[ ] Investigate the room.
[ ] Open the door with the flame on it - slowly, so you can peek inside. Enter if clear.

I never knew how to play adventure games well.

[x] Investigate the empty fountain
[x] Investigate the room.
[x] Open the weird door, but make sure that the handle isn't glowing from heat before you touch it.

Spitting on it is the easiest way, but there are others.

[x] Investigate the empty fountain
[x] Investigate the room.
[x] Open the weird door, but make sure that the handle isn't glowing from heat before you touch it.

[x] Investigate the empty fountain.
[x] Investigate the room.

[x] Open all the doors! ALL OF THEM! IF I CANNOT GO BACK, THEN DAMMIT, I WANT TO LOOK AT EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF THIS PLACE!

[]Open both doors of the Flame and Skull together.

[x] Investigate the room.
[x] Open the door with the flame on it - slowly, so you can peek inside. Enter if clear.

Mokou will be the Faye to our Spike.

[X] Investigate the empty fountain
[X] Investigate the room.

Maybe we should simply investigate the area for any possible clues before committing to opening a particular door?
There's no telling what might happen when any of those doors is opened, so it would be best to take advantage of this moment of relative peace and safety.

[?] Investigate the empty fountain.
[?] Investigate the room.

Not willing to make any hasty decision you may regret later, you refrain from opening any of the doors immediately. You take some time to examine the drawings of blood over them and to think of their probable significations, but quickly realize it's no use. After all, this whole place makes no sense at all, how could you possibly guess what those door leads to with only that?

You give a glance to each door one by one and try to make a decision based purely on your instinct, but even yet none of them seems more appealing than the others. You finally settle upon investigating the room itself and ignore the doors for a while.

First off, there's this fountain. You take some time to get a better look at it. Alike the rest of the room, it is made of bones. However, the number of bones used for it is incredible. Unlike the walls or the floor which are rather basic-looking, this fountain seems to have been designed by the best architects of hell. The bones are twisted and bent in unnatural positions to create curves and style. The fact that a bone isn't supposed to be able to be bent, some of them are of strange proportions as if they were not human. Additionally, in the middle of the pillar are what seems to be a miniature version of a mammoth's defenses. There are four of them pointing in what could easily be the four cardinal points.

You brush the edge of the fountain with the tip of your fingers and as if reacting to the contact, the hole from which water should normally be splashing out of start glowing of a dark red shade. Despite the situation, you can't help but think that the whole ?glow? thing is starting to get old.

Leaving the fountain alone, you undertake to search every centimeter of the room for a clue or anything suspicious. Well, anything more suspicious.

You inspect every square centimeter of the wall and floors, pressing against every skull, every bone that sticks out a little more than the others, but nothing happens. You are about to give up when you hear a noise from behind, something like a rope become tensed. You turn around and search for the origin of the noise, but you are met with the very same emptiness that you witnessed every second since you entered here. You resume your little investigation and after only one minute, you finally find something. Hidden inside the left eye socket of one of the skulls is a very small emerald. You only noticed it because the glow in this one's left eye was slightly different from the others and had you not paid attention, you would have never seen it. In fact, now that you look at it, the right eye too is slightly different. You extract from it a ruby of similar size.

Satisfied, with this discovery, you lean against the wall and observe the two gemstones. They are both shaped like the fangs of a wolf and are sensibly the same, the color aside. You notice that the ruby is the same color as the glow in the center of the fountain.

Somewhere far behind, you hear a loud noise, as if a huge old castle door would have just been closed and locked.

----------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Investigate the noise
[ ] proceed with one of the doors [Select one]

>>11155

[x] proceed with one of the doors [Skull]

We already said we wouldn't turn back. We can only go forward.

[x] Proceed with one of the doors [Weird glowing one]

It doesn't matter whether we investigate the noise or not. It's not really taking a step back, and our duty here is done anyway.

[x] proceed with one of the doors [All and None of Them at Once]

Quantum!

[x] Open the weird door, but make sure that the handle isn't glowing from heat before you touch it.

ho-oh~

Your lack of curiosity amuse me. You may interpret this post whichever way you feel like.

[x] proceed with one of the doors [Door of Flame]

Still clinging to the hope that this is Mokou.

[X] Investigate the noise

Fools! Clearly we are supposed to go investigate the sound and find the Wolf Statue, where we then insert the two gemstones into its mouth, unlocking the mechanism that will allow us to gain the medallion we need to solve the next puzzle!

>>11163

But, but, the Temple Guards, man. They scare the shit out of me.

You decide to ignore the noise and focus on going forward. Whatever was its origin, you will most likely find out on your way back. After all there's only one path out of here, right? You shove the two gemstones in your tracksuit's pants? pockets. For now, the only thing you have to stay focused on is solving the mystery of this place. Thinking of it, don't you have anything better to do right now than wandering in some bizarre place that makes you wonder if you didn't sniff something weird? Like, studying or getting ready for your part-time job? You don't even have an idea what hour it is.

You take a quick glance at your watch which indicates nearly eight PM. With the realization a wave of hunger hits you without a warning as your stomach growls. You ignore its plea and give a look at the four doors. The sooner you'll be over with this, the better.

You examine the drawings, then the doors themselves. Your mind is split on whether to take; they all pretty much all look the same anyway, except for the fourth one. The faint glow on its handle and the noticeably more intricate and complexes drawings above it set it apart from the three other. You walk next to it and glance at the handle. This glow, it's suspicious, it looks like a trap for idiots. You move your hand closer, very slowly, trying to sense any heat coming from it. Your carefulness is rewarded way earlier than expected. Your hand is still about ten centimeters away from the handle and the heat it radiate is already intense. No doubt if you touched it directly you wouldn't have been able to use your hand for a long while.

Suddenly, the very fabric of reality oscillates. Your vision becomes unclear, but not blurred, not as if you were to lose consciousness. It feels as if your vision was a lake and someone had thrown a stone in it. By the time the images your brain register finally becomes clear again, four little holes have appeared below the handle, each of them at the center of a metallic square. The four of them are aligned in a row and right above them, between the handle and the holes are small gemstones. Over the first, there is an emerald. Over the second, there is a ruby, but lighter than the one you found earlier. Over the third is a pure diamond and over the last one is a small obsidian stone.

-----------------------------------------------
[ ] Proceed behind the door with a skull
[ ] Proceed behind the door with a flame
[ ] Proceed behind the door with a cross
[ ] Investigate the noise

[x] Investigate the noise

[X] Proceed behind the door with a cross

So, we need some stones to REPLACE INTO those holes, which is likely what is needed to make the door at least safe to touch, if not unlock it entirely. Let's get this survival horror-esque fetch quest started!

[X] Proceed behind the door with a cross

[X] Proceed behind the door with a cross

Diamond choice.

[x] Proceed behind the door with a cross

I'm guessing Cross would be Eirin?

>>11198
Hell if I know. I just picked it because it seemed like the one symbol that didn't seem to suggest something potentially harmful, if not outright fatal.

Not that there's really going to be anything truly "safe" down here.

Well, looks like this one isn't going to open before a while.

You back away from the locked door, somewhat annoyed by the complexity of the lock. Everything is starting to feels like in those bad RPG games where you just have to run amok in a castle/dungeon/whatever and bash everything on sight to collect quest items to open a goddamn door you could have just bashed down. You take a step forward, but remembering the heat from the handle, kicking the door down doesn't seem a good idea. You fire at the hinge, but the bullet is literally deflected and you jump on the floor to avoid getting hit by your own projectile.

Well, looks like you don't have that many choices. You give a last glance at the fountain and realize the center of the basin is still glowing of a red light, slightly darker than the one on the locks. Giving it no importance, you head toward the door with a cross drawn above it. A cross is a holy symbol right? There shouldn't be anything ?too? aggressive or vicious behind this one.

You grab the handle, hesitantly at first, but quickly gather confidence and open the door, ready for whatever bad surprise lies ahead. Behind this door stands...

Nothing. A solid veil of darkness is preventing you from seeing anything past the door frame. Even the glow of the skulls cannot pierce through it. You take a step forward, into the darkness, and -almost to your surprise- nothing happens. No sudden trigger, no hidden monster suddenly and avidly grabbing your feet. Just emptiness. You walk into the darkness without much anxiety. Since you entered this place, and even before, you had to go through those several times.

You don't have to walk long before the darkness dispels. The light blinds you for a moment and you cover your eyes. As you recover your sight, you notice a radical change in scenery. The walls of bones and skulls have been replaced by clean and square stones white as snow. You brush your hand against one of them and the strange material replies to your contact with the soft texture of silk. The corridor itself seems to irradiate light.

Not dissatisfied by this new decoration, you walk forward for while. Despite turning every now and then, the corridor leads to a single destination. Before long, you reach a dead end. A huge cross which appears to have been shaped in a giant gemstone, possibly a diamond, lies against the wall. There's no doubt that with such a thing you could live the rest of your life with billions of dollar. If only you could carry it back, it must weight atrociously heavy. You walk up to it and touch the item. This time, it feels as if you were brushing your hand against... fur? Why in the world is everything so soft in here?

-?May I help you?" a feminine voice calls behind you.

You turn around to see a young girl with blue eyes and long dirty blond hair. Asides from her already original clothing, she wears numerous accessories. The most noticeable fact however isn't her clothing or her incredibly long hair but rather the pair of little black wings on her back.

-?My name is Hope, what do you seek here?"

------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.
[ ] Tell her you are a Slayer here to cleanse the labyrinth.
[ ] Tell her you are a treasure hunter and ask her to help you carry the cross outside.
[ ] you don't feel like wasting time, you got 3 of those doors to check out already. Just challenge he to a battle and ask for the key as prize.
[ ] Just shoot her already, it worked twice.

[x] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.

This guy seems legit.

[X] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.

Now watch as she turns out to either have a sister or a split personality called something like "Despair".

[x] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.

[x] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.

[x] Explain your situation, tell her you are trying to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth.

Update.

I blame my alarm clock for being an incompetent whore. An update was planned this morning about now but I just woke up and am running out of fucking time. Back at it when I come back from College.

>>11228

[x] Full of shit.

This feels different from the rest of the Labyrinth. You wouldn't go as far as saying that it's a safe spot, but you definitely are more at ease here and this girl is no exception. Besides, what would be the point in lying anyway? it's not as if you had something to hide.

-?Well, I don't seek something precise. In fact, I have no idea what I'm searching for." You reply casually.

-?You don't know what you're searching? That makes a lot of sense." Hope replies with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Are you lost or something?"

-?Nooot quite. If I wanted to leave, I would have already done so."

-?Then what is it that makes you stay in such a place?"

-?I want to know the truth about it. it's very existence doesn't make any sense to me right now so I was hoping to find out how it could possibly be real, trying to unveil its mysteries."

-?Oh~?" she inquires with an amused voice ?Then if the whole place makes no sense to you, do I make any?"

You try to answer words die in your throat, unable to form a coherent reply. If the location you're in right now makes no sense and if the ?friendly? gatekeepers you've met earlier makes even less, then does that means that explaining casually your situation to some girl who just appeared out of nowhere makes even less? Thinking about it, despite being the natural thing to do it indeed doesn't sound right. Who is she, what is she? As far as you know she could be a ghost not that much unlike the monks. Or maybe a succubus just waiting for you to let your guard down and take advantage of your tiredness to strike.

-?Whether your existence makes sense or not, you are still standing here and talking to me. You are real enough for me to acknowledge you and that's all I need."

-?Real? What is real? Is ?real? something you can touch, something you can see or hear? If that's the case then concepts such as freedom or values aren't real, numbers aren't real either. But if you tell me that things you cannot see nor touch are real, then it means that being seen or touched is not a requirement for being real. Therefore, Even if you hear my voice, I could still be a product of your imagination. Maybe like a mirage or a hallucination."

Once again, you would like to reply with a spike or a witty comment, but this ?Hope? girl always have something to say that's difficult to argue against. What does she even want? You would understand the monks for attacking you if they were the gatekeepers of the Labyrinth, but what is SHE doing here? It looks like all she's trying to do right now is confuse you.

-?Jesus man, aren't you the philosophic one? you say as you rub your forehead with your left hand.

-?Am I? I wonder, maybe those questions are lingering into your mind. Maybe you are the one who, behind this mask of indifference, are asking yourself all those questions."

-?There you go again. I've never liked that kind of metaphysical question." This time you cut her before she can go on with something else.

-?Do you need to like something to do it? I'm pretty sure you didn't enjoy your trip here so far yet you're continuing onward.--"

-?I warn you, if you're going to start on what we ?truly? want and desire, I'm leaving."

-?What?"

Clearly, she didn't expect this. Hope stares at you blankly and display a mixture of confusion and annoyance before a cruel smile slowly appears on her face. She put her left hand to her mouth and brushes her index vertically on her lips.

-?Yeah, you do that. Just run away from the truth like you always do. Escape into your little world without worries or problems. Seal away all of this, ignore this little voice you call reason, ignore this little voice you call morality and live your life as if nothing really mattered. In the end, you will only have hurt yourself."

The first feeling that enters your mind is surprise. Surprise from the sudden change of attitude. The second is frustration. She doesn't even know you yet she speaks all high and mighty like this as if she knew everything. The third is confusion. Do you really run away from problems? No, so far you've always faced trials whenever they presented themselves to you.

-----------------------------
[ ] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words .
[ ] Defend yourself aggressively; show her you're not like she says at all.
[ ] Defend yourself calmly; why reacting overly when none of this is true?
[ ] Admit there is a part of truth in what she says, but that it's the case with every human. Dealing with one's own flaws is part of life.

AND
[ ]Write-in your thoughts at this precise moment.

-----------------------
>>11235
Must...resist... Not write... Surprise Scat End...

[ ] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.

[x] Call her bluff; leave.

>Write-in your thoughts at this precise moment.

I can only put this appropriately in conversation form.

[x] "What if I'm being fooled by an evil daemon? What if I'm just a brain in a vat? What if I don't have free will? To question these fundamental assumptions that we live our lives by is not meaningful, nor is it constructive. And I don't think you have an answer to these questions either, at least, not ones that I couldn't pick apart myself with logic or rhetoric. Maybe argument and logic circles are interesting to someone with a lot of time on their hands, but to someone like me who enjoys the company of others, being 'right' is poor compensation for loneliness. Good day, Madam."

[x] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.
[x] Defend yourself calmly; why reacting overly when none of this is true?

[x] Rape her unawares. After all, none of this makes sense, it's all in your head, there's no reason to let her win. Unload a bullet in her chest and then fuck her dead body.

>In the end, you will only have hurt yourself.

Wrong! We can still hurt PLENTY of others!

>>11250

We're fucking hope?

Better yet, we're RAPING hope.

Anon, you sick fucking bastards.

[x] "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
[x] Call her bluff; leave.

As I turned and left the room, a gust of wind blew through, and the Akagi OP hummed gently in the background.

>>11320

If I took the time to specify that you had to write it, it meant it was important for the upcoming events. Well, whatever your lazy ass says, it's been too long already, if nothing else is posted by the time I check in tomorrow I'll consider that >>11245 is A-ok with everyone and cloe the votes.

>>11324

Man why you even gotta do a thing?

Just update.

[x] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.

[x] "Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time."

>>11324

When you put it that way, I should stop being a lazy ass about it.

[x] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.

[x] "Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time."

[z] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.
[z] "Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence, I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time."

Word challengin gaems

[x] Rape the hope

[x] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.
[x] "Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence, I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time."

[x] Two can play this game, this is a challenge of words.
[x] "Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence, I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time."

General Interest Notice:
Mid-session exams are over and I'll be off for the next week. This means I will have absolutely nothing better to do than stick around for 7~8 days. Do the maths.

Also, Writan. Now.

I couldn't find a related pic on this one. 'll have to bear with it.

=====================================
This - Hope - character is really starting to get on your nerves. This isn't the kind of behavior you would accept from a complete stranger in normal situation, why would you put up with such bullshit here and now?

Run away from everything? Fuck that. Even if it is a baiting sentence I said I wouldn't turn back. Game time.

-?Hm?" She looks at you with a half-mocking half-satisfied expression. "I see..."

-?Or do you? Despite your wise words, you just may be blinded. Believing so much in your own conceptions that you refuse to see the outside world as it is. Maybe something happened in your life that made you think the way you do now, but unfortunately, I don't know that. Since I don't know anything from you, I'll refrain from doing any judgment. I'll refrain from jumping so hastily to conclusions."

With an amused smile, you await her answer. If she wants to play with words, you can do that too. The said reply doesn't take long to be told. Sharp as a nail, Hope replies immediately with confidence.

-?And by doing so you will be no more than those who dwell on indifference. Nihilists, making apathy their way of life. It serves no purpose to even have an opinion of you don't voice it.."

-?But it's no use to have an opinion if it is to be a flawed one. By having an opinion with only partial answers to a question, you take the risk to support the wrong choice and to regret it later."

Once again, you attack her directly, attempting to make her think on her own choices and to destabilize her. However, she completely brushes away the argument counter swiftly.

-?But if you don't take risks, you won't get anywhere now will you?"

Now this does it, if she's going all out like this, so will you. This time, your words are blunter.

-?There is a difference between not taking risks and not rubbing your opinion all over total strangers who didn't ask anything to begin with in a way that will only annoy them. Even if you are to voice a flawed opinion, there are ways of doing so."

-?Of course, and the creatures you met earlier were just as civilized as you said. Those three guys were totally just trying to have a meaningful and respectful dialogue with you."

Irony? Even if the thought is somewhat amusing, this isn't going anywhere near a point.

-?This is totally beside the point, they were not--? Hope cuts you before you can finish

-?Humans? What makes you think I am one? Because I look more like one than they did?"

You remain silent. Although you've been able to defeat her words until now, this is your demise. Indeed, how can you be sure she is human? All you made sure of before explaining your situation was that she wasn't hostile. Even that much you're starting to doubt now. Physical violence isn't the only way to fight. Upon this thought, you remember stories you've read when you were younger about creatures who seduced men to feast on them afterward: Succubus, mermaids, after all danger can take many shapes and hide within our preconceptions.

Suddenly, the girl laughs of a sincere laugh. She looks at you with her earlier half-mocking half-satisfied look and points both her index toward you.

-?Oh now this is just wrong, I don't eat people! Well. Maybe, I could make an exception just for once..."

----------------------------------------------
[ ] Enough playing around. What if she was one of those monsters that disguise as humans to trap them easily? Attack her immediately.
[ ] This was just a joke to make you lose your focus. Get the discussion back on tracks and don't give her the time to re-organize her thoughts.
[ ] A joke? How convenient. Use it to stir the conversation away from seriousness and attempt to get her to drop the philosophic bullshit.

[x] Throw her off-guard with some sweet talk.
[x] Fast as lightening draw your gun and knock her dead.
[x] Rape hope.

[x] A joke? How convenient. Use it to steer the conversation away from seriousness and attempt to get her to drop the philosophic bullshit.

Now that her ego has been sated maybe we can get some actual information from her.

[x] A joke? How convenient. Use it to steer the conversation away from seriousness and attempt to get her to drop the philosophic bullshit.

[x] A joke? How convenient. Use it to stir the conversation away from seriousness and attempt to get her to drop the philosophic bullshit.

This girl needs to get her name changed to something more fitting, like "Despair".

>>11351

So we can yell "I am in Despair!" when we bang her?

[x] A joke? How convenient. Use it to stir the conversation away from seriousness and attempt to get her to drop the philosophic bullshit.

>>11352
...This was amazingly dumb, yet rather clever.

Update

Inspiration when you knock at my door with such ideas I never know if it's for the better or the worse...
------------------------------------------

This whole serious business deal is starting to annoy you greatly now. For fuck's sake nothing makes sense here, why would you need to rationalize anything? Especially like that. No, she has to drop her speech and she just gave you an opportunity to strike a critical hit.

-?Or maybe it could be the other way around? You quickly reply, your voice filled with innuendo.

-?What?" She is taken by surprise and attempt to come up with a coherent answer but all that comes out of her mouth is incomprehensible mutterings.

-?What's the matter? Don't tell me you were taking it seriously."

-?Why you..."Hope glares daggers at you. You can't really make out if she's frustrated because of the purposefully bad joke or because you told her you weren't serious. "Oh if that's how you're going to play--"

As the word ?play? echoes in your mind, another deliciously evil idea makes its entrance. You snap your fingers and without letting her finish her sentence you start

-?We know the game and we're gonna play it.
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling,
Gotta make you understand?"

-?What are you... babbling about..."she simply stares at you dumbstruck. Unsure how to reply to this and taken by surprise by the sudden change of mood.

Without paying any attention to her confused words, you go on with the song. Why this one? You don't really know, it just comes out naturally. Your voice plays along with the original's as it reaches each notes and variations with success. Adding to her confusion, your feet joins up in the song and you start dancing around Hope who simply stands here, eyes wide open, completely silent.

-?Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

Finally, Hope cracks a smile and claps her hands slowly. An amused light sparks in her eyes as she does so. You stop your game and bow slightly like a theater actor after a representation.

-?All right all right, it's useless for me to keep testing you like this. But really, I wonder. How can you remain always so calm and so cheerful? Especially here and now..."

=======================================================================

[ ]Write-in only

--------------------------------------------------------
I know there's been a lot of forced write-ins lately but they were necessary for this part of the side-quest. it's most likely going to stop once you go back at the crossroad.

[x] Wink at her and say "Because I've got a little Hope in my life"

No idea what to vote for, but this was fucking hilarious.

>>11429
Correction, I know exactly what to vote for.

[x] >>11428

[x] Wink at her and say "Because I've got a little Hope in my life"

[x] Wink at her and say "Because I've got a little Hope in my life"

[x] Wink at her and say "Because I've got a little Hope in my life"

This is good.

[X] "Besides, it would not help if I were to lose my head figuratively at first and literally shortly after now, would it?"

Even in CYOAs, rickroll.

[x] Wink at her and say, "Because I've got a little Hope in my life."

Update

I was busy mocking canadian politicians yesterday. Back to writan nao.

Her question isn't one that demands any reflexion. You've always been that way because no matter how grim dark the situation would become, you always kept even the tiniest light of hope within, never letting despair overwhelm you. Still in the mood for jokes, you can't help it but place a bad yet fitting pun. How did she even get that name to begin with?

-?Because I got a little Hope in my life." You reply ironically while winking.

-?Ho-oh~ well what do we have here?" she adds, still amused.

Hope walks up to you and brushes the tips of her index and middle fingers against your cheek, then moves upward to the tip of your nose which she pinch with the said fingers. She then giggles and walks away toward the oversized cross lying against the wall. Now that's a change of attitude...

-?My, it looks like someone is sad I wasn't serious earlier." You comment amusedly.

Without looking at you, Hope rests against the cross and sigh -?Or am I? Who knows? What am I? Do you have the answer to this, mystery hunter? My job here is done anyway. I will once again fade into the naught for God knows how long, but before I have a last duty to honor."

Hope stands up and turns around. She walks toward you once again but this time produces a large diamond from you have no idea where.

-?Wait up, what do you mean, the naught?"

-?Good-bye, Rip. For once I had fun. I wish for you to live an exciting life."

-?Hey hold on a minute what's --"

-?Goodbye..."

You could swear you've seen a single tear rolling down her left eye as she forces the diamond into your hand and turns around, her back facing you. As she walks away, Hope's body disappear into tiny fragments of light, progressively from head to toe. In mere seconds, she had vanished. You try to call out to her, but are only met with the overwhelming silence of the corridor, white as snow.

You take a look at the diamond she gave you before disappearing. it's roughly six or seven centimeters wide for four centimeters tall. It is perfectly crafted and has no apparent flaws. Within you can see the reflections of yourself as well as the room. Thousands of tiny fragmented mirrors linger in it. Stripping yourself from the stare, you simply put the stone in your camelpack along with the ruby and the emerald. Looks like your job here is done as well.

You walk back from the dead-end, your thoughts wandering on what was the deal with this Hope girl. Where did she come from? What is she truly? Why did she keep remembering it to you? Then there's her last sentence. For once, does this means she is trapped into this labyrinth, only allowed to appear when someone like you pass by?

Before you can come up with answers to all of those, you are once again into the solid darkness that has become so common in here. As you cross it, you are back at the crossroad.

Nothing has changed; the fountain is still empty, its center glowing of a dark red light. As you look around, you notice that the door behind you closed itself, the other ones are still closed and the seemingly locked one displays no difference whatsoever. Area 1 cleared? Most likely. Now two others to go.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Proceed beyond the door with a flame
[ ] Proceed beyond the door with a skull
[ ] Go investigate the noise you heard earlier
[ ] Take a break and look around, try messing around with the gemstones and the glows, search the room again.

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame

Have no fear for Hope: Diamonds are forever.

[X] Proceed beyond the door with a flame

Well, this should be interesting, if the last door was any indication.

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame

>>11455
>-?Ho-oh~ well what do we have here?"
>-?Ho-oh~

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame

When do we fight a pair of Pyramid Heads?

>>11470

?_?

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame
[x] Unlock side-story: Ballroom dance with Hope.

I want to send her off with good memories.

>>11472
What ^ Said To V
>>11470

Self-SAGE for slacking off when I don't even have College this week.

ALSO, Writan.

>>11504

hooray!

Well, shitsux, I can't seem to gather any inspiration at the moment. Delayed to tomorrow morning

>>11517

FFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Aha, found you.

>>11517
MMMMMMPPPHHH.

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame
[x] Proceed beyond the door with a skull
[x] Go investigate the noise you heard earlier
[x] Take a break and look around, try messing around with the gemstones and the glows, search the room again.

I do not see why we can't do everything at the same time. Stop thinking four-dimensionally.

Nice try, doppleganger. The real YAF has went to sleep a few hours ago.

ALSO, >>11522 do NOT tempt me.

[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame
[x] Proceed beyond the door with a skull
[x] Go investigate the noise you heard earlier
[x] Take a break and look around, try messing around with the gemstones and the glows, search the room again.

>>11524

If that's how you want to play.

>>11525
[x] Proceed beyond the door with a flame
[x] Proceed beyond the door with a skull
[x] Go investigate the noise you heard earlier
[x] Take a break and look around, try messing around with the gemstones and the glows, search the room again.

This is a drag. This labyrinth is taking way too long to investigate; it feels as if you were in one of those old RPGs for the SNES. Those atrociously bad one with awful music in which you have to do the same repetitive tasks over and over again for what seems to be an eternity. No, this is truly annoying. Why would you have to investigate all those things one by one anyway? To begin with, this whole bullshit is so unrealistic that it could just as well be a dream.

You take out a knife and look at it eagerly. Some sort of force from above is driving you, telling you what to do. Wait, a knife? When did you even get one? No matter! This is delusional anyway. Yeah, that's it, you've been at Sanzo's and he showed you that so-called program of his that can use sound waves to make someone just as stoned as if they smoked heaps of hallucinogens. You must be shaking like an epileptic dumbass on his couch right now.

With those concerns out of the way, you brush the tip of your left index over the edge of the knife. The sharp instrument cuts a clean wound and a single drip of blood falls toward the ground. it's working all right. Without hesitation, you cut yourself in half from left to right. At first, your body remains motionless, the blood gathering into a small pond between the two parts. Your intestines slowly slip away from your stomach with an icky sound. Soon enough, your flesh around the cut starts to swell and move on its own. Bubbles wander beneath your skin and a great deal of blood is ejected from your body with a spitting sound. The flesh's movements grow in intensity and it crawls backward. Within a matter of seconds, there is now two of you laying on the ground. You stand up and blink.

-?Ok this is the strangest thing that happened so far..."

-?You've said it, me..."

-?So, what now?"

-?Well, we're still not enough to do everything at once."

-??k... have fun."

With this, you proceed to cut the other you and yourself once again. Before long, there is four of you standing around the fountain.

-?Ok, that should be enough?"

-?Yeah, let's get started so we can get finished already."

-?What the fuck was that? I created you, REJOICE faggot."

-?How do we know you're the original?"

-?Hold on, I'm just as much of the original as you were!"

-?Meh, I was the upper half of the original, so I got the head. You're the asshole of the original."

-?Maybe, but I got the balls. You dickless bastard?

-?Wait up moron, you had the balls, but I'm the lower part of YOU so I'm the one with the balls after all!"

-"..."

-?Wait up, did you just call me dickless?"

-?Slow to catch up, you're sure you had the head?"

-?Dunno if he still has..."

-?No one asked YOU about it!"

-?Okay that's it.."

Without any more ceremony, the You that was insulted grabs the Vermillion and shoots a Second You between the eyes. Your lifeless corpse hits the ground silently as you watch the other Yous shivering in fear.

-?Who's the original now?"

Upon those words, This You grabs the knife and cut in half the nearest You. As you are once again four, You get ready to explore EVERY-FUCKING-THING AT ONCE. But suddenly, something You didn't see coming is fast to cut short to the games.

-?Hey wait up! That fucker has to reload!"

-?SHIT!"

With this revelation, the different Yous declare a general melee. As Yous violently and desperately battles against Yourselves, each You fight with ferocity. Blood flies around and bones crack as an endless cycle of deaths and resurrections start, never to stop.

CLONE BAD END.

=========================================================

Of course this never happened...

On an unrelated note, it helped me get rid of my blockage.

>On an unrelated note, it helped me get rid of my blockage.

?_?

Stop eating Italian, faggot.

>>11529

HOW THE FUCK IN HELL?

Anyway, can't sleep so I guess I'll try once more time to get it done tonight...

Without much care for any other concern, you undertake to go on with another of the unlocked door. As your eyes jumps from the flame to the skull repeatedly, you can't help but hope those two next trials will be as easy as the previous one. However, you don't hold many illusions. It had been awkwardly easy beyond the last one; so easy you're starting to wonder if you didn't get tricked.

Chasing this possibility away, you settle for the flame. With a swift movement you grab the handle and open it. Just as you expected, there is nothing to be seen behind it, just another of these solid curtain of black emptiness. New area, new dangers. You aim your weapon dead ahead, the small yet deadly piece of red mahogany, gold and silver ready to fire.

The now common darkness-crossing ritual over with, a new environment quite different from the other two is revealed. The walls are of a uniform very dark shade of gray and in pale red letters are sentences. Everywhere the walls are covered with words and sentences in multiple languages. Some of them are in English; you can also read a few words in Spanish and German. Most of the writings however remains a mystery for you, French, Arabic symbols, Russian alphabet, even Asiatic characters. You think you even seen some old Greek and Latin lost amongst all those.

Most of the sentences seem to be the written thoughts of criminals judged for the death penalty. A lot of what you could read includes the words ?regret? "denying? and ?shame?. You continue forward, not paying attention anymore to the astronomic quantity of words and sentences. Tiredness starts to kick in as all those thoughts of others echoes in your head.

Before long, you reach another dead end. This wall however is completely untouched by the thoughts. It is glowing the same way as the handle of the locked door back at the crossroad and you assume the whole wall is glowing with heat. Whatever is behind this must be of an incredible temperature.

-?One more moth to the flame..."

This is getting a habit, appearing as if nothing right behind you. You turn around and see a young man with shoulder-length red hair and green eyes. He wears a snow white toga. Aside from his ancient clothing, your eyes catch the sight of something way more intriguing as he walks toward you. His bare feet leave traces of heat behind. Red smoking footsteps are marking his path on the dark gray floor.

With all seriousness, he asks you as if it was the most normal thing in the world -?Are you here to die?"

----------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] This does NOT look good, engage the combat immediately.
[ ] You don't trust him, keep a reasonable distance between him and yourself.
[ ] Stand here and ask him what he means.

[x] You don't trust him, keep a reasonable distance between him and yourself.
[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.

[X] Stand here and ask him what he means.

[x] Everything dies, that is the cost of existence.
[x] But as for me, not here and not now.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear but Standing there means you stand your ground, displaying no fear/worry whatsoever so Standing there and keeping a distance are mutually exclusive... sorta... though I'm still gonna take asking into consideration... and the witty spike as well...

[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.

[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.

Whatever.

[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.

[x] "No, I'm actually here to deliver a pizza, but your sister, Hope, ate it before you could. And if I wanted to die, which I don't, I have the means to do so myself without leaving the house, thank you very much".

>>11549

Rephrased: Ask him as you back the fuck away.

[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.
[x] "Your name isn't Faith or Love, is it?"

[x] Stand here and ask him what he means.

Right...

Writan in T-10minutes

You just knew it wouldn't be that easy forever. Seeing the troubles you went through just to enter this part of the Labyrinth, it was no surprise that you were to end up in more troubles sooner or later and in more dangerous situations as well. Even if those you encountered up to now seemed more ?Human? than the Gatekeepers, it makes no doubt that they are only in appearances. Hope's disappearance and this guy's footsteps are more clues to help you solve the mysteries that lie within this place. But truly, those words are starting to weight on you. You remember the words of the voice when you passed the gateway, those very voices who warned you not to go on alone.

You chase those away and ignore chose to ignore both the tiredness that announced itself earlier and the approach of the man. As he becomes closer, you simply stare back at him, not making any move nor displaying any worries. Even the undead didn't attack you out of the blue; this guy should be no different and at least engage in some bragging or incoherent nonsense. Still, just as much as the last area felt friendly, this dead-end reeks with hostility. From the amused smile of the man to the omnipresent sentences covering the walls and the ceiling, nothing here seems meant to be friendly. However, you are not impressed by the atmosphere and are only worried by the terms used by your interlocutor.

-?Here to die? Everything eventually die, it is inevitable. As far as I'm concerned, it won't be here or now. But do say, what do you mean by this? Why should I be here to die?"

-?Why indeed." The man rubs his chin ungracefully and joins his hands. "Because that is the fate of all the beings that step into my lair."

-?Fate? Destiny? Sorry pal but I don't believe in those things. Nothing is ever set in stone. If something happens and you just say ?it was fate? or ?it was meant to happen? then you simply refuse to face the facts. There's always a reason behind everything, and that is why I'm here: To know the reason behind things such as YOU."

-?Behind things such as me? How awfully arrogant..."The man snaps his fingers and the writings on the wall grow in intensity to finally become of a very bright shade red. "I am Salvation, I am everywhere and nowhere. I am omnipresent yet I don't even exist. I am what men have sought for millenniums."

Woah, the guy sure is quick to take offense. Well, you didn't ACTUALLY mean to insult him, rather to make your point very clear so you wouldn't have to deal with the same quantity of philosophic bullshit you had to put up with last time.

-?Chill, Hot-blood, I didn't mean to offend you, I just wanted to make it clear I wasn't believing in fate and whatnot. By the way, you didn't answer my question yet, what do you mean by ?are you here to die?"

-?I told you already." His tone is direct and harsh." I am Salvation and all beings who enters my lair are meant to die, if you do not wish to die, then you are welcome to allow me to kick your ass all the way to hell for you to cry and scream like a little girl forever.."

-?Although I don't really like the idea of going to hell so early, I don't think it's time for me to die neither, so I'll guess I'll take option C."

-?No! there is no other choice for you, you were meant to die the second you stepped in." The man then extends his arms and motion towards the glowing texts all around. "Do you see those? Those are the last words of all beings that came here to die. Humans, demons, ghosts, gods, even myths. They all eventually end up here with oblivion for only option."

-?Well, that's nice and all but--"

-?I will have no other word from you!" This time, the man yells with anger and motion towards you theatrically.

Once again, the man snaps his finger and the wall that was blocking the path gradually becomes transparent, eventually vanishing completely. Behind it is a torrent of flames. As far as you can see, fire occupies all the space further in. The flames don't seem to be consuming anything and are taking root directly on the gray slabs.

-?I am not giving you any choice here. You. Will. Die."

---------------------------------------------------
[ ] Do as he says and accept to die
[ ] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[If fighting is chosen]
[ ] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.
[ ] Fight defensively, try to get some more information as you face the man and attempt to reason him
[ ] Fight strategically, start defensively to learn about his abilities, spot his weaknesses and strike when you get the chance.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.

Just fucking shoot him.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.
[x] "I really hope this isn't becoming a habit."

[x] Do as he says and accept to die.

MINDFUCK OPTION.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.

[X] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[X] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.

"Salvation" huh? Too bad for him we already have all the "salvation" we could possibly need, and it comes in compact and convenient bullet-form!

>>11570
So you're saying we should commit suicide?

>>11571
Of course not! That would be exceptionally greedy and selfish on our part.

No, our brand of "salvation" is of the kind that is best shared with others.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight defensively, try to get some more information as you face the man and attempt to reason him

If you fight all out, you'll probably get kicked backward into the flames.

>>11584

A little late in there, the rest seems to agree on going all-out. Well, Since I'm kinda busy right now I'll leave y'all some time to argue about it.

[x] There's no way you're gonna take this bullshit. Get ready to fight.
[x] Fight all-out, if there's one thing you learned fighting down here it's that appearances can be deceiving.

Just end this fight as soon as possible before he can attempt to make a move.

Also, is this opposite day? First there's "Hope", who needs a name change to "Despair", and now we meet "Salvation", who sounds like he needs to get his name changed to "Damnation". What next, we go through the door with a skull and meet the grim reaper named "Life"?

>>11586

Meh, I was just saying how I see it. I'll void that vote and let you update, otherwise it will never get done.

> Never get done.

What am I, a Nine?
ITT, back to work for local Writefags

Well, Tomorrow's my last day off so I'll do what I originally wanted to do but was to lazy to.

No Broodwar, no UT3, no Tiberian Sun, TALEs and Writing only. Final Destination.

>>11587
He will be a Nordic reaper named Leif

>>11592

I read that as a Nordic raper. I first-handedly raged, then I pictured Rip openning a door and catching the Grim Greaper trying to rap and failing atrociously in a purple outfit.

>>11593

DO IT FAGGOT. Oh, wait....

[x] DO IT FAGGOT.

That's better.

>>11594
You do realize I'm actually gonna do that first thing when I wake up don't you...

>>11595

I'm fully aware. Let us rap with death.

Here, have an actual update while I do that

================================================
O-fucking-k. This bullshit is really starting to piss you off. The philosophic blabbering, could've passed, but this? No way in hell. You don't have any idea what this guy is and you don't have any idea what this whole labyrinth altogether is supposed to be but if something is blissfully clear, it's that you won't go anywhere just by dying. Since this one seems pretty fixed on his ideas, there's no helping it. You knew you would have to fight against sooner or later, but this guy is just so narrow-minded it's pissing you off. it's a battle he's trying to get and a battle he'll have.

If there's something you learned with your last encounter it's that the creatures that dwell down here are definitely not weak and that it would be better not to under-estimate them. Better yet, striking them down before they can do a single move is the safest option, and it served you well last time. With only a tiny second of hesitation, you brandish the Vermillion and crush the trigger.

The bullet leaves the barrel with a loud noise and tears the thin air out of its way... only to end up in the wall behind. Impossible! How did he dodge that! You didn't even announce anything.

-?Ok smart-ass if you want to be like that then we'll do it my way."

Salvation clenches his fists which starts glowing with heat. He side-steps then leaps forward, attempting an uppercut with his right fist but ultimately misses.

-?You don't seem to understand the situation kiddo." He starts, still combat-ready but not making any moves ?If you're not ready to die, then you have no reason to be here. I told you earlier, I am Salvation. I am the incarnation of what they all eventually seek." Well, if he's going to go on with his bullshit you may as well take this opportunity to reload. "Why do they all seek me? Because they all commit sins. Sinners must repent and cleanse themselves of their wrong deeds. Are you trying to tell me you never sinned?"

-?I won't go as far as saying that but... I really don't think dying is the best way to atone for one's sins. If you die, then it's all over. If you wrong someone else, it's much more logic to apologize and try to make up for what you've done than just killing yourself like an idiot. What you're saying now is nonsense."

-?Once a wise man said..."He comments with a much calmer voice. "If you throw a stone in a lake, the water will eventually be calm again. However, deep inside, the lake will have changed forever.."

-?And who could that ever be?" you add with a mixture of irony and annoyance.

-?This wise man was me! Fool!?Oh, here he's back to his usual fiery self. "it's not because the victims of one's acts forget that the deeds are forgiven. There is a witness who never forget." Salvation points a finger upward before taking his battle stance again.

-?Oh please don't tell me you're talking about God, this is starting to stink like a B-class movie about the Vatican and the Templars."

Once again, Salvation goes into one of his endless blazing monologues. Taking advantage of the time you bought yourself, your mind races. How could he dodge that bullet? There's just no way. Even the fastest animals can't do that. Maybe if he was a ghost and it passed right through him? No he DID move. How in hell? The scene plays in your head in slow-motion a few times, your brain trying to analyze it frame-by-frame. Finally, illumination offers itself. He didn't dodge, he anticipated the shot. As the scene plays one last time, you can see it clearly now: he moved before you shot. Yes, you CAN defeat him if you can surprise him.

-?I will say it one last time." This guy is STILL talking? "All beings must repent from their sins before being able to move further, if you cannot rid yourself of your past mistakes, then you will go nowhere. If you want to be saved, step into the fire in let your present self die with your sins. If you insist on refusing, I will just kick your sorry sinning ass all the way to hell."

------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Hang on, "Present? self? Maybe he was talking in metaphors ever since the beginning. Ask him to be clearer about that whole deal
[ ] You're not going to be deceived by his words, now that you know how to beat him, might as well do so and put him back at his place. So much for him kicking your ass.

[x] Hang on, "Present? self? Maybe he was talking in metaphors ever since the beginning. Ask him to be clearer about that whole deal

God damn cryptic bastards and their symbolic names, they all need to die in a fire

>>11601

>>they all need to die in a fire

Just like he wants us to as well.

[x] Ask him to be clearer while you find an opening to attack. Keep him talking as long as you can. Mute out his voice, clear your mind, and pull the trigger, taking him down randomly.

[x] Ask him to be clearer while you find an opening to attack. Keep him talking as long as you can. Mute out his voice, clear your mind, and pull the trigger, taking him down randomly.

[x] Ask him to be clearer while you find an opening to attack. Keep him talking as long as you can. Mute out his voice, clear your mind, and pull the trigger, taking him down randomly.

[x] Ask him to be clearer while you find an opening to attack. Keep him talking as long as you can. Mute out his voice, clear your mind, and pull the trigger, taking him down randomly.

[x] Ask him to be clearer while you find an opening to attack. Keep him talking as long as you can. Mute out his voice, clear your mind, and pull the trigger, taking him down randomly.

UPDATE

[x] Hang on, "Present? self? Maybe he was talking in metaphors ever since the beginning. Ask him to be clearer about that whole deal

Trying to shoot someone who has already dodged one bullet because he knew you were going to shoot doesn't sound too bright. Its entirely possible he's a pre-cog or something.

Holy shittzles why do all the voting comes when this Quebecfag has to sleep?

Also, Writan.

As if you would fall for this. No matter what metaphors he can be using, no matter how retardedly wrong he could have worded his stuff, he's still asking you to die. Sure there's a lot of things to do once you die, but you decide to pass on this wonderful yet completely unasked for and unwanted chance to see what happen in the afterlife. Being alive is way funnier thank you. Well, you don't care about his nonsense, but once he starts he could still be spouting bullshit after you died of natural cause. Yeah, that's perfect; you'll just have to ask him questions about his crap then randomly pressing the trigger at some point in it.

You don't know how he anticipated the bullet in the first place. Maybe he was seeing it coming, maybe the guy can read mind, you don't really know. What you really know is that this way it should be impossible for him to anticipate this time around. HOLD ON, what if he DOES read minds? Then he would know about your plan already. SHIT. No, if we could he would have reacted already.

-?Ok enough of your ellipses and parenthesis." You start, trying not to sound too hostile. "What about you tell me what you're really talking about in a way a normal human can understand."

-?Everyone can understand, given that they got a minimum of brain cells."

What was that now? not only he doesn't answer to your question but he insults you? Despite the rising urge to reply with a spike of yours, you contain yourself, not letting mere provocations stir you away from your plan.

-?Ok, listen, I'm willing to hear you out, but you have to stop the High?n'mighty attitude and speak normally. Someone as intelligent as you could do that, right?"

-?You..."Salvation simply glares at you for a moment to which you reply with a comic imitation of his glare, leaning forward theatrically. He frowns ?All right, all right. If you can't understand that, then I'll just have to talk in..."His voice becomes ridiculous as he parodies a fat retard. "In a w-w-way that a r-r-retarded monkey with A-A-AIDS can un-derstand."

This is getting harder and harder to keep it up. Does he know what you're trying to do? Is he planning to provoke you so you become reckless and fire at him when he wants you to? No, there's no way he could know what you're planning to do. He must really have just that bitch of an attitude. You sigh and close your eyes, faking resignation. Your hand ever so slightly moves upward, aiming toward Salvation's ?heart?. He talks but his words don't reach you anymore as all thoughts leave your mind. You nod absent-mindedly here and then, as if you were paying attention to what he was saying.

At some point, he just stops talking and frowns. Is he done already? Then you have to shoot right now.

-?Ok that does it! I've had enough."

Shit, did he catch up? No time to worry about it. You crush the trigger once again without any hesitation. He moves again, but it was not enough this time. Although he avoided a direct hit, a now gaping hole is now just next to his armpit. Salvation lets out an inhuman roar and look back at you, vengeance clearly visible in his eyes.

-?THAT. DOES. IT. You're going to hell. NOW!"

Upon his word, with his valid word he takes out what seem to be... a card?

-----------------------------------------------------
[ ] Stand in the middle of the corridor. Whatever he has ready it's better to keep some freedom of movement.
[ ] Jump on the side, you got a bad feeling about this.

>>11653

[x] Shoot the card, it looks important.

[x] Shoot the card, it looks important.

Okay.

[X] Shoot him in the head. It looks important.

[x] Shoot the card, it looks important.
[x] If you miss, jump around randomly; no telling what that thing is going to do and in what direction you need to cover your ass.

>>11665

Oh, you~

lol'k...

Confirm shooting
[Y/N]

[x] Y

[X] POW!

>lol'k...

Y

I have to see how this turns out.

[FUCK YES] Y

>>11673

Oh shi-

I KNOW THIS GUY. DUCK AND COVER!

[X] YYYYYYYYY

Let's see how many Bad Ends we can get before we get out of this place.

>>11697

Probably not that many. We have to go to Eientei somewhen, remember? Or maybe you'd like to just stick around here forever.

Anyway, Writing soon...

Here, have an idea of what can happens if you work hard for it.
<

>>11699
>Here, have an idea of what can happens if you work hard for it.

I AM working SO HARD RIGHT NOW

>>11699

"What's the matter, Reimu?"

"Rip... I... I want you to rummage around in my unmentionables again"

"Oh, Reimu!"

"Rip! Ahn, don't touch there!"

"Oh, your stockings feel so good!"

"Rip, you crossdressing fool, marry me!"

>with his valid word he takes out
Oh Freud, only now do I notice you.

>>11705
Failtrollan Gaems?

That and Update in T-30 Mins.

>>11715

hooray!

As soon as he grabs what is now confirmed to be a card, you get the overwhelming feeling that this thing is very important. Whatever he is planning to do, it's the cornerstone of his next move. Brandishing it as if it was a weapon, He begins.

-?You're finished."
Oh no you don't!
-?Primordial powers..."
You're mine.
-?Ye who already existed..."
With a swift move, you target the Vermillion at the card
-?before the dawn of time..."
Click.
-?Arise before me..."
Nothing.
-?Become the Almighty flame of destruction..."
Oh shit...
-?Able to incinerate the eternals..."

Maybe it was the habit of using ?modern? guns, but this time around, you completely forgot that your weapon was one that had to reload between each shots. You curse yourself silently for your decision as bright strips of light rise from the ground and swirl around Salvation.

-?Annihilation sign!"
Screw this.
-?Lucifer's Tongue!"

As the last command word leaves the man's lips, five bright rings of light appears in front of him, rotating slowly. Finally, the expected attack comes. A large mass of what appears to be Magma from the center of the Earth is hurled toward you. Defying gravity, the melted maelstrom keeps the shape of a solid beam, filling the corridor completely height-wise, only leaving a tiny open spot on the left side. You attempt to dodge, but before the order can be carried out from your brain to your legs, you are already within the boiling mass of Nature's most feared weapon.

It doesn't take long. Instantly, your clothes burns down to crisps. In another second, your skin blackens and desegregates. Your exposed muscles and organs heat up dramatically, sending a pain the likes you never imagined possible before disappearing in a small flood of red liquid. Fortunately enough, there isn't enough of you anymore to be alive and watch as your bones roasts and turns into ashes.

-?Humans are so full of themselves lately... that's annoying..."Salvation says with a spike ?I need a break... and a beer..."

BAD END 02

>As the last command word leaves the man's lips, five bright rings of light appears in front of him, rotating slowly. Finally, the expected attack comes. A large mass of what appears to be Magma from the center of the Earth is hurled toward you. Defying gravity, the melted maelstrom keeps the shape of a solid beam, filling the corridor completely height-wise, only leaving a tiny open spot on the left side. You attempt to dodge, but before the order can be carried out from your brain to your legs, you are already within the boiling mass of Nature's most feared weapon.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.

Damn it.

This punk's going down.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Reload your fucking gun.
[x] Kick your shoe at him.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.
[x] Shout "DAISUKI!" to throw him off balance.

[x] Back one choice.
[x] Jump to the left side, you got a bad feeling about this.

Delays to be blamed on my Comm and English classes. Updates should come in the early evening.

>>11767

Alas, as I begun my 45th hour awake, I fell asleep on my keyboard and was unable to do anything.

Self-SAGE for obvious reason

>>11783

You are so full of shit. Get to work, faggot.

[X]Lake yourself for being such a fucking lazy slowpoke.
[X]Write, for real this time
[X] Update

================================================
No shit, that's a card. What does he intend to do with it? You have no idea yet but it looks silly. You would be laughing right now, but you know better than to do so. There hasn't been a single time up to now when under-estimating your foe proved to be a good idea.

-?You're finished.."
Or, am I?
-?Primordial powers..."
This is ridiculous .
-?Ye who already existed..."
Your muscles become tense, not sure what to expect.
-?before the dawn of time..."
Hmmm...
-?Arise before me..."
Wait up...
-?Become the Almighty flame of destruction..."
I already heard that before
-?Able to incinerate the eternals..."
bright strips of light rise from the ground and swirl around Salvation as an overwhelming feeling of danger grows within your chest.
-?Annihilation sign!."
Screw this.
-?Lucifer's Tongue!"

Before the last sounds can leaves his mouth, you are already elsewhere. Driven by what you could call instinct, your legs didn't need a command from your brain to move. Within an instant, you jumped on the side and rolled on the very edge of the corridor. You barely have time to recover your equilibrium before an intense feeling of heat fills the corridor. You look up to see a massive flood of what seems to be lava from the core of the Earth. it's not just crawling down the corridor; it is completely filling it. Giving the middle finger to physics and gravity, a huge mass of the molten substance is all you can see from the floor to the roof.

As you manage to sit, you are left wondering upon why you are still not within the flowing mass. Maybe it's just because it's moving too fast, but it keeps the shape of some sort of beam, advancing forward instead of spreading everywhere. The heat keeps increasing to the point where you wonder if a normal human should even be able to survive this temperature. Sweating heavily and panting, you can only be glad that you weren't hit directly by this thing. You try to remember where you heard those words before, because you just know you did, but it's useless. The more you try to think, the more your head hurts. With the rising temperature, having any form of elaborate thought is hard.

In fact, thinking at all is starting to be a pain. Will it ever stop becoming hotter? Your vision becomes blurred. You would wonder why you haven't been blinded by the lava before your vision could fuck up, but rationalizing anything right now is above your capacities. The always lessening clarity of the image before your eyes and the powerful sound of the still flowing magma are the only things your brain accepts to acknowledge. As the tip of your shoes catch fire, your consciousness begins to sleep away, overwhelmed by the heat.

Everything seems to be blacking out. Everything? no that's not right. Something was added just now. You can feel it in your right hand. it's pulsating regularly, just like your heart. It feels as if you were holding a heart or a lung between your fingers. You look down slowly but the only thing your blurred vision relays to your brain is the unclear image of the Vermillion. The sensation, however, remains. More, it grows stronger with each second.

Whilst your consciousness slips away, the pulsation grows stronger and faster. The last thing you can see before your eyes refuse to inform you of anything anymore is a pale blue color. The heat is so ridiculously high that you are starting to regret now having been caught in the magma. This is an atrocious way to die, slow and painful. If your clothes were to catch on fire right now you wouldn't feel any difference. The only sense that is still functioning is the one that fills your ears with that loud, continuous sound of the lava being hurled less than a meter from you; that and the feeling in your right hand that just won't go away.

Slowly, you're the sounds becomes lighter, less oppressing; the temperature has stopped rising as well. Is it over? No, it's just because your ears had enough, too. ?This is a bad joke?, ?I must be dreaming? you keep telling yourself ??gonna wake up any moment now?

The temperature finally starts lowering. Is it over? Over or not, the still unbearable temperature finishes stripping away those last bits of consciousness from you. Before everything goes out, a pleasant, cold feeling emanates from somewhere on your right.

===========================================
[ ] Struggle to remain conscious
[ ] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

Vermillion~

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

Bang.

[x] Struggle to remain conscious.
[x] Reload the gun and fire!

[x] Struggle to remain conscious.
[x] Reload the gun and fire!

[x] Struggle to remain conscious.
[x] Reload the gun and fire!

Let's fuck Salvation over.

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

Listen to your gun when it is talking to you.

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

I wanna see what it's gonna do.

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

[x] Fuck it, just give in to the coldness.

Updates?

>>11845
I would say "first thing in the morning" but I know better than trying to write at 5 in the morning. However, I just might do that update in my Philosophy class (not that I ever actually work there) and still deliver it in the morning

>>11849
Man I'm stupid. When I posted this I forgot what was coming next. I'm definitely not going to write this one at college since it's one of (if not THE) most important update yet. Delay should be few hours top I don't have classes PM on Mondays. Expect a very important choice.

>>11862

Excuses excuses.

>Expect a very important choice.

I await with bated breath.

For a moment, the commendable thought of struggling to keep awake and continuing this fight enters your mind. However, you are unable to muster enough energy to actually even consider doing so. The only thing that matters right now is that so pleasant coldness coming from your right. You forget everything else, only paying attention to it. Slowly, the cold creeps over your arm and before long the oppressive warmth of earlier disappear, dwarfed by the o-so welcome coldness. You could move, open your eyes and acknowledge what's going on around, but you simply don't give a damn. Fuck it all. The only thing that matters now is this feeling. Beating Salvation, finding out the truth about the Labyrinth, finding out how was Rin related to this. All those things can wait.

Progressively, the cold grows stronger, pretty much in the same way the temperature heated up to an unbearable level before. This time though, it's different. Although the Cold is becoming stronger and stronger, it doesn't bother you. Maybe it's just an after effect of the exposition to the magma, but truly, you couldn't think of science and physics even if your life depended on it right now. Soon enough, it's as cold as if you were outside in the middle of winter without appropriate clothing. Normally, you would be frozen and shaking, but you just feel at ease within the Cold.

A voice weakly reaches your ears. You can roughly hear anything. All you can be sure of is that the man is quite angry and swearing massively. Yeah, that's right; he was bound to stop hurling lava at some point. He has to be pissed off you survived his trump card. You laugh silently, not able to gather enough strength to actually make a sound. You would get up and bash that fucker once and for all, but everything is just so comfortable as it is...

Finally, all the actions you've done up to now catch up with you and exhaustion kicks in, adding more stress to your already exhausted energy. Unable to take much more and as if guided by the cold, you quickly fall asleep.

Your sleep, alas, isn't eventless. Numerous scenes of your past come back to your mind, all in black and white as if an old movie of the beginning of the century. What's truly noticeable though is that despite recognizing the man on the pictures, you simply can't be assed remembering those scenes. Your vision blurs and the pictures fade away, replaced by the same parasite as one can see when their TV stops working only to display that noisy blizzard of pixels of various shades of gray.

Suddenly, everything goes blank. Not quite unconscious, black fills your vision for a moment before a tiny dot of light appear, somewhere in the distance. It radiates brightly, almost hypnotizing. Without any notice, the dot literally explodes and a miniature of the Big Bang occurs before your eyes.

Before you can acknowledge anything, the explosion is replaced by what would look like a Black hole if it wasn't actually emitting so much goddamn light. Embedded of blue, metallic gray, white and yellow, the vortex that fills your eyes looks like a mixture of light and icy water, both the liquid and the photons merged into a single impressive element. As the vortex absorbs everything, the scenery changes once again.

Your feet meet with the ground. Beneath you is an octagonal floor made of a mosaic of red and purple light, intertwined into complexes motives and patterns. The ?floor? seems to make between ten and twelve meters of diameter, but everything is slightly unclear. Beyond this, everything is pitch black. Nothing seems to exist but you and the floor on which you are standing.

-?Welcome into your world." A female voice says within the naught, echoing slightly.

-?My world? Who are you?" This voice, it feels as if it's not the first time you hear it, but you can't exactly remember where.

-?Don't worry about that just yet." The voice answers before bursting into laughter.

As the laughs echoes into the naught, copies of the voice emerges from everywhere around you. In no time, you feel surrounded by a thousand of invisible laughing figures. You look around nervously, but everything remains desperately empty.

-?Just answer already." Irritation? No, you're just tired. You don't want to play those games again.

-?Silence!" everything stops. "You're lucky; I hope you know that..."

-?Well obviously not lucky enough for any of this to suddenly and magically make sense?

-?Maybe we will meet again. Maybe I will one day be able to tell you everything, but that's highly doubtful." The voice answers without any emotion. "I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't die on me so quickly."

-?What? Oh please that's ridiculous..."

You try to ask the voice more questions, but it stays desperately silent, you try to provoke the voice, you attempt (almost) every possible way to get a reaction, but in vain: she is gone.

Suddenly, the ?floor? starts shaking. You lose your balance and falls over, the violent tremors gluing you to the ground. After a good five minutes, everything finally calms down. You stand up and notice a change. Around you are now three high columns of seemingly gothic architecture. They are quite large and could easily be fifty meters tall. As you stare at their incredibly precise and detailed construction, they shrink with speed. Within seconds, they are merely one-meter tall. Upon them are three small purple spheres.

The first one, right in front of you, seems quite unstable. Although it retains the obvious shape of a sphere, the energy composing it is always rotating; one moment toward the left, the next toward the right. Now, the top and bottom halves aren't even getting along, rotating in different directions. The next second, the same scenario occurs vertically as its right and left halves rotates in opposition. The moment later, it stopped rotating. Although keeping a solid semi-transparent layer, the energy inside has started going nuts and the sigh reminds you the ocean, ravaged by a colossal storm as the purple energy clashes against itself with chaos.

The second one, on your right, is much less chaotic. it's not moving or anything, but a small red dot is wandering over it. Occasionally, a blast of the purple energy is hurled toward the point which is hit and shattered inevitably. It always reform, of course, but not even a single time was it missed.

The third one is at the antipode of the first. It is completely motionless. You could say it is a ?generic? sphere if you didn't witness the behavior of the two others. The third one remains desperately calm and quiet, displaying a uniform color all over itself, never disturbed by anything. You notice something underneath it.

As you lean closer, you can read a single word engraved in the stone of the pillar: ?Pure?. You realize you only noticed it because the sphere itself wasn't driving your attention away and return to the two others, looking for similar inscriptions. Underneath the first one is the word ?Chaos?. Nothing original, you think. Underneath the second one is the word ?Elite?

----------------------------------
[ ] Pick up Chaos
[ ] Pick up Elite
[ ] Pick up Pure

===============================================
[ ] Chose right now
[ ] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

[x] Pick up Chaos
[x] Chose right now
[x] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

I could give a shit about reason. The first two are my votes. Chaos shall reign supreme. However, I still want to hear what Ame has to say(not as if it will be anything important).

What happened to Salvation? I want to plant my boot in his stupid face.

[x] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

[x] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I choose.

[x] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

[x] Call Ame for some advices on why this choice is so important and wait before deciding.

I'm probably going to pick Chaos anyways.

Some wild guesses:

Elite = Eirin
Pure = Kaguya
Chaos = Mokou

Ame: Hoy, Sorry I was visiting some underground city when B.A. called, I came as fast as possible.

Ame: Okay let's see... where'you'at? oh yeah, THAT moment, I see why BA insisted. Alright, in T.A.L.E., the main protagonist, name: you, may be gifted with three distinct powers (See it as the A-B-Cs in the actual Touhou games chars)

Ame: While this choice does not affect the route or the general picture of the Endgame, it will make the game vary greatly depending on which Sphere you choose each playthrough. Right now you're choosing the source of your abilities, yes, but the choice you make now will also influence the protagonist's development, character and other features as well.

Ame: But I've talked too much already. Here's something that you want to hear: Which sphere gives what is pretty much obvious, there's no huge-ass metaphor, just some general pictures.

Ame: Oh yeah, one last thing, your abilities will be influenced by your actions. Let's say for example that you choose Pure but always cause mischief everywhere, you won't unfold the totality of your powers so basically you should choose your abilities accordingly on how you want to play this time around.

Ame: While I'm at it, I've been watching you ever since the beginning. From what I've seen, Chaos should be the best suited for how you want things to go, but hey, I'm just the Writefag's assist, so whatever...

[x] Pick up Chaos

Yeah, okay.

BANG BANG BANG

[x] Pick up Chaos

[x] Pick up Chaos

[x] Pick up Chaos

[x] Pick up Chaos

[x] Pick up Chaos

For a calm guy like Rip, one of the other two would suit him much better, but since he has these anons choosing his paths.... Poor bastard.

[x] Pick up Chaos

Chaotic Neutral does not mean Chaotic Stupid.

>>11892

You are free to try and convince "these anons". I'll be getting another beer now.

>>11897

I'm not going to try and convince anyone. Chaos still sounds like the best choice.

Also, the vote looks pretty unanimous, here. So update and BAWW like a YAF. While you're at it, torch the thread you have going in /others/

You don't quite grasp the symbolic of this dream. Usually, dreams are manifestations of the subconscious's worries yet this looks like a scene straight from a video game more than anything else. Well, it's not as if your dream not making sense anymore was anything new. Thinking about it, you can't be assed remembering any of the dreams you had except yesterday's and this one. Speaking of which, isn't it strange you are able to think and rationalizes everything like that within a dream? Oh well whatever.

Giving a second look to the spheres hovering slightly over their respective pillars, the only reply to your eye's silent question is naught and a handful more interrogations. Whoever that voice of earlier was, she's gone and you're all alone now. It doesn't look like you have anything better to do than examine them a little further until something happens. Couldn't you just wake up for once?

Your eyes settle on the sphere labeled ?Chaos? Although not as entertaining as watching a TV, the endlessly changing fluctuations within it are nearly hypnotizing. Never repeating the same scenery twice, the energy within the sphere dances and storms everywhere inside its shell. For a moment, your eyes gaze at the sphere, contemplating calmly its movements, alternating between grace and violence.

As if driven by a primal desire, unknown to logic, you lean over it. Closer, closer, closer. Some sort of mystic attraction, something deep inside urges you to touch it, to pick it up and keep it with you. Something deep inside is telling you that you just can't leave it there; you have to bring it back with you out of this dream. With a last glance at what seems now to be the prettiest thing in the world, you swiftly snatch it.

Unfortunately, as your hands touch it, everything vanishes. First, the spheres, then the pillars and finally the floor itself. You feel like you're falling, but within the naught, you see nothing but yourself and realize it's much less frightening when you don't see the ground growing by every second.

Suddenly, a sound . An explosion of overwhelming power breaks the through the naught right beneath you and despite the sensation of fall, your hands instinctively reach your ears. You grind your teeth with pain and close your eyes. The next second, as you reopen them, a ?familiar? yet unpleasant sight presents itself to you as your face meets harshly with the Maelstrom of earlier.

Your fall has stopped, but you are still hovering in the middle of nothingness. Well, for a few seconds that is. Before the light of the Maelstrom can fade off your eyes, something large appears in front of you. Bound within a dark red octagon, numerous rays of bright blue extends from the octagon, crawling toward the center and crossing each others into a complex maze of blue. As they reach the center, a loud noise similar to a lock being unlocked is heard. The thing's colors invert as the exterior become of a bright blue and the inside of a dark red. The maze keep growing darker and darker until it blends with the void and the octagon starts pulsating, emitting shockwaves of blue light. Once, twice, thrice. A huge blast of red and blue light is spouted from the octagon, reaches all the way through the naught and engulfs you.

The next thing you know is the feeling of your face meeting the ground.

=============================================================
End of Day 0


=========================================

Second Interact/summary coming in new thread.