Board 8 > Broken World: Twilight (CYOA) [Chapter 1 Thread 1]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Guess we're going with A. I'll update in a bit, just got home, weekly stuff is starting.

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Accel R8
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[Lucas - HP: 34/50, PS: 1/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 160]

You hadn't planned on killing this man, but now that you know he works for a big organization and basically TOLD YOU he's going to rat you out to them, it would be a pretty stupid idea to let him go. With one swift motion you bring your blade down on his head before he even has a moment to react. He slumps over lifelessly.

With that done, you hear a sigh of relief. You turn to see the woman that these men had been after. She looks to be in her late thirties or early forties, though she's obviously healthy and well taken care of. You immediately notice why, her two small pointed ears jutting out from the sides of her long black hair, the telltale signs of elven heritage. She glances you over and you take note of her plain brown eyes, by all accounts minus the ears she looks human, a half-breed between human and elf no doubt.

She seems a bit nervous as she looks you over, so you decide to speak first, "All taken care of, miss. Sorry about the mess." She smiles, and immediately relaxes as she moves away from the window she was standing behind and opens the now partially smashed door to her house. She motions for you to come in.

As you step inside you note that, though the cottage itself is fairly nice, the interior is incredibly minimalistic; though, if she were a runaway from some powerful criminal organization this makes enough sense. She motions for you to sit down at the single table with her, pouring a cup of what appears to be tea in a cup and offering it to you.

"I really must thank you, stranger, I don't know where you came from but I'm certain you've saved my life today." she finally speaks up, hands folded on her lap as she takes a seat across the table from you. "My name's Anna, I... was an associate of sorts, for those men. I wanted out of the business they're in though, so I made my way here by stowing away on a ship a few months ago. Found this place abandoned out here and... Well, here I am."

You introduce yourself in turn, briefly explaining why you had returned home as the two of you drink tea... It was almost amusing, how in such a short time you had cut down four men and were now casually enjoying a cup of tea. After a moment however, your body had begun to cool off from the conflict and the pain of the blows you had endured began to nag at your side, causing you to wince in pain reflexively. Almost immediately Anna seems to take notice, setting her cup of tea down. "Hold still, just a moment..." She'd slowly approach you, placing a hand on your forehead.

(continued in next post)

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 1/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 160]

Immediately your eyes widen as your mind seems to be taken over by a euphoric sensation, your body tenses for a split instant, and then relaxes. She backs away, leaving you feeling much better than you had only a moment ago. "What did you-" you begin to speak, as she casually situates herself back in her seat. She smiles, leaving you dumbfounded for a brief moment.

She finally speaks up, "And that... would be why I'm so sought after by my former employer." she sighs, "Amongst the elfin kind, it's a practice that has become uncommon. My mother, you see, taught me this when I was still little." You only now notice that she had actually grown a tad pale after sitting back down. "...In short, I gave you a tiny bit of my life force. Your injuries are probably all patched up, and without drawing on your own vitality." You stare dumbfounded for a moment, and she stifles a laugh. "Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected. Don't worry though, it was the least I could do since you helped me."

You think you understand now, Anna's gift must be something rare and, as you can attest, felt fantastic. This 'Legato' person must have wanted it to himself, enough so that he'd send armed thugs to ensure nobody else could claim his 'property' if she were to run away.

More than a few questions spring to mind...

==========

Freestyle choice: Feel free to ask Anna anything that comes to mind. Alternatively you can excuse yourself and return to your main quest right now, if you so choose. Feel free to collaborate with one another, if you like another person's post, you can "vote" for that post.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

My first thought is to ask how she ended up with her former employer. See if we can get a bit more backstory here.

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(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

Move the bodies into the cottage so no one can see them, strip them of anything valuable.

--
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig.
Started: July 6, 2005

dinner time bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Have a family thing I need to attend today, so I guess I'll bump here and see if anyone else wants to suggest anything else or vote for the ideas that have already been posted.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Alright, lunchtime bump. I guess we'll go with both ideas unless someone else wants to suggest something else.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 1/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

"So, if I might ask..." you begin, "How did you end up in the service of your previous employer?" You glance out the window as you say this, noting the bodies laying outside. It may be a good idea to dispose of them. Anna takes another sip from her tea and then looks back up to you, her expression blank as she speaks, "My mother was an elf far estranged from her kind, she found herself in a human settlement and tried to blend in... Of course, Legato basically runs that city, and his men have free reign of just about anything they want, be it food, drink or... ...women."

She glances away, this is obviously a painful subject but she continues regardless, "It's not hard to put the rest together, I'd imagine. One of Legato's lieutenants wanted my mother, and so he had her... And I guess that's how I was born. My mother tried running away with me when I was old enough, but those vandals, they..."

She says no more, and the next several moments are filled with an awkward silence. You offer her an apologetic glance, not thinking you may have hit a soft spot with your question, but she promptly smiles. "It's okay, it's all in the past. I just don't get to speak about it often, it's not like anyone would listen before..." she halts for a moment, and then looks to you and smiles again in earnest, "...But, I do appreciate you listening to me."

You decide to change the subject, and the two of you chat for a few minutes more before Anna notices you glancing out the window. "Oh!" She seems surprised, "Yes, I see, leaving them out there to rot's probably not the best idea, hm?" She stands and makes her way outside ever so casually, as if she wasn't just heading outside to dispose of several human corpses.

Luckily, there is a basement that had gone unused, and the two of you get them downstairs without any trouble quickly enough. You also check their pockets and "obtain" 30 gold pieces.

The two of you now stand near the door leading to the basement, Anna sweating lightly from the exertion, though she puts on a smiling face as usual. "So..." she hesitates for a moment before continuing, "Where were you heading to before you stumbled across all this? I suppose I shouldn't keep you, hm?"

==========

A: That's right, you have a task at hand you need to complete. Better get going.
B: This incident takes priority, after all, there could be more of Legato's men on their way.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

dinner bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

late night bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

B: This incident takes priority, after all, there could be more of Legato's men on their way.

You should always help a lady in distress especially if you just moved corpses into the place that she lives in.

--
I bring order and chaos, I am life and death, creator and destroyer, just like the rest of humanity.
My bunnyslug: http://img.imgcake.com/nio/catapngzu.png

We really can't spend all day on this. But alright.

B. Offer to take her someplace that might be a little safer. Drop her off at your old house and assure her that you will come back as soon as your other mission is done (do not go into details about said mission. If she asks simply say that you have some other dangerous men that need to be stopped)

I'd drop her off at the boat but I'm not sure they would really appreciate us taking a detour and possibly upsetting another powerful badguy.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

Lunchtime bump, gotta do some stuff before we update.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 2/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

"...Hey." You look to Anna, realizing it just isn't in you to leave her like this, "They know you're here. But I've got a place you could stay. It's not much, but you'd probably be safer there."

She smiles, but shakes her head, "I couldn't ask you to do any more for me than you already have. I'm sure your business is more important than somebody like me, right?"

"No, my business is just about me, but my life isn't at stake. It's a bit of a trip but I can take you." You're adamant about this, not wanting the death of this woman weighing on your conscience if you can help it. She looks like she is about to object for a moment, but then relents, and nods. Her smile returns quickly afterwards.

"Thank you so much. It must be fate that I ran into you, Lucas." she politely bows, truly grateful for your help. "...But with that said, if it's too far out of your way, it should be alright to just tell me where to go. I know how to get back to town from here, and I have my doubts that more of them will be coming for at least a day. Those men... were nothing, less than nothing to Legato. He probably thought of them as a nuisance and sent them to go do some busywork off-island to get them out of his hair. Since they failed, if he truly cares enough, he'll probably send others but there will be time until then."

You're uncertain yourself, but Anna seems confident. She probably knows more about how Legato operates than you do, so you've little choice but to trust her on this. You describe your old house and how to get there, and she looks content. You stay with her and help her pack a few things before she decides to head off. As you part ways she grabs your hand and squeezes gently, and judging by the look on her face, the amount of gratitude she has for you is beyond description.

You've not only saved a life, but you've also made a friend that will not soon forget your kindness.

With everything in order, you resume your original quest, in search of the abandoned villa.

(continued in next post)

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

You venture onward, your diversion having taken a bit of time off your schedule, but you don't suspect it should be much of a problem; after all, it's possible there's nobody even waiting for you where you're headed and this could all be a wild goose chase. Even, you can't shake the uneasy feeling that you're being watched. Out here in the open by yourself, and in the middle of nowhere, if somebody had time to adequately setup a camouflaged position to watch for an obviously well-armed mercenary coming to find them, well...

These thoughts plague your mind for a few minutes until you suddenly stop, feeling a sharp sting in your arm. You grit your teeth and find that you had been grazed by something sharp and tiny. A needle perhaps? You glance around but don't see where it came from, but now you are certain that somebody doesn't want you finding their hideout.

You duck down into some tall grass nearby, which provides some cover, but you aren't exactly the sneaking type clad in your clunky armor. You peer around looking for where your assailant could possibly be, to no avail. Several minutes pass in dead silence before you are convinced that whoever they are, they've run away.

...So now they know that you are coming. You aren't too far away from where Ika directed you, thankfully. However, with the possibility of these assassins securing a perimeter around the villa in preparation for your arrival, it may be a good idea to book it, and try to get there before they can prepare a defense. On the other hand, this would be tiring, and it could be too late already, leaving you to fend off a prepared defense while also dealing with fatigue.

==========

A: You have no time to waste, let's make a forced march and get there quickly.
B: Facing these assassins while tired is simply asking for death. Continue at a normal pace.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

B

--
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig.
Started: July 6, 2005

(oh yeah, got ourselves a love interest who can heal. Way to go Lucas!)

B. We are in heavy armor, I doubt the scout is. I don't really love our chances of beating him to the base.

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"Hope is allowed to be stupid, unwise, and naive." ~Sir Chris

lunchtime bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Having internet troubles today, goes on and off for a few minutes at a time, so I'll update this later.

Also if more people could vote to show people care about this project that'd be swell.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Okay I have most of the update written but I need to go run across town for a couple hours, will post once I get back.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

That's cool.

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(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 2/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

You don't want to risk getting tired, and you'll probably not be able to outrun the scout anyway. You decide to head on at a normal pace, keeping watch around you to prevent being caught off guard again.

The remainder of the trip is eerily silent, and when you finally reach the villa, you are put off by the lack of anyone waiting for you. Of course, these are assassins you are dealing with, so it's likely they're in hiding, but at the same time, you expected to spot at least ONE guard.

The villa has clearly seen better days, the entire outside has submitted to the growth of the local fauna, and the structure is in obvious disrepair. This was likely a really nice estate before time took a bat to it. It's almost a sad scene, but you continue in regardless.

As you cautiously approach the front door, you listen for any sort of movement, but to no avail, there is only silence. If there is anybody here waiting, they are experts at remaining silent, it seems. You reach a hand forward and with a deep breath, grasp the doorknob with one hand. To your surprise, it turns easily enough. You begin to slowly, gently pull the door open, but are met with a bit of resistance. Instinctively you pull a little harder, but in your efforts you loudly yank the door off of it's rusted, decrepit hinges, causing it to fall to the ground and echo throughout the estate.

"Crap." you think to yourself, as you inch backwards and keep your hand on your greatsword, ready for somebody or something to leap out at you.

Nothing does. You stand in silence for a few moments more, but nothing happens.

==========

A: Venture in the front door.
B: Take a look around the villa.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

dinner bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Late night bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Lunchtime bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

B

I talked with some people who said they would be joining. Looks like they are still to lazy to read through everything.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

bumping again I guess

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

A

--
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig.
Started: July 6, 2005

lol guess we have a tie. bumpz

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

B

--
I bring order and chaos, I am life and death, creator and destroyer, just like the rest of humanity.
My bunnyslug: http://img.imgcake.com/nio/catapngzu.png

Update is mostly written, will post in the morning.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 2/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

You decide it might be better to take a look around the villa rather than march straight through the door you just "opened". Doing your best to remain quiet as you do so, you walk around to the side of the place. It's just as decrepit and run down as the front, and there's no real signs that anyone has been here in quite some time.

The villa itself is quite large, and you almost wonder how or why one person would live here by themselves. Such a luxrious building, you had no idea anything like this was all the way out here. While pondering this you stay alert, and though the surroundings are still eerily silent, you don't encounter anybody. The lingering feeling that you are being watched could likely be paranoia.

After a short while you discover what looks to be an old wooden door leading down to what you can only suspect is a basement level used for storage. Aside from that, you also spot a balcony above you that, with a little bit of work with your tools, you could possibly climb up to and enter the villa from the second floor. As you re-examine the balcony however you realize there's no telling exactly how sturdy it really is.

==========

You've found quite a few entrances into the villa

A: Open up the cellar and explore down below
B: Use your tools and attempt to climb up to the balcony
C: Head back to the front door after all

--
Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

(the original update was bigger than this but I felt it was too... wordy? Not sure. hope interest in this picks up)

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

nightly bump

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

More people need to be here.

B

Never go in the way they expect.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

B

--
I bring order and chaos, I am life and death, creator and destroyer, just like the rest of humanity.
My bunnyslug: http://img.imgcake.com/nio/catapngzu.png

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 2/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

You look up at the balcony above you and ponder at climbing up there for a moment. Nodding to yourself, you sort through your various tools and procure some equipment to assist you in climbing.

Though it's not a silent endeavor you manage to climb up to the balcony. Retrieving your tools you glance around, this balcony lads straight into the villa, though the inside seems to be rather dark. With no other choice besides climbing back down you make your way into the dark room. You carefully examine in your surroundings... this room from what you can tell looks as if it was once a study, several book cases packed with some no doubt old books abound the walls.

If there's anything else in here however, it is hard to tell given the poor lighting. You could bust out a sunrod and examine the room more thoroughly with a proper light source, or you could head onward, and explore more of the villa.

==========

A: Examine the study more closely
B: Exit the study and continue onward

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

A.

I'm still trying to figure out whether we have been sent/led to an abandoned building. Seeing if there are any signs of someone being in here recently would help answer that.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

[Lucas - HP: 50/50, PS: 2/2, HE: 1/1, TDS: 1/1, Gold: 190]

You decide to investigate this room a little more thoroughly. Reaching into your bag you retrieve a sunrod and light it up, illuminating the room around you. Immediately you can spot a huge difference that you hadn't seen before, several of the books on the shelves are missing, and a couple are strewn about haphazardly on the floor.

While that isn't exactly solid evidence to suggest the presence of someone in the villa, it is a little odd. Examining the books on the floor, you realize the titles are written in a language you don't recognize. The nearest bookshelf seems to contain a variety of books all written in this same language. Acting on a hunch you examine a different book case, and while you don't recognize the language the books are written on here either, it is clearly another language, and these books remain untouched.

Something else occurs to you last minute as you scan around the room one more time, the several thick layers of dust covering the room is notably absent from many of the books you had examined.

Armed with this knowledge you now know that somebody is or was here fairly reasonably. Nothing else seems all too interesting or out of the ordinary here, so all that's left is to explore the rest of the villa. You are slightly more alert to your surroundings, having uncovered minor evidence of someone's presence here.

Carefully opening the door, you find yourself on a second story hallway. You can see quite a bit of the first floor from here, including the door you yanked off the hinges. There are no signs of anybody waiting in ambush from this vantage point, and from here.

Immediately nearby you can see two doors, one of which left slightly ajar. You listen closely but hear no sound coming from inside.

==========

A: Investigate the room left open
B: Investigate the other door
C: Head downstairs to the first floor

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

B

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

bump, a little surprised nobody seems to want to discuss this choice

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!

Yeah I was really expecting someone to counter me on my "go wherever it seems we aren't supposed to" strategy.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.

muddersmilk posted...

Yeah I was really expecting someone to counter me on my "go wherever it seems we aren't supposed to" strategy.

I always try going where we aren't supposed to in CYOA stories, it's a favorite past time of mine. I also think that it would just be stupid to go into the slightly ajar door.

--
I bring order and chaos, I am life and death, creator and destroyer, just like the rest of humanity.
My bunnyslug: http://img.imgcake.com/nio/catapngzu.png

bump, I'll try to update this before my stuff at 6:00 starts today.

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Accel R8
(This space for rent)!