A Certain Kind of Game
Spector29
It Only Gets Worse From Here
Aria Necromancy Tests:
2 + 2 + 1 = 5 -1 (Slightly Unstable) = 4
[DC 4]
2 + 2 + 1 = 5 -1 (Slightly Unstable) = 4
[DC 4]
Brother begins rumbling, ready to turn the corner and growl at the boys just in case they could be a threat. You're not sure what's gotten him so upset, usually when Uncle's zombies are around people they behave better. You frown as you move back around the corner, out of sight. You've got to keep Brother under control if you want to remain sneaky.
Taking a deep breath, you try and remember what Uncle's been teaching you. Brother might seem really smart, but he's more like a really big puppy who just wants to keep you happy. As your breathing slows, you see the small wisp of light coming off the back of his spine. You reach out with your brain and pull the string, giving him your command.
Stay.
...Brother relaxes, and looks back at you with dusty, glassy eyes.
"Good boy." You whisper, smiling. Leaning back around the corner, it seems like Madame Red has finished inspecting the boys and has begun to address them.
"Dear oh dear, I mustn't let Adam know he might've been right. You boys are everything I had in mind when I wanted to introduce my little girl to kids her age, but..."
The cracking of a whip makes you jump back, your gasp muffled by the yelp of pain from the dark skinned boy on the right. He grips his left arm where a red welt is already starting to form, but otherwise remains on his feet. It's kinda cool, in a way.
"Stand up straight! Nobody has any time to coddle your lack of confidence! Being a Necromancer means having the willpower to control death itself, so if you ever want to become one, you better start acting like it!" The boy shrinks away from her, which only seems to make the boy in the middle smile more.
It's somewhat satisfying, then, when the whip cracks on him next right across his face. He takes this exceptionally poorly, falling to his knees while clutching his face and sniveling.
"Don't smirk like you're worth anything more than the meat that makes you up! Good breeding doesn't mean shit when your corpse is busy cooling on the ground! Even the normie at least took the hit standing up, you think you're better just because you got your lessons earlier?!" At this the boy has no reply, still on his knees and trying not to break down crying any further.
[Madness 80 OR Alignment -20]
You don't feel bad for him.
Madame Red practically stalks to the last boy in line, who has been doing nothing except staring straight ahead this entire time. It's like he's meditating, or just turned into a statue.
[Instability >=1]
You wanna introduce some cracks. hehehehehehe
"...I know you. You were presented to me by...Lady Sabrina, no?" You watch as she begins to move behind him. Oh crap, you gotta move or she'll see-
Brother reacts to your will by pulling you around the corner and into his embrace, quietly. You smile and snuggle him in thanks, his skin dry and taut.
"Yes, Madame." His reply is succinct and monotone. What's with this guy?
You hear a derisive snort from Madame Red as you hear the whip crack once again. This time though, it sounds as though she cracked the whip against the stone of the Cathedral itself.
Silence.
"Never let it be said that Sabrina was a poor student."
"Yes Ma'am."
You hear Madame Red sigh, similar to the way Daniel sighs when Madame Red enters the room after he and Uncle finish talking.
"Even I can't enchant you with personality, Seraph. Find yours. That's an order."
"Understood, ma'am."
Another sigh echoes down the halls as Madame Red returns to her original position in front of the boys. By now the middle one has returned to his feet, and as you peek over the corner you see the welts from the strikes on the boys' arms and face are quite prominent.
You're pretty sure they notice you, but don't dare avert their gaze from Madame Red.
Smart.
"Now, I want to explain why you're here. My little Ari-chan's turning ten today, and I want to introduce her to some friends her age so that she doesn't have to talk to the corpses all the time. However," Her voice snaps almost as harshly as the whip, "...to be honest, I'm not impressed by any of you. You're all boring, and I'd rather salvage you all for parts rather than see you ever again."
The only sound audible is the far-off shuffling of one of the undead servants, dragging footsteps echoing in the silent hallway.
Madame Red sighs, "Buuuuuut, that wouldn't get my little girl any friends, so I suppose I'll have to compromise."
The release of breath in relief was evidently a bit too audible for her tastes, as Madame Red cracks a whip against the stone, "Quiet. I'm not going to tolerate all three of you running around and interrupting my work and our personal time."
[Instability <5]
She giggles in a way that even makes your skin crawl. You're not exactly sure who or what she's talking about, and you're not in a hurry to find out. Neither are the boys, if the uncomfortable silence is any indication.
As the shuffling grows a little louder, you realize you've been standing here for quite a while. Madame Red hasn't noticed you, and you doubt the boys will say anything, so you could sneak away to a different part of the Cathedral if you wanted to see more. On the other hand, you're curious what the consequences of...not making friends with you(?) are. Then again, there might be some things you don't want to know...
--
[x] Announce your presence
[x] Continue hiding and listening
[x] Sneak off
-[x] Back to your room in the Cells
-[x] See if you can't find your way to Uncle's Workshop
-[x] Daniel's room should be around here?
-[x] Well, Madame Red clearly isn't in her room...
-[x] (Write in)
[x] Write In
Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
[X] Sneak off
-[X] Go practice Necromancy alone with Brother.
--[X] Try to improve his Grace.
Probably not a wise idea to go digging around in an Enchanter's room without permission, guys. You never know what she might have laying around that would leave us in a... less than ideal condition.
---
So, I was re-reading and noticed this chapter isn't threadmarked.
-[X] Go practice Necromancy alone with Brother.
--[X] Try to improve his Grace.
Probably not a wise idea to go digging around in an Enchanter's room without permission, guys. You never know what she might have laying around that would leave us in a... less than ideal condition.
---
So, I was re-reading and noticed this chapter isn't threadmarked.
Tactical Retreat
Spector29
It Only Gets Worse From Here
Aria Smarts Tests:
3 = 3 - 1 (Slightly Unstable) = 2
DC 2
Aria Stealth Test vs. ???:
3 = 3 - 1 (SU) = 2
vs.
???
Aria Notice Test:
1 = 1 - 1 (SU) = 0
DC 4
3 = 3 - 1 (Slightly Unstable) = 2
DC 2
Aria Stealth Test vs. ???:
3 = 3 - 1 (SU) = 2
vs.
???
Aria Notice Test:
1 = 1 - 1 (SU) = 0
DC 4
It's probably not a good idea to hang around here, especially if the boys are going to get punished. While you don't know from experience, if the whip is any indication it will be very unpleasant. Instead, you decide to do something fun!
Madame Red clearly isn't in her room, and you roughly know where it is, so maybe there's something fun in there to look at? You decide it's worth a shot and lightly pull Brother as you begin the process of sneaking away.
--
Brother is so loud! You definitely considered leaving him behind every time he fell over on the stairs, but ultimately didn't out of fear of what Uncle might do if he saw you leaving your toys around the house. Still, it was suuuuper annoying!
Still, the zombies you passed by didn't seem to care you were getting closer to Uncle's bedchambers. Isn't that dangerous? One of the first things Daniel taught you was that people were at their most killable when they were asleep! Maybe Uncle and Madame Red have something to defend themselves inside their rooms?
...maybe they don't sleep?
It takes a little while to find the bedroom doors amongst the twisting hallways of the Cathedral's upper floor. Every once in awhile, a stained glass window that hasn't been boarded over captures your attention. Uncle told you one day that most of the windows were shattered or removed so that better defensive stuff could be put in, so every time you find an unbroken window you have to stop and wonder.
[Alignment <= -50]
You haven't been to a church in...well, ever, but the people on these windows don't seem very...church-y? Some windows were very colorful depictions of skulls and fire, and the one you're currently looking at sure does seem familiar. Two people-shapes wearing different shades of red and black are...holding each other? There's fire around them, and the bottom of the window has glass-figures that look...blobbish, or some kind of glass-zombie horde?
[Madness > 99]
You feel like something is compelling you to look at it more closely, but that feeling can't find purchase before you realize you came up here for a reason!
Creeping over to the end of the hallway, you come across the final set of doors. Uncle's room is pretty easy to distinguish, sitting at the end of the hallway behind a gigantic set of wooden doors set in an archway. Madame Red's room is close by off to the right side of the hall, and you pause in front of the doorway. You considered knocking to be polite, but wouldn't that be silly when you're sneaking around and that nobody is there?
[Instability >= 1]
You knock, of course!
As soon as your knuckles wrap gently against the wooden door, you hear a small fizz and click. Huh, this door must be really old! You lightly turn the handle and slowly creak open the door to find... dark green balls on stands? No, that's not quite right, they're more bean-shaped and lightly pulsing with lime green light. There's a slight haze around them, and as you slip into the room you notice a small red strand of sinew connecting them all together and...to the...door.
Yelping, you push Brother into the hallway and dive over top of the Mines right before they reactivate with a click. The slight green glow has now become an angry pulsing RED, ready to show intruders a good time. Uncle showed you roughly how they worked when he was teaching you down in the Workshop. Was Madame Red really that worried someone would get into her room without her permission, or was that just how all of the adults had their rooms defended?
You suddenly feel very self-conscious about having successfully snuck into her room. Should you do your due diligence and dig around, just incase she's like Daddy and secretly hiding something?
Madame Red's room is wonderful looking, all things aside. A big red velvet bed with a black canopy takes up the back corner of the room, and all round the rest of the space are little altars and circles scribed in chalk, with only one normal-looking desk next to the bed to signify any 'professional workspace' that Uncle would recognize. She's got dressers and cabinets filled with clothes as well, although there might be fun things hidden in the drawers...
--
Search / Look at?
-[x] The Blackstone altars
-[x] Ritual Circles
-[x] Dresser Drawers
-[x] Bedside Desk
-[x] The Mines
-[x] Stained Glass Windows
[x] Write in plan
So, what do? You can look at as many things as you like, it would take about three to five minutes to safely and completely search something. Just keep in mind how much time you have to actually get out. You didn't sense anyone following you, but you can't be sure you didn't set something off in your attempt to avoid the mines.
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Dark Ness
Rises Where Silence Dies
- Location
- The Primordial Soup
-[x] The Blackstone altars
-[x] Dresser Drawers
-[x] Bedside Desk
I don't think we should look at the ritual circles because there is no chance of them having hidden stuff. It will just be us looking at them. And sonce we are probably going to learn about them eventually anyways, I don't see the point
-[x] Dresser Drawers
-[x] Bedside Desk
I don't think we should look at the ritual circles because there is no chance of them having hidden stuff. It will just be us looking at them. And sonce we are probably going to learn about them eventually anyways, I don't see the point