Board 8 > The Notes of Cain [CYOA/Forum Game]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Time for more spooky shenanigans
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HYPE
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???????
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Zigzagoon posted...

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!!!!!!!
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Entry 2: Honeyflower's Revenge

As before, Captain Punch felt his talents were being heavily underutilized. Yes, he had a real name. No, it didn't matter what it was. Everyone had been calling him Punch since the old days. And when his reputation had raised and he'd brought enough men under his command, it had become Captain Punch. He'd lost his ship recently to Sirens, but there was nothing to be done for that. That was an enemy that was difficult to punch.
The expedition to Cain's lands was seen for the former ship captain as a way of making some quick start up money in order to buy a new ship and hire a new crew. These land lovers didn't understand things. He'd been told many times that he didn't understand how the world works, but that was always by dry folk. In his mind... they were the ones who didn't understand. The sea was a dangerous place. Far more dangerous than they could ever know. A place like this was nothing compared to that.

Instead of being sent to the front lines, Punch was given the job of escorting the damn photographer. He had no intention of babysitting that kind of weakling. But, at the same time, he was the type of person who respected the chain of command. He might grumble about it, but the last thing he wanted as captain was a mutiny. And he wouldn't be doing that to someone else while they were in charge, either.

"Don't piss on someone if you don't want to be pissed on," his mum had always told him. Course, they had grown up in a pretty filthy and poor section of one of the bigger cities on the coast. That kind of place absolutely had strange folk who enjoyed being pissed on. But Punch wasn't one of them.

Punch glanced back over his shoulder to make sure the short, round man was still following him. The guy was clinging to his camera tightly but hadn't stopped to take any pictures. Of course, the way those things worked, it would require some time to set it up and gain focus for the shot. Just what was he hoping to capture in a place like this. "Keep up, will you?"

"Aye aye, sir!" A voice came from behind.

That was the first time that Punch noticed the kid following them.

"You-" Punch almost did a double take. His eyes grew wide. Then, he rounded on the brown-haired boy and pointed a finger at him. "Just who the hell are you, kid? And what do you think you're doing?"

"Name is Tristan," the kid replied. "You're the legendary Captain Punch, aren't you?"

"Well, something like that," Punch said. He'd heard the term 'infamous' far more often. "Will you go home already? This isn't a place for kids."

"Don't worry, I'm sixteen. A legal adult," Tristan assured him. "Besides that I already signed on with the Golden Group. I have every right to be here."

Punch scanned the area with his eyes. Where was that damn Golden Group agent now? And why in the bloody hell had they accepted the contract of a sixteen year old boy? Okay, sure, having a cabin boy to help keep the ship clean was one thing. But sending a lad into a den of danger was purely reckless and immoral. "Why don't you go find, er... what's his name... and..."

"Sorry, sir, but I must stick by your side," Tristan responded. "I'd surely regret it if I missed this chance to see a hero with my own eyes. I want to-"

"Okay, okay. I get it," Punch said, cutting him off. He couldn't handle much more sincere praise like that. "Just stay near the wimp and try not to get in my way."

Owen, who had been silent during this exchange, flinched as he realized who the wimp was. "...me?"
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Before long, the party came across the farmlands which had bordered the edge of town. The area was open and wide, just as Lady Maria's map had shown. From their vantage point up on the hill it had been easy to see that there were no threats in this big open space. Still, despite that, they wanted to send someone 'reliable' to secure the area and make sure nothing was hiding.

"As if anything could hide in a place like this," Punch grumbled to himself.

"Sir?" Tristan asked.

Punch ignored him for the time being. The fields were barren at best, rotted at worst. The place stunk to high hell, even more than the worst belly of the ocean. And this was coming from a man who had drowned twice... once in brackish water. He stepped over the pumpkins which had likely begun growing over a year ago and died almost as long ago. They were black and crumbling to pieces.

Scanning the area it seemed quiet. Almost too quiet. Perhaps it was just his nerves, or the fact that he was anxious for a good brawl, but Punch felt like there was more here than met the eye.

"Sir," Tristan called out again, walking faster to catch up with him. The two were now standing out in the field, about a quarter of the way across the full length of it.

Owen was hanging back away from the two and fiddled with his camera.

"Don't worry, kid," Punch told him. "If there was anything scary here, the others would have seen it."

"No, it's..." Tristan grabbed his sleeve and yanked on it. He regretted it when he saw the face that Punch made, but this situation was far more urgent than that. With a silent point, he directed the attention of Punch to the side of the barn.

There, clinging to the back side of it, was a giant moth nearly as big as the barn itself. Its wings were folded downward but flicked back ever so slightly from time to time. Whatever that thing was, it was definitely still alive. Neither Tristan nor Punch were men of science, and they had never observed a bug under a microscope before. Seeing the true horror of the insectoid body type on such a great scale had a notable effect even on Captain Punch.

"Blast me to hell. What is that thing?!" Punch blurted out.

At that moment the air seemed to shimmer and twist, like a heat mirage. Those two couldn't see it fully, because they were inside of it, but from Owen's perspective he got a better view. The wings of the great moth shook and spread ever so slightly, releasing some kind of... field. A dome formed around the barn and a large part of the field, capturing the other two inside of it.

It was hard to say what exactly was inside of that dome, but one from the outside could clearly tell that the inside and the outside were different.

Though, for Punch, he definitely felt the difference immediately.

There was a hard ringing sound in his ears. His eye twitched instinctively from the pain as he felt something warm inside of his head. Then, like a bug, little rivets ran out from the inside. That was a trail of blood dripping down from the inside of his eardrum.

"Kid, get behind-" he grabbed Tristan, but before he could finish that thought something else happened.

He heard a voice inside of his head. It spoke words that no human could understand, and yet somehow he understood it. The creature above, its black and round eyes without focus or purpose, seemed to be staring right at him.

//###//

The Old Inn, a more central location in the hamlet, and one of the largest buildings aside from Cain's estate. Jamison took stock of his surroundings as his companions were surveying the outside of the building. Unlike most of the others here, he was a Chief Inspector who worked with the city.
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Yes, it was a shame that the private companies were going to get here first and strip the place clean before the governance could decide what to do. But in the end it was important for him to at least be on the front lines and learn as much as he could. Even if he returned with nothing else aside from a report about what happened here, that meant he would have done something of value.

Only one had stayed back with him, the girl Fakeru, whose lady had recently perished on the wagon trail. Jamison felt a bit bad for her but wasn't sure what to say. However, at that time, he noticed the Honeyflower growing on the side of the dirt road. It was odd. Fascinating. Curious. This place had not been tended to for many months, but the flower was still growing on its own -- a perfect defiance of the darkness which had swallowed these lands.

"Lady Fakeru, look there," he said, calling her attention to it. "Something bright."

She forced a weak smile upon herself and shifted her body awkwardly. "... You can just call me Fah."

"Y-Yes. Of course," was all Jamison could do to reply. Talking to women wasn't his strong suit, especially young and attractive women. Did it mean something special that he was being told to call her in such an informal way? Or was it wrong before that he was being too formal? All he could do is shake his head as he failed to make sense of it.

"Yo. Back is clear," The armored man called out as he came from the side passage around to the back of the inn. His name was Aaron, and he was formerly a lancer in the Lord's Army. Rumor had it that he had deserted after discovering a magic weapon, and deciding that he'd rather keep it for himself than continue to be a cog in the machine of the careless local Lord. Others said that he had been discharged from the military for his brutal actions.

Honestly, looking at Aaron now, neither seemed to fit the bill. He was a slightly laid back, fairly casual, and seemingly nice young man. Though the pole arm slung over his back was definitely not the standard design you'd see wielded by an average pikeman in the Lord's Army. There was more to him than met the eye. That much was certain.

"Ah, Aaron. L-Look," Jamison noted. "The Honeyflower is still growing here." Jamison felt somewhat embarrassed about earlier and wanted to make it seem like he cared more about the honeyflower. For some reason he felt like if he brought it up to more people, Fakeru... or rather... Fah... wouldn't feel as if he was being strange in any sort of direct way. "Isn't that odd?"

"Hm?" Aaron glanced at the flower. "Oh, sure. I guess it is."

And now he just felt mundane.

A voice called from the inside of the building at that time, which thankfully saved him from any further awkward interactions. "Hey, Inspector. You may want to come in here and see this."

That was the voice of Gunslinger Kidd. He was not a man who needed much introduction -- his reputation proceeded him.

"Come on, then," Jamison said to the others. "Lady Fah you should stay near-... n-near Aaron." He faltered and completely derailed himself mid sentence. There was nothing else to do at that point but finish it. "He should be able to keep you safe."

The two followed behind him as they went inside of the Old Inn.

Jennifer and Kidd had already gone inside to take a look around, but they hadn't gone far beyond the entrance or explore any of the side rooms yet. Sending Jen in first felt a bit weird but he had heard she had done quite a number on the monster back on the wagon trail. If not for her the Lady's Wagon might have suffered heavy losses. Besides that, even if things went wrong, Kidd should be able to handle anything by himself.
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Kidd had finished examining the near interior of the room, while the girl mostly followed along quietly behind him. They had briefly talked but he found it difficult to drag more than a few words out of her. "You must still be sad about your friend," Kidd noted. "Don't worry, you two will meet again."

Despite his reputation, and the things he had done in the past, Kidd was oddly a bit of a sentimental type.

The first thing they had noticed were the odd barnacles growing on the roof of the room. Not wanting to disturb anything too much, Kidd had decided to call in the inspector. "So, what do you think?" Kidd inquired. "We're nowhere near the ocean. It really creeps me out."

Jamison examined the ceiling for a few moments, then looked down at the floor. There were no signs of tampering but it was impossible to be sure. "Hm." He didn't say anything outwardly, but his brain was making a few passes at the situation.

Cain's letters had talked about them finding something buried 'under' the estate. Finding something high up like this didn't match the threat which had been described in Cain's notes. Of course, there was always a simple explanation. And in a situation like this, where seconds could make the difference, Jamison thought it might be better to cut things short with Occam's Razor.

"Assuming the corruption came from below, this should mean it's spread through the entire building. Also," the Inspector tapped his foot on the floorboard below him. "We should assume there are heavy threats lurking beneath us right now."

"Well, you certainly shouldn't alert them with that tapping," Kidd said, a bit agitated. "And Mr. Heavy Armor here clunking around in his boots can't be helping either."

Aaron almost seemed to examine himself in that moment. Then he looked at Fah and shrugged.

"Relax, Kidd. Whatever slumbers here, I don't think we've woken it yet," Jamison noted. "If we did, we would already know it." His hand went to his face, rubbing at his chin as he thought about the situation. Were they prepared to face an unknown threat in an unknown location? Or was it better to gather more information first?

The others were looking at him expectantly, and Jamison never did like being rushed. He anxiously came up with the quickest solution and blurted it out. "Well, it seems as if you two have been able to tread lightly enough not to stir anything too dangerous. Why don't you go a bit further in. We three will hang near the door until we have more information."

Kidd seemed okay with that, and Jen didn't say much. She fiddled with her glasses for a moment and then slid them back onto her face before quietly slinking off after Kidd.

Aaron backed off toward the door but remained slightly on the inside. He wanted to be ready to jump into action if anything happened. Despite his easygoing nature he had a somewhat low opinion of others. This ability of his, which allowed him to keep his distance emotionally from people, also allowed him to not get too invested in them. That was why he could always remain calm and relaxed, and people mistook him for being nice as a result. But in a situation like this he could only think about one thing; Aaron didn't trust anyone else other than himself to deal with whatever jumped out at them next.

Fakeru was heading for the door when the absolute worst happened. The hem of her dress got caught on a loose nail that was protruding outward from one of the split support beams. "Yowch," she cried out in a light voice as the feeling of the fabric pulling against her skin snapped her into place. Rather than going the way she wanted, her body jerked and she nearly lost her balance. Then, all she could do was turn and wrestle with the garment to try and pry herself free.
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"F-Fah, um... Lady Fah, that is, should I-... um..." Jamison looked nervously on, frightened about the prospect of touching her clothes or the lady herself even if it was in an attempt to free her. Though, at the same time, he was having a panic attack at how unseemly it must be for him to leave her trapped there without offering to help. This complete inability to reconcile with either resolution left him paralyzed with indecision.

While this was going on, Kidd was making his way to the far side of the room. He couldn't help but focus his attention upward. The barnacles on the ceiling were quite alarming. And there was a strange fluid dripping from inside of them. He definitely didn't want to let any of that touch him. It wasn't just because it was gross, either. That kind of sickening goop could be dangerous. There was no way to test it without putting himself in harm's way.

But, in the end, maybe he should have kept his eyes ahead and watched where he was going. The moment he heard the 'snap' beneath his feet he knew he had done something wrong. "Shit!" he cried out, trying to backpedal quickly. And that instinct had likely saved his life.

The weak floorboard beneath his foot split in half. If he had kept his forward moving pressure on that foot it was likely his leg would have gone through the floor. The jagged wood punctured downward, stabbing into a colony of bulbous sacs below. And those exploded in a flash of light and heat; releasing spores upward.

Jen grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking on him, and he had to be somewhat grateful for that. A small explosion rose in the place where he had been standing. It was impossible to say if Kidd would have gotten out of there on his own. Even if she had only helped by an inch or a centimeter, that might have made the difference.

A second later there was an answering explosion on the stairs. A column of light erupted upward, taking out a section of the stairwell, and caught the railing as well as the inner hall above on fire. There was a shrieking sound from upstairs which reverberated in every direction at once.

As they backed off, Kidd took a moment to glance over his shoulder to call for help from the others. At that moment, Aaron had already lunged away from the wall and was moving forward. He was well trained, that one. Unfortunately, he had no experience dealing with soundless foes that made no noise when they moved.

The side door which Aaron had passed grew dark as a shadowy figure emerged from it. Uncrossing its arms, its gills bulged outward and then receded in size, the fish creature began to move in on Aaron's flank to catch him off guard with a surprise attack.

Worse than that, one of the creatures had started to enter the building through the front door. Apparently this explosion had triggered the senses of the monsters in the nearby area and brought them down upon the party. Fakeru was stuck on something near the front door as well, so it was likely she couldn't get away easily, and Jamison was too distracted trying to free her that he didn't even notice the monster.

"Behind you!" Kidd called out, hoping that was enough to cover both of them. He couldn't specify one or the other, because an ambush was coming from both sides. Both... no. That meant-

Kidd spun around, facing the stairwell. The shriek he heard from upstairs had not been a coincidence. His hand went to his holster and he ripped his gun free. It spun through the air and then he caught it in mid flight with the barrel pointing straight ahead.

He had seen a shape emerging from the shadows even as he turned his head. Now all he needed was time to take aim. Its figure was wreathed in flame and burned, sickly flesh was coming down from its right shoulder all the way down its arm and part of its body. Apparently that monster had been caught in one of the explosions on the stairway.
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So even the enemy wasn't immune to this weapon. It must have been a powerful blast of heat.

Time seemed to freeze for Kidd in that moment. Something wet landed on the rim of his hat and burned a hole right through it. He felt a drop of hot, melted leather fall through the hole in his hat and land on his cheek... burning him with intense warmth.

Then he saw the hypnotic eyes of the monster staring at him up close and personal. Just when had it-?!

"Fast-!!" was all Kidd could manage to say. The enemy was already inside of his reach, having gotten past the point of shooting it, and swiped horizontally with its claw. His gun went flying out of his hand which was now bloody and red. His body spun from the force on the impact and he tumbled to the ground before rolling several times. That wasn't to aide in the escape, either. That was involuntarily. The force of the attack had sent him nearly halfway across the room.

Kidd had no sense of where his gun was, and his fingers were likely broken.

His other hand went to his head. He felt his own hair. "... where is my hat...?"

The monster spun and launched a backhanded swipe at Jen in almost the same moment it had attacked Kidd. Since the two were nearby, it thought to eliminate both of them with a combination attack. That had resulted in Kidd getting away with just an injury. And he had underestimated Jen by quite a bit as well.

Jen jumped away from the attack, throwing herself toward the bar. Something in the air hit her, burning her arm, and catching the sleeve of her shirt on fire. She bit down hard, gasping in pain, and fall to one knee as she leaned against the underside of the bar. The monster spun, tracking her movement, and prepared to charge in that direction.

Then, in her hand, she grabbed the legs of the nearest barstool.

Aaron, having received a dire warning, turned to the appropriate flank just in time to see the monster uncoiling behind him and preparing to pounce. He had already begun to move, his lance was already free, and all he had to do was change directions. The air behind him caught fire as glowing spores began to hit everything in their path and bathe the room in heat and light and flames.

But Aaron escaped from all of that. The point of his lance struck the enemy right in the torso and he didn't stop there. He had been taught one thing when it came to the lance -- Don't hit your enemy. Try to hit the target 100 meters behind them. So he did that. The weapon impaled the fish creature, lifting it off the ground as it tore a hole through the torso of the enemy, and Aaron picked it up and kept running forward.

The point of his weapon was glowing with a yellow light, an illuminating power that allowed it to eat through armor with ease. And for an enemy like this with soft skin and brittle scales, it didn't stand a chance. He ended up nailing the monster to the opposite wall in the pantry before he ended his charge. The wall shuddered from the force of the blow. One of the shelves behind him tipped over as the two had bumped into it so hard while they were running through the room together.

The enemy gasped, grabbing his weapon, trying to pry itself free. But the more it moved, the more of its black blood spurted out of the wound, and it was quickly losing strength. He twisted the weapon and put his foot on its gut, then began to yank the weapon free.
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With its last action, knowing it was about to die, the enemy shot a burst of light from its eyes.

Aaron cried out and fell backward, managing to narrowly avoid having his head torn off. And as he lay there on his back, with the corpse of the monster falling on top of him, he turned his head and looked behind him. The enemy had melted a hole through the floor and through the metal shelf in an instant.

The Inspector was not so fortunate. Jamison turned just in time to see the outstretch claw of the enemy coming right for his face. Fah's voice hit his ear, bouncing off of the inside of his skull. She had yelled something in that moment, but all he felt was the impact. His glasses shattered inward and the frames bent as the monster floored him with a single punch.

He'd be lucky if there was only glass in his eyes.

Fakeru's garment twisted as she rounded herself to the other side of the support beam, trying to keep it between herself and the monster in order to use it for cover. But with her dress stuck there was no way she could actually get away from it.

Her only hope was...

Jamison's head was spinning. He felt his cheek resting against the warm floor of the inn. And stuck between the webbed feet of the monster, which was now walking over his downed body, were the remains of the Honeyflower. Those had been trampled, too.

2. Kidd needs to decide who to assist.
A. Jamison and Fah
B. Jen Lowell
C. Look out for #1, himself
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C. Baby dont get killed for someone elses truth
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Damn, you read that fast Eddv??
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Also

I say B

Gotta save Jen! She saved his life earlier!
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Zigzagoon posted...

Damn, you read that fast Eddv??

I think he reads them as I'm posting them. due to the annoying filter that stops me every 2 minutes I'd guess it's actually pretty easy to stay caught up... since he has about 2 minutes between each set of posts.
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I think Jen can handle herself, the ADRENALINE is strong with her. Jamison however doesn't seem that strong in combat and Fah is stuck to the wall because of her dress..

Im going with A.
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also fun fact; Fah's lucky trait triggered twice already in the story.

first time was when the undercarriage of the wagon collapsed while she was sleeping inside of it. this caused her to fall to the ground beneath the wagon right before the enemy blew up the inside of the wagon with his heat beams.

this time, her dress got caught on the pole which prevented her from going back outside. if she had gone outside on her own she likely would have been killed by a sneak attack from the monster that was entering through the front door at that time.
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B-but Luck isn't a very cinematic trait!
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I'm gonna say A. Jen has proven she can handle herself when she needs to, Fah is currently stuck and Jamison is down, they will likely need the assistance.
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C. Get your gun first!
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Ive been a liability so far. >_> Sorry Guys!

Aaron was such a badass spearing that monster, and Punch ourtthere is cool and Im worried about him but... (also he drowned before? Now theres a mysterious backstory!)

Intellectually I think B would be the best option since Jen living would be more likely to keep everyone alive as she was quick on her feet and smart in a pinch

But Maria told us that Kidd was secretly a sentimental guy so I think hed be more likely to run to the rescue of the poor dumb kids who look like they need it the most, so A. And being true to yourself is true power!

Also Kidd lost his hat! If those monsters damaged it they need to pay!!
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Yeah I had a feeling the wagon thing was lucky but I hadnt pieced together the snag bit yet! I thought maybe it kept me away from the most recent lava spore pustule explosion
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A. Jen's at her strongest in situations like this, and she's already readied her weapon against her attacker. On the other hand, I can't see Jamison living more than a couple seconds without help. On the other other hand, the two aren't very combat adept and the luck trait might let them live long enough for Kidd and Jen to regroup and fight together, which would be good considering Kidd kind of needs a front line to be effective. Going down that path more or less sacrifices Jamison straight up though, so I'm going to stick with A.
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Yes, he had a real name. No, it didn't matter what it was.

Hah

As for choice I can see any of em for different reasons but currently I am leaning to A

If I am right so far:

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TEAM:
Jamison: Injured / disoriented / prone (supposedly has an amulet that could potentially do something?)
Fah: Stuck (has sandals and luck?)
Kidd: Injured hand, disarmed of gun, dis-hatted
Aaron: Prone but otherwise fine
Jen: Singed arm / shoulder

MONSTERS:
Very fast
Strong (obviously)
Stealth + Make little sound
Laser Eyes
Acidic saliva (unless the hat burning was from a spore)

STAGE HAZARDS:
Explosive sacs + incendiary / acid spores (unless I read wrong and Monsters can also use fire?)
Weak terrain
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Jen seems to have the highest reaction / general speed compared to the rest of the group so she has the highest chance of being able to relatively keep up with the monster's movements (even though its super fast) and she may go into overdrive (hopefully). Not sure how well she'll do with just a bar stool against this thing but she has seemed to do an alright job of grabbing random stuff and turning it into an instrument of murder so far so who knows!? Granted she dealt with the last one when it was unawares / preoccupied and Kidd seems to have somewhat higher affinity with her relationship wise if with anyone at this point. I am also worried the fire spores will hinder her movements (the monsters may also be affected but are more tanky we just know the sac explosion did a number on one of em)

Fah has luck which happened a few times already and she seems to be hoping for something to occur at the end of entry. Also dem sandals will save the day surely!

Jamison doesn't seem to be great combat wise from what he's shown atm and most I can think of right now is just his starter item possibly doing something (dunno).

Kidd is better with someone already dealing with a target to be more effective but needs time to find his gun again if he wants to use that (plus his hand appears to be injured so he may need to use offhand)

Aaron needs to get monster off of him and get ready again

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Also there is the whole incendiary spores thing. Will using a gun at the area where they supposedly shot from (where Jen probably is atm unless they spread throughout the whole room already) be smart? Unless the spores are only incendiary and won't trigger a chain reaction if a shot goes off (and that would only be the case if he shot / anything hit the actual sacs)

The wood hitting the sacs down below led to the fire surge which hit the second floor and set off the sac bombs on that floor messing up the monster there.
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A, those two need the help more and working together should be better for everyone.
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There has been a lot of description of the monsters as fish like too so I bet they could breathe underwater.
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I eat fish for breakfast
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A.
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B.

Though Fah and Jamison are definitely in the most dire need at the front door, here's why I think B is the best option.

1. The creature attacking Jen (who I shall call SC for Stairs Creature) also just attacked both Jen and Kidd. SC is in the most immediate range.

2. SC is injured by the flames. He and Jen can take it down faster and go help Jamison/Fah together than the two soloing their own creatures.

3. If Kidd went to help Jamison and Fah, he'd likely have to pass this creature and deal with a complete uninjured new creature at the door way leaving Jen to fend for herself.

4. Hypnotic eyes. Both Kidd and Jen could be suckered in or stunned going head-to-head with the FDC (Front Door Creature) and SC. Kidd is behind SC right now and can stop any funny business and help Jen deliver better blows.

5. Kidd doesn't have his gun. If he did, I'd definitely say to help Jamison and Fah, but he's limited right now. Go after the injured one in immediate proximity.

6. Hope for some good luck.
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...The story's overall scenario's ringing a few bells somewhere, rereading everything, but I might be being more paranoid than strictly needed for once...

A.
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IhatethisCPU posted...

I might be being more paranoid than strictly needed for once

lol

Voting B btw
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Everyone else gets fish monsters and I get a giant moth. I dislike bugs. Fantastic.

It seems like this is already decided but I'm gonna go with...

C

Kidd might be the most injured out of everyone depending on how badly Jamison's face got wrecked. Probably broken fingers and no idea where his gun is at. I'm not sure how effective Kidd is without his gun so I'm not sure what he could really do outside of maybe distracting the monsters attacking the others. Think he should probably find his gun first.

I love bugs, a giant moth in particular sounds super cool. I wish I was there :(
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I think the party is fucked and that Kidd may as well defend himself and get out alive.
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What about poor Jen
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Shes already dead, kid.
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Poor poor Jen...
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...If possible, switching to B. ...Character reasons that I should've gone for the first time >_<
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B

Helping Jen is helping himself; she seems capable. Also what Mana said.
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Smithy
Ignael Gades (1 Disarm) - jeffraze
Torin Gemmason - Mana
Maria Taylor - nfun
Goetic - lefty

Old Inn
Gunslinger Kidd (1 Assist) - drak
Jamison, Investigator - maniac
Lancer Aaron (1 Kill) - FB
Fakeru, Lucky Girl - fake
Jen Lowell (1 Kill) - pk2k

Farmlands
Captain Punch - xey
Tristan - oracle
Owen the Coward- stan

Woodcutter
Dismas the Guilty (1 Kill) - eddv
Chained Prisoner (1 Assist) - decider
Cata Spade - cata

Clinic
Matsuda, Gambler (1 Assist) - trdl
Seth, Golden Agent (1 Assist) - reg
Leone the Cat (1 Assist) - cpu
Beastkin Zephyr (1 Assist) - ermine

1. Follow the Leader...
(1111111111) A. Torin

2. Who will Kidd save...
(111111) A. Jamison and Fah
(11111) B. Jen
(111) C. Himself

Still a close race here!
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I vote B just to be difficult
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in the case of a tie we default to the other option right?
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usually if there's a tie I give some kind of answer that includes elements of both choices.
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Has that ever worked out for us?
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Kidd trying to save all three is the worst outcome though
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A
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Ah misread and though Aaron was somewhat closer to the other two but he is in another room. Also forgot Kidd was also a brawler and had assumed he'd immediately look to recover his gun first and wouldn't potentially jump into the fray immediately

The idea of Jen and Kidd pincer attacking the weakened one to nuke it down quick to hopefully make it to the remaining two sounds like a good idea but thats more on the assumption that the protect item actually does something to give Jamison a little more time. As it has shown he is very indecisive while Jen seems to just bolt on an action when shit goes down or when given an opportunity.

Also with the talk of the warm floor and what happened at the Smithy I am somewhat worried of more surprise explosions

As for what Fah is hoping for I am somewhat thinking of a stray spore just so happening to burn away her binded clothing so she can bail (though this will require manipulation of the spores in the room probably or one just happening to float over that way to her).

tempted to shift to B but going to wait on any other views and possible vote shifts so I don't just bring it back to a tie.
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I think Kidd will be able to fire the gun in his soul even if he doesn't have his physical gun. You just gotta believe. Also Jen will totally murder that thing with the bar stool.
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B

Jamison should have some training from his job and a defensive item that might help. Plus surprise and is no longer distracted.

Plus kids gun should be in Jen s direction.
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I blame a lot of Jamisons's distraction on his nervousness around girls. That shouldn't be an issue at this point.

I expect the amulet won't help against the monster but might protect from the traps. Which could be the best way to take this dude out. Trigger a spore explosion and hope luck and the protection amulet get them through.

Though I'm certainly willing to pick A to break the tie and save my character.
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