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(SoC) A little grey house in Brian's gate
| > A swordswoman approaches the house. She surveys the house, which she deems to be empty.
"H-hello, anyone there?"
> She knocks on the door, but finds it unlocked.
"—Ah.."
> Slowly, she opens the door — from ajar to fully open — all slowly.
| >Someone is standing in the left corner of the room. You can barely see the silhouette of a tall elf facing you.
"Hello there. I'm Joe. You here for that quest?"
| "Uhm.. yes. I picked the quest up."
> The swordswoman shows Joe the copy of the quest she tore from the board.
"I'm Aria."
| "Well then. Welcome and thank you Aria. Let's get right to the point shall we? Follow me. The briefing will be in the living room."
>He walks over to the door on the east side of the room, opens it, and walks in.
>The living room is small and dark, but cosy in a way. It has a little round table in the middle, with two big, comfy chairs on each side.
"Take a seat."
| (dont mind me~ just a spectator feeling the>morphine_blues~)
| >>172238
> Aria follows the housemaster to the living room and further takes a seat as suggested.
"Thank you."
> She rereads the quest description, taking clear notes to what the quest is.
"So—.. an item-fetching quest? I—I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I have been wondering about the kind of quest here lately."
| "No no no! Before we talk, do you want some tea? Maybe just a glass of water? Some wine?"
| "Ah—I don't drink alcohol. A tea would be fine."
> Aria nods, reseating herself to a more comfortable position.
| "Tea it is then. Cinnamon or an Umbran Special?"
| "I-I'm not sure, I'll trust your pick — I'm not much of a tea connoiseour in this game."
> She chuckles, awkwardly, at the question.
| "Umbran it is then!"
>He quickly heats up some water with some kind of fire magic, and puts the teabag in.
>He places a cup of tea on the table, together with sugar and milk.
"If you want it."
"Now let's get to the quest, shall we?"
| "I-I'll be having it then."
> Aria picks up the teacup, gently blowing air on the hot content inside.
"So, the quest. Let's hear it."
| "Ok. Well the thing is that I really like sponges, and there is a sponge called "The Sponge Of Unlimited Power", and, well, it's the sexiest sponge I have ever seen. A friend showed me a picture of it, and it's just beautiful, and it want it for my collection."
>He hands you a piece of paper.
"This is the address to Migh's Farm. The mind farms owner, Migh, has the sponge on a pedestal outside his bedroom window. I need you to take it."
| "I can't be anywhere near the farm, because they banned me, for personal reasons I am not going to get into. That's why you need to take it."
>He hands you a little device. It says "Jimmy's cool button" on the top. It's tiny, square, and has a big red button on it.
"Take this. If things get hectic, you can use this, and you will be immediately teleported right back here."
| >>173153
(This is perfectly within the sanity of normal RPG quests.)
"Th-that is a certainly weird interest you have. I'm not questioning it, though."
> Aria takes a sip on the tea and analyses the button Jimmy gave to her.
"Simply put: I need to steal this sponge from Migh?"
| "Pretty much. You can sit here and finish your tea if you want. I will go over to my favourite corner and sleep."
>He walks over to the corner where he was standing when you came, and falls asleep.
| >>173211 (Hush your mouth little boy! I'm Jimmy/Good 'Ol Joey. I have NEVER heard of any zom scopes.)
| >>173209
"I-Uh.."
> Confused by the situation she was put in, Aria decides to quickly finish the tea and leave the house.
"—I should stop drinking hot things so hurriedly."
> She mumbles right outside the house.
"Right. On to the quest."
> She marches onwards to Migh's Farm.
| >After a while you arrive on Migh's Farm. It only consists one house made of metal, and a barn. Outside the house, you can see something sticking up from the ground.
| >>173532
"What is.. that?"
> With care, Aria approaches the object clearly sticking up from the ground — it was in her instinct to see it first.
| >It turns out it's the pedestal that elf guy was talking about. It is just standing there, seemingly unprotected, with only glass to protect the weirdly attractive sponge.
| >>173546
"I very much wish I had learned any form of presence concealment spell or skill."
> Before she goes any closer — and before she takes the sponge, she scans her environment, making sure there is not one thing looking at her.
(Roll for Intuition?)
| >>173567
(10. I am a living Intuition meme.)
"M-maybe I shouldn't approach this so soon."
> Aria steps back, but still feel the odd desire to just snatch the sponge away.
| >She can't seem to notice anything that could stop her from taking it! The desire gets stronger! That beautiful, beautiful sponge! She wants it! She wants it now!
(Roll attack for breaking the glass.)
| >>173574
(18. Oh how I wish this was my Intuition roll.)
"I—I can't re.."
> Aria didn't finish her sentence, and even more so, her sword is already equipped in her right hand.
"—I have to.. I need it. I need the sponge."
> She stances herself in a charging position, ready to break the glass enclosing the sponge.
| >Out of nowhere, a glass hand kind of anti-merges out of the glass, and slaps you! But your lust! Your determination! Your want for that sponge! Your perfect roll! You swing your sword! It slices right through the hand! It breaks the glass! It stops right before it hits the sponge! THIS IS AMAZING!!!
| (Just for fun, I rolled a perfect 4 for defense. So I guess I can amp the effect to 11.)
"YES! IT'S MINE—.. I WANT IT. I—PLEASE.. MINE!"
> Aria's speech starts to become babbling. One word after the other, the desite was stronger and stronger — the lust for the beautiful, oh so amazing sponge.
"..I need you. I—This is mine. I wanted this. I came for this. I—I—I—I need to.. I need to protect this."
| >Someone opens the widow behind you. It's an old man.
"HEY! Who are you? What are you doing with my sponge?"
| > Aria stands up, almost lifelessly. She turns around, her glare spells out anger and fury.
"Y-your sponge?! Ha! Don't make me laugh, mongrel. This is m—mine.. and mine alone."
> She holds the sponge in her left hand and her sword is pointed right at the man; she is very ready to slash the old man alive for the sponge alone.
"M-my—.. My sponge..."
| "Jesus Christ young lady! What are you doing?"
>He notices the intense fury in her eyes.
"OH NO! NOT AGAIN! SHIT!"
>He quickly closes the window and runs further into the house.
| > Her sword glows brightly, she had already activated a skill, [Momentum Burst]
> With the skill, her speed were almost impossible to follow, she breaks through every single thing she sees — she is in a rage. She wants that man, the one who claims the sponge is his, dead.
"THIS SPONGE IS MINE!"
> Even though it is already in her hand, she doesn't want anyone to have it — it hers and only hers.
| (ohhh the plot thickens...)
| >The inside of the house is basically like a metal labyrinth, with some wooden furniture here and there.
>In her rage, Aria breaks absolutely everything, and even cuts through the walls!
>A kid comes running out from a side corridor.
"Gramps! What is happening!"
>The kid gets cleanly sliced in half, blood going everywhere! A lady comes running towards the dead kid, screaming and crying.
| (Just so we agree. Is this placed before or after the raid. I think before would make more sense, considering the time of when you picked up the quest, but if you want to, we could find a way to put it afterwards in the timeline.)
| >>173835
(I consider it before the raid. It makes more sense as I don't start spamming Aria's new skill.)
| >>173810
> Searing rage. It was all Aria felt. Blood tainting her sword, her face — a stain even in her common sense. And yet..
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
> Her voice crackles, her act turning into a berserker; she is only a step away from turning mad by lust.
"YOU OVER THERE—.. WHERE, WHERE IS HE?!"
> She comes closer to the lady, her sword pointed at her, and her eyes filled with intent to end the lady's life for when she does not give a concise answer.
| >The lady is crying, panicked, in shock, and screaming.
"I! I don't know!"
| (I rolled a 7 for the attack against the lady, and a 16 for sanity check.)
"THEN FALL!"
> Aria threw a strong slash towards the lady, trying to tear her torso apart with a clean strike.
> But then, suddenly, she dropped her sword midway the attack. It has only grazed the shoulder of the lady — it barely caused any injury to her.
"I—.."
> Aria fell to the floor; she went limp, as if the lights were turned off in her eyes.
> 'THUD!'
> She collapsed before saying a word.
| >You wake up in Jimmy's house. Specifically in his chair. Jimmy is sitting in the other chair looking at you.
"Welcome back. It seems like the sponge got the better of you."
| >>174451
"I—I.. I'm aware of that—"
> Speechless after remembering what she did, Aria took a moment to gather herself together.
"—I-I don't know what to say. Honestly."
> She let her face burrow between her palms as she let out the stress and confusion building up over her.
| "Now now. Calm down. It's fine. While you did slaughter a kid, it was just an NPC. You have to remember that this is just a game. Your mind doesn't seem to be too strong, but most people can't resist the effects of the sponge."
>He stands up and walks over to his kitchen part of the room.
"Would you like some more tea? "
| "I—.."
> She was still speechless. Remembering the murder she did, even if what she killed was an NPC, is enough to send shivers and regrets for her.
"..."
> Aria lowers down her gaze, her expression is grim — a face of guilt.
| "I get that it's traumatic for you, but that's just how it is. You can't change the past."
>Since he didn't get any response to his, he sits down again.
"That sponge is powerful. Only someone with a strong mind and intense determination can wield it. I am trying to find that person. You are probably..."
>He thinks for a little bit.
"The 67th person to go on this quest, and up until now, everyone has failed, so you shouldn't feel too bad about it."
| >>174516
"T-THEN—"
> Aria instantly jolts up from her sitting position, her face was no sooner filled with determination, despite said determination tainted with guilt.
"C-can I attempt to do it once more? I am neither trying to prove nor correct myself, but for the sake of what I have done, I—.."
> She pauses, sighing and taking a breath.
"I want another chance."
| "You won't get another chance. After failing once, one can never go back there. There's a reason why I can't just go get it myself."
>He looks you straight in the eyes, and his tone changes.
"Atoning for your sins is impossible. What is done is done. You can't do anything about it. Now do you want some tea or not?"
| >>174525
> A frown forms from her determination. Aria sits down to where she was before.
"I—.. No—... No thanks. I'll—I'll take my leave."
> She goes to stand weakly, her body was either still weakened or she was limping without much purpose.
| "Well first, wouldn't you want your rewards? You didn't finish the quest, but I didn't expect you to."
>He gives you 1500zel, some healing potions, and a piece of paper with the address to a therapist.
"Goodbye then."
| >>174536
> Aria takes the address, but not anything else offered to her.
"Y-you can take the rest. I.. I'll feel even more regretful with the rewards I don't deserve."
> She walks out to the door before saying her goodbyes.
| >after aria leaves there is a knock on the door.
| "Come in!"
| >there is only another knock.
| >Jimmy opens the door.
| >>174560
>beyond the door lies a russian looking NPC(he speaks in a russian accent)
HELLO!My name is ivan,i was sent by my bossfriendman hanse to do job for you!
| >Joey looks both surprised and confused.
"Ok. What kind of job?"
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| >It's a little grey house in Brian's gate. It has a flower painted on the wall, and a sign that said "Good 'ol Joey".
>The door is unlocked, and it looks like nobody's home.