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I welcome you all to the second installment of this grand crossover between Hellsing, JoJo's...
Intro
Location
Netherlands
I welcome you all to the second installment of this grand crossover between Hellsing, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dies irae, and Demonbane (which I thought was a perfectly good idea at the time and still do, for some reason). I put the original on hiatus because I wasn't quite satisfied with my own performance as a QM, and after extensive changes were made in these past three or so months I decided to start a new quest instead of continuing the old one. For those wondering what has changed in this new and improved version:

Lore: Greatly expanded. Many new things have been added, some old ideas I lost interest in were scrapped, and the original Cthulhu Mythos has been added to the roster to make Demonbane's "Cthulhu Mythos with mechs" less self-contained. The settings were connected a little more elegantly through a shared timeline, a timeline that ended up being very helpful for removing any inconsistencies. Expect original content in the places the canon lore doesn't reach.
Mechanics: Still mostly freeform, but I'm occasionally going to ask for a 1d100 roll when attempting certain actions or in the case of random events. I'm planning to include a greater amount of write-in choices too, I think it makes things more interesting.
Me actually planning what's going to happen beforehand so I don't Toriyama the whole thing as I go: Confirmed. I admit that in all of my excitement I kind of overlooked it the last time around.
As for the protagonist, they've already been decided on (I'm sure a lot of people have already guessed who they might be, with this kind of title), so instead of choosing the main character, the start date will be decided on.



This life is an unforgiving one, you were aware of that fact since you were born. Despite this, you never lost hope. Not hope in the possibility that your life will become better, but hope in your own ability to tame your life's unforgiving nature. Greater power is what you desire, the influence needed to never return to the desperate times of your early years. Your judgement is not clouded by petty ideas like morality; everyone you meet is a future pawn or a future enemy, and must be treated as such...

After all, you have one simple goal, just one!
To win and to dominate!
That's it...
That's all that can fulfill you!
And how you do it does not matter in the slightest!

With that in mind, you know fully well who you are. The path you have chosen and the destiny that lies ahead of you is clear. But when does your story begin?

[ ] Your story begins as the fierce battle between you and your nemesis nears its end. You thought that there was no possible way for their feeble techniques to affect your immortal form, a grave error on your part. Now, while your enemy prepares their final blow, it seems like you could actually lose. But does one as great as you truly deserve this fate?

[ ] Your story begins when you are recovered from the depths of the ocean after countless years of solitude, the thing you considered your final resting place instead becoming the vessel that reintroduced you to the world you left behind over 90 years ago. Your rise begins anew, and your time beneath the waves has matured both your mind and your spirit.

[ ] Your story begins shortly after the ghost of your past has returned to haunt you. A lineage that should have been buried forever is braving the terrors of the path to your stronghold, intending to destroy you. They are infantile, weak, and should pose no threat to your formidable group of followers, let alone you, but your mind is still filled with unease.


"Some destinies deserve to be destroyed! Some fates deserve to be vanquished! And I've already severed all of mine!!"
Superhuman Strength: Dio attains massive strength as a Vampire, allowing him feats such as forcibly walking on walls and single-handedly deflecting attacks such as Hierophant Green's Emerald Splash (volleys of substantially-sized emeralds flying at almost bullet speed). After absorbing Joseph's blood he is powerful enough to pick up and drop a steamroller on Jotaro.
Superhuman Speed: Dio also possesses superhuman speed and agility. At one point he was described by Speedwagon being faster than a cheetah.
Superhuman Senses: Demonstrated when placing his head on the ground to hear Jotaro's heartbeat, despite being a few meters away, Dio appears to have senses beyond human level.
Regeneration: Dio can regenerate his body faster than fire can consume it. His incredible vitality is maintained by consuming human beings (or their blood), which he commonly does by piercing them with his fingers. Like all JoJo Vampires, Dio sucks blood through tentacles in his fingers and has been seen at least once drinking blood from an unnamed girl. His body is able to live even after having vital body parts amputated and he can also control his detached body parts. The extent of Dio's own survivability is demonstrated when he could continue as just a head.
Space Ripper Stingy Eyes: Dio is able to pressurize bodily liquid in his eyeballs and then create small openings in his pupils, eventually unleashing two fluid jets powerful enough to slice through stone.
Vaporization Freezing Technique: An ability Dio utilized after learning of Hamon energy and the danger it presents to him. By vaporizing the moisture in his body, he can absorb heat from any living being he is in physical contact with and freeze them. This ability can be circumvented by Hamon being channeled through items and fire.
Eternal life: Dio does not age, and is completely immune to dying from natural causes.
Fusion: Dio possesses the ability to graft the body parts of different beings together, using this to create half-man half-beast pets. Dio later used this ability to graft his head onto Jonathan's body.
Flesh Buds: Dio is able manipulate his hair to create parasites that he can insert into a human's head. The Flesh Bud will pierce through the skull into the part of the brain, making the afflicted compliant to Dio's charisma. As explained by Joseph, the parasite will gradually eat the inflicted's brain. If someone tries to take out the spore, which can prove fatal if it's not carefully removed, the Flesh Bud will sprout tentacles in an attempt to invade the intruder's brain. If the vampire wants, he can give permission to someone to activate the spore's tentacles anytime he wants if close to it. The spores possess another effect in case DIO himself ever dies. According to Keicho Nijimura, his father who was implanted by the spore underwent a mutation into a greenish animalistic form by having DIO's cells inside his body. Presumably, this is a side effect that the rest of the surviving Stand Users that DIO had implanted his spores inside of would suffer from.
Sailors: A group of sailors unfortunate enough to recover Dio's coffin from the ocean.
Type: Flesh bud thralls / zombies.​
Number: 3.​
Capabilities: Superhuman. Average zombie.​
Loyalty: Absolute.​
Soldier: A soldier belonging to an unknown organization.
Type: Flesh bud thrall.​
Number: 1.​
Capabilities: Unknown, most likely human.​
Loyalty: Very high.​
Vehicles:
A single boat.​
None yet.
Synchronization with Jonathan Joestar's body: 5.7%
Abilities weakened: All (-19 to related rolls, every 5% of synchronization will diminish this penalty by 1).
People drained since reawakening: 7.
 
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Prologue: The Midnight Sea
[X] Your story begins when you are recovered from the depths of the ocean after countless years of solitude, the thing you considered your final resting place instead becoming the vessel that reintroduced you to the world you left behind over 90 years ago. Your rise begins anew, and your time beneath the waves has matured both your mind and your spirit.

You recall a scene from the past, a scene you are unlikely to forget any time soon.

February 7th, 1889, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Raging flames consume the ship's engine room, you yourself in the center of the inferno. Below your neck you completely lack any kind of body, an impressive display of your undying nature even without the most basic requirements to sustain a human life, but you feel no pride in your form as you are now. Holding your disembodied head is a man named Jonathan Joestar. Throughout your shared youth you have attempted to break the man's spirit; to leave him a helpless shell of a human being so you could safely secure his family's wealth.
The flames continue to spread, and life leaves his body. Even in his final moments he shows no sign of hopelessness, embracing you like only someone with a strong familial bond could.

"He...

He's dead!
"

You remember Jonathan Joestar as the only human you could ever feel respect for... And therefore he is worthy of living on as your new body, so you may live forever as you were destined to.
The ship is destroyed in an explosion that leaves nothing behind. Your head, taking shelter in a coffin specifically made to shield you from the sun and protect from such harm, survives. The coffin sinks into the depths of the ocean, and within this coffin, you use your vampiric powers to attach what is left of you to the Joestar's body. You become whole again.

But that is the past. You lost count of the years that have passed a while ago, everyone involved in that incident would have died of old age by now if they had survived.

"Yes, pry it open, quick!"
"Wait, this is bizarre... The chest's locked from the inside!"
"Who gives a shit? Bust it open!"
"H- Hold on! There's something engraved here."


Your reliving of old memories is disturbed by sounds from outside the coffin. Pressing your ear against the lid and making use of your superhuman hearing, you can clearly make out the waves, the voices of multiple men standing near the coffin and talking to one another in voices far louder than needed, and the sound of a metallic object poking against the coffin multiple times.

"D-I-O... Dio. You think it's a name?"
"Do you think anyone gives a damn?! The sun is about to set! Once it gets dark, it'll be impossible to see how to get it open!"
"Yeah, good point!"
"Right! Let me go grab the blowtorch!"
"Get ready to say hello to treasure!"

There are only three of them, and night will soon overtake day as well, so it won't hinder your efforts. Instead of opening the coffin's interior lock, you ponder what to do with them while they do all of the work. This does however mean that you are forced to listen to their idiotic arguing, your annoyance not exactly aiding the current state of your body.
You trace your fingers over the large scar on your neck, a scar that should have healed instantly with your regenerative ability. Jonathan's lingering influence, and the vampire-killing power of the Hamon that once coursed through his veins are actively rejecting your control. Additionally, the long time you have spent without consuming blood further weakens your struggling body.

The coffin's lid is detached and pushed away, exposing you to the dim moonlight. The faces of three sailors block your view of the night sky. They stare in silence, your bloodthirsty gaze piercing their souls with confusion and terror. Despite their clear desire to scream and run to some safe location, wherever that may be, your eyes are keeping them frozen in place with fear.

"Wrrryyyyyyyy..."

[ ] What shall be done with them? Write-in.
 
Prologue: The Midnight Sea II
[X] Hypnotize and then interrogate them of the world as it is now. It has been many years, you must know how it has changed.

Your eyes narrow. Several strands of your golden hair stretch and writhe as if they were their own living creature, flesh-like lumps growing from the ends of these strands. Suddenly, and with frightening accuracy, the hair strikes at the three sailors, who had no time to react to the incoming threat. One stumbles backwards and nearly falls over, another tries to cling to the side of the coffin for support, but the result is the same. Their skulls are pierced by the flesh buds' spikes, latching onto their foreheads and digging into their brains. Their minds are overtaken, thoughts rewritten to suit your needs. In such a short span of time as well... You wonder if this stands as an example of the flesh buds' power or an example of the human will's fragility.
While they regain what little composure they had left, you get up, tearing the tattered and burned rags that were once Jonathan Joestar's clothing from your upper body.

"I understand that this is very sudden," Your powerful voice calls out to the men, returning to their previous state of staring mindlessly at you. "But, it's better if you start working for me from now on." Not one of them opposes your words, the only logical outcome. They nod their heads like obedient lapdogs, the most fortunate fate they could have met after coming into contact with you. Satisfied with this result, you step out of the coffin and onto the ship's deck, stretching your arms and bathing in the moon's pale light before your conversation with the others resumes.

"Now, about this coffin. I'm interested in hearing how you found out about its location."
"There were rumors of treasure in this area for a while now, we've been looking since last month." One replies, nervously. "B- But we never meant to disturb your sleep!"
"Ah..." Your lips curl into a smirk, the sight sending a shiver down their spines. "There's no need to worry. In fact, your actions have been of great help to me. I've been separated from the the surface for a while, you see. I trust you'll be able to answer some simple questions about what has happened in my absence."

You spend a long time interrogating your new servants about the current age, gaining a fair amount of useful information alongside a lot of useless trivia. You have awakened in the year 1983, having spent 94 years on the ocean floor. The date is November 28th, and the boat you are on is near the Canary Islands, off the northwestern coast of Africa. They also attempt to give you a basic summary on the historical events and technological advances that have taken place since 1889, but they aren't very well-educated, creating large gaps in their knowledge. Most of it ends up being vague. But even with their lacking explanations, their tales of blindingly fast horseless carriages and flying machines pique your interest, to say nothing of this age's armored war machines and bombs that can reduce cities to ash.

As enlightening as your little questionnaire was, you can't stay on this boat forever. It functions as suitable transport, but if you are to regain your foothold in the world, you will need a base of operations. After confirming that the tank contains enough fuel and having the sailors cover up the windows, you start to think about where this base of operations, the capital of your metaphorical kingdom and center of your efforts, will be created.

[ ] Name the boat's destination. Keep in mind that you will probably be staying in that area for a while.

There is another matter that needs to be addressed, regarding the performance of your servants and the hunger gnawing at your being.

[ ] You will turn them into zombies. You will regain some of your lost strength from their siphoned life force and grant them inhuman physical prowess, but like their vampiric master, sunlight will become fatal to them.

[ ] There's no need for that right now.


Depending on where you will go, the trip could be a long one. Luckily, you already know how your time will be spent.

[ ] You will spend your time further questioning the sailors. Write-in for specific questions.

[ ] You will spend your time attempting to get accustomed to your new body and testing your abilities. You are unlikely to achieve much progress in your current state, but the odds increase if you consume your servants' blood.

[ ] You will spend your time doing something else. Write-in.
 
Prologue: The Midnight Sea III
[X] A New Land
-[X] Japan, The Land of The Rising Sun. A land that you had never seen during your life. You are curious, of what it holds.


Your servants stare at you expectantly while you ponder your destination, awaiting their next order. Its name leaves your lips as a whisper, prompting a look of confusion on the sailors' faces.

"Japan..."

Yes, that is the place where you will regain your strength. You remember the words of Wang Chen well. Your former undead subject gladly told you a myriad of dubious stories concerning the secrets of the eastern world, stories that your younger self, as a sober and well-educated Englishman, could not possibly accept as fact. But after donning the stone mask and transforming into something more than human, you became unsure if stories like those could be written off as simple fairy tales, leaving you considerably more open-minded to the possibility of the mystical nature of the world. Whether this mysticism has declined after years of technological development is unknown to you, an answer that can only be discovered through personal experience. On that note, your servants possess no knowledge of more unusual matters like the current state of Hamon practice. The art's demise would cause your plans to proceed more smoothly than they would otherwise, but it would be naive to assume that this is the case, especially after the threat you posed to both it and the world. You'll have to investigate the matter at a later date.

-[X] You will turn them into zombies. You will regain some of your lost strength from their siphoned life force and grant them inhuman physical prowess, but like their vampiric master, sunlight will become fatal to them.

Before you give the order to set sail for the Land of the Rising Sun, you decide to relieve the hunger that 94 bloodless years brought with it. Approaching one of the sailors, you raise your hand and lift him up by the throat, fingers pushing into his neck. He lets out a soundless scream as all of the blood is drained from his body, slowly calming down through the pacifying effect of the flesh bud. During this process, you force a small amount of your own vampiric extract into his veins and let go, his metamorphosis into a zombie beginning moments after. Repeating the same action with the other two humans, you give your orders after all three of them are fully zombified.


-[X] You will spend your time attempting to get accustomed to your new body and testing your abilities. You are unlikely to achieve much progress in your current state, but the odds increase if you consume your servants' blood.

As expected, a sailing to the other side of the globe in a cruiser is going to take some time. Several days at least, according to the zombies. You are obviously not one to mindlessly idle about, and instead use the time given to you for a more productive effort. Now that your body feels slightly less miserable than before, you can practice your supernatural abilities with some semblance of confidence. During the day, you stay inside and work on simple things like dexterity, precision, and general bodily control. At night, you test the limits of your abilities, and while these limits are plentiful, you find yourself pleasantly surprised during a test of your regenerative ability, a self-inflicted wound healing much faster than expected. As a result of your successful training, your synchronization with the body of Jonathan Joestar has risen by 5%.

The journey is otherwise uneventful, with bearable weather at worst and not the slightest glimpse of another ship. Just as the sun sets and you prepare to continue your practice, one of the zombies informs you that the Japanese coastline is on the horizon.

Walking to the very front of the ship's deck, you fold your arms. The first step of your road to supremacy has been completed, and with the boat nearing the coast, the second step is already in sight: a great city in the distance, its buildings taller and lights brighter than any you have seen before. Able to be viewed clearly even in the dead of night, your mind immediately declares this city a fitting candidate for your capital.

Land is reached without interruptions, the docked boat hidden from sight under a seaside cliff. As you prepare to exit the vehicle and travel to the city, you wonder if you should leave some of your servants behind to guard the boat.

[ ] Decide how many of your zombies will be accompanying you, if any.
 
Chapter I: Megalopolis
[X] For now, you shall go in alone, too high is the risk of them making an error in their new states.

You place your foot on the edge of the ship, your zombies gathering behind you with the intent of following their superior to dry land.

"All of you, stay behind and guard the boat. You will be called upon when needed." You stretch your fingers and thrust your hand into the cliff's side, small pieces of debris falling into the water. Following this up by using the same hand to pull the rest of your body closer to the cliff, you also embed both of your feet into the stone, your immense strength allowing you to walk up the vertical surface with utmost ease. You reach the top in a timely manner, grabbing the fence on the cliff's edge and lifting yourself over it.

Your eyes glance at the wide road in front of you before settling on the brightly-lit buildings in the far distance. There is utter silence during your long walk towards the city, your hearing unable to pick up even the blowing of the wind. You move on the sidewalk like a specter, soundless and hidden by the darkness of the night, your gaze fixed on your goal. A considerable amount of time passes — twenty minutes or so, at least.
The silence is broken by a rumbling noise, becoming louder with every second. The source of this noise is large vehicle quickly moving across the road, most likely the "automobile" you have heard about. The car is still far away, but should be able to close the gap in a short amount of time.

[ ] Write-in.
 
Chapter I: Megalopolis II
[X] Close the gap, all the while using your superhuman senses to classify their threat level. You fell due to underestimating humans, especially Jonathan Joestar, who you respect. While you highly doubt many, if any at all exist in the modern day who could match him. It is best to stay cautious, your mind, more than your body, is what has made you a threat.

Your muscles tense and you kick the ground with enough force to crack the pavement underfoot. The leap is performed with a level of speed that cannot be tracked by the eyes of a human, leaving you as a nigh-invisible blur until the gap between you and the object in front of you is small enough to get a good look at the person behind the steering wheel.

Analyzing them while you have not yet touched the ground, they seem to be a Japanese man of advanced age, dressed in a simple suit and tie of an unfamiliar yet distinctly western design. You do not notice any unusual bodily features, nor can you find anything strange in their posture or current behaviour, leading you to believe that they are nothing more than an ordinary human.
But being in such close proximity to the car, it was only obvious they would end up seeing you in turn. The man's eyes meet with yours, and like clockwork, he violently convulses and lets go of the wheel, grasping his chest as the car's tires slide over the street. Not perturbed by this sudden turn of events, you wait while the vehicle gradually loses speed and stops its uncontrolled movement.

"Hmph."

You let out a grunt of indignation as you look through the stationary car's window for a second time to investigate the aftermath. The man is not moving, his eyes opened wide and his mouth agape; dead without a shadow of a doubt. Did they suffer a heart attack from shock? In any case, they were never a threat to you. Before you can decide what to do with the corpse and the vehicle it currently resides in, your ears pick up the sound of another approaching car, still out of sight. Whether this unwanted arrival is a troublesome thing or an opportunity will have to be determined after the fact.

[ ] Write-in.
 
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Chapter I: Megalopolis III
The noise emitted by the far-away vehicle is somehow different, and something within you urges your body to remove itself from the road as swiftly as possible. You decide to oblige these deep-rooted instincts, but not without retrieving the recently deceased man's body first; another instinct of yours. Your hand reaches out, throwing the car door open regardless of if it was locked or not, and grab the corpse by its clothing, closing the door with a kick and moving to the other side of the road. Opposite of the sidewalk near the cliff is a densely forested area with a large amount of trees and bushes, far better of a place to remain unseen. Obscured by the foliage and with the body hanging limply from your closed fingers, you observe the car as it turns the corner and enters your vision. Once it does, you begin to wonder if it could actually be classified as a car — its appearance gives it the impression of an immensely solid behemoth of a vehicle, made for transporting more people than the smaller car's four seats, and most likely for enduring more damage as well. You assume that it belongs to law enforcement, but you can't glean that information from the large orange-coloured markings on the vehicle's side, as they are all in Japanese.
It quickly comes to a screeching halt, a total of six men exiting and jumping from its elevated doors to the ground. Helmets, goggles, protective vests, elbow and knee pads, boots, all in black and leaving not an inch of skin uncovered. These individuals, who might as well be military for all you know, slowly approach the stopped car in a fashion that looks to have been rehearsed a thousand times. The rifles they carry are trained on the car once they come close enough, only lowering once it is determined that the one previously driving it had disappeared. You place the body on the floor and prepare to strike, assuming they'll survey the area for the driver's location, but that is not the case. One of them presses a gloved hand against their ear, speaking in the country's native tongue before turning to the others and gesturing to the car's trunk. Another moves to open it, and among what you assume to be more mundane objects, they pull out an ornate white robe, a book with a blank cover that is handed to the supposed leader of the team, and a bag. A particularly large bag at that, made out of reflective material and containing something with a shape suspiciously close to a human body's. Your instincts were right after all.

During the inspection of these objects, one of them wanders off, closer to your location. They stare at the darkness where you reside, annoying you somewhat. Their concealed face prohibits you from gauging their emotional state through their expression, giving you the feeling of staring at a machine. Still, they haven't discerned your presence yet, which opens up a multitude of ways to deal with the unwanted arrivals.

[ ] Carefully approach the closest one and attempt to insert a flesh bud into their forehead. Keep in mind that the speed, precision, and luck required to do this without your target or the others noticing is possibly outside of your capabilities right now. If you succeed, you will...
[ ] Order them to attack their former allies before joining the fray yourself.
[ ] Leave them as they are but tell them to return to this place tomorrow, essentially placing a spy in their ranks to be visited and questioned at a later, more secure time. After this, you will...

[ ] Leave to zombify and interrogate the man deep in the wilderness.
[ ] Continue to wait and see how the situation develops.

[ ] Drag the closest one into the darkness with you and snap their neck, hopefully without the others noticing.

[ ] End the closest one's life with a swift physical attack to the head before moving on to attack the others. Reliable, but you'll be left open to a counterattack by their fellows.

[ ] Line up a shot and use your Space Ripper Stingy Eyes to dispatch multiple of them at a time. Highly effective if successful, but you still lack full control over your abilities.

[ ] Turn the dead man into a zombie and...
[ ] Create an opening to attack by ordering the zombie to jump at the nearest one. After this, you will...

[ ] End the closest one's life with a swift physical attack to the head before moving on to attack the others. Reliable, but you'll be left open to a counterattack by their fellows.
[ ] Line up a shot and use your Space Ripper Stingy Eyes to dispatch multiple of them at a time. Highly effective if successful, but you still lack full control over your abilities.
[ ] Create an opening to attack by ordering the zombie to calmly approach and surrender. After this, you will...
[ ] End the closest one's life with a swift physical attack to the head before moving on to attack the others. Reliable, but you'll be left open to a counterattack by their fellows.
[ ] Line up a shot and use your Space Ripper Stingy Eyes to dispatch multiple of them at a time. Highly effective if successful, but you still lack full control over your abilities.
[ ] Tell him to play along before dragging the zombie out of the bushes with you, lying that you were suddenly attacked and were forced to defend yourself.

[ ] Leave to zombify and interrogate the man deep in the wilderness.

[ ] Continue to wait and see how the situation develops.

[ ] Write-in.
 
Chapter I: Megalopolis IV
[X] Carefully approach the closest one and attempt to insert a flesh bud into their forehead. Keep in mind that the speed, precision, and luck required to do this without your target or the others noticing is possibly outside of your capabilities right now. If you succeed, you will...
-[X] Leave them as they are but tell them to return to this place tomorrow, essentially placing a spy in their ranks to be visited and questioned at a later, more secure time. After this, you will...
--[X] Continue to wait and see how the situation develops.


You strike, and your target is left without any opportunity to react. One of the strands of your hair has already morphed into a flesh bud, one you put to quick use. Just now, you noticed that there is a small gap between the human's helmet and goggles, and it's just the right size for a spore at that. The flesh bud attaches itself to their forehead with no hindrance, causing the heavily-armed man to stumble for a moment before their balance returns. In the corner of your eye you can see one of the other soldiers turning their head in your direction, but only after you have already returned to the shadows of the forest's edge. You whisper your orders from a distance, your sinister voice carried by the cold wind. What you need right now is information, vital to continuing your activities in this new and unknown world. Assuming your educated guess is correct, and insider information about the organization these soldiers belong to cannot be found in any old library book, this thrall is a valuable asset of yours... At this stage of the plan at least. Your orders reach their ears, letting them know that they will not be fighting today. Instead, they will carry on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened and return to this place tomorrow, or to the next best alternative if this were to become a crime scene. They give no sign of acknowledgement, but you know they understood. Adjusting their helmet to hide the abnormal growth now sprouting from their forehead, your new servant returns to the rest of the group.

There is a hint of a smirk on your lips. Everything has gone exactly as you planned; there was never any need to doubt your own skill. You decide to wait it out and see how things unfold, listening to the long conversation that follows. But superhuman hearing won't help with understanding languages you have no knowledge of, and you can't decipher their intentions through vague hand signals alone. After many minutes, you still remain. The situation interest you ever so slightly, and you get the feeling that there is more to it than meets the eye, a hidden truth that required no grasp of the native tongue to comprehend after its unveiling. Wondering what it might be, you stare at the dead body next to you in idle thought, eyes only shifting back to the soldiers after you notice that they're approaching your hiding place. Three of them to be exact, with the likely "leader" and your thrall belonging to the three staying behind.

[ ] Leave, you'll hear of what transpired afterwards from your thrall.
[ ] Move deeper into the forest and wait for an opening. You will end their lives one by one.
[ ] A change of plans is in order. Once the approaching group has distanced itself from the road, you attack the ones guarding the car instead.
[ ] Write-in.
 
Chapter I: Megalopolis V
[X] Leave, you'll hear of what transpired afterwards from your thrall.

You step away from the area before the group can reach you, taking a diagonal path that cuts deeper into the forest. Even while walking at a casual pace you are able to comfortably put a large amount of distance between yourself and the slow-moving soldiers, their silhouettes fading and melting into the shape of the many branches and leaves not long after your departure.

You don't know how much time passes before you stop walking, having reached a small clearing that isn't as empty as you expected it to be. Looking down, you spot the grassy traces of what was once a dirt road. To the right stands what this road was meant to lead towards; some kind of shrine or temple, a place of worship now abandoned and completely overgrown.

"Forgotten by humanity and reclaimed by nature, hm."

You comment, but you aren't here for sightseeing. You decide that you're far away enough to take care of another matter without the humans catching up to you. Your eyes are once again on the dead body, nonchalantly releasing it from your grip and watching it fall on the road. Even in death, this man should hope he knows things that are worth the effort of dragging his corpse around like this.
Perhaps they are nothing more than a common murderer and a complete waste of time, but only you can decide what is and is not worth your valuable time.

You could turn him into a zombie, interrogate him, and then bring him to the city as a servant, but considering there is a search party looking for him right now, keeping him as an underling is bound to attract the attention of the local authorities. Alternatively, the third step could be omitted, instead taking away the zombie's new life as quickly as you had granted it to him. Lastly, there is always the option of... Simply leaving his body here for said authorities to find. You might quite literally be tossing aside a potential source of information, but you won't have a wanted man at your side at all times, and finding the murderer's body could put whatever governmental or corporate entity those soldiers are employed by at ease.

[ ] Resurrect the man, interrogate him, and bring him to the city with you.
[ ] Resurrect the man, interrogate him, and kill him after you have learned everything you wished to know.
[ ] Leave the corpse here and head for the city.
[ ] Write-in.
 
Chapter I: Megalopolis VI
[X] Resurrect the man, interrogate him, and kill him after you have learned everything you wished to know.

Crouching down, you waste no time in bringing this dead man back to the world of the living. You raise your arm and jab your hand downwards, index finger piercing the corpse's throat. The veins in his hollow face expand and writhe, somehow looking more dead than before as you force the vampiric extract into his body. Their closed eyes open again, pupils shrinking and mouth gasping for air. Their skin gains a dull gray tint, and a trembling hand tries to reach out for you, but you stand up and turn your back on the zombie. "I didn't scare you too much, did I?" You ask in a mocking tone, unsure if they're even able to understand you.

To your surprise, they reply in immaculate English, polite to a fault and clearly practiced over a long period of time. "Wait! What... Did you do to me?" You can hear the elderly man rise to their feet, still breathing heavily from the shock. "Consider it a favour." You answer after a second of silence, folding your arms. You aren't interested in sharing the specifics with an undead that would soon return to the grave again. "I don't understand, I—"
"There's no need for you to understand. Just know that I deemed it appropriate to return your life to you." Your back is turned to them, but it's easy to sense their bewilderment.
"Could you be... A messenger? Sent by the Lord?" A very sudden judgement to say the least, but they were visibly nervous when they were driving as well, not unusual for someone being pursued by a group of armed men. Coming back from the dead of all things would almost certainly push the over them edge. Their fear was lingering after death, which also explains their behaviour in comparison to others you have turned into zombies. "Hm, if that is the conclusion you draw from this..." They open their mouth to voice more of their delusions, but you turn to face them again, your facial expression enough to let them know that it was not their time to speak. At least their eyesight is working as intended. You place your hand on your chin, taking in the silence for a moment before posting a question.

"Tell me... Are you a murderer?"

The man stares at you, seemingly at a loss for words. The way they recoil at a harmless question like that prompts an amused chuckle from you, only further frightening them. "Hoh, maybe I'm being too direct in my approach." You take a step towards them, a step that almost shakes the ground. "But there are questions I need to have answered. I suppose we'll start with something else first."

[ ] Write-in the questions you will ask before disposing of the zombie.

QM Note: Yes, another write-in only post from yours truly, but I think people would prefer keeping it concise for now to me dropping a 2,000 word long post consisting of pure exposition in Q&A format.
 
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