I, Trailblazer (Honkai: Star Rail/Disco Elysium)

Despite my previous estimate of ending the vote on Saturday, I've decided I'm going to call it here, as the lead just keeps growing for Whispers of the Divine Metropolis!
Thanks for voting everyone, and the next chapter will be out sometime today or tomorrow!

The endless black of nothingness holds you tightly in its embrace, keeping you together as you rebuild your consciousness piece by piece. You know not what exists outside of the dark.

<Shivers[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 11> But you can feel it. Your senses expand farther and farther, and visions flash through your mind. A lady with pink hair rapidly gives out evacuation orders. A young man wearing a security uniform is collapsed on the ground, blood pooling around him, yet he still breathes. Two people fight their way through hordes of humanoid creatures covered in some strange form of armor, getting ever closer to you. WAKE UP.

---

"...coordinates sent… the space station...?" A voice is the first thing you hear, firm and collected.

"Who cares? …alive. Does… to you?" Another voice this time, almost contradictory to the previous one, spirited and lively.

"Weak heartbeat... March, you… CPR." The first voice again, though the words this time draw some concern. CPR? Someone must be injured, you wonder who it could be…

"Huh!? ...never done it before! Dan Heng…"

<Logic[Trivial:Success] Trivial: 6 vs Your Total: 8> If you were to actually wake up so you don't hear only half the conversation, you would find the answer quite quickly.>

Another voice is heard, but not from your ears. It was felt, as if a spirit had decided your brainstem was a nice place to have a conversation. Your eyes shoot open, the bright light of existence flooding your neurons, ensuring your wakefulness.

"Wait- stop it! She's awake!" A man with black hair and blue-gray eyes is shoved aside by the owner of the second voice, eyes of pink and blue shine back at you. You briefly ponder exactly how both of her irises contain two distinct colors in them, but that thought is pushed aside as she speaks once more. "Are you alright? Can you hear me? Do you remember your name?"

You open your mouth to answer the last question but stop midway. You don't remember anything, not even your name. Before you can convey your confusion to the pair in front of you, it happens again.

<Encyclopedia[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 8> The 'spider' from before said it was 'Stelle'.

"...Stelle, I think." The words come out of your mouth before you can process what the voice said.

"Stelle? Nice to meet you." The man who was shoved away not long prior speaks again, confirming his status as the first voice. "My name's Dan Heng, and this is March 7th. This space station was just attacked by the Antimatter Legion. We came to help with the rescue at the request of Lead Researcher Asta."

Those names bring your visions back to you. These two are very clearly the pair who you saw fighting this 'Antimatter Legion'. Assuming that this 'Asta' is the young woman with pink hair, there is another person you saw, in desperate need of help.

Dan Heng starts to speak again, "You should head to the Master Control Zone. Asta and the other researchers are-"

You cut him off in a rush. "Hold on, there's someone injured nearby, a younger-looking guy, with white hair, and purple eyes. He needs help, quickly."

His eyes narrow slightly, showing signs of some emotion you can't quite pinpoint-

<Empathy[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> It's suspicion. He already had trace amounts of it ever since you first woke up, and knowing something you shouldn't has exacerbated it.

He goes to question your knowledge and you ready yourself to defend your innocence, but both plans are blown away by a third party. "Then we need to help him! Dan Heng, let's hurry!" The other member of the conversation butts her way back in, and you're saved from questioning for now.

"...That's true. Arlan from the Security Department lost contact in the vicinity, and he matches the description." He gives another glance at you, then shakes his head slightly. "March, take Stelle here and go back to the Master Control Zone. I'll ensure Arlan's safety."

"Oh, alright. You stay safe," March 7th cheerily waves at him, before adding "and make sure he stays safe as well!" Getting a sharp nod and a quick disappearance as a response she turns back to you. "The Legion are tearing through this space station like a pack of wolves, you'll probably want something to protect yourself… Oh! What about that?"

She's pointing to… a baseball bat. It doesn't seem like the most effective weapon, in fact you'd personally rate it pretty low. Maybe there's something else around here you could grab? For the first time since waking up you closely observe your surroundings, a hall filled with displays of strange objects. Alongside your observations, the voices also seem to be deciding on the next course of action.

<Perception[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> A discarded pistol is lying on the floor, likely dropped in a panic by one of the security members.

<Hand-Eye Coordination[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> That peashooter? Surely you can find something better than that.

<Perception[Challenging:Failed] Challenging: 12 vs Your Total: 10(Roll: 7 + Perception: 3)> No, nothing. That pistol is the best choice we have for a firearm.


But what about the displays, you think. Surely there's a weapon in one of them?

<Shivers[Challenging:Success] Challenging: 12 vs Your Total: 15(Roll: 10 + Shivers: 5)> A blade, hovering in one of the displays, seeks both an owner and said owner's blood. You can hear it calling out wordlessly, hoping for you to feed it.

<Pain Threshold[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 10> But we can take it.

But does anything else draw your attention?

<Inland Empire[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> There most certainly is. That orb over there catches more than just your attention, it catches everything.

The voice is right, kind of. Said 'orb' seems to slightly distort the space around it. While interesting, it doesn't seem very effective in combat, and even more dangerous than the sword.

<Inland Empire[Challenging:Success] Challenging: 12 vs Your Total: 14(Roll: 11 + Inland Empire: 3)> Before your very eyes the orb grows volatile and you can feel it almost trying to meld with you, or rather, the Stellaron within you.

And in a flash it's back to being an orb. Without a trace of its previous instability. March shows no signs of having seen any of it, rather just staring at you as you wordlessly look around, clearly confused at your actions.

That's it for weapons, you feel. There are some safer options and some certainly more eclectic ones, but you do have a decent selection.

<Physical Instrument[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 10> There's something you're forgetting about.

<Logic[Trivial:Success] Trivial: 6 vs Your Total: 8> There isn't. We've gone over all possible weapons that we've noticed.

<Physical Instrument> You forgot to mention the guns.

<Logic> Perception and Hand-Eye Coordination already talked about the pistol.

<Physical Instrument> No. The two guns we already have on us. Why should we sully ourself with weapons when we already have our fisticuffs? Like real men.

<Logic> We… aren't men. However, that would technically work, yes.

Time to decide. The shockingly patient March has been tapping her foot and sighing loudly for a while now.

[] Fuck it, take the bat.
[] You prefer for monsters to be away from you, take the gun.
[] Seek the blade that seeks you.
[] Inland Empire made a good point, the orb is enticing.
[] These fists of fury are ready for action.