[F27 - PP] A Matter of National Security <<The Mysterious Divide: Ordsea>>

[Koga 0]

With their objective assigned the party split up and...wait...what? Koga stared at NIGHT and DAY as they...or really, just the one, exited the room, heading straight for the Master Bedroom, their intentions made perfectly clear.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me..." Koga said, visibly deflating, his shoulders slumping forward as Okami let out a low whine beside him. Signing the man returned his gaze to President Brienne and nodded. "We'll get it done, ma'am," he assured her before turning and exiting the room, careful to close it quietly behind him before unrolling the map and examining it.

"Alright, I think the armory is a good place to start..." Koga said quietly to Okami before gesturing for his familiar to take the lead for them. Quietly, the two tread the floor, stepping heel to toe as lightly as possible, making no noise. Not even a single one of Okami's claws clicked on the wood floors as he carefully stalked forward, his keen sense of smell assisting the pair in avoiding any trouble they might run into.

For the first leg of their search, it was going well so far. The door to the armory creaked open quietly, and Koga peered into it. Sure that it was empty, the pair stepped within and began to search. First the chests. To say the search was short would have been no exaggeration. Within one of the large steel chests, the small rectangle of metal sat, dull and grey. The man reached out to pick it up when-

"Take a look in there!" 

---

| 208543, LD nat5 +3

Edited April 12, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"aw, c'mon! it was just a joke!"

"yeah, as if!" night shook her head as she continued walking. "none of what you said could even be remotely taken as a joke. people laugh at jokes, day, and none of us seem to be humored there and then!"

a chuckle from the entity, and she leaned backwards, turning to face night with her tongue stuck out for a moment. "well, it was funny to me. really, you should've seen the look on both your faces."

"... you..."

another giggle from the construct. the player growled in response, but didn't continue from there. after all, day's words from earlier had to be in a jest, right? they had to be, night reasoned, continuing in silence, trying her best not to burn up at the implications from earlier.

it would be in poor etiquette to leave someone alone to work distributed as a group. she wasn't the type of person to ditch her efforts in a project, as little as she may have been able to contribute to it. and the glances she passed to her other as they headed up the stairs, with invaders still missing from the household on their path, seemed to be asking, querying if that was the case to her companion.

the construct, on the other hand, seemed none the worse for wear. amusement in her steps, hands locked behind her back and intention wrapped secretly behind a cool smile. it was only when they were in front of the bedroom's entrance -- a large double-sized door before them -- that the entity started to speak up. her fingers wrapped around the brass knob, still.

"for the record, i really was joking."

and night sighed in relief, throwing out what little unwarranted disappointed she had in her system out with that exhale. once the women were allowed inside, day was the one to close the door behind them.

the door was locked with a small but subtle click.

night whipped around quickly, surprise across her image paired with eyes of wariness and discontent. her mirror, calm, merely leaned against the back of the door, arms folded, a grin on her face as she settled in comfortably. noticing the player's demeanor, however, day immediately mirrored her other's shock, leaning on the knob with the side of her elbow. "huh? what's wrong?"

"why'd you lock us in?"

"the bandits. if i don't stand guard, you can't search the room in peace, can you?"

reluctantly, the woman dropped her guard. a shifted, dithered gaze -- night scanned the room with a vague gesturing with her hands, as though trying to pass off the fact she'd known the antics of her opposition all the while. day merely scoffed at the sight, unmoving.

"aww. what, did you really want it that badly?"

"no, and shut up, and stand guard like you're supposed to."

"ooo-kay~"

the player rolled her eyes, still struggling with where to start. perhaps the bedside table? it was the most obvious place to begin her search, after all, and night thought it best to eliminate all standard possibilities first. surely they weren't being kept in an open drawer, like someone using the password 'password' within an important administration facility.

her voice squeaked as she began to ask, trying not to think about the implications as she worked. "why'd you bring me here, anyway?"

and she'd half expected a response that would underline her desires once again. instead, day's voice was spoken with clarity from behind her back, just as night noticed something unusual about the empty drawer she was looking into. "oh--that. well, if you can believe this; apparently, you're more likely to find the documents you were looking for here. statistically or otherwise, what with people storing important stuff in their private quarters."

an index finger shifted into a dark, semi-circular indent at the front edge of the drawer's bottom board. minor, but not unnoticeable, and the player lifted up the wooden cover to unveil a secret compartment underneath.

"... and i'm the one speaking from experience over here."

night pulled out the pages from the not-even-secure lockbox, a small stackful, held together with a steel paper clamp. she raised it closer to her face for analysis, before showing it off to her assistant. day hummed thoughtfully at the sight of them.

a quick bump of her side against the wood, and it withdrew back into the desk. the papers, too, were stashed away safely in her inventory, before the player turned to the entity. "now, what were you saying again? i didn't catch that."

"oh, it's nothing." day blinked twice as her other started to saunter over. "i didn't think you'd find it that quickly, though..."

"well, neither did i, but if that's how the cookie crumbles..."

---

searching master bedroom. artisan bonus applies (10/2 = 5).

ID208548 | ld11+5 = 16 | 1/5 documents found.

[Koga 0]

"Take a look in there!" their captain said.

"Yes sir, great and powerful captain sir!" the two replied back, saluting, and holding their position until their captain rolled his eyes and walked away, before the two stuck their tongues out at him and turned to investigate the room the man had just indicated.

A crashing sound came from behind the great wooden doors as Bozho and Glebu approached. The sounds gave the two pause, as they looked at each other and gulped in unison. Were there guards behind those doors? If so, how many? Was this the end of the great chronicales of Bozho the Great and Glebu the Less Great? (No, we said it was Glebu the Very Great, and Bozho the Meh) But their stories had only just begun!

The two men tightened their grip around their hatchets, nodded to each other and then charged the unleashed their great and mighty war cries (well, anyone in the vicinity might've thought them young maidens, screaming in fright, but allow the two heroes their glories). They charged the door, prepared to face whatever devils they found on the other side. Their bodies crashed into the wood, forcing the doors wide open, where within they were met with armor and weapons. No, no one was holding the weapons or wearing the armor. Just armor and weapons. "It's...an armory..." Bozho said, confused.

"Yes, it's an armory, I have eyes bozo!"

"You idiot, I'm wondering why an empty armory was making spooky sounds!...N-not that I was spooked, but one less courageous than I might've been."

"Ohhhhh, yeaaaaah...Hmm, I wonder what did make that sound..." Glebu replied, scratching his head with the blunt of his his hatchet.

"Well I don't know, maybe we should look around?!"

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea," Glebu replied, earning himself a groan of annoyance from Bozho, before starting down on of the long aisles of armor and weapons.

The man's eyes swept back and forth, inspecting each piece of equipment, looking for whatever intruder might've caused the ruckus (wait, weren't they the intruders?), looking for anything out of place. Armor. Sword. Axe. Bow. Tail. Lockbox.

Wait, tail!?

The man whirled back around to inspect the furred tail that hung between the legs of one of the pieces of armor, kneeling down to trace it to it's origin. Between the legs, up, up, all the way, stemming from the armor's butt.

"Heh. Someone likes to have fun while they're fighting," Glebu chuckled to himself.

"Glebu! Are you done over there!?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah! Nothing over here Bozho! Musta just been the wind!"

"Great, then let's go report back to Captain Turdicus that we didn't find any lockboxes in here!"

"Alright Bozho!"

---

>> document 2/5 found

[NIGHT 0]

"so we should probably head out," night decided. day hummed at the prompt, and tilted her head, eyes closed, considering.

"well, from what i remember, there are a few more rooms this way. the library seems to be closest."

papers stashed away in a library? it only made sense, like finding a needle in a haystack. the player nodded at the analysis. "right, that works for me."

and so day's hand was set on the door knob. there was a moment of expectation for her wrist to have turned it open, until her other shifted instead, her index pressed to pursed lips. from calmness, night furrowed her brows, alert. "what's wrong?"

"they're here. a couple of them."

to have whispered at such low volumes, the player had to have shifted towards her doppel closer, enough for them to only be a few centimeters apart. not that the distance mattered. night was much more keen on trying to decipher what nuance was occurring in their backdrop as their progress was halted in face of the new obstacle. and the woman seethed at hearing their heavy footsteps.

"you four stand guard here. and the three of you, follow me. we'll take the other side."

a resounding chorus of "ayes" followed. and despite both the duo's annoyances, day was the one to let out an audible 'tch'. blue eyes looked into lavender hues, the two women pulling away, and the construct bit her lower lip.

"we need another way out," night hummed thoughtfully, glancing around the room for another set of doors. two of them were present; one on the opposite side of the entrance, and another perpendicular to the main entry.

her mirror paused, leaning harder on the door knob. "you go look."

the first door had been to a private washroom; convenience and elegance wrapped up in one sanitary area. ("well, not there," her other had chided under a breath.) when night quietly pushed open the second door, her eyes met warm light of the corridors outside the room. a clear view of the invaders lined up in a row, taking instructions unclear from a far distance. and the player quickly slipped back inside, allowing the wood to shut behind her with a gentle click.

she strode over to day. "they're occupied that way."

"great. we could use a distraction."

"not if we make it out fast and quiet enough."

the entity hummed, eyes drifting towards the bed and resting there for a solid few seconds. then, she rose from the door, shaking her head.

"no, i have a better idea. and if i'm right about this -- we should be able to distract most of them for the rest of our searches here."

night tilted her head, brows furrowed. she hated it when day had ideas -- because they'd always seemed bad. implausible. unnecessary.

but when the construct pleaded -- or, at least, the player swore she pleaded through those oceanic doe eyes of hers in the dim light -- she couldn't help but cave in and sighed. "okay, sure. what do you need?"

day turned to gesture to the wood behind her, with a bright smile, mischief apparent. "barricade this door for me."

and so they worked together to move the furniture in the room, movements quiet, sound dampened on the carpeted floor. "fancy," night had remarked once, in hushed tones as they'd built their makeshift blockade. though a part of her hadn't let up the thought that there was something devious about the plan that day hadn't told her about yet. she eyed the construct as they got the final pieces together, in no more than a few minutes.

"there...!"

the one allowance of a sparked tone from day was paired with a shifting of footsteps towards their position. boots on marbled flooring. and night wondered if they'd already been found out.

"no, that's perfect," the entity decided, grin now turning evil, and in her hands she summoned a familiar crystal she'd only seen in--

-- ... wait.

it took all her effort for night to slam both her palms against her lips, trying not to say anything aloud that would give away her surprise. stern, concerned eyes shot to day as the entity seemed to prance towards the blockade, finding that little make-shift cubby that didn't have as much matter in the way of their wall. a weakness constructed out of purpose. the woman set the crystal down upon that bookshelf holding it in place, and then activated it with a tap of the menu on the recording.

immediately, she skipped over to night with the gesture -- and intent -- to leave.

"day," the player uttered, under her breath as they snuck to the back door of the room, the latter reluctantly being pulled along by the other, "you are an absolute asshole and i hate you. i hate you so much right now."

"oh, i know."

and the only saving grace in day's favour was that -- "you're lucky no player's ever going to hear that."

"except you?" the construct commented, turning to face night as they were crouched by the crack of the door, observing the start of the commotion outside. "well. i was asking for it, too, wasn't i?"

because what noises were on that crystal were meant for private use. a humiliation technique, curried in the duo's favour, after a long and arduous early morning of toil and trouble. fresh -- embarrassingly so -- from earlier that day.

and night bathed in a royal flush as she heard the cries to rally attention from the other side of the wing, the sound of her own voice in a demeaning manner echo in the room only the duo was in, audio seeping through the cracks.

"gods, not even one night and you're coming back for more already? and you had the gall to get a separate room -- don't you know how to keep quiet, honey?"

"n-no... no and i don't wanna-- mmffh!--"

so it was no surprise when the formation was broken, the troops under scrutiny distracted to discuss the commotion from afar, their leader of the hour having left them to handle the shouts and hammerings of the door to their current room. if not to listen, then to barge in for custody, for answers. and in that slip of time, day was first to move; lucky her, being imperceptible to onlookers. the door to another room -- "this way's the conference," she'd explained in a rush before she'd left -- opened with nary a sound.

it was only at the closing of the two entrances, on account of night's careful mannerisms, that any of the guards had begun to catch on that something was amiss, head turned to the direction of the side-hallway.

---

searching conference room. no bonuses.

ID208640 | ld4 | bandit.
 | 1/5 documents.

[Koga 0]

The two bandits slowly made their way out of the armory, and when the latch of the door finally clicked shut, Koga let out a long held breath, and pulled off the heavy plate helmet he'd donned as disguise. "Fuck, I thought those two idiots would never leave," the man said to himself before he head the sound of Okami's whines echoing from the suit of armor across from him. "I'm comin' bud, just hold on a sec," the man said as he pulled off the (slightly too large) pieces of armor and set them aside as gently as he could, careful to not make any sounds.

After freeing Okami from the confines of the armor, the wolf leapt around and growled menacingly at the plates of metal, making his distaste for the suit quite apparent. "Yeah, I know, sorry, but there was nowhere else I could put you," Koga hissed quietly. "I'm surprised that one guy didn't figure out you were in there..." Koga supposed the bandit's intelligence must've dropped a point or ten since the last update. "C'mon, let's go."

The two crept out of the armory and made their way to the next nearest location on the map, the workshop. Treading carefully across the hall the pair had just made it to the door when-

"gods, not even one night and you're coming back for more already? and you had the gall to get a separate room -- don't you know how to keep quiet, honey?"

'What the fuck.'

Koga looked in direction of where the voices were coming from, and saw a cluster of bandits all huddled around each other, with their ears pressed to the door, paying such fervent attention to whatever was going on on the other side, that not a one noticed the player and his familiar standing there in plain view.

"n-no... no and i don't wanna-- mmffh!--"

'Oh my god, they're actually-'

Koga shook his head. Whatever, he still needed to find documents.

Creeping into the workshop, Koga was pleased to find it entirely empty. The scent of sawdust, oils, and various other crafting materials filled the air here, a scent of nostalgia for the man. But he didn't have time to stand here and reminisce. "Okami, watch the door," he ordered as he began to walk around and search through the drawers and cupboards for their lockbox.

Koga's search, however, did not last more than a couple of opened drawers, for as he stood, his eyes caught sight of an ornately carved box with a lock on the front. The man looked at the object skeptically. "No way..." and yet, it was. Score two for Koga.

---

| 208673, LD nat20
  >> document 3/5 found

Edited April 16, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

hidden away in that side corridor, it reasoned why there was little ambient light to brighten the room. though adjacent to a wide set of windows, the ongoing storm outside hadn't helped their atmosphere plenty, and it was here that the temperature of the household had fallen since their leave from the master bedroom. a chill ran down night's spine, and she huddled closer into her jacket. draped in all but the coolest hues, the conference room was nearly entirely dipped black.

night couldn't help but stare at the rain upon her entry. a quick turn of her head left, and she'd discover a set of filing cabinets and shelves of different trophies, accomplishments and photographs. on her right, the space stretched out in an elongated manner, with light from the hall seeping through the door's crack at the other entrance set towards the back. to fill the space, there was a large wooden table, ornamented with metals of different kinds, etched with designs too complicated -- and too dim, in this lighting -- for her eyes to make out easily.

chalkboards to the walls. but the player was more concerned with where her secondary was fleeting towards. almost as though her pause at the entrance they came in from had been anticipated, day had scurried over to the diagonal opposite of the woman, eyes bright and shifting about the vicinity. almost as though they rejected the shadows, from the looks of it. night couldn't help but follow along.

for at the far end of the room was a desk -- likely meant for show rather than an actual work station, but still a business structure nonetheless. reminiscent of an office space back in reality; it sat upon a raised platforms, tiny stairs to help one reach its elevation in layers before it, and night ascended them just as day stood quiet at its base. the entity turned towards the window, too, just as the woman was searching.

a silence sat in the room, only punctured on occasion by the muted steps from night, and the jostling of furniture as she looked over the suspect spot on the scene. and the struggle with a locked drawer by the desk's side indicated a secret, a purpose. it drew the duo's attention, gazes meeting in the dark, knowing.

the player glanced away first, because of the recording crystal, gods dammit.

"i think it's in here," she finally managed to murmur, just as the construct finally rounded the desk to reach behind night, a hand set on the table's surface as she leaned. and the former tapped on the metal surface of the lock on the drawer. "just need a key."

"check the ones below?"

they didn't budge either. or rather, no handles were to be found on them. and night pulled away from the setup, perplexed. a hand met her lips, as she considered her next course of action. what then, if they were stuck here?

"can you pick the lock?"

day huffed, a dissatisfied look shot the player's way. "you know if i do, it's bound to not be there when you open it."

night rolled her eyes. "okay, fine."

and the two remained, thinking, still for a time. when the player finally decided upon resting for contemplation, the entity gave the table's wooden surface two rasps before ducking underneath it with a hum.

"uh-- day...? what are you..."

"aha."

from underneath the desk, the construct had crouched, thumbing a loose piece of something that sounded like paper at the edge of the table. she gave night a grin, only barely hidden away by shadows. "found something. you might want to pull it out yourself."

night obliged, two fingers scratching at the wood as gently as she could. loose. the tape that was holding whatever she had touched peeled off cleanly, and in her hands was a small rusted key.

the room hadn't needed any light after all. sunshine from the one entity, the all-smiles. "genius!"

"i'll say."

a click and a turn, the key slotted into the drawer lock. this time, the documents they were looking for were situated in an ornate steel box as originally expected. its lid opened with only a gentle force. with a palm moved over the rolled scroll, tied with a light ribbon, the documents were safely kept in night's inventory. three more awaited them -- though not counting koga's own collection.

---

obtained document from conference room.

> 4/5 documents found.

[Koga 0]

In the dim light shining through the windows, Koga searched through the kitchen, cabinet by cabinet, shelf by shelf. But just what was it that made the man think that there was a lockbox full of evidently important documents hidden in the kitchen of all places? Well, truthfully, he did not. But he was hungry. How long had it been since they'd had breakfast? The moon was already out, for god's sake and all Koga had had today was a cup of coffee. The man needed fuel.

And so, the man rummaged through the cupboards looking for something edible and a bit more appetizing than watercress crackers. Honestly, why did every cabinet have these stupid crackers? Sighing as he shut the doors on another cracker-filled cupboard, the man turned to moved towards the other end of the kitchen when the sound of a door creaking on it's hinged caught Koga's attention. Dropping down low immediately, the man hid himself behind the kitchen's island. "Hey, Bohzo, think we'll find any chicken in here? Or maybe pork?"

---

| 208821, LD nat9

Edited April 20, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

just one more, they'd figured, before checking in. through the way they came from, despite knowing the dangers of it. upon first peer into the corridor, night noticed the stationed group missing; a clatter from the opposite direction drew her attention as to why.

because instead of listening in from the other side of the bedroom, two of the personnel were trying to barge in from the door the duo had left through earlier. and night thanked her lucky stars she'd remembered to hit the lock before she closed it, if only to buy them some time. that left the question of where the rest of the invaders went, and a brief quiet stride down towards the main hall was enough to see why. beside the growing crowd, their commander was distracted by the cautious bandits. a growl and yelling -- either their leader had a short temper, or he was desperate to try and right his troops back in order.

night wasn't planning on staying around to find out which, nor hear more of what was being played in the room. she sighed, flush still present, a thumb to her locks as the golden bolt whisked past her and pushed herself through the door to another room. this one was dark, that glass door, sat opposing the library on the far side of the wing, and night stepped through it, hoping the shadows would save them from being noticed by the (extremely disorganized) patrol.

so dark, it was hard to see. and the player considered investing into night vision the moment her eyes were awash with void. it was warm, humid -- sort of reminded her of the climate back home. and all night could hear were the sounds of her other giggling as a faint ambience of running water accented those steps. day's noise only died down once a few seconds had passed, and the player hadn't moved.

"oh, you really can't see in here, can you?"

"not really," she responded, taking a few hesitant steps forward. part of her was expecting the edge of her foot to knock over something in her amble. she flinched at the sudden grasp on her wrist, the gemini's blue eyes suddenly caught in the midst of her empty vision. a tug, and night was pulled along.

"well, you should've told me." night didn't have the chance to respond. "hey, did you know they have a fountain here?"

as they moved, there were drifting lights that caught her attention, too. luminosity of golden hues, fading in and out as she approached. so too did they swarm around day as they moved, the player's eyes distracted, steps following her doppel absent mindedly. their lights were enough for the woman to finally see, albeit her vision fading periodically, and she strained to catch a glimpse of the picture before her. a few moments passed before she pieced together the image of the fountain that day had left her in front of, her secondary reveling in the view.

"this... is a garden."

"yeah. a green house, to be exact."

how night hadn't pieced together the qualities... well, she could blame the darkness, for one.

"and there's one in every room, right?" her front was turned towards day, the only reliable source of guidance the gemini's own two eyes. and she sensed a nod from the construct before considering her options.

"now, where would the lock box be...?"

a dangerous answer to pursue for the entity, but innocent a question to pose as day ruminated upon it. and night took a few steps forward, eyes upon the water -- at least, she was certain it was there, given the reflections of the lights behind her. without warning, she stuck her head in there, hoping the game would've aided her vision in the dark when paired with liquids.

it did, but the lockbox wasn't there, no matter how much she strained herself.

"night? --what are you doing...?"

the player nearly toppled inwards, day dragging her out of the fountain by the back of her collar on her shirt. if she'd sputtered, it was in light of having been pulled from her search early before she was certain it wasn't in where she figured the most obvious place for their treasure to be at. all she could do was wipe her face down with a towel summoned from her inventory, realizing her foolishness just as she rubbed at her eyes, dazed, while her mirror tried not to giggle.

"shut up."

"why in the world would they keep it in there? the papers would get soggy!"

"yeah, i'm pretty sure that's not how it works..."

under scrutiny of the doppel, night watched those eyes disappear and then reform. there was a fold of cloth in the mean while, before she felt something warm shoved towards her front.

"huh? what?"

"here. your shirt's all wet. you can have my cloak for the time being."

night had wanted to protest, but day had already turned to examine more of the room. the faint glow of a light revealed nothing more than a hand wave as the construct drifted off elsewhere.

in the relative quiet, the player changed into her new attire. left on her own, she was hesitant to start moving, and found herself examining the lights instead. there seemed to be more gathered in some locations than others. being careful, she inched herself towards the spots with more bright indicators than others, until she found the familiar glow of day's sights again.

"it's a straight path from where you're at. c'mere!"

the entity was crouched at a corner of the room; a grip upon night's own wrist when she got close only directed her towards something intricate, cold and smooth. she didn't have to guess to know it was the lock box, as it had felt prior before, and ere long she was searching its exterior for the method of unlocking the container. a simple button press after some fumbling, and it clicked open.

"however in the world did you find it?" despite night's distress, she was thankful it was her other that had made the search as easy as it had been. the document retrieved, she stored it in her inventory before pulling up her menus.

"the same way you did, most likely. though, it just so happens that i got to it first because i could see in the dark, unlike a certain someone."

the player quietly rolled her eyes, drumming text into the message to be sent to her friend.

to: koga

night: got 3 here
night: wbu?

---

searching rooftop garden. hiding bonus applies.

ID208867 | ld8+5 = 13 | 5/5 documents found.

[Koga 0]

'These two idiots again?' Koga thought to himself as he and Okami crept around the kitchen island, staying on the other side of the men's footsteps.

"Hell if I know, Glebu," Bohzo replied as he marched forward, running a lazy hand across the countertop, then placing his weapon a top it and hoisting himself up on it and seating his fat rump upon it. "Maybe they have some some fruit in one of them cabinets."

"Why the hell would they be keeping fruit in a cabinet?"

"I dunno. These gover'ment types are all weird. Just go look, wouldya?"

"Do it yourself fattie."

"Fattie!?" Blebu shouted back, "You're the one who wanted meat! I, being the healthy person that I am, asked for fruit."

The self-righteous tone made Koga roll his eyes as he pressed his back against the cabinets, praying that the idiot wouldn't decide to peer over the counter.

Ding!

The notification ping rang out, and Koga almost swore aloud, biting his tongue only a moment before he breathed aloud words.

"Well, whaddya know, Bohzo! They do have fruit in here!"

"Great! I'm hungry, give 'em here."

Thank God the notification sound wasn't universal.

The sound of rummaging through more cabinets, and Koga felt safe enough for a moment to peek his head over the counter. The two bandits had their backs turned. Now was the time to make an exit.

Quietly, he and Okami crawled to the door and gently opened it, slipping out and shutting it behind them. The man didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they'd made it some way down the hall away from the two. "Fuck, that was too close," Koga muttered quietly before opening his messenger and replying to NIGHT.

night

got 3 here wbu? got 2 meet at the study

koga

 

[NIGHT 0]

so to the study they went.

when the duo had emerged from the greenhouse, it appeared as though their immediate threats had vanished. no traces of their appearance had been left -- hell, if anything, night was thankful the recording had already been halted the moment they were completed with their tasks. down the stairs they went, the player keeping a grimace on despite day's apparent ignorance to the matter, and they were upon the first floor once more.

the study was a small walk away. still, there remained the concern of being caught by patrols or scouts from the terrorist group. round the corners, night had her back up to a wall, yet found the hallways devoid of an opposing force. how strange. and day awaited the player's instructions, despite the occasional exchange ("what in the world are you looking for?" / "shhh.").

"you know, there's no one else around here any more," day finally announced, as though it needed to be spelled out for the woman travelling by her side.

night's shoulders finally sank, stepping down the red carpet towards the study. "you could've told me that sooner."

"i figured..."

in between words, there was a long pause.

the construct suddenly came to a stop, the player still pacing forward. and it was this abrupt halt that caused night to slow, too, turning back around to check on her secondary.

"what is it?"

"--"

a hand grabbed night's shoulder. day pulled the player, tossing her to the ground. that cinch, a vice grip, burned against the woman's skin, almost as though it was strength the former would've used in combat. night hit the floor, back against the carpet, as a swish of steel pulled white light from thin air.

so too did a bandit emerge from the scaffolding, folding outwards head pointed towards the ground, before dropping downwards, scooping himself from the tumble safely. a dagger unsheathed, gripped backwards in his hands as he held it out. a threat, he hissed, eyes upon the tip of day's spear.

"frankly, none of that was supposed to happen." his gaze travelled up to the construct, brows furrowed. behind day, night was slowly picking herself up. "and i'm a little offended that your assistant here's got the bulk of it figured out. can i at least ask for a fair fight, player to enemy?"

"some nerve," the gemini returned, breathy. "you tried to pull an ambush and then ask for a fair fight. no, no way -- you're staying here until we know what's to be done with you."

the bandit shrugged, half-grinning. "all the more reason not to deny my request."

"and i thought," night whined, trying to draw oathkeeper out with a few jousts of her hand by her side. "there weren't any more of these guys...?"

an unexpected "no," was returned, from day to the player. shadowed sights were granted to the woman, and night blinked, curious, off-guard. "there weren't. but whatever you do, night, don't look."

[Koga 0]

As Koga neared the hallway to the President's study, the sounds of chatter reached his ears. Was that...a bandit? And DAY? NIGHT must've been with her. The man went to reach for his sword as he broke into a run, pausing only when he recalled the President's request to not harm any of the bandits.  The man swore inwardly as Okami bounded alongside him. Maybe there was a quest failure condition around killing some number of bandits, and if that was the case, Koga was not exactly looking forward to having to sneak around this whole mansion again.

Rounding corner, the man spotted his two compatriots, facing off with some thug brandishing a knife. "Hey!" Koga called out to the man. "C'mon man, just give it up, you're out nu-"

The door to the study suddenly broke off it's hinges, careening across the hall and slamming into the bandit, flattening the man against the wall with a sickening cracking sound. Though the door remained embedded in the opposite wall, the red fragments bleeding out from the edges and floating skyward told the tale of the thug's fate. From the doorway itself, the bodyguard from before thudded into the hallway, dusting his hands off with a dismissive "Hmph."

"What in the fuck?..." Note to self, essential NPCs might be stupidly over leveled.

"Gaston!" the President's voice called from within the study before she too appeared in the doorway. "I thought I said not to harm anyone!"

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have been standing there," the man replied with a shrug. Koga's eyes flicked over to NIGHT and DAY down the hall with a confused look on his face. "Do we uh...?" he asked pointing towards the two disgruntled NPCs.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"koga?"

night recognized the voice of her friend as she was starting to turn away as ordered. the bandit wheeled around, shocked at the appearance of yet another player in his midst. and just as day and whirled around, almost in time to slam her palm into the woman's gaze --

-- she hadn't meant to look. neither did she get to see.

there was the thunderous breaking of wood. the crack. the heavy slam of something slammed against the wall. then the shimmer of a familiar sound, cardinal's relinquish of a figure in their midst, and all night could've seen was darkness.

she hadn't figured who exactly had been removed, until process of elimination from the entities around her clued the answer in. all the while, day had muttered to the player, latter still shaking, hand gripped upon familiar, porcelain skin -- "it's scripted this time. it's scripted. none of them had meant for it to happen, but it's scripted. none of it's..."

"Do we uh...?"

the construct removed her hand from the player, and night cracked open her eyes to see the damage. it took her a few moments to adjust to what had happened, during which the president must've called them into their study. the bodyguard -- familiar, yet she hadn't recognized a voice to the figure -- huffed and started back inside. all she did was follow him in, sucking in a shallow breath, day clung onto her arm.

right. the execution was meant to happen. and they had a delivery to make, first and foremost, so they should focus on that instead.

upon a nearby desk, night laid down the documents she'd obtained from earlier, before turning to koga, expecting him to spawn his own set as well.

[Koga 0]

Koga looked at DAY, shaking and muttering to herself, with a hint of both confusion and concern. They wiped out mobs on a daily basis. Why did this seem to bother her so much? It wasn't like it was any different from any other time they killed a bandit or thug out on one of the floors. Sure, maybe this guy could hold a conversation a bit better but Koga still doubted the guy had the same level of cognitive function as DAY or even Gabrandr.

Well, hopefully NIGHT would take of her companion later. This wasn't really any of Koga's business anyways.

Koga followed the women into the study, while the body guard moved to the door, still plastered against the wall and began to peel the wood from stone. Risking a glance back, Koga was surprised that the body hadn't actually completely disintegrating like he'd expected. Instead, it was still there, all in one piece, albeit a tad flatter than before...strange...probably had something to do with the quest...

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Koga summoned his collection of documents and placed them onto the pile of papers NIGHT had started and looked back at the President. "Welp, that's all of them. Just like you asked."

Brienne simply stood there and glared at the man with her arms crossed. Koga rolled his eyes. "Right, right," he muttered before stepping aside so that the President could speak to the only worth person in their party.

"Thank you for your assistance," the President said to NIGHT with a honeyed smile. "It seems that the bandits, save for their one unfortunate friend there, have disappeared into the night." Brienne collected the documents neatly together before spiriting them away into one of the drawers of her desk. "Rest assured, we will investigate tonight's events thoroughly. With any luck, we'll be able to track down the perpetrators and ensure that they answer for their crimes." Was treason not punishable by death in Ordsea? Why the hell did they spend so much time sneaking around...

"That might not be necessary ma'am," the bodyguard said, suddenly appearing in the empty doorframe. "That one had a tattoo on his arm. Sword and shield."

[NIGHT 0]

the tattoo hadn't meant anything to the players, but it clearly did to president brienne. her question came after a hum. "so did you happen to recognize him? ...or, at least, what remained of him."

the bodyguard snorted and shook his head.

at the players' confused stares, it was their host who responded, her aid pacing over to her side. "apologies. my ward here comes from braso -- the mark of a sword and shield being one of the signifiers that one might be from that region. though i suppose you might already be familiar with their culture...?"

she turned to night as her voice trailed, though the player shook her head, figure still tense. "oh? have you... not actually been, then? though i suppose with how their garments usually cover most of one's arms..."

brienne glanced to her guard for a moment, stare lingering, before turning back to the party. "then i hope i could at least persuade you to head over and introduce yourselves to commander fudral. it would be easier to uncover the identities of those behind the attack today if he, perhaps, had a register of proven warriors with that mark."

night only returned a nod, barely acknowledged by the president once she started to walk towards her desk, her bodyguard unmoving. she returned a minute later with a plain envelope in hand, taken from a drawer, a wax seal in red stamped upon it. the player received it with two hands.

"you should be able to hand this to someone at his office in targok for such an arrangement."

her thumb grazed the surface of the wax, the woman distracted by the craft of the letter they were to deliver. a forced, "got it," under a whisper, before night remembered to show the slightest bit of courtesy with a bow.

[Koga 0]

Koga stood back and listened to the conversation. The mystery only seemed to grow thicker. A mysterious tattooed sigil, and a country of warriors. How did this all tie together? Koga surely didn't know. And he surely was not smart enough to figure it out (or at least not without more pieces of the puzzle to fit together). But still, it was a lead. Despite that, the whole quest was getting stranger by the second. How did any of this tie into that secret phrase they were told to obtain? Were these two separate plots, or simply threads that tied together. Koga didn't know, and it was giving him a headache.

President Brienne handed NIGHT a small envelope and recommended that they head to the Targok office in Brasso and speak to Commander Fudral. "We'll do that," Koga said with a nod, before turning towards the door. Pausing before leaving, Koga stopped and said, "Oh, by the way, we've been looking for a....secret phrase or something like that. We were told you might know something about that?"

[NIGHT 0]

thread summary.

[total]

night

+13881 xp | (1474 * 12 * 0.7) + 1500 | +14049 xp | (1494 * 12 * 0.7) + 1500
+5082 col | 3000 + (xp * 0.15) | +5107 col | 3000 + (xp * 0.15)

koga

+9754 xp | (1474 * 8 * 0.7) + 1500 | +9866 xp | (1494 * 12 * 0.7) + 1500
+4463col | 3000 + (xp * 0.15) | +4479 col | 3000 + (xp * 0.15) 

Edits completed by Nari-Lanreth with love.

---

Spoiler

[thread progression]

14740 14944 words | 1474 1494 sections | 0.7 group factor | [text]

[quest rewards]

+ 1500xp
+ 3000 col