel as if you’re walking on eggshells, and it’s not helped by Orion’s demeanor nor your incredibly wimpy and nervous self. The concoction of those factors makes the air awkward between you two.

Eventually, after a little while of walking and no word from Cinder, you move from between a cramped alleyway and back into the open streets. This one seems to have quite a bit of a crowd, and you can spot several stands and carts up and down the entire stretch. It almost reminds you of a town fair in a way – hell, when you look down the road to the left, you can spot a few people playing gentle music on a raised platform, even if a few sounds of gunshots disrupt the idyllic scene.

“Wow.”

Orion’s the one to speak this time, eyes focused on the amber lights that seem to be strung up from more than a few stalls. People move around slowly, some with food in their hands and some with still smoking weapons. Unsurprisingly, there must be a few games that involve the use of weaponry, considering this is an FPS game.

>Remark that you didn’t expect him to be so enamored by the sights, even if you were the one to offer.
>Go find some games to play – you might be able to spark conversation with him over some mutual competition.
>Lead him over to where the music is – you think you can recall his music tastes being somewhat adjacent to jazz.
>Write-in.

>>4430961
>Remark that you didn’t expect him to be so enamored by the sights, even if you were the one to offer.

>>4430961
>Remark that you didn’t expect him to be so enamored by the sights, even if you were the one to offer.
My guess is it's the fact he was mostly playing that RPG game. Don't think that game had a nice little hub outside of the matches to do all this in.

>>4430964
>>4430977
The sights are pretty. Writing now!

>>4430984

“I didn’t expect you to be so taken with the sights, Orion. From the sounds of it, Infinite Skies has the same amount of details, even more so if you consider character interactions.” You say to the man honestly, the two of you moving to lean against a wall and observe the slowly moving crowds.

“Yeah, but every bit of detail has a purpose, you know? It’s all procgen, but it’s still built with a specific purpose – a town with quests, a capital city to win favor, hideouts to secure tools and experience. They’re pretty, but it doesn’t feel natural – it’s hardcoded, even if the program is incredibly advanced and beyond my comprehension. Not only that, but you only have four hours to assimilate it all – some people do by roleplaying, but that’s not my jam.”

He sweeps his hand towards the entire street, but you know he’s also referring to everything beyond.

“This stuff feels human. There are real players manning all of these stalls. All of these guys aren’t AI, but they’re real people here to have a good time. IS doesn’t have that – you queue up, you’re dropped in the game, and you’re brought back to your menu. All purchases are done through a screen. You don’t go through shops and spend time rooting through them – everything is just right there in front of you. So, I guess I find it so nice because I can sit and enjoy it, you know?”

Yeah, you think you understand. You’ve been disconnected from VR for several years, and the level of interactivity in this game surprised you to a massive degree – you’d never expect to be able to physically sort through shelves to find hidden gems like you did at the Gallery. Even Orion, who plays a game that has similar full dive technology, was wowed by some of the stuff he felt in multiplayer matches – not at all to mention what’s currently in front of him.

“…I’m glad you like it.”

You shrug your shoulders, not sure what else to say. You feel like you’ve learned something about him from that – it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s more to him other than his looks, and you can’t help but feel a bit more relaxed.

>Find some games to play – all this sappy talk has made you want to test your skills.
>See if you can continue the conversation and lead him towards the gentle music.
>Grab some food from a stand – if Orion likes the sights, you’d bet he’d enjoy being able to savor food here.
>Write-in.

>>4431007
>Find some games to play – all this sappy talk has made you want to test your skills.

>>4431007
>Find some games to play – all this sappy talk has made you want to test your skills.

>>4431007
>Grab some food from a stand – if Orion likes the sights, you’d bet he’d enjoy being able to savor food here.
Oh shit, we're making progress. Wolfgang's relaxing, Orion's opening up... I want to keep this ball rolling.

>>4431013
>>4431020
G-G-G-Get your game on. Writing now!

>>4431107

Without much warning at all, Orion punches you in the shoulder, causing you to wince as a bit of a shock goes through your arm.

“Let’s go find some games rather than sitting around, yeah? Dunno what’s holding your girl up, but let’s see if we can make some profit before we’re resigned to shopping.” Orion steps off the wall and cracks his knuckles, making his way towards the crowd.

You bite back on what you were going to say – namely that he probably has more money than a lot of people in this marketplace – and instead follow him, crossing your arms as the two of you begin to scan up and down the street. After a minute or so of walking, you’re able to identify three places that look like gaming spots, although some are more suspicious than others.

The first place is a small tent at the very end of the street, devoid of anything inside except a person, a dark green mat, and a table. On top of the table sits three cups and a bullet – the rules next to it appear to be simple. Offer $10,000, and if you catch where the bullet is, the tattooed man will double it. This apparently scales until you feel comfortable enough stopping, so you could keep going for a while if you ended up winning.

The second isn’t a building, but it’s a person with blue hair moving between stalls rather quickly, asking people if they’d be willing to play against him in a game of “skill and whimsy”. You’re not quite sure what this means, but it was enough that it piqued your interest.

The final place is a significantly larger tent, taking up quite a portion of the sidewalk. There’s a long booth blocking anyone from entering inside, and the person behind it is twirling a hand grenade pin between her fingers. The game is using any weapon at your disposal to try and knock a grenade off of a pedestal – if you do it without it exploding, you’ll win some money and supplies.

“Man, they’re creative in this game, huh?” Orion muses, giving off an appreciative whistle. “What say you, Wolf? Any that tickle your fancy?”

>The cup game.
>The blue-haired man.
>The grenade game.
>Write-in.

>>4431134
>>The blue-haired man

>>4431134
>The grenade game.

>>4431134
>>The blue-haired man.
I'm very interested in games of skill and whimsy. Also cup games are pure BS. Grenade's pretty interesting too but I feel more confident with the guy who has to go around asking for customers than the one waiting for suckers in their booth

>>4431134
>The blue-haired man.

>>4431150
>>4431154
Whimsy awaits! Writing now!

>>4431181

“Let’s go talk to that blue-haired dude. I don’t think he’s gonna try to scam us like the cup guy, and maybe we can double back to give the grenade game a shot before Cinder gets here.” You say to Orion, already stepping towards the man. You hear him follow with a grunt of affirmation.

“Ma’am! Please, I promise you that there’s everything to gain!”

The man clasps his hands together and bends over in front of a girl. She looks disgusted at the man’s horrible approximation of a bow, and begins slowly backing away from him. Unfortunately, with the direction she’s moving, she runs directly into Orion, causing her to immediately fall over with a little squeal.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Orion says to her in a flippant tone, not bothering to help her up in the slightest. “You. I hear you’re offerin’ a challenge.”

From this distance, you can see that the man has stubble that matches his hair, and his expression immediately lights up. He rushes towards Orion with glee in his eyes, and eagerly clasps his hands and leans in with no regards for personal space. You can see Orion’s eye twitch, but he’s able to restrain himself from pushing the blue-haired man away from him.

“I am, sir! Have you ever wanted to win money before? A lot of it? All in one sitting?”

You can’t hide your snort or your flabbergasted look, and Orion looks like he wants to clobber you for it.

“Yeah, I have.”

“WONDERFUL! Oh, where are my manners – my name is Carmine, pleasure to meet you – and I must say that today is your lucky day!”

He lets Orion go and claps his hands together, stepping back and straightening the collar of his gaudy green suit. The lady takes that opportunity to scamper away from the scene entirely, her white tail almost taking a plate of food off of an adjacent counter.

“What’s the terms, and can more than one person challenge you? My buddy here wants a crack at you.” He roughly jabs you in the side, and you nod in affirming, deciding that speaking to this man is not what you want to do in this current moment.

“Follow me and I’ll tell you! And yes, your friend there can join us – the more the merrier, after all!”

Carmine immediately scampers across the street and into an adjacent alleyway, looking as if he was a kid running towards a candy store.

>Follow him – you’re ready to make some bank.
>Look at Orion with exasperation and stay put.
>Express your concerns with this situation.
>Write-in.

>>4431207
>Follow him – you’re ready to make some bank.

>>4431207
>>Follow him – you’re ready to make some bank.
I have a feeling Orion knows exactly what we're thinking about this situation.

>>4431207
>>Follow him – you’re ready to make some bank.

>>4431220
>>4431223
>>4431233
Let's acquire bank. All of the bank. Writing now!

>>4431257

(This is gonna be the last one from me tonight since I’m tired! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you’ve had fun doing so! Have a great night anons, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning!)

“Shall we get going, then?” You ask Orion with a bemused smile, to which he nods.

Without another second’s delay, you both head after him with a hurried pace, trying to catch up to him before he gets out of your line of sight. The chase, admittedly, doesn’t take very long. He leads you for a few seconds down a few narrow passageways between the buildings, and finally ends up at a metal door with a blue and green bullseye painted on it sloppily.

“Alright, gentlemen! Are you ready to see something that you’ve scarcely seen in Warscape before? Something that will lead to a night of profit, magic, and overall gain?!” Carmine gives a grandiose gesture at the door, flashing a big grin at you as he does.

“Tell us the terms, first. We’re on a bit of a time schedule, you see.” Orion’s voice is even, and almost cold as he regards the man. You can’t exactly blame him – the dude’s acting weird, and Orion’s about as blunt as you can get when someone’s getting on his nerves.

“Okay, be sure to listen well, though!” He brushes some of his tangled hair out of his face and points at his ear. “Past this door, there is a room filled with targets! You will give me some money - $100,000 is the minimum, by the way – and a fraction of that value will be assigned to one of the targets! Your job is to deduce which targets are yours, and which belong to your enemies! For every one you shoot and score, that’s money that ends up in your bank account! As I said, a challenge of skill and whimsy!”

“That…seems like much more of a game than I was expecting.” Orion says with a hint of shock to his tone, which you wholly agree with. That actually sounds kinda fun, providing he’s being fair when he’s stating the terms.

“Wanna go for it, Orion?” You quip.

“Of course. That sounds like a good time.”

“WONDERFUL! I am truly glad to hear it, my friends. May I ask you for your admittance fee?” He extends his other hand towards you, a genuine smile plastered across his face.

>Money: $1,930,000

>Offer $100,000.
>Offer $250,000.
>Offer $500,000.
>Offer an amount of your choosing. (Write-in)
>Ask any additional questions that you may have. (Write-in)
>Write-in.

>>4431325
>Offer $250,000.

>>4431325
>>Ask any additional questions that you may have. (Write-in)
>What's the precise fraction used to assign value?
>What happens if we shoot an enemy target?

>>4431325
Supporting >>4431341

>>4431325
>>4431341
+1

>>4431325
>Offer an amount of your choosing. ($1,930,000)

Good morning, everyone! Hope you're doing well, let's get started for the day.

>>4431341
>>4431395
>>4431455
You've got a few questions. Writing now!

>>4431866

You can see Orion about to accept, and so you put a hand on his shoulder before he can. Shooting Carmine a critical look, Orion doesn’t stop you from continuing.

“What’s the precise fraction used to assign value? Are you just going to put all of the money on one, and then screw us over by scamming us? As well as that, what happens if we shoot an enemy target?”

You maintain your critical gaze as you move your hand from Orion’s shoulder, crossing your arms. While the concept does sound interesting, you’d prefer it if you knew everything about the match beforehand. Not knowing a single thing about this man, you have no way to judge whether or not you’re walking into a scam – especially with how over the top and carnival-esque his attitude seems to be.

“Astute questions, young one!” Carmine strides forward without pause and roughly grabs you by your arm, pulling you over to the door. Orion immediately reaches out to stop him, but Carmine slaps his hand away, opening his menu with the other hand and pulling out a hefty stack of cash. “Allow me to demonstrate and no cost to yourself – I understand that proof will be needed before purchase!”

When he reaches the door, he makes a fist with his hand and punches the wall next to it, causing a few sections of the brick to move outwards with a mechanical groan. You can see a small console that’s not unlike an ATM, and he holds up the money to the screen, which disappears in a few moments. After that, a small scanner protrudes from the top and takes a few sweeps at Carmine’s hand – when it’s satisfied, it retracts, and the bricks slide back into place.

“The money that I just submitted is $1,000,000! This, of course, is far from the minimum – but what better way to test things than losing a little money, eh?”

“Losing money?” You parrot, causing Carmine to laugh boisterously.

“Just watch and learn!” He opens the door and shoves you inside, striding in and pulling out a pistol as he does. The gun looks like a trumped up USP .45, with a strange polka dot pattern painted across the casing. Orion follows in a few moments afterwards, looking at you with a faint semblance of concern, but his vision is drawn away as he looks at the rest of the place.

The inside of the building looks like a dingy warehouse, lacking any of the flair that Carmine seems to possess. It’s a room that has no furnishings to speak of – not even any visible machinery, although with the console on the outside of the door, it wouldn’t surprise you if such things were built into the walls.

>Wait for him to prove his point – patience is a virtue, after all.
>Repeat the questions that you asked him – you’re on a time limit, since Cinder’s on her way.
>Look helplessly at Orion, because you seem to be a bit out of your depth.
>Try to see if you can glean any information off of Carmine with your eyes. [This will require a roll.]
>Write-in.

>>4431879
>Try to see if you can glean any information off of Carmine with your eyes. [This will require a roll.]
Also if possible repeat our questions while doing so

>>4431879
>>Try to see if you can glean any information off of Carmine with your eyes. [This will require a roll.]

>>4431879
>Wait for him to prove his point – patience is a virtue, after all.

>>4431956
>>4431959
This goes through! Please roll me 1d20, and the best of three wins!

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4431981

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4431981
>>4431985
What a hell of a way to return

>>4431985
Fuck, the curse is back. Writing now!

>>4432006

(Alright, gonna have to head out for a few hours unfortunately, getting my haircut and spending some time with my grandma before my birthday tomorrow. Be back soon, be sure to alleviate the curse by the time I get back!)

You squint your eyes at Carmine, trying your best to get any information you can from his form. Perhaps an errant facial expression? A twitch of his fingers as he tries to craft a finely tuned lie? Maybe even some fiddling with something under his suit as he masterfully orchestrates a formidable and rigged test of ability—

Carmine pulls out a pad from his inventory and taps his finger against it, and you feel a tingle in your ears as a blue wire-frame expands across the room.

“Thank you for your patience, gentlemen!” Carmine says in an exuberant tone, pointing to the wall farthest away from your little group. Try as you might to observe him further, you find yourself following his movement, and you can see some circular shapes beginning to form. They’re largish bullseye targets that are a variety of colors, and Carmine raises his gun to fire at one with blue rings. When the bullet connects, the target shatters, and the following words appear.

>PLAYER #1 “carmine” LOCKED IN! ASSIGNING COLOR BLUE.

“To answer your questions – what is the precise fraction of value? A fifth of your wealth will be distributed among five targets which will belong to you.”

As he says this, five blue targets appear across the wall, and more words are displayed above it.

>CARMINE: $1,000,000.

“You can consider them your health AND your wealth! If you run out, you lose the game. And what happens when you shoot an enemy target? You obtain all of the wealth within, although it won’t be added to your health – just the profit at the end of the game! Everyone needs to have an equal chance, you understand? It wouldn’t be a game of skill otherwise!”

“Wouldn’t it be easy to just shoot an enemy target and call it a day, then? This seems redundant.” You can practically hear the scowl on Orion's face.

“You haven’t let me finish, boy.” Carmine’s voice is still pleasant as he fiddles with the pad. All of a sudden, a loud and piercing noise is heard throughout the chamber, making you wince. “Let’s get this party started!”

Unable to take your eyes from the wall, you watch as the blue targets slowly move – they turn over in place, showing an uncolored back. Four of the targets disappear, and you watch as two more blanks appear to the sides of the formerly blue one. They then begin to move rapidly, exchanging positions almost faster than your eyes can track.

“This is the bit that requires a little bit of luck, boys. Any one can shoot a plain ol’ target – but can you deduce which targets don’t belong to you?”

You blink.

>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.
>This seems a little too out of your league – you’ll pass, but watch Orion do it.
>Ask some more questions, if you have them.
>Write-in.

>>4432014
>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.

>>4432014
>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.

>>4432014
>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.

>>4432014
>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.

>>4432014
>He’s damn right you can – you’ll take the offer, it seems interesting.

Good afternoon, everyone! Had some car troubles, but I'm here, so that's fine. How are you all on this fine day?

>>4432023
>>4432046
>>4432093
>>4432245
>>4432305
Take your shots. Writing now!

>>4432481

“I’m pretty sure that I can.” You say with a smidgen of confidence, finally standing up from the ground and brushing dirt off of your clothes. Seriously, this place is dingy as fuck – you bet this guy could make some money off of this, so you wonder why he keeps the place in such shoddy shape.

“I’m very glad to hear it, young lad. Would you kindly follow me to the outside so I can process your registration? The game hasn’t begun yet, after all.” Carmine’s grin could rival the sun, and he walks towards the door with a major bit of pep in his step.

“You’re gonna keep the million in the pot?” Orion asks with a note of shock, reaching back to help you up and retracting his hand when he realizes that your ass is already off the ground.

“Of course! It’d be a bore if there weren’t some real risk for me, so I’m more than willing to sacrifice my money for a good time!”

“…he’s weird.” You whisper to Orion, stepping beyond the threshold of the door.

“I figured that he was from the moment he flagged down a girl on the street.” Orion says with a dark smirk, patting you roughly on the shoulder. “Hopefully he’s as stupid as he looks, though.”

You recall trying to analyze him earlier, and deduce that this man probably is as stupid as he looks.

“Lads! If you’re done whispering, may I please ask you to submit the money? Time’s a wasting, after all!” He pounds the side of the door again, and the hidden console is revealed once more.

Well, you’ve committed at this point. How much money do you want to submit?

>Money: $1,930,000.

>$100,000.
>$250,000.
>$500,000.
>$1,000,000.
>Wait for Orion to submit, and base your own offer off of that.
>Write-in.

>>4432499
>>$250,000.

>>4432499
>$250,000.

>>4432499
>>$500,000.

>>4432505
>>4432509
Put a quarter million on the table - no big deal, right? Writing now!

>>4432551

“Here you go, boss.”

You pull up your menu screen, and after fiddling with it for a solid 30 seconds – this shit is still new to you, after all – you’re able to properly figure out how to withdraw money in Warscape.

Look at you! A stunning example of learning something new every day, even if the new thing is completely useless in most circumstances.

After placing the money to the device, you’re able to register your profile to the game. Stepping back, you gesture for Orion to take your place, which he does with a smirk.

“Well, I’ll make things interesting for you, Carmine.” Orion drones on, rooting around in his inventory and taking out a larger stack of money than the blue-haired man did. You gasp in shock, and you see Carmine’s eyes light up.

“And how would that be, sir?” Carmine’s grin is nearly splitting his face.

“Doubling the pot.” He presses the money against the scanner and looks over his shoulder, “$1,250,000. If I’m gonna be beating the both of you, I might as well double my earnings.”

“You do realize that you winning doesn’t entirely depend on you, right?” You can’t help but joke, which causes Orion to lightly bump your shoulder with his as he makes his way into the room again.

“Lighten up, Wolf. Ain’t talking smack a part of the game?”

He withdraws a revolver with an incredibly long barrel from his inventory, raising it and sniping an orange target.

>PLAYER #2 “Orange” LOCKED IN! ASSIGNING COLOR ORANGE.

You think you hear Carmine gasp during the loud noise the machine makes, but you don’t feel like inquiring as to why. Raising up your own revolver, you ponder which color to pick from the vast variety displayed before you.

This is clearly the most important decision you have made in the last three weeks. This will decide your entire (immediate) future. Choosing incorrectly could mean shame, death, and sadness – potentially in that order.

Which do you choose?

>Red.
>Green.
>Yellow.
>Purple.
>Trust your QM’s impeccable color coordination and judgement.
>Pick another color or something it’s probably up there idk. (Write-in.)

>>4432578
>>Trust your QM’s impeccable color coordination and judgement.

>>4432547
SHAME ON YOU

>>4432578>>4432578
>>Pick another color or something it’s probably up there idk. (Write-in.)
Orange while blinking at orange

>>4432578
>Yellow.

>>4432578
>Trust your QM’s impeccable color coordination and judgement.
It's just a solid color, there's no way QM can mess this up

The dude's shock at Orange alongside the woman at the tournament when Orion signed up... Genesys is more well-known than I thought.

>>4432580
>>4432603
I can't fuck it up, you say? Of course I can't - my color coordination is the greatest. Writing now!

>>4432581
You can't prove ANYTHING.

File: you asked for this.jpg (3 KB, 355x355)

3 KB JPG

>>4432616

It takes you a few moments to decide. Color coordination is a pretty serious thing, right? As you raise a hand to your chin, it’s almost as if you have an out of body experience. While you can’t analyze Carmine worth a damn, you know that you CAN do this – you are the pinnacle of fashion and color choice, just ask you from five year—okay maybe don’t do that.

Raising your gun slowly, you decide on a color that would suit you best.

BANG!

>PLAYER #3 “n0v4_c43s4r” LOCKED IN! ASSIGNING COLOR CHARTREUSE.

For the first time in many moons, you think you can hear Orange attempting to stifle laughter.

You don’t give a fuck. This is the best color.

Carmine taps around on his pad for a few seconds, and locks in the game as started. After some time passes, you watch as the blue wire-frames appear around the room again, flashing in intricate patterns. Slowly, you watch in awe as a scene begins to be etched into the walls – no, it’s like the walls are being brushed away, revealing a landscape that could have been taken from an actual painting.

You’re standing in a field at dusk. The air is cool against your skin, far from the cloistering heat of summer and freezing chill of winter – this is perfect temperature, you’d say. The area under your feet is green and well-kept, but as your eyes trail up, you notice that the circular section is surrounded by wheat stalks. The moon is well into the sky at this point, and you can spot the barest hints of the sun descending beyond the horizon.

“Did I surprise you gents? I figured we should have a splendorous setting for a spectacular match!” Carmine eagerly puts his pad into his inventory and strides forward, placing his hands on your and Orion’s shoulders as he does.

Maybe it’s just me, but he’s squeezing my shoulder pretty tight.

Putting away your curiosity, you follow Carmine as he beckons the both of your forward. A small railing emerges from the ground, signifying that this is the point you’re supposed to stand at – beyond it, fifteen targets are floating in the air – a blue set, an orange set, and a chartreuse set.

One of these things are not like the other.

With a wave of Carmine’s hand, all of them flip over simultaneously, and twelve of them disappear into pixels. Six blank ones appear afterwards, and they begin to shuffle like the example pair did.

You have a few moments to converse before the game starts. Is there anything you’d like to say?

>Stay silent, and see if you can spot any indication of which targets belong to whom. [This will require a roll.]
>Try to spark up some form of conversation with Carmine – who is he, and how long has he been playing?
>Discuss some strategy with Orion, or maybe piss him off so that his judgement errs. You want to win!
>Write-in.

>>4432628
>Stay silent, and see if you can spot any indication of which targets belong to whom. [This will require a roll.]

>>4432628
>>Stay silent, and see if you can spot any indication of which targets belong to whom. [This will require a roll.]
Chartreuse? This is just a worse version of yellow! To think I could've had normal yellow if I had just voted with that other anon.

>>4432635
>>4432641
This goes through! Please roll a 1d20, and best of three wins!

>>4432641
Don't you mean better version, anon?

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>4432648

File: 1426808400442.jpg (26 KB, 400x462)

26 KB JPG

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4432648

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>4432648
1

>>4432652
The curse was gone as fast as it appeared. Writing now!

>>4432663
You fucker, I saw the 1 and actually panicked a little. Christ GxG got me fucked up.

>>4432664

Rather than engaging in conversation, you decide to lean against the railing and observe the rapidly moving disks. It’s very hard to make them out when they’re going so fast, and it really comes off as one big white blur. You sigh to yourself – this really will be a game of chance, won’t it? Just as you resign yourself to fiddling with your gun, you notice something sudden from near the shuffling discs.

A bright blue blip, followed by a dim orange and an even dimmer yellow – no, that’s chartreuse, you can’t mix up the incredibly different colors.

You stealthily glance to the side, and you see Orion’s eyebrows are raised in thought. Carmine, however, has his ever-permanent grin on his face. When he sees you looking out of the corner of his eye, he waggles his eyebrows at you.

”Did you see it?”

That’s what he seems to be implying with his expression.

So this isn’t just a blind shot for money. There’s some evidence of where they are – but how the fuck do they correlate to where they’re at?

Suddenly, the discs stop in place, an unnatural beep resounding throughout the incredibly natural mirage. They slowly spread out in a three by three grid, all blank and just itching to be shot. You try and rack your brains as to the meaning behind the lights, but Carmine interrupts your train of thought.

“Alright, gentlemen! Would one of you like the first crack at it, or should I do the honors?” Carmine spins the pistol around his finger, showing again his startling lack of trigger discipline.

You gaze at the grid. What would you like to do?

>O O O
>O O O
>O O O

>Take the first shot – might as well get the show started, right? (Specify where you’d like to fire.)
>Motion for Carmine to fire first – maybe you’ll gain some information from that.
>Look at Orion meaningfully – if he wanted to double the pot, he can shoot first.
>Write-in.

>>4432680
>Take the first shot – might as well get the show started, right? (Specify where you’d like to fire.)
The middle

>>4432668
Just a matter of time, dear anon
>>4432680
>>Take the first shot – might as well get the show started, right? (Specify where you’d like to fire.)
Right in the middle

>>4432680
Put our hatred for chartreuse into the shot.

>O O O
>O X O
>O O O

>>4432689
this

>>4432689
>>4432690
>>4432692
>>4432693
You take your shot. Writing now!

>>4432700

After a few moments of consideration, you aim the revolver directly at the center of the grid. Where better to start than the middle, honestly? If this were a game of tic-tac-toe, you’d choose there as your beginning point!

The gun roars, and the bullet finds the bullseye with little trouble. A few seconds pass as the shards fall to the ground, before words appear above the entire grid.

>HIT SCORED!
>Orange: -$250,000.

“Oi,” Orange speaks up and looks from around Carmine at you, “Now I’m gonna have to beat you harder so I make a profit.”

You can’t help the laugh that comes out – you didn’t expect to make your winnings back on your first shot, but hey, looks like you’re lucky today.

Orion raises his own gun and fires at the topmost right corner, eyes narrowing.

>MISS!

“Goddamnit, Wolf.”

“An unfortunate occurrence, Orange! Perhaps your aim needs some work?” Carmine grins, taking a shot on the middle right target.

“Not my fault you’re only givin’ a single beep to work off of.”

>MISS!

Carmine shrugs his shoulders, almost as if asking “What can you do?”.

>ROUND 1 COMPLETED!

>O O X
>O X X
>O O O

>carmine (5/5) - $1,000,000.
>n0v4_c43s4r (5/5) - $250,000.
>Orange (4/5) - $1,000,000.

Three more discs appear and insert themselves into the grid, shuffling with all of the others just as quick as they had the first time. You squint at them and wait, and surely enough, dividends are paid.

Bright chartreuse, dim blue, dimmer orange.

“The second round falls upon us, lads!” Carmine chirps, causing you to nod and Orion to grumble.

>Wait and fire. (Specify location.)
>Go second.
>Go third.
>Write-in.

>>4432722
>Wait and fire. (Specify location.)
bottom right

>>4432722
>Wait and fire. (Specify location.)
Bottom middle

>>4432730
this.

>>4432730
>>4432739
>>4432785
Internet took a while to decide whether or not it wanted to work, but hey, that's fine. Writing now!

>>4432911

“Indeed it does.” You respond to the man blankly, stroking your chin and raising your gun idly. You already shot the middle, so why not adjust your aim towards broader horizons? You adjust your gun so it’s aimed at the bottom right, pulling the trigger.

>HIT SCORED!
>Orange: -$250,000.

“Do you want a fight, Wolf?” Orion’s head slowly turns towards you, and you find yourself flinching a bit at the look on his face. You know – well, you think – he’s just getting salty over the game, but you’d rather not risk his ire.

“Not my fault, dude. It’s dumb luck.” You meekly respond, fiddling with the cylinder on your revolver.

“Now now, boys! Let’s not get upset over parlor games!” Carmine chimes in with a laugh, aiming at the top row. You see him aim his gun between the top two spots, before finally settling on the top middle.

>MISS!

“Looks like my luck is poor tonight!” Carmine claps his hands together, looking at you out of the corner of his eye and winking. “Hopefully third time’s the charm, eh?”

You’re not able to get a bead on this man. While he looks and dresses silly, and his over the top exuberance is ever-present, he seems to have sharpness underneath the surface. You had pegged him as stupid the moment you met him, but it would seem that you can’t (entirely) judge a book by it’s cover.

Orion, in the midst of your musings, fires at the target to the left of yours.

>HIT SCORED!
>carmine: -$200,000.

“Ah, it appears I’ve been bested!”

“At least it makes up for some of the loss.” Orion murmurs to himself, squinting at the board as more targets are added to the shuffling pile.

>ROUND 2 COMPLETED!

>O X O
>O O O
>O X X

>n0v4_c43s4r (5/5) - $250,000.
>carmine (4/5) - $800,000.
>Orange (3/5) - $750,000.

>Fire first.
>Go second.
>Go third.
>Write-in.

>>4432919
>>Fire first.
We've been doing pretty well thus far. Seems like the blips are pretty straightforward... waiting for the other shoe to drop.

>>4432919
>Fire first.

>>4432919
>Fire first.

>>4432923
>>4432933
>>4433069
I do not know sleep. Writing now!

>>4433123

(Just kidding I know sleep. Heading to bed, and I’ll probably be sleeping in a bit since it’s my birthday. Going to be heading off around 5 PM in the afternoon, but I’ll try to update as much as I can until that point! Thanks for reading everybody, and have a great night!)

As the targets readjust themselves once again, you set yourself on being the first to fire off again. Your lead seems to be paying off, considering both of your shots paid massively, so you might as well keep that ball rolling and hope that more money falls in. You’ve already made double your sum, after all!

You also paid attention to the beeps – there was first a weird mixture of bright chartreuse and orange, followed by a dim blue.

Musing to yourself, you eventually settle on the leftmost row. Having already shot at the other two, you’d be remiss not to take that one – especially when a pattern is slowly making itself known to you. While your target is on the row, you know Orange’s is as well – and to be honest, you’ll take a shot at him if you need to.

Gotta love the process of elimination, right?

You pull the trigger and the bottom left target with a small smile on your face, almost getting excited at the thought of all the money that will be coming in.

Unfortunately, someone fires as the exact same time as you.

Before you, the two bullets that soar through the air collide, making a cacophony of noise and sparks that makes you wince. Rather than halting as you expected them to, they continue on a slightly jilted trajectory, tumbling through your original target.

Your head immediately shoots to the side, and you see Carmine smiling back with his gun still smoking.

>HIT SCORED!
>Orange: -$250,000.

“Looks like that one’s for me, then!” The man chortles, leaning towards you with a hint of smugness in his eyes. “Care to try again, Nova? You still haven’t hit a target yet.”

So allowing someone to shoot uninhibited is a courtesy, not a mandate.

>O O O
>O O O
>X O O

>Pick a location to fire on.

>>4433138
Left middle

>>4433138
left middle

Good afternoon, everyone! Woke up late, had some lunch with family, and I'm now ready to write until I'm carted off to the bar later.

Hope all of you are doing well today!

>>4433165
>>4433377
Fire at the left middle spot. Writing now!

>>4433611

Keeping a sharp eye on Carmine, you raise the gun a notch higher than you had originally planned to. Orion seems non-plussed by this occurrence, although you could swear you can see a vein popping in his forehead as he tries to keep a façade of calmness – the loss of money is a heavy burden on Orion’s head apparently, whether it’s in real life or in a video game.

“Gonna do that again?” You ask with a cocked eyebrow, not sounding very amused.

“There’s only one way to find ou—”

Before he can finish speaking, you pull the trigger and the bullet lands squarely in the middle of the target.

>MISS!

“Your perfect shot record has been shattered, Nova! Truly a shame, truly a shame.” Carmine shrugs his shoulders, a haughty chuckle escaping his mouth. You can’t tell if he’s trying to be a dick on purpose or not – you genuinely can’t get a read on what this guy is really feeling, or if the façade he’s presenting is genuine.

“Better watch it, Carmine. Getting too cocky often leads to a downfall.” Orion snipes, deciding on the bottom-most middle target again.

>HIT SCORED!
>carmine: -$200,000.

“It would appear so! Goodness me, I may be out of the game at the rate I’m going! I wonder who will profit the most from this?”

>ROUND 3 COMPLETED!

>O O O
>X O O
>X X O

>n0v4_c43s4r (5/5) - $250,000.
>carmine (3/5) - $600,000.
>Orange (2/5) - $500,000.

>Focus on the bleeps again – there’s a pattern here, and you’d like to know where you’re shooting.
>Try to get a bead on Carmine – this battle seems weirdly psychological with him. [This will require a roll.]
>Attempt to discreetly signal to Orion that you should team on him – he’s losing anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>4433630
>Try to get a bead on Carmine – this battle seems weirdly psychological with him. [This will require a roll.]

>>4433630
>Try to get a bead on Carmine – this battle seems weirdly psychological with him. [This will require a roll.]

>>4433630
>>Try to get a bead on Carmine – this battle seems weirdly psychological with him. [This will require a roll.]

>>4433630
>Try to get a bead on Carmine – this battle seems weirdly psychological with him. [This will require a roll.]

>>4433636
>>4433639
>>4433640
>>4433641
Sus this man out with perfect accuracy. Please roll me a 1d20, best of three goes through!

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4433647

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>4433647

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>4433647

>>4433652
turns out we're pretty bad at analyzing people

That or Carmine is just too over-the-top for anyone to understand

Genesis || team members: Fletcher (captain), Nova, Orange, Dragon, Sky.

Y/N?

File: 300px-Look_At_Me,_I'm_The(...).jpg (8 KB, 300x287)

8 KB JPG

>>4433670

>N

We're the new captain

>>4433652
This goes through, writing now!

>>4433664
Carmine is truly an enigma.

>>4433670
i would say no because sky is mainupulative

>>4433677

Forgoing using the lights for guidance – you’re sure you’ll get it right no matter what – you instead shift your vision away from the shuffling targets and towards Carmine, who’s idly looking at them while flicking the revolver’s hammer.

This man reminds you of a clown. He has an over-the-top exuberance that you haven’t seen before, which is only accented by the gaudy hair and suit. He seems to be egging the both of you on, but is largely unconcerned with winning on his own. You also don’t know many random people willing to blow $1,000,000 on a bet, however Orion’s also in the room, so you guess you can’t hold that against him.

He’s a puzzle, and it’s one that you can’t quite solve. You lean closer and squint at him in an attempt to peel through the outer layers with your mind, but he catches you in the act, head snapping towards you.

“Nova, shouldn’t you focus on keeping your eyes on the match? You may be in the lead, but one can easily be overcame should their attention wane!” He shimmies over to you and grabs you by your wrist – the one with the anti-cheat band on it – and forces your pointer finger out, aiming it at Orion. “I mean, look at that man! He’s only gotten one hit, and he’s in last place! He said he’d beat us soundly, too…”

Orion’s face morphs into a sneer, and he opens his menu in a flash. A second later, you see him withdraw a knife – one of the old slim models that he hid up his sleeve as a last resort, you remember - and sends it flying at the both of you with a growl.

>Let it fly – you don’t feel like contesting him when he’s being salty.
>Attempt to dodge – why would you want to be jabbed with a knife? [This will require a LOW roll.]
>Pull Carmine in front of you – he said the thing, he should take the knife. [This will require a roll.]
>Try to catch the knife – you will show off because you can, goddamnit. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Grasp your gun by the barrel and try to redirect the knife into one of the targets. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>4433686
>Attempt to dodge – why would you want to be jabbed with a knife? [This will require a LOW roll.]

>>4433686
>>Pull Carmine in front of you – he said the thing, he should take the knife. [This will require a roll.]

>>4433686
>Attempt to dodge – why would you want to be jabbed with a knife? [This will require a LOW roll.]

>>4433693
>>4433702
Roll to dodge. Please roll me a 1d20, best of three goes through!

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>4433706

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4433706

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>4433706

>>4433712
This goes through, writing now!

>>4433725

You sharply jerk to the side and let the knife pass over your shoulder, Carmine mirroring the action as well – the blade clatters against the stone wall, and silence dominates the room.

“A textbook example as to why you never get mad over a game! Because it’s just that, a game! I bet a player such as yourself has a high amount of money to fall back on, right, Orange?” The man’s voice is almost teasing. He stands up and brushes off his suit, striding back up to the railing with his ever-present grin.

“It’s the principle of it, dickhead.” Orion doesn’t hide his contempt well – for one being onboard with this in the beginning, his attitude has definitely adjusted. He follows up his words with a sigh, murmuring something under his breath.

“May I ask what you said?” Carmine asks hopefully.

“None of your damn business. Wolf, take a shot before I try to beat him to death.” Orion looks at you, stalking over to the wall and picking up his fallen knife with a glare. You watch him for a few seconds, almost expecting Carmine to throw in an additional jab – he does no such thing, however, and you’re stuck glaring at the targets again.

You don’t have any beeps to go off of this time either, but hey, you’re in the lead. What could go wrong, right?

>O O O
>O O O
>O O O

>Pick an area to shoot, and then do so.
>Wait for Carmine to fire first, and try to intercept the bullet with your own – payback’s a bitch. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Walk over to Orion and ask why Carmine’s getting under his skin so much.
>Politely ask Carmine to stop antagonizing your friend.
>Write-in.

>>4433729
>>Wait for Carmine to fire first, and try to intercept the bullet with your own – payback’s a bitch. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
Smokin' Sexy Style

>>4433729
>Walk over to Orion and ask why Carmine’s getting under his skin so much.

>>4433729
>>Walk over to Orion and ask why Carmine’s getting under his skin so much.
Might be a nice little moment to build up his tolerance for smug jackasses cause lord knows there's a ton of 'em in Warscape. Can't have him losing his cool once the tournament starts.

>>4433729
>Wait for Carmine to fire first, and try to intercept the bullet with your own – payback’s a bitch. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>4433729
>Walk over to Orion and ask why Carmine’s getting under his skin so much.

Yo, people showed up earlier than expected, so I'm gonna be heading off for now! Vote's open until I get back - could be later tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go. See you soon, and have a good one anons!

>>4433729
>Wait for Carmine to fire first, and try to intercept the bullet with your own – payback’s a bitch. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>4433729
>Wait for Carmine to fire first, and try to intercept the bullet with your own – payback’s a bitch. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

Good morning, everyone! Last night was wild, and I'm up earlier than I thought I'd be. How are all of you doing today?

>>4433733
>>4433746
>>4434525
>>4434721
Deliver payback with prejudice. Please roll me a 1d20, and best of three goes through!

>>4434845
Holy shit! Your back, glad to see you! Long time lurker hoping to actually play.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4434855
Forgot roll opps.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4434845

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4434845

>>4434858
Hey, that's pretty good! Writing now.

>>4434855
Even though I live in bursts, I still live. Glad to have you here anon, and I hope you have a good time!

>>4434904

Rather than firing immediately, you lean against the railing and stare at the target board longingly. What could your options be? You didn’t see the beep, so it’s really a crapshoot – but maybe the power of luck will be in your favor? This could be the most important shot of the match, so careful observance is really the safest course of action—

In the midst of your thoughts, you casually raise your gun at the same time as Carmine, and pull the trigger just before he does.

The bullets dance through the air once again, and upon collision, an even bigger shower of sparks occurs as the metal impacts with the target directly in the middle.

>SELF-HIT SCORED! NO MONEY REWARDED!
>n0v4_c43s4r: -$50,000.

You turn to Carmine with a smirk, managing to keep your cool despite shooting yourself in the foot almost literally.

“As long as you don’t get it, that’s fine by me. Care to try again, Carmine?” You blow on the smoking barrel of your gun, and Carmine throws his head back as he laughs.

“Turnabout is fair play, I do admit that, Nova!” He pounds his hand on the railing as he guffaws. “Oh, you truly are a treat.”

You don’t like that this man just called you a treat. In fact, it makes you feel strangely slimy.

As you look at this man, you feel a rough hand pat you on the shoulder, and Orion murmurs what sounds like a compliment in your ear. You wonder if disrupting him was enough to make the orange-haired man lighten up a bit, although you highly doubt it due to him hemorrhaging money.

Either way, Orion takes aim at the bottom left target and fires.

>MISS!

Rather than getting upset about it, you spot Orion slightly nodding to himself – perhaps he’s got an idea in his head?

After waiting a few minutes to see if you’ll interrupt him again, Carmine gives you both a cheeky look and pulls the trigger at the topmost right target.

>MISS!

Your eyebrows quirk up. It feels like he’s messing with you.

>ROUND 4 COMPLETED!

>O O X
>O X O
>X O O

>n0v4_c43s4r (4/5) - $200,000.
>carmine (3/5) - $600,000.
>Orange (2/5) - $500,000.

Looks like the fifth round is upon you, and this time you manage to catch the bleeps too. Bright orange, dim blue, dimmer chartreuse. You’re glad you were perceptive enough to pick up the last one – if you didn’t know it was there, chances are you’d have never found it.

What would you like to do?

>Pick a target and fire.
>Spare a moment to check your messages and see if Cinder’s sent you anything.
>Beckon Orion over and try to convince him to explain the pattern secret. [This will require a roll.]
>Snipe at Carmine’s bullet again, because fuck this over the top man. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>4434920
>Spare a moment to check your messages and see if Cinder’s sent you anything.

>>4434920
>Spare a moment to check your messages and see if Cinder’s sent you anything.

>>4434920
>Spare a moment to check your messages and see if Cinder’s sent you anything.

>>4434920
>Spare a moment to check your messages and see if Cinder’s sent you anything.

>>4434926
>>4434936
>>4434943
>>4434949
Check DMs, they may contain whimsy. Writing now!

Also, things might be a little spaced out this morning, just because I'm working on assignments at the same time. Gotta love the second day of college!

>>4434963

Tuning out from the others briefly, you pull up your menu and navigate to the messages tab. Sure enough, there are two unread messages there, which will probably double soon if you don’t give Cinder your immediate attention. While she is a compassionate friend, patience is not a trait that she possesses.

>Drag0n: hey I’m at the marketplace where are you?
>Drag0n: did you really ditch me lol

Your eyes dart to the bottom of the screen, and you see that she’s already in the process of typing out another message. Rolling your eyes with a small chuckle, you manage to type one out before she does.

>n0v4_c43s4r: Went on a walk.

She stops, apparently spends a few moments backspacing whatever she was in the process of writing out, and continues.

>Drag0n: where?
>n0v4_c43s4r: Towards the street game setup they have a little bit out of the marketplace.
>Drag0n: i’ll head over there then. any good games?

You look up just in time to catch Orion finally shooting first, hitting the top-middle target.

>HIT SCORED!
>carmine: -$200,000.

“HA!” You’re almost surprised to hear Orion raise his voice in a way that doesn’t sound threatening.

“Very good shot, Orange! Only six more to go, providing you don’t get shot first~!” Carmine’s voice is in sing-song, and he turns to you with that big grin on his face. You see him notice that you’re in the middle of texting, so he appears to wait patiently while you do so.

How can one man be so smug but strangely polite? You’ll never figure it out.

>n0v4_c43s4r: Playing one right now. The owner’s fucking weird. Stay near the street and we’ll be there soon.
>Drag0n: …okay?
>n0v4_c43s4r: Also, did you lock up the arcade?
>Drag0n: of course

It’s not like you doubt her, but you’d just like to hear it for confirmation.

When you close your menu, Carmine immediately speaks up.

“Nova, I require your counsel!”

“Why’s that?” Your voice literally could not get more skeptical.

“Well, I was just contemplating who I should shoot! I am pretty sure I know where the both of you are on this board, so I just wanted to know your preference!”

“…has anybody told you that you can be irritating?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not!”

You find yourself gritting your teeth. This dude is absolutely fucking with you, although you’re not sure why.

>O X O
>O O O
>O O O

>Pick a target and fire – you won’t play his games.
>Tell him to decide himself.
>Tell him to shoot at you – you’re in the lead.
>Tell him to shoot at Orion – you want to win.
>Write-in.

>>4434985
>>Tell him to shoot at you – you’re in the lead.

>>4434985
>Tell him to shoot at you – you’re in the lead.

>>4434985
>Tell him to shoot at you – you’re in the lead.

>>4434985
>Tell him to shoot at you – you’re in the lead

>>4434987
>>4434988
>>4434989
>>4435038
Call his bluff, protect your friend's score. Writing now!

>>4435087

“Alright, Carmine. Go ahead and shoot at me.” You say flippantly, shrugging your shoulders. You’ve already made enough money to make up what you spent and then some, so you have no qualms with him taking a shot at you. Not to mention, you think Orion would actually blow a gasket if you told Carmine to shoot his target, so you’ll go ahead and take the L in order to protect yourself.

Interestingly enough, you see Carmine’s eyebrows furrow for a moment, although his face is still morphed into a grin.

“A good choice, Nova! Have to protect the ol’ teammate, right? I get that, I get that a bunch!” Carmine nudges you in the side with his elbow – you have to stop yourself from slapping away his arm – and he aims at the right side of the board. Squinting, you watch his eyes flash between every target in the row, before finally settling on the top right corner.

>MISS!

“Huh, I thought I had you there.” Carmine admits honestly, running a hand through his blue hair. “But hey, what can you do? It’s all in the name of the game, right?”

You don’t respond to him, but you do feel satisfied knowing that he might have just been taken down a peg. This man is awakening something dark within you, and that being is called pettiness.

What can you say, the dude’s smugness is grating on you. Not to the level that it’s affecting Orion apparently, but it’s still there.

“It’s your turn, Wolf.” Orion speaks up from behind Carmine, leaning against the metal railing.

>O X X
>O O O
>O O O

>Pick a target and fire.

>>4435105
>Middle

>>4435105
Middle.

Wolfgang should embrace his pettiness after the joy it brought him with Edit

>>4435105
>Pick a target and fire.
Middle row, left column

>>4435105
>Middle

>>4435117
>>4435121
>>4435149
Shoot directly in the middle - writing now!

>>4435121
He just needs to use it as gamer fuel.

Also finished up my work for the day so we're back to the grind!

>>4435327

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” You respond to Orion and raise up your gun, moving it over to the middle target. Glancing at the door behind you, you wonder if Cinder will somehow track you down to this place and bust in the door police style. The game is weirdly secretive – Carmine was flagging down people only to lead them all the way over here, after all. You bet this game would be much more popular if the guy wasn’t as ostentatious as he is.

You mean, seriously, who wants to follow a random guy in a green suit?

Just because you did it doesn’t mean that other people would want to, god.

Rolling your eyes at your own train of thought, you pull the trigger before either of the two men can give you any flak for it.

>MISS!

You click your tongue and flick open the cylinder of your revolver, letting all of the casings clatter to the ground. Due to this being in a menu hub and not an actual match, you’re surprised when more bullets appear out of blue polygons and automatically slot themselves into the open holes. Raising an eyebrow, you snap the cylinder shut and give it a cursory spin.

This game just seems to have a solution for everything, huh?

>ROUND 5 COMPLETED!

>O X X
>O X O
>O O O

>n0v4_c43s4r (4/5) - $200,000.
>carmine (2/5) - $400,000.
>Orange (2/5) - $500,000.

“Did you make this game yourself, Carmine?” You ask the man as the targets shuffle, observing them as you do. A dim mixture of orange and chartreuse, followed by an even dimmer blue.

“I did indeed! I found myself getting quite bored with the parlor games outside, so I figured that if I want something, that I should do it myself! And so, after many trials and tribulations, this game came to be – whilst it can be difficult to those who aren’t observant, I find it to be a very pleasant test of skill, along with a good icebreaker between chums. Isn’t that right, Orange?” The man prattles on with a smile, causing Orange to visibly roll his eyes.

“You’re lucky that this is more interesting than playing cups.”

“Oh, are you talking about the parlor on the street? You should absolutely go there when you have the time! It may be boring to me, but good ol’ Adam always adds a fun twist to his games!”

“We’re on a time limit—” Orion begins with a cold tone, and you interrupt in order to try to keep the mood up.

“—but we’ll think about it!” You finish, shooting Orion a look. He’s been salty for the past while, and you’d rather not get into any hot water before the tournament. It’s not like anyone except Carmine is watching, but still, the walls have ears.

>O O O
>O O O
>O O O

>Pick a location and fire.
>Ask more about the game - you're a bit interested.
>Text Cinder and wait for the others to fire.
>Write-in.

>>4435348
>Kiss orian deeply

>>4435348
>Text Cinder and wait for the others to fire.

>>4435348
>Pick a location and fire.
Bottom middle

>>4435348
>Ask more about the game - you're a bit interested.

>>4435348
>Ask more about the game - you're a bit interested.

>>4435348
>>4435400
If people have questions, I'll just switch to
>Ask more about the game - you're a bit interested.
and speed things up

>>4435396
>>4435399
>>4435420
Interrogate this man - what secrets does he hold? Writing now!

>>4435361
Your enthusiasm is appreciated, anon.

>>4435422

“If you don’t mind me asking further, Carmine. What inspired the concept of this? I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it.”

You motion for Orion to fire as you’re talking, which he does with a look you can’t exactly place. He probably didn’t expect to be pulled into this rigmarole with this slight slime ball – I mean, who would ever expect a guy flagging down random strangers to be sleazy – but he’s the one who talked to him first, so he can deal.

Carmine takes this question in stride, turning on his heel towards you and spreading his arms out wide. This movement slightly startles both you and Orion, although the latter is able to keep it in check much more than you.

“I’ll tell you something, Nova. Would you go to a regular shooting gallery in Warscape?”

You’re about to respond, but he cuts you off as soon as you open your mouth.

“OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T! Why would you do that when you can instead go into training mode? It’s just like a shooting gallery, and it’s of no expense to yourself! So when I realized that, I had a thought, you see. What could I do to make a shooting gallery succeed? Make the targets big? No, that wouldn’t do. Wager some money on it? Sure, that could be good. Add a level of intrigue? BINGO!” Carmine claps his hands together just as Orion fires the gun at the middle right.

>HIT SCORED!
>carmine: -$200,000.

“Got you again,” Orion comments, but Carmine doesn’t pay him any heed.

“And so began the testing of this new game. A shooting gallery where all you have to go off of is brief flashes of color – I know you saw them, by the way – in order to identify where the opponent’s target is. If you win, you can win millions. If you lose, you may still be able to profit. Isn’t this the ultimate kind of carnival game?”

“I see…” you trail off, raising a hand to stroke at your chin. “Any chance you can tell me what’s up with the color patterns?”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Nova. You must use your own intuition – also, it varies by game once in a while, so my answer might not be accurate. We must be fair about these things, I’m sure you understand.”

“I’m not sure that I do, but it’s a very interesting system, I’ll give you that.”

“Why, thank you! Perhaps we can talk about it some more after we finish?” There’s a glint in his eye. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while~!”

You have never doubted something harder in your life.

>O O O
>O O X
>O O O

>Pick a location and fire.

>>4435459
Bottom middle

>>4435459
>top middle

>>4435459
>Bottom Middle

>>4435468
>>4435506
Bottom middle it is - writing now!

>>4435579

“We’ll see about that, chief.” You say with a hesitant tone, instead focusing on aiming at the target. With a rightward glance at Carmine to make sure he doesn’t attempt to interrupt you, you fire your revolver at the bottom-middle target, hoping that you can manage to score.

>HIT SCORED!
>Orange: -$250,000.

Orion doesn’t have anything to say this time around, instead sighing deeply and leaning his arms and face against the rail. The sight would almost look sad if his hair wasn’t obscured by a fur-lined hood, which instead makes him weirdly look like a jilted kitten. You make sure to be certain that you never say this Orion, because you’re pretty damn sure he’d actually murder you in real life.

“Quite a good aim you are, Nova!” Carmine throws back a loud guffaw, flicking up his gun and firing directly at the center of the board.

>HIT SCORED!
>n0v4_c43s4r: -$200,000.

“Let’s all go down a point, shall we? Sharing the wealth is one of the kindest things that you can do, after all!” He slaps his knee like he’s told the funniest joke in the world, looking between the both of you like you should be laughing right along with him.

Both you and Orion exchange gazes and sigh deeply, although for different reasons.

>ROUND 6 COMPLETED!

>O O O
>O X X
>O X O

>n0v4_c43s4r (3/5) - $150,000.
>carmine (1/5) - $200,000.
>Orange (1/5) - $250,000.

“It looks like some of us are on death’s row! Will we recover, Orion? Can we oust the king from his seat?” Carmine asks the man, and you can see Orion physically restrain himself from lashing out at him.

Some people apparently just don’t mesh, and two of them are right in front of you.

The beeps flash by again – bright orange, dim blue, dimmer chartreuse.

>Take your pick of the targets and fire.
>Message Cinder and see if she’s there yet.
>Try and intercept one of their shots – you know, like an asshole. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4435597
>Try and intercept one of their shots – you know, like an asshole. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
Carmine s shot

>>4435597
>>Try and intercept one of their shots – you know, like an asshole. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>4435631
>>4435634
This goes through! Please specify who you'd like to intercept and roll me a 1d20 - best of three goes through!

>>4435673
Carmine

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>4435689

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4435673
orange

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>4435673

>>4435707
I forgot to specify. Carmine

>>4435707
>>4435710
This goes through - writing now!

>>4435728

Eyeing Carmine, you try and stealthily raise your gun in order to intercept his bullet once more. You’ve had a 100% percent success rate with this trick, because you’ve only done it once, but that’s more than enough for you to feel some semblance of confidence as you give the man a side eye.

Carmine, for once, isn’t looking at you. He’s carefully analyzing the board – namely, the right side. You see his thumb slowly trace the indents in the cylinder, and he clicks his tongue as he slowly adjusts his aim from target to target.

“Oh my god, can you shoot already?” Orion gripes, waving his gun at both of you with a sneer. “I’d like to have a chance to get this one right.”

“Oh, fine, fine! You know I can’t say no to you, Orange.”

“The fuck does that mean—”

Carmine spins the revolver in his hand and fires towards the topmost right target, and you immediately do the same in an attempt to catch him. Upon closer look, however, he fired slightly above it – your bullet goes directly through it, and as soon as it does, he brings the hammer back and fires it at the bottom-right target.

>MISS!

You wince.

>HIT SCORED!
>n0v4_c43s4r: -$50,000.

“You’ll have to be a bit quicker on the draw to beat me, good sir!” Carmine cackles, patting you roughly on the shoulder. “Third time isn’t the charm, huh?”

“I only fired twice.” You grouse.

“No, you see – I fired and succeeded first, you did it second and succeeded, but now you’ve failed on the third total attempt! It’s like the saying, but in reverse!”

You feel abject irritation in this moment, which is slightly quelled as Orion fires at the top-middle target.

>HIT SCORED!
>carmine: -$200,000.
>PLAYER “carmine” IS OUT!

“Aw, looks like today wasn’t my lucky day! At least I made out with a little money, huh?” Carmine gives Orion a round of applause. “If I had some, I’d throw some confetti for you!”

“Go fuck yourself.” Orion says with a snort, turning towards you. “Looks like it’s you and me now, Wolf.”

“It…definitely seems so, huh.”

>ROUND 7 COMPLETED!

>n0v4_c43s4r (2/5) - $100,000.
>Orange (1/5) - $250,000.
>carmine (3rd place) - $0.

>O X X
>O O O
>O O X

As the dust settles, you watch as two of the shuffling targets remove themselves from the pile and shatter into blue dust, leaving six of the white discs to take their place on the board. It’s still just as strange seeing that in the middle of a false night sky – even though this scenery is beautiful, Orion’s knife still clattered off of where the walls have always stood.

One regular orange flash, one regular chartreuse flash. Looks like there’s no light level hints anymore.

“Well, let’s get this over with, Wolf.” Orion spins his cylinder and looks over at you, a glint in his eye.

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Ooh, is there some tension here? Wonderful! Healthy competition is what this game is all about!”

You ignore Carmine. You have a game to win.

>O O
>O O
>O O

>Pick a location and fire.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4435774
>1 4
>2 5
>3 6

I'll let the dice gods decide

>>4435774
middle left

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4435774
>>4435782
Agree

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4435774
Middle left

>>4435805
>>4435782
High rollers tonight!

>>4435782
>>4435793
>>4435805
Bruh, nice crit. Writing now!

>>4435834

“On the count of three, then?” You offer to Orion with a little half-smile, hoping that he’ll take it up.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Orion shrugs his shoulders and looks at you, snorting and shaking his head when he sees that you’re smiling a little bit.

You’re not sure whether or not that’s a good thing, but you’d like to assume so. A lot of the reason that you did this in the first place was to establish some rapport with the man, so you’ll try to believe that his gesture was an indication of success, despite said gesture being a semblance of a laugh in your direction.

Figuring out people is hard, you much prefer arcade machines.

“Three.” You say, raising your revolver and holding it directly at the left-middle target. Orion actually mirrors your gesture towards the right-middle, and you exchange another look.

“Two.” You pull back the hammer on your revolver, and Orion once again mirrors it. It looks like this is gonna be just like the symmetrical kill earlier, only towards targets instead of heads.

“ONE!”

Carmine screams this out at the top of his lungs, and while normally you’d jump, you feel a strange concentration as you hold yourself steady.

Orion, however, does not have such a thing. In fact, at the sudden loud noise, he becomes startled – you watch as he involuntarily pulls the trigger, the bullet sailing right through the top right target.

>MISS!

“You motherfucker.” Orion turns around with a hiss, walking towards Carmine with his fists clenched.

“I was only trying to add to the fun, good si—” You hear the sound of a fist hitting flesh, and as much as you want to stop him, you find yourself agreeing a little bit that he had it coming at that point.

Instead of focusing on the brawl behind you, you line up your shot without a care in the world and fire, the countdown now abandoned.

>HIT SCORED!
>Orange: -$250,000.
>PLAYER “Orange” IS OUT!

>PLAYER “n0v4_c43s4r” WINS! CONGRATULATIONS! MONEY IS BEING CALCULATED!

Looks like you’ve won another match, even if it’s of a different sort.

>Allow yourself a victory fist pump – you’ve earned it.
>Text Cinder and notify her of your sweet victory.
>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.
>Write-in.

>>4435854
>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.

>>4435854
>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.

>>4435854
>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.

>>4435854
>>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.

>>4435854
>Break up the two behind you, because it might get uglier.

>>4435856
>>4435866
>>4435867
>>4435877
>>4435882
Alright, alright, break it up you two. Writing now!

>>4435888

Rather than savoring the moment of victory as planned, you instead pivot on your heel and observe the situation. Orion is straddling Carmine and is trying to punch him in the head with wide arcs, but Carmine’s able to use his forearms to deflect the blows. It’s almost a comical occurrence, but you know that if it keeps up, things might just get more than a little more heated.

“Alright, break it up, guys. Match is over, money is dividing, let’s not have this happen.” You walk forward and reach out to secure your arms around Orion, but he uses his upper back to push you away, sending you stumbling a bit.

“This dude’s been fuckin’ with me since the match began, dude, I ain’t gonna take that.” Orion seethes, causing Carmine to laugh even under a hail of fists.

This is a long shot from how you used to perceive Orion, a guy who wouldn’t talk too much, stayed in his room when he wasn’t training, and just floated around the house when he wasn’t in a team exercise. It occurs to you in that moment that you may not have really known him at all back in the day, even if he apparently considered you a friend.

That’s a bit depressing, honestly.

You shake off the sudden melancholy – that’s for when you get in bed at night – and rush forward, wrapping your arms firmly around his midsection.

“Get the fuck off of him, Orion. We have places to be.” You hiss in his ear, to which he responds with a sharp shake of his head.

“No, let him keep going, this is fun~!” Carmine calls out in sing-song.

Alright, it’s time for you to get serious.

>Please roll me a 1d20. Best of three wins!

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4435905

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4435905

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4435905

>>4435916
the prime physical specimen known as wolfgang o'neal

>>4435916
Best opportunity for the 1

>>4435920
>>4435921
Thank you, thank you.

I'll be here all night

>>4435916
That's not even a curse, it's just wolfgang's destiny not allowing him to win

>>4435916
Wolfgang O'Neal is not a very strong man. Writing now!

>>4435936
Born to lose when it counts.

>>4435943

With all of the power in your body, you squeeze and pull backwards, trying to physically take Orion directly off of Carmine’s sprawled body. At first, you think it’s working well. You’re pretty sure you can feel him move along with you as you put all of your strength into your legs, almost as if you were attempting a sort of suplex maneuver.

You can feel it in your bones, Wolfgang. This is you surpassing all of your limits – for every headlock you’ve endured, for every loss in arm wrestling, for every time you’ve accidentally dropped a box on your foot – this is it. This is your time to shine, to prove your worth, to PROVE YOUR STRENGTH—

Orion bucks out of your grip with all of his might and checks you again in the chest with his upper back – despite being wiry and almost gaunt, there’s a surprising amount of strength there. You feel lances of electricity spark up and down your chest as you’re sent back into the steel railing. Funnily enough, as soon as that happens, the idyllic simulated scenery disappears, the dingy walls of the warehouse coming back into view in a matter of moments.

Coughing into your hand, you look at the two guys squabbling, and in that moment decide that you can’t do this yourself. You let out a long sigh and stare at the ceiling, listening to the beeps of Carmine’s game as it apparently calculates your money, alongside the sounds of scuffling and angry swearing.

Why’s it gotta be like this, you ask the universe.

It doesn’t answer.

>Stare at the ceiling and wait for the money to finish calculating.
>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.
>Send a message to Cinder and go off on your own – your mood is soured by your failure.
>Write-in.

>>4435957
>>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.
The strongest human being we know

>>4435957
>>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.

>>4435957
>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.

>>4435957
>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.

>>4435961
>>4435962
>>4435964
>>4435966
Get the strongest girl around. Writing now!

>>4436136

(Heading to bed after this one, as I’m quite tired and it’s one in the morning! Thank you very much for dropping by to read today, I hope you all have had a good time doing so! Please leave any comments you may have as it fuels me to do better and keep writing! Have a great night anons, and see you tomorrow!)

After taking a few solitary moments to sulk against the cold concrete floor, you eventually pull yourself off of the ground and glare at the fighting pair, skulking across the room at out the door. You don’t even bother to pay attention to the match winnings – you just want to get those two set straight so that the three of you can go shopping, and you can damn well look at the winnings when you’re on the move.

Stepping out into the alleyway, you take in a deep breath of the cold night air. It was much hotter in the building than you realized, and you find yourself wishing you had a sweatshirt of some kind due to the sudden change in temperature. Rubbing your bare arms, you try and mentally retrace your steps back to the attraction-filled street. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long, as you can spot the amber lights across the ground at the mouth of the alley.

You hurriedly make your way into the street and look around, trying to spot Cinder as quickly as you can. Unfortunately, you doubt you’d have an easy time finding her with this big of a crowd – the street is much more crowded than when you left. It isn’t really surprising, since this operation seems like a pretty well oiled machine.

It still leaves you without your pal, though. What would you like to do?

>Text her and ask where she’s at – it’s the simplest way to go about it.
>Use the excuse to go play some games or find some food – you feel like you need to destress.
>Try and find her through your astute powers of observation and ancient tracking arts. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>4436150
>>Try and find her through your astute powers of observation and ancient tracking arts. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
Feeling real good about this one, it'll be a real turnaround

>>4436150
>>Try and find her through your astute powers of observation and ancient tracking arts. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>4436150
>Try and find her through your astute powers of observation and ancient tracking arts. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>4435957
>Walk out of the door and see if you can find Cinder – she can help you, probably.