[X] Forward into the heart of madness.

WHAT A SUSPICIOUS LOOKING PAINTING.

[x] Examine the painting closer, for things like say, a hole or two engraved so that somebody could watch you on the other side.
[x] Inventory check

[X] Explore further

[x] Examine the painting closer, for things like say, a hole or two engraved so that somebody could watch you on the other side.

[x] Examine the painting closer, for things like say, a hole or two engraved so that somebody could watch you on the other side.
[y] Ready rifle built by SCIENCE, powered by IMAGINATION

[x] Examine the painting closer, for things like say, a hole or two engraved so that somebody could watch you on the other side.

Inventory:

1 Nuclear-powered Metal Gear RAY (Currently unavailable for use. Powered by NITROTECH)
1 Gear bag (Equipped Aya)
1 Black headband (Equipped Snake, +3 badass skill)
1 Camouflage BDU (Equipped Snake, +50% Index in woodlands)
1 Nitori rifle (Equipped Aya, Infinite ammunition. Built by SCIENCE, powered by IMAGINATION)
1 Dark grey camouflage BDU (Equipped Aya, +80% Index in dark places)
1 Cybernetic suit (Equipped Youmu, Unknown% strength boost)
1 Black trench coat (Equipped Youmu)
1 Damascus knife (Equipped Snake, Fits well in boot)
1 Compass
1 Length of rope
1 Entrenching tool (Sharpened)
10 Hand grenades (Unknown type)
1 Customized M1911A1 pistol (Equipped Snake, No feed problems, EVER.)
2+130 Pictures
5 M1911 mags (+19 spare rounds)
1 Butterfly pendant (Equipped Snake, Unknown effect)
8 Canned food
1 Mess kit
1 Camouflage paint kit (+50% Index in woodlands)
1 Small tent (3 people max capacity)
2 Youkai monocle
1 Shinigami cell phone (Death is on speed dial)
10 Cigars (Generic brand, in a classy cedar box)

No use escaping, then. You might as well explore the place and look for an alternate route. Losing RAY is unacceptable, but your life is more important. You examine the room again, looking for anything useful. The stairs split ahead of you, leading to a corridor that extends both ways. Perhaps you should start there.
"Hey Snake." Aya turns to you. "You ever see that where a group of teenagers go exploring spooky mansions in search of a ghost? I can't remember what it's called."
"No, I haven't." To be completely honest, you've never heard of something like that. She must have a reason for saying something weird at a time like this. "Why?"
"Well, most of the time, they pass by like an old painting or something, and as they walk past it the eye moves."
"Like it's staring at them?" You raise an eyebrow as you turn back to the painting.
She points at you. "Yes, yes, something like that!"
You shrug. "Huh, I guess it's worth a look."
You walk up the first flight of stairs, standing on the landing that separates into the rooms beyond. You stare into the eyes of the painting, first with the maid-ish girl on the left, then the one in pink and red on the right. Neither of them appear to be staring at you. You drop your view down, staring into the eyes of Yuka. You hear something click from behind the painting.
"Hmmm..." You examine the entirety of the painting, looking over it from several angles, hoping the reflected light may give something away. It looks to be an ordinary painting, although the clicking noise you heard bothers you.
You think to yourself. Does anybody know of this place? Or at least, can anybody get you out.. You can name one person.
"Hey Yukari." You hold a hand to your ear, blocking out what little interfering noises there are.
*Oh, Snake!* She sounds entirely too happy to hear you. *What perfect timing!*
"Yeah, well.. We're kind of stuck."
*Stuck~?*
"Yes." You look around the room again, reassessing the situation. "We happen to be stuck in a room underground and there's no way out."
*Underground~?* She's practically singing. *Did a rock fall on your head?*
"Unfortunately, no. But we are trapped in a room. Youmu said she'd never seen the place before."
*Be~ Right~ There~* NOW she's singing.
You wait.
And you wait.
*Hmm, this is weird..* Her voice buzzes from the device. She sounds puzzled. *I can't get in..*
You'd thought there wasn't a gap in the world she couldn't enter. "You can't get in?"
*Nope! It seems like there's some outside force blocking my way to your location. Where in the name of God are you?*
"That's just the thing. We don't know." You look around again. Youmu and Aya slowly approach you as you speak. You turn back to the painting. "Our only clue is this painting here, which has two strange blonde-haired twins and what looks like Yuka in it."
*Yuka? Blonde twins?* She sounds shocked. *Wait, I don't think she knows anybody like that.*
"Well it's right in front of me." You tap the edge for your own confirmation. It's definitely not an illusion.
*Hmm, I could ask her about it. We've known each other for a while, so she might tell me.*
"Could you tell her to stop trying to kill me while you're at it?"
*No~ Good~*
"Why?!" Her songbird rejection makes it all the more annoying.
*Once she's set her mind on something, even I can't talk her out of it. She can be so unreasonable and stubborn at times.*
"That's all fine and good, but I'd really like to stay alive!"
*Alright, I'll see what I can do.* The device in your ear becomes silent. Aya and Youmu look on intensely as you pull your hand from your ear.
"No good, we're trapped." You can see the disappointment in their eyes.
"We'd best get to searching, then." Youmu looks down the corridors. "We should split up. I'll go one way, Aya will go in the other direction." She points down the hallways as she speaks.
Aya leans in to protest. "Hey, wait! I didn't-"
Youmu holds up a hand in a gesture for silence. "This is the fastest way." She turns to you. "Snake. We can keep in touch by way on RAY's communication devices. You choose which direction you want to go."

[ ] Go left.
[ ] Go right.

[x] Go right.
[x] Arm yourself with your pistol and knife, and put on both monocles.

I smell a boss battle, and I want to be so fucking classy that I spit roses.

[x] Go right.
[x] Arm yourself with your pistol and knife, and put on both monocles.

>You hear something click from behind the painting.

Fuck.
Note to self: Next playthrough, chuck a grenade at the painting. There will be lulz.

>>46621
This man is a genius.

[x] Go right.
[x] Arm yourself with your pistol and knife, and put on both monocles.

>>46623
FFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Adding "[ ] Action (Specify)" to vote menu.

>>46626

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

[X]Use the imagination-powered rifle to break down that painting, after all is said and done say "I thought I heard something"

wait.

>1 Customized M1911A1 pistol (Equipped Snake, No feed problems, EVER.)
I like this, but does it mean that the Imagination rifle (the NIMR) can jam somehow?

but first:
[X] Take NIMR and shoot 18.1in HE-AP round at blocking wall
[x] Go right.
[x] Arm yourself with your pistol and knife, and put on both monocles.

on another random note:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h59k8_HhcOI

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

>>46630
>I like this, but does it mean that the Imagination rifle (the NIMR) can jam somehow?

Maybe if you IMAGINE it jamming, it could.

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

I PICK "EVERYONE GOES DOWN THE HIDDEN THIRD DOOR".

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

[X] Go left.
[X] Go right.

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

Screw right and left. CENTER PASSAGE ONLY.

[x] Put on both monocles.
[x] "Actually, Youmu, I have an idea. One that might be crazy enough to work."
[x] Tell Aya to use her IMAGINATION POWERED Nitori rifle to tear down the wall behind the painting. Screw walking into an obvious trap, you're going to give your unidentified assailants a three man blitzkrieg.

Blonde twins identified.
Names: Gengetsu and Mugetsu (or Gengetu and Mugetu)
Game of origin: Lotus Land Story (note- this game is Yuuka's first appearance)
/meta

[+] Take the painting off the wall.

>>46642
QUANTUM JUNCTION, GET IN BOTH LANES.

----------

The two of them stare at you as you make your decision.
"Now, wait just a second here!" You're not going to decide until you're absolutely certain that this room is safe.
Youmu taps her foot impatiently. "What is it this time?"
"I have an idea." You eyeball the painting again, that tapping sound still on your mind. "It's crazy, but it just might work."
"I see.." She crosses her arms, staring at you. "Please, by all means then."
You turn to Aya. "Do you know how to use that?" You point to the rifle slung haphazardly over her shoulder.
"Uhh, no actually. I've never fired a gun before." She shrugs, taking it from her shoulder.
You take it from her. "Here, let me do it, then." But you're not finished, yet. You still have those in your pocket.
Yes, those youkai monocles. You'll need a power boost, and they might just do the trick. Rather than putting on just one as you should, you take them both out and wear them at the same time.
"Hold firm, my dear ladies, this social gathering shall soon be most exciting!" You wave for them to back away as you envision a worthy projectile. You settle on the .50 caliber BMG round, as it's stopping power is enough to take down even the largest of beasts. This'll shred anything that's behind that blasted picture!
You fire the weapon. As planned, it fires much like the Browning machine guns you've come to know and love so well. It thumps away in your grip at an alarmingly fast pace, blowing the black marble wall--and the painting--into oblivion. You're certain you can hear your own laughter.
You cease fire and allow the dust to settle. The wall is indeed full of holes, but strangely enough, the painting has not even a scratch on it.
"Blast!" you exclaim, "I do believe this may become foolishly rowdy in here! Stand far clear, my dears! Preferably, the hindmost quarters look marvelous!" The three of you run to the other side of the room.
You prepare to fire again, this time, envisioning a much stronger projectile. This time it's nothing less than a 6-inch naval shell. You're certain it'll be capable of destroying this blasted picture! You fire, and a large cloud of black smoke clouds your vision. The weapon fires silently, yet almost instantly you hear a deafening bang from across the room. The dust slowly settles.
Although unbroken and intact, the picture has fallen to the floor, exposing a passageway behind it caved in from your last attack. The wall is in pieces. Chucks and small shards of black rock litter the room. You approach the stairs as you hand the weapon back to Aya, who reluctantly takes it from your hands.
"That, my dear Aya, is how properly to use a firearm!"
As you climb over the rubble and up the stairs, you notice something strange laying behind where the painting once stood. You kneel on a large piece of rock as you stare down upon it. Whatever it is, it coughs.
"Uuuuuuu~"
"My word! I do believe it yet lives! Mayhap I were to fire upon it once more.." You wonder how anything could live through a direct hit like that.
"No more! I give up!" It cries out from under the rubble, attempting to pull free.
"Hmm?" Aya leans forward. "I'm surprised anything at all is alive down here. What exactly are you?"
It struggles for a while longer before pulling it's leg free. It jumps up suddenly, pushing away the debris covering it. Blonde hair, yet she's not one of the two in the picture. She brushes off her dark, almost blood-red dress.
"I'm Elly!" She says, offering absolutely no explanation. She smiles as if she'd just cured cancer.
"I see..." Aya sighs heavily, burying her face in her hand. It's obvious that wasn't the answer she was searching for.
You lean forward. "Now, listen here my good lady. I do believe we are in a bit of a bind here, and it would be most welcome were you to show us the door!"
She cocks her head to the side slightly, her face holding a smile. "Huh?"
"Forsooth, my dear! We happened upon this wondrous place most accidental, and we are unable to excuse ourselves! Perchance you could assist?"
"Eh?" She doesn't seem to get it at all.
You yank the monocles from your face in frustration. "What I'm asking is, how do we get out?!"
She cocks her head back to it's upright position, a look of utter confusion contorts her smiling face. "Uhh, normally you'd use the front door?"
"Yeah, well.." You point to the solid wall behind you.
She seems shocked that it's even there. "Eh? What's this?" She pushes past you, running over to the wall. "Ehhhhh?!"

You feel the ground shake beneath you. The rock you're standing on is... floating?
Yes, it's certainly floating. It's also trying to put itself back in the wall. You jump off it, grabbing Aya and Youmu as you flee the stairway to the tiled floor below. The wall instantly fixes itself behind you.
"What the hell?" You run up to the wall you had only seconds ago blasted into dust. You feel the smooth, mirrored surface. Not even a scratch remains. Even the picture's returned to it's original place.
"Ha ha!" You turn to face the voice. The strange girl, Elly, stands at the foot of the stairs with her hands to her hips. "I get it now!"
"Get what?" Youmu sighs heavily.
"You're intruders, aren't you!" She reaches behind her. "Sorry, but I'm gonna kill you right here!"
She's reaching for something, and you reach for your pistol, but..
"Eh?" Her eyes widen in shock. She turns around, looking over her back. "Where is it? It's gone!" She turns to you, her eyes full of anger. "What have you done with it!?"
"What have I done with what?" You release your grip on your pistol, letting it sit loosely at your hip.
"My scythe! Where have you hidden it!" She holds her hands out in a gesture of 'give it back'.
"Never seen it, don't know nothin'!" Aya smugly replies in your stead. She turns to you. "Hey, Snake! Catch!" She tosses you something, and you catch it instinctively.
A cigar.
You give a thumbs-up gesture of gratitude, and she holds out a small book of matches. You grab them, lighting the cigar as you speak.
"Just as she said, kid." You pace back and forth, putting on a show of bravado that would make any man proud. You speak slowly and leisurely, much like a gangster from the 1920's would. "Ain't seen nothin', don't know nothin'." You wave your hand, dismissively
You blow smoke into the air around you, enjoying every last second of your smoke. You take note of Elly's frustration.
"Now then, here's what I'm thinkin'." You stop your pacing for a second, turning to face her from your place at the middle of the landing above. You stare down at the visibly angered girl, holding your arms out dramatically. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."
Her face contorts, showing indignation. "I'm not going to scratch your back!"
You resume your swaggering steps across the landing, blowing more smoke into the air around you. "Figure 'a speech, girly. What I'm tryin' to say is this--you help us get outta here, and we'll help you find that thing 'a yours."
"Fine! I'll do it, then!" She agrees with absolutely no hesitation. It must be important to her, that scythe.
Youmu turns to you, grabbing your shoulder firmly. "Snake." Her voice sounds displeased. "What are you doing?"
You hold the cigar away from her as you lean in to speak. "I'm getting us out of here!"
"Very well then." Her tone of voice softens. "Please continue."
She releases you. You resume your show as you finish your cigar. "Right, then. It's a deal then." You flick away the still-burning stub onto the stone floor below. It flashes and disintegrates into nothing as it hits the red mist coating the area. "Whaddaya wanna do then?" You turn to Elly.
She walks up to your position, still angry. Her voice and attitude betray no emotion. Her expression does that for her. "All right, then. Normally, I'd kick you out the front door, but since it's not there, I don't know what to do. My masters are probably still asleep."
No, nothing would be asleep after the explosion of that naval shell. She seems to know hardly anything about her own home, let alone is she capable enough to make plans.
Youmu speaks up. "Then we search the place. We divide into groups of two and search every room of the house until we find an exit. Understand?" She glares at you.
"Alright, alright. You were right." You know exactly what she wants to hear. "We'll do it your way, then."
Her expression immediately softens. "Fine, then. I'll let you decide who goes where, then."

Divide into groups of two:

[ ] Snake
[ ] Aya
[ ] Youmu
[ ] Elly

Which direction does your group go?
[ ] Left
[ ] Right

Why the glare, Youmu? That was fucking awesome and you know it. My only regret is that Yuka is going to wonder what the hell just happened to her wall.

[x] You and Elly
[x] Right
[x] Dual wield monocles and light up another cigar.

Because if Elly or any other residents of the mansion try any funny stuff, we'll use our CQC to hold Elly hostage. Youmu and Aya are too soft to do such a thing, and that's why they have us.

[X] Snake
[X] Aya

[X] Right

[x] You and Elly
[x] Right
[x] Dual wield monocles and light up another cigar.

[+] Snake
[+] Aya
Not leaving our tengu behind. [spoilers]Or her front, either.[/spoilers]

[x] Snake
[x] Aya
[x] Right

[x] Snake
[x] Aya
[x] Right

Sup Tengu? Lets go right.

[X] Snake
[X] Aya
[X] Right

>>46664
>Youmu
>too soft

[x] Snake
[x] Aya
[x] Right

[x] You and Elly
[x] Right

"Alright, then." You turn to look down both corridors. Neither one looks especially better than the other. "I suppose I'll take this one, here." You point to the right.
"I'll go with you!" Aya flutters behind you, her wings hold her over your shoulders.
Youmu's expression turns wry for a split second. Were you to blink, you'd have missed it.
"Then I'll go with Elly down the other side. If you see anything interesting, or if something happens, contact me. I'll do the same."
She walks off as Elly leads her down the hall. Damn, she got the perfect tour guide. Well, maybe. You're not convinced that Elly even lives here, considering her lack of knowledge of the building.
You head off into the other direction with Aya hovering close behind.
"Let's do this the easy way." You look at Aya as you walk. "We'll search each room that we come to, or at least look through it a bit. Hopefully, this place isn't too big."
She nods, remaining completely silent as she follows you.
You stop at the first door. It appears to be made of wood. It's just as black as the walls around it. It's also unlocked. You step inside cautiously.
It appears to be an average bedroom. The walls, floors, and furniture looks just like what you'd find in your world. Not a touch of that foreboding black stone anywhere. You start with the dresser, finding several stacks of paperwork inside the drawers. Everything appears to be written in a language that you've never seen before.
"Hey Aya, can you read any of this?" You hold the papers out to her.
She grabs them, viewing the contents for several seconds. "Hmm, Nope." She smiles, holding the papers out to you. You grab them as she continues. "Although the lettering is familiar to me, I've only seen them used one at a time on spell cards. I've never seen anybody use them to form a complete sentence. Maybe it's a spell, or maybe it's just nonsense."
"Huh." You shrug, stuffing the papers into your pocket. "Well if we can't read them, it's no use to us. I'll hold onto it just in case we find somebody who can."
You go back to your search, finding several photographs worn beyond recognition, and a small box under the bed. You can't open it, but it seems to be in perfect condition. You shove it into your pocket as well. There seems to be nothing else of interest in the room. You head back into the hallway as your radio comes to life.
*Snake?* It's Youmu.
"Something wrong?" She sounds concerned about something.
*Not with me, no. It's just.. This girl suddenly broke out into tears as we entered this one empty room.*
"Want me to head over?"
*No, it's fine. She just sits there calling out the names of these people I've never heard of before. I'm sure it's nothing important to us.*
"Right. Let me know if you need anything else."
Silence.
You head further down the hall, finding several more doors and empty rooms behind them. It seems this place was built to house a lot of people, yet only a few of the rooms are actually used. You come to the end of the hallway. There's one more door to your left, and the hall veers off to the right. A large set of double-doors are at the end. You decide to search the room first.
As soon as you walk in, you can tell that the room has been lived in recently. The place is incredibly clean, although the one desk at the corner of the room is littered with clutter. What strikes you is that there's a single window in this room where there was nothing in the others. This is the only room you've seen with a window.
Yet as you look out, there's only blackness. Rather than a simple darkness that you may have been able to see through, this window offers you the best view of nothingness in the house.
"Hey, Snake!" Aya calls to your from the desk. "Look at these!"
You walk over and peer over Aya's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Look at these books. They're all about flowers!"
She's right. Most of them are botanical encyclopedias, each one written in clear English. It doesn't hold any particular significance for you. You look through the desk, finding several letters and what looks like a locked diary. The letters are all written in that strange language, and the bound book won't open no matter how much force you use. Even your knife can't cut through the thick leather straps holding it together. You stuff it in the pack on Aya's back in case it contains something useful.
Further searching of the room turns up relatively nothing. More books on flowers, more of that strange language, yet on the walls is something that catches you eye. Carved into a small part of the wall is the word 'YUKA', written clearly in English several times.
"This place gives me the creeps." Rather, the fact that you might be inside Yuka's house and the possibility that she'll be back at any moment gives you the creeps.
You head for the door and out into the hall.
"Hey Youmu."
*Yes?* She sounds calmer than before.
"How's everything on your end?"
*Better. She's calm enough for me to reason with, but...*
"Is she saying anything?"
*Nothing I can make much sense of. She just keeps saying 'they're all dead' over and over again.*
"Dead? Who's dead?"
*Certainly not us, yet we will be if we don't leave soon. There's absolutely nothing to eat. Whatever was inside the kitchen has since turned to dust.*
"So if nobody's been here for that long, how come Elly's still alive?"
*Perhaps she went into a sort of stasis. I'm not really sure myself.*
"I found something on my end." You say at last.
*A way out?* She sounds excited, impatient to hear more.
"I'm not sure, but there's a window in this one room. I haven't seen any of them elsewhere."
*I've seen none down here. This hallway has ended, there's nothing more to find here. I'll bring everything I've grabbed and head your way.*
"Is Elly stable enough to follow?"
*I'm unsure. I'll see what I can do.*
The device goes silent.

[X] Open window and use NIMR to fire rocket flare out window

"Might makes light! And I feel mighty!"

[X] Head over to Youmu

The worst that could happen is we meet Youmu as she is walking over to us. If there happens to be some type of emergency then we would have to go over to her anyway.

[X] Head over to Youmu

[x] Head over to Youmu
[x] Be on the lookout for Yuka

[X] Open window and use NIMR to fire rocket flare out window

Secure the escape route first.

Holy jumping jesus superchrist
I wonder if we just found Yuka's living area from when she used to be human?

>>46721
She was never human, as far as anyone knows. This is her house from Lotus Land Story.

>>46723
Why is she living on a hill now?

>>46728
There's more flowers there. And she's fucking crazy.

You turn to Aya. "Youmu's on her way. We should meet up with her before continuing further." You remember the set of double doors at the end of the hallway you've yet to search.
She nods, staring out the window into the blackness beyond. "Agreed."
She follows you as you walk back down the hall. You can see Youmu in the distance, followed closely by Elly. You meet back in the center room below the painting.
You nod in Elly's direction. "She okay?"
"I'm fine." She steps ahead of Youmu, gesturing to herself.
Youmu speaks from behind her, a slightly troubled look on her face. "It would seem that she overreacted."
"That so?" You turn to Elly. "You said somebody was dead. Who's dead?"
She looks downward, averting her gaze. "There were... Others like me who lived here. Somehow, I'm still alive and they're not."
"I'm not surprised." Aya steps forward. "Judging by the look of this place, it's been a very long time since anything has lived here." She pauses. "Well, except for that one room."
She must mean Yuka's room. You have an idea. "I have a few questions." You turn to Elly, who raises her head as you speak. "Can you read any of this?" You pull the wad of papers from your pocket and hold them in front of her.
She looks over the documents for a few second before returning her attention to you. "I know what the words mean, but I've never seen this arrangement before." She taps the papers in your hands. "It's definitely a spell, but I don't know what it does."
You put the papers away. "One more thing."
"Hmm?" Her eyes were following your hand as you put the papers away.
"Who lived here?" After your search, you're certain that somebody lives--or lived--in this place.
"Eh?" Her eyes widen in a sort of surprise, as if she were suddenly forced awake. "You don't know?"
You sigh. "Of course we don't. Nobody here except you does."
"Of course I know!" She leans back and places her hands on her hips in a gesture of victory. "The master of this place is none other than Kazami Yuka!"
You knew it. The confirmation of your suspicions doesn't really surprise you. "And who are these other people?" You point to the blonde women in the painting.
"Dunno." She shrugs. "The place looks different from last time.."
"Last time?" Aya takes another step forward, now standing just in front of you.
Elly lets her arms drop. "The last time there were intruders, of course!"
So she's some sort of gate guard? You don't really want to bother asking her. The way she answers is smug and too forceful.

[x] Tell me about these intruders, how long ago was this?

[x] Tell me about these intruders, how long ago was this?

[x] Does Yuka still live here?
[x] How does she feel about massive property damage?

[x] Tell me about these intruders, how long ago was this?

is good vo te

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46831

Looking kind of accused rapist there.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46833
I tried to make him look like, you know, the smiling everyday sort of person you see on a 1950's American TV show. I messed up a few places though--enough time has passed that I can look back and realize that. First of all, he's much too young-looking, though I haven't got a good grasp of age, so your impressions may differ. Maybe some sort of wrinkle--er, "smile-line" somewhere between the corner of his nose and the end of his mouth would've helped. Second, I messed up around the eyes. Young as he seems, he should have some eyelid lines around there, trailing down from the corners, following the curve of the upper lid. Third, the eyebrows. I can't draw indistinct fuzz very well. All in all, though, it's not the worst I've done.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46840
Also, I'm thinking now I should've drawn...stubble, or something. But I suck at stubble. Well, too late now.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46811
A gate guard who takes pride in her job?
I think my mind broke.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also this joke is now stale. Hooray.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

This is what I imagine Sage looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Sage looks like in your head. This is a good thing. If what you imagine Sage looks like in your head matches with what I imagine Sage looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46859

GET BACK TO WORK

This is what I imagine Snake looks like in my head.

It may not be what you imagine Snake looks like in your head. This is a bad thing. If what you imagine Snake looks like in your head doesn't match with what I imagine Snake looks like in my head, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.

Also no scanner or tablet. Hooray.

>>46859

HAVE AT YOU, SNAKE!

ಠ_ಠ

Also, no updates until Sunday because of stuff. If I'm not too tired, I'll post Saturday night. In before GET BACK TO WORK, UR A FAGET, etc.

Liar...

Started at 4 minutes before midnight.

----------

"Intruders?" You decide to ask her. "Could you tell me about them?"
She shrugs. "Other than what they looked like, no." She pauses.
"Well?" Where's that explanation? "What did they look like?"
"One wore red and white." She holds a finger to her lips in thought. "Probably a shrine maiden or something. The other one wore a weird pointed hat."
"Any idea how long ago this was?"
"Not really. Maybe a few years. I don't think I've been asleep for that long." She shrugs again, looking at the wall you had broken earlier.
"So what about Yuka? Des she still live here?" You eyeball the painting.
"Dunno. I haven't seen her in a while." She lays her hand on the painting, on Yuka's face. "I wonder how she's doing.."
"She's fine, I'll bet." You probably shouldn't tell her about that last meeting, or the one before it for that matter.
"I hope so." Elly stares at the painting, probably reminiscing about some past event.
"Anyway," Youmu steps in. "We should look for a way out."
"Yeah! Let's go, Snake!" Aya seems to have become impatient as well.
"Alright, alright." You turn to Elly. "You coming too?"
She nods. "There's no food here, and I don't want to hide behind a wall for the rest of my life. Let's go!" She heads down the hallway you'd just came from, toward the room with the window.
"Hey, Yukari."
*Ye~~s?*
"I think we found a way out." You head after the three girls ahead of you as you speak. "There's a room with a window. Think you could get through it?"
*Already tried. I suppose there's no reason you couldn't try getting out from the inside.*
"Any idea where this place is? I'd hate to blast it open and have ocean water or something come rushing in."
*Oh?* She laughs quietly. *You do use your head, sometimes*
"Yeah, thanks." You reply sarcastically.
*You bet. I think you're still underground, although there's something keeping me from getting inside. It seems like you've stumbled into a reality pocket or alternate dimension of sorts.*
"So we're locked in a dream world with no way out?"
*I dunno.* She laughs dryly.
Great. So you're stuck in an alternate universe with no way out, completely unsure of the outside surroundings, and the only outside contact you have knows nothing and likes to laugh at your pitiful attempts to not get killed. Just great.
You arrive at the room several minutes later. As you walk in, you notice the three others are standing by the window. The walls around it look charred and blackened as if by a mortar explosion.
"Uh, hey." They turn to face you all at once. "What happened?"
Aya glances between you and the window. She's holding something in her hands. "Well.. I thought it was a good idea, so we each chucked one of these grenades at the window." She holds up her hand. In it is the grenade belt, minus three grenades.
The window remains without a scratch. "So I take it your idea didn't work?"
"Nope." She smiles, finding humor in the situation.
"Huh." You shrug.
"Snake." Youmu turns to you. "This room is too small to use the rifle. May I suggest we search in greater detail before trying to destroy the window again?"
"Hmm.." You think for a second. "Come to think of it, there was one room we haven't searched yet."
"Let's try that, then." Youmu heads into the hall. "If you'll kindly lead the way."
You walk across the hall to the set of large double doors. Unlike the rest of the place, these doors are made of a heavy golden metal. It's artfully engraved and looks to be extremely expensive. They also appear to be locked. You test the material with your knife, judging the hardness of the metal. The knife easily scratches the door.
"Hmm, we could probably destroy these with the rifle." You talk to yourself.
Aya overhears you and hands you the weapon. The four of you stand in the room with the window that's directly across the hall, and fire you at the doors with your back to the window. You envision more naval shells, and repeat the process as you did with the wall earlier.
You watch as the doors explode open as the shell hits the locking mechanism. The doors swing open and the shell continues into the room, exploding somewhere deep within.
You walk forward as what little dust there is in the hall dissipates, and you walk through the door with the rifle pointed at whatever may lurk within.
Yet it would seem you're not prepared enough. As you pass through the door, preparing to search the room, you hear a strange clicking noise from your right as something presses into the side of your head.
"Drop your weapon." A man's voice sounds off next to whatever is pointed at your head.
Assuming that he's holding a firearm to your head, you drop the rifle onto the floor. You have plenty other weapons available if you need them. You watch as it's kicked away by your unseen assailant.

>>47131

[x] "Assuming that's gun that you have pointed at my head, I'm guessing you aren't from this world either."

[X] "Sorry about your door. I'll knock next time.

[x] "Assuming that's gun that you have pointed at my head, I'm guessing you aren't from this world either."

[x] "Assuming that's gun that you have pointed at my head, I'm guessing you aren't from this world either."

[X] "Sorry about your door. I'll knock next time."
[x] "Assuming that's gun that you have pointed at my head, I'm guessing you aren't from this world either."

[x] "Assuming that's gun that you have pointed at my head, I'm guessing you aren't from this world either."

[x] "So I take it you're trapped in this world too? We should start a chain gang."

[x] Draw your knife and attempt to disarm your opponent. If this fails and you're still alive, draw your pistol and engage in combat.

Worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen?

You raise your hands, slowly. You can barely see the man from the corner of your eye. All you can make out is a navy blue uniform, the likes of which you've never seen before. You try to turn your head to get a better look. Though it seems that me noticed your stares, as the object to your head is suddenly pressed harder into you, making you turn your head away.
You need to find a way to throw the man off guard, or at least lower his weapon. For starters, you try talking to him.
"Hey, sorry about your door." You smile uneasily. "Had I known somebody was home I'd have knocked first."
"Keep your eyes facing the other direction." Seems he's ignoring you. "As I'm not here, you cannot see me. Understood?"
"Yeah, I got it. So assuming that's a gun to my head, I could guess you're not from around here." His manner of speaking is unlike the local accent, too.
"I should say the same of you." He's finally responding. "Tell your friends to stay out of here."
You yell out into the hall, telling the others to wait where they are.
"Happy?" You hope to God that he is. Getting shot is the last thing on your to-do list.
"Better, yes." You feel the object against your head move slightly. The man raises his voice and calls to somewhere in the room. "Hey, hurry it up! We're leaving!"
So there's more than one of them? You wait to hear a response, but it never comes.
"So are you stuck here, too?" You might as well try to get what you can out of him.
He doesn't respond immediately. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. As a matter of fact, I'm free to come and go as I please."
"So can you tell me how to get out of this room?"
"No." His answer is immediate.
"You did say you're free to come and go as you please. Are you just not telling me?"
A long silence passes. It gives you time to survey your surroundings. You look ahead of you, into the room. The place is huge, much like the stone atrium outside. You're on a walkway above an arena-like floor below. The ceiling is dome-shaped, and heavy metal bars hold the walkway above ground-level. Everything in the room appears to be made of that black stone. You feel the pressure on the back of your head suddenly give, and you turn around to face your faceless aggressor. Yet nothing is there. Whoever it was simply disappeared behind you, along with whoever was with him.
Well, that sucks. You just had a gun to your head, and the man didn't even have the decency to give you a hint on how to get out of this place. You call to the others, and explain the events that just transpired.
Aya looks worried. "Another man with a gun?"
"This is strange." Youmu contemplates the situation. "I don't believe that it's mere coincidence that two outsiders would appear in this place at the same time. I feel we may meet him again."
You hadn't thought of it that way. While they converse with each other, you walk over and retrieve your weapon.

[x] "Times like this I wish everything could be solved over a pint or two."
[x] Examine this room more closely. Maybe you'll find something significant.

[x] "Times like this I wish everything could be solved over a pint or two."
[x] Examine this room more closely. Maybe you'll find something significant.

Not that I'd like to test it, but I wonder if we could survive a shot in the head. We are a youkai, after all.

[x] "Times like this I wish everything could be solved over a pint or two."
[x] Examine this room more closely. Maybe you'll find something significant.

[x] "Times like this I wish everything could be solved over a pint or two."
[x] Examine this room more closely. Maybe you'll find something significant.

Long-awaited updates!

----------

As the three of them talk about God-knows-what, you search the room for anything interesting. A small spiral staircase leads from the ledge to the ground floor below. As you climb down to the lower levels, you notice another set of large doors at the opposite end from which you entered. You check the doors for durability as you did the other set. They seem to be made out of a much stronger material. You doubt these will break open nearly as easy as the set you blew away not even minutes ago. You continue your search, finding nothing outstanding until you return to the stairs. A small metallic glint from under them catches your eye. You walk over and reach out to grab the object.
Now in your hands, you examine the object. It's shaped like a pistol, but lacks all the defining characteristics of one. It's unlike any weapon you've ever encountered, almost alien in appearance. It's made of a smooth, almost blue metal. The shape is largely similar to a Walther PP-series pistol, yet the body is smooth with no visible breaks in the material. Field-stripping it must be hell. You estimate it's about half the size of your .45, and it doesn't appear to have a slot for reloading. The only defining characteristic of the weapon is small blue lettering below the trigger guard. The initials "KT" are stamped into the front of the grip. You've never heard of a weapons manufacturer by that name before, so it's probably safe to assume it's a person's initals. You try firing it at the doors eventually to test it's capabilities.
You point the weapon towards the set of doors and pull the trigger mechanism. The machine produces a soft, mechanical whine and a beam of yellow light silently fires from the 'muzzle'. The beam hits the door, sending orange sparks flying from the point of impact. A small section of glowing, scorched metal remains where you shot it.
"Hey! What was that?" Aya's voice sounds above.
You look up to find her flying down from the walkway above. You hold out the weapon.
"So I found this thing here." You watch as she grabs it. "I'm not sure what to do with it."
She examines it closely. "Hmm, never seen anything like this before." She pushes it back into your hands. "Maybe that guy you got held up by earlier dropped it."
"Maybe." You look back towards the door. The mark you left has disappeared, fixing itself like everything else you've broken or destroyed in this gloomy place. "Doesn't look like it'll break down the door."
"What about the window?" She turns towards the stairs.
"Probably no good. That window wasn't even scratched by a grenade, I doubt this thing packs nearly as much punch." You stuff the device in your pocket.
"Meh." Aya shrugs and floats back up above.
You climb back up the stairs and rejoin the group.
"Like. I. Said." Elly seems to be arguing with Youmu over something. "I don't remember any of this being here! The mansion was completely different before!"
"Before what?" Youmu seems to have completely lost her patience. "Do you even know anything at all?!"
You try to force your way in. "Hey, calm down. Arguing over something we can't help won't get us anywhere." You turn to Youmu. "If she doesn't know something, then there's no helping it." You turn around to face Elly. "And if you're trying to hide something, I suggest you tell us."
"I'm not hiding anything!" She puffs out her cheeks, pouting like a spoiled child.
"Fine." Youmu turns and walks away, sulking in her own unique manner.
"Kids these days." Aya stands behind you, snickering silently at her own joke.
"That's not helping." You turn to face her. "They're already on edge as it is. Pushing them further won't get us anywhere."
"Meh." She shrugs again, repeating the same movement from earlier down to the most minute details.
She's no better than the other two, right now. You pace around the room, thinking for several minutes. There's one person that comes to mind that you've failed to contact.
"Hey Nitori." You wait for a response.
*Yeah?* She sounds half-asleep.
"I need to ask for a favor. We seem to be trapped in some sort of cave mansion right about now. I'd guess we're about a half-click from RAY's current location. I'm guessing Northeast. Do you have any instruments that could detect.. err.." What did Yukari call it again? "alternate dimensions or something?"
*Huh?* She doesn't seem to entirely believer you. *Yeah, sure. But..*
"But what?"
*Alternate dimensions? What kind of crazy mess did you get yourself into this time?*
"I guess we chose the wrong door. Wherever we are, there doesn't seem to be any way out. It might not be of much use to you, but this place looks like Yuka's house or something."
*Eh? You mean you're stuck inside Mugenkan? That place was supposed to be...* She trails off, mumbling to herself.
"Be what?"
*Nothing, nothing. I'll see what I can do. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Bye~!*
The device goes silent. At least it's something, right? You return to the others.
"Anything?" Aya asks, impatiently.
"I'm not sure. She said she'll get back to me on it. But at least I have a name for this place. She called it Moogeencon or something like that."
"Mugenkan!" Elly shouts from her place in the doorway you blasted earlier.
"Right, whatever." Then it hits you. "You knew and didn't to tell us?"
She looks away, laughing uneasily. "Ehehe~ Well, I didn't think.."
"Think what?" Youmu steps ahead of you. "Do you think anything at all?! Is there anything at all inside that empty head of yours?!"
"I-I.. jus.. didn't think.. it'd be h-helpful." Elly looks to be on the verge of tears.
Youmu's expression contorts with frustration and anger. "You didn't.." Youmu reaches for her sword. "That does it!"
You step in front of her, grabbing her sword arm and blocking her movement forward. "Youmu!"
"What?!" She turns to you, hands firm on her weapon, baring her teeth with rage.
"What good is she to us if you kill her?!" You yell, pushing her backwards into the wall.
Youmu flinches, the wall and your words hold an equal amount of force. The anger in her expression disappears as her arm becomes limp in your grip. "I-I.." She stutters, searching for the proper words. Her expression looks like that of a scolded child.
"You didn't think." You don't soften your tone of voice. "You're too quick to anger as always."
Her eyes widen as a silent gasp escapes her lips. Her expression becomes pained as she drops her gaze to the floor. Content that she won't try to cut anything for now, you turn back to face the sobbing Elly.

[ ] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

[ ] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

[ ] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

>>47412
>>47413
makes me feel warm inside when people choose my vote

[ ] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

>>47414

Indeed. It feels strangely rewarding.

[x] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

[x] Ruffle Youmu's hair and ask her, "Perhaps I'm too soft, Youmu?" Her fear and anger is understandable, given the situation. "Take it easy."

Morale is low, and we're trapped in a creepy extradimensional space with no food or water and carrying a prisoner. We don't want anyone to crack up out here.

[x] Expose Youmu to some really loud noise, in order to aid her in rejecting the suit.

[x] "Anything else you didn't tell us?" you say as you try to comfort the frightened girl

[x] Ruffle Youmu's hair and ask her, "Perhaps I'm too soft, Youmu?" Her fear and anger is understandable, given the situation. "Take it easy."

This irony, it is delicious.

You carefully walk towards the crying girl, careful not to surprise her in any way. You lean forward, leveling your eyes with hers.
"Is there anything you can tell us?" She shakes her head. Either she doesn't know anything, or she won't tell you because of Youmu's outburst. You should probably give her some time. "Alright, I'll ask again later. Don't worry about Youmu, she's a little on-edge right now. She won't do that again." She nods, sobbing quietly.
You turn your attention back to Youmu, who hasn't moved an inch since you left her. You leave Elly alone for the time being, and return to Youmu's side. Aya sits to the side, watching silently the events as they play out.
"Have you calmed down?" You ask directly, but not with force.
Her gaze remains concentrated on the floor. Her hair hides her face. She speaks quietly. "Yes... I'm.."
You put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "It's okay. We're all a little strung out here. We'll find a way out of this."
Her head bobs slightly. You see her eyes focusing on you through the strands of her white hair. "I... apologize." Her voice is quiet, almost a whisper. Yet you can hear it clearly through the silence of the room around you. "I was... out of line."
"I said it's okay. I know the feeling." You try to smile.
Finally, she looks up. Her expression is pained with shame and embarrassment, but at least she's looking at you. "How can you be so strong in such a hopeless place?"
"I wonder." Maybe you've been desensitized to the feeling of hopelessness after all those years spent fighting. "I guess I'm just used to it."
"You know." A faint smile appears on her face. "For a second there you sounded like my father."
"Did I?" You laugh. You have no idea what kind of person her father was, but to raise a kid like Youmu he had to have been one tough bastard.
"Yes. It was reassuring." She turns around, facing away from you. "If I'm with you, I believe you'll keep me safe. I'll... try to be patient."
Her belief in you is reassuring. "Heh, you're too soft, Youmu. You may have placed your hope in the wrong person."
"I get that a lot." She turns around, an honest smile on her face. "But perhaps you're the one that's gone soft? I feel that you've forgiven me too easily."
"Maybe you're right." You shrug. "I don't think that anything good will come from holding grudges at a time like this. If we make it out of this, I'll be sure to give you a proper scolding."
"You really are.. Just like my father." She steps forward, leaning her head against your shoulder.
"And you really are.." You hold her head firmly against you... "Too soft." And pull her into a headlock, ruffling her hair with your free hand. She struggles and pulls herself free, preparing to say something in rebuttal, but you don't let her speak. You laugh loudly, turning your attention to the door on the floor below. "Now let's see if I can't get us out of here."
*Hey, Snake!* As if her timing couldn't be any more perfect, Nitori's voice resonates in your ear.
"Find anything?"
*Nothing that's going to be of much use.* You hear the rustling of papers. *I know the name, the former inhabitants, and the fact that it used to be accessible from above ground.*
"We got into the place through a really deep cave. I can't say how far down we are."
*About a good four ri below the surface.* What? She must be using an outdated measurement or something.
"What's that in miles?"
*Oh, right, sorry. Force of habit, I guess. It's a little more than one and a half miles down. Which is weird, because...* She trails off, rustling through more papers.
"It shouldn't be that deep, right?"
*Right. Also...*
"One thing." You cut her off. "We found one of the inhabitants, calls herself 'Elly'. She says she doesn't recognize the place, other than the main hall in the front."
*Eh? That's strange...* More papers rustling.
"Can we go over the details later? We're getting cabin fever down here."
*Yes, yes, of course.* She pauses. *To be honest, I can't do anything. To open up a place that far down in the ground, you'd need so-* She pauses again.
"Yes?" You're starting to get impatient. "Please continue."
*THAT'S IT!* She practically screams into the device, causing your ear to ring. *I have an idea! Wait right there, I'll be back in a sec!" You hear the click of her cutting the connection.
You sigh, exasperated. Whatever her idea is, it had best work.

>>47411
this, but ruffle her hair while you ask.
then, the youmu option from
>>47432

god, typing on a PSP sucks.

>>47437
[X] "Seems like Nitori has an idea. Lets bunker down for a bit while we wait on her idea. In the meantime, you hungry, Elly?"
im sure we have an MRE or somthing, plus food usually raises morale.

>>47437
>"I wonder." Maybe you've been desensitized to the feeling of hopelessness after all those years spent fighting. "I guess I'm just used to it."
>"You know." A faint smile appears on her face. "For a second there you sounded like my father."
>"Did I?" You laugh. You have no idea what kind of person her father was, but to raise a kid like Youmu he had to have been one tough bastard.

I hadn't thought about this before, but Youki & Snake would be great friends. If we ever get the chance, we should ask the old gardener if he thinks love can bloom on battlefield.

[x] "Elly, what can you tell about Yuka? How old she is, how she treats her servants and others, how strong she is, if there's anything in particular she likes or doesn't like, any friends or enemies, if she has any long term goals, etc,"
[x] "Did a dragon live around here by any chance?"

[X] "Seems like Nitori has an idea. Lets bunker down for a bit while we wait on her idea. In the meantime, you hungry, Elly?"

[x] "Elly, what can you tell about Yuka? How old she is, how she treats her servants and others, how strong she is, if there's anything in particular she likes or doesn't like, any friends or enemies, if she has any long term goals, etc,"

why not both

[X] "Seems like Nitori has an idea. Lets bunker down for a bit while we wait on her idea. In the meantime, you hungry, Elly?"

[x] "Elly, what can you tell about Yuka? How old she is, how she treats her servants and others, how strong she is, if there's anything in particular she likes or doesn't like, any friends or enemies, if she has any long term goals, etc,"

You don't know if her response will truly be within seconds, or if it won't come until the next day. Rather than waste time, you should probably try gathering more information. For that, Elly seems to be the best source. She looks calm enough to talk to.
"So Elly." You catch her attention as you walk over. "Is there anything you can tell me?"
"About what?" She seems confused by your question.
You try to be specific. "Let's start small, then. What can you tell us about Yuka."
"Yuka?" She stands with her back against the wall. "What about her?"
You shrug. "I dunno, things like her age, how she behaved around you, her strengths, likes and dislikes, the people she'd get along with. Stuff like that."
"Snake." Aya leans forward, staring at you with an unimpressed look. "You sound like you're interviewing her for a job."
"Uhh.." You shrug. After all, most of what you'd just said was taken straight from job applications and such. The military asked a few questions like that as well. "So anyway.." You ignore Aya and turn back to Elly.
"I didn't really know her too well. I'm just a servant, after all." She sighs. "But I do know a little bit. For starters, she's strong. Really strong." She places unnecessary emphasis on the word 'strong'.
"How strong would you say?" Aya starts questioning her, too.
"I dunno. I've never seen her fight seriously." Elly pauses. "It's really obvious when she loses on purpose, too. She's always been terrible at lying."
You try for a more direct approach. "Would she ever attack any random passers-by for seemingly no reason?"
Elly laughs, as if you'd made a joke. "Why, has she attacked you before?" Her question catches you off-guard, but she doesn't give you time to answer. "Well, yeah. She'd do that a lot. She never told anybody why she did it."
"Huh." Aya shrugs. "I guess the only way to find out would be to ask her in person."
"Guess so." You'd honestly rather not. "In any case, it looks like we may bee here for a while. We should probably get something to eat."
Elly scowls. "Eat what?"
You pull a few cans from the pack Aya's been carrying around and set them on the floor.
"You know, this'd be a lot easier if you took that off." You point to the pack.
"Finally!" Aya exclaims, dropping the pack onto the floor. "This thing's starting to get really heavy."
"It's not as bad when you're moving around." You open the pack, pulling out the small mess kit. "Damn, what I wouldn't give for a gas stove right about now."
"Snake." Youmu stands over you as you kneel before the pack, searching for anything burnable.
You turn your head to the side, looking at her through the corner of your eye. "I hope you're going to say what I think you're going to say."
She nods. "There happens to be a small stove in the kitchen we searched earlier. There's no telling whether it works or not, but.."
"Let's go, then. I don't wanna have to eat this shit cold." You pack everything away as fast as you'd opened it, and motion for Youmu to lead the way.
You follow her as she walks down the halls. Again, with perfect timing, Nitori's voice rings in your ear.
*So hey, I got good news.*
"Somebody's digging us out of this mess?" Youmu stops in the middle of the hall as you speak, listening intently to whatever you might have to say.
*Just as you said, yes. I managed to recruit some help from the locals, who insisted on doing it alone. They'll probably be done by tomorrow.*
"Tomorrow?" To be honest, you have no idea what time it is. "So about how many hours, then? I seem to have lost track of time. Everything feels like night in here."
*About half a day, I'd guess. There's a barrier of sorts blocking the way you came in from, so they're digging around it.*
"Yukari said this place is some sort of an alternate dimension. How do they plan on digging to something that might not exist?"
*Hehe~ You'd need a miracle for that one.*
"You're not really helping." Rather, she's just making the situation seem just that much more hopeless.
*Don't worry, it's all been taken care of!* Her reassuring voice and your disbelief don't fit well together.
"Are you sure this will work?"
*Absolutely!* All that's left is to wait and hope.
"Right." Something else suddenly comes to mind. "I had another question, though." Why is her timing so perfect.
*Yeeeees~?*
"Why is it that every time you talk to me, the timing seems to be so perfect."
*Simple. Your voice isn't the only thing I can hear through the device. Other people's voices carry through just as well.*
"So you've been eavesdropping?"
*Yup. The entire time. Don't worry though, I won't leak out your more... intimate encounters.* You can hear her laughter as the device shuts off.

[x] "Woah, there. The entire time? So I take it you've heard the voice of that man I just encountered? Tell me you could recognize it, because I just found a gun down here that he might have been carrying, and it doesn't fire bullets, if you catch my drift."

>>47584

[x] "Woah, there. The entire time? So I take it you've heard the voice of that man I just encountered? Tell me you could recognize it, because I just found a gun down here that he might have been carrying, and it doesn't fire bullets, if you catch my drift."

LIQUIIIIIIIIIIIIID

[x] "Woah, there. The entire time? So I take it you've heard the voice of that man I just encountered? Tell me you could recognize it, because I just found a gun down here that he might have been carrying, and it doesn't fire bullets, if you catch my drift."

>gun
>man
>doesn't fire bullets, if you catch my drift

We found a penis guys

>>47610
God damn it Reverse Shirou, now's not the time. This is serious.

>>47610
man, did I lol.

[X] curse vilolently
[X] ask if there`s a recording function
[X] ask if there`s anything she didn`t tell us about the codec
then
>>47584

"Hey, hey! Wait a second!" You still have questions. You're hoping there's a chance she might know something about the man who held you up.
*Huh? What is it now?* She sounds slightly annoyed.
"All that other stuff aside, is there anything you can tell me about that guy I ran into earlier?"
*Not really. I can't see out of the thing, just so you know.*
"I mean, did you recognize the voice, or would you be able to identify this weapon I found if I brought it to you?" You pull the weapon out of your pocket, looking it over a second time.
*The weapon I might be able to do something about, but I'm afraid I know nothing about the man from earlier. What kind of weapon is it?*
"I can't say much about it. It's small, has no model number stamped into it, and fires beams of yellow light. I don't know what's happened in 60 years, but this weapon's beyond anything I've ever seen."
*It shoots yellow light?* She asks, her voice full of curiosity. *Like it doesn't shoot bullets?*
"Nope."
*Huh.* She pauses, her tone seems unfocused and thoughtful. *You'll have to bring it up here once you're out of there.*
"If I have the time, sure. What about Metal Gear? Is there anything you could do to get it back to me?"
*I've already activated the recall device. You'll have to come back up to the mountain to get it back. In any case, you should probably be more worried about your current situation.* It looks like you'll be making a trip up to the mountain anyway, but you'd rather she didn't keep reminding you of your surroundings.
"Yeah, right. Stuck in a cave mansion with no way out. I'm trying not to think about it."
*Is there anything else?*
"Not that I can think of."
Without any sort of conclusion or goodbye, she shuts of the device. Rather than get bent out of shape over her lack of social grace, you continue to make your way to the kitchen.
The trip doesn't take more than a minute, although keeping pace with Youmu has left most of your group tired. You look around the room, allowing your legs time to rest. Everything seems to be made out of black stone in here, as well. The cabinets, countertops, and many of the appliances included. The corroded metal finish of the stove and refrigerator catch your eye.
"Hey Elly." You turn around, facing the blonde-haired girl.
"Yeah?" Her eyes slowly settle on you.
"What's with all this black stone?" You wonder if the decorator had a strange fetish for it.
"Dunno. Before, only the main hall was made of the stuff." She shrugs. "The place has changed an awful lot. Everything's changed since I was awake last."
"That may explain why only the main hall's floors and walls were so worn out." Youmu holds a hand to her chin in thought. "Strange changes occur rapidly in unstable dimensions without a binding power to keep things in order."
"So you're thinking Yuka was that binding power, and now that she's not here the place has turned into this?"
"Perhaps." Youmu heads off into the room, walking towards the stove. "It's a thought."
You watch as she messes with the dials, whispering curses to herself as she tries to force the ancient-looking device to activate.
"Got it!" A small blue flame shoots up from one of the burners. "Snake, give me one of those cans."
You reach into the bag, blindly pulling out a can and tossing it to her. You don't even bother to read the label. You're hungry, and anything at this point will do. She tears off the label, opens the can with her smaller blade, and places it over the open flame.
"You seem like you're used to this." You look over her shoulder. "Like you've done this before."
"I have." She answers you, but shows no signs of paying attention. "Hand me another."
You hand her a second can as you try to continue the conversation. "I didn't think you looked the type."
She opens the second can, lighting another burner and placing it over the newly lit flame. "Part of my training was to ensure my own survival." She holds a hand over her shoulder, much like a surgeon would when demanding a specific tool. "Spoon."
You reach through the bag, pulling out the spoon from your mess kit. You hand it to her.
"Of course, I'd be of little use to Milady were I to be dead." Her comment seems strange.
"Even though she's dead?" Shouldn't the dead be able to interact with the dead?
"She's... special. Were I to die, my soul would follow the path of ordinary humans. It would travel across the River of the Dead to the gates of Hell, where it would be judged and eventually reincarnated."
You take a step back. "Sounds... complicated." You didn't understand a word of what she just said.
"It is." She waves you off. "Now if you'll allow me to finish. You're distracting me."
You walk over to the others, who seem to be looking for a place to sit.
"Hmm.." Aya appears to be thinking hard on something. Her face lights up as she sees you. "Hey Snake, did you see any chairs around?"
You remember the heavy desk chairs in several of the rooms. Did se forget already? "Remember the ones in the bedrooms? Those heavy ones?"
She places a hand on the side of her head, scratching her ear. "Yeah... Guess I forgot. Don't think we'll be able to carry those this far."
"Why not just sit on the floor?" Elly chimes in, already following through on her own advice.
You simply shrug, following suit and sitting down where you stand. Aya looks disappointed, but sits beside you anyway.

>>47715

[x] "Hey, can you imagine a pillow gun? Maybe I could shoot us some seating?"

[x] "Hey, can you imagine a pillow gun? Maybe I could shoot us some seating?"

by far the most convenient gun

Maybe it could shoot us an exit.

>>47720
...
[x] Imagine an exit and fire the gun at a wall.

>>47722

NOW YOU'RE THINKING WITH PORTALS

[x] Imagine an exit and fire the gun at a wall.

Failing this,
[x] "Hey, can you imagine a pillow gun? Maybe I could shoot us some seating?"

I dont think snake has that kinda imagination.

[X] "Hey, can you imagine a pillow gun? Maybe I could shoot us some seating?"

[] "Hey, can you imagine a pillow gun? Maybe I could shoot us some seating?"

Now i'm seeing lazy-boy recliners being shot at a rifle's muzzle velocity.

whoo

[x] Fulfill your promise with Youmu.

Fuck it, this enclosed space trapping us in while we wait to be rescued, Youmu's suit upgrade, they're all pointing to one thing. Time for some SWORDFIGHTAN'.

>>47732

Gray Fox only pulls his sword on you if try to fight with guns. Snake, you must remember the basics of CQC.

[x] Imagine an exit and fire the gun at a wall.

[x] Imagine an exit and fire the gun at a wall.

>>47740
>Gray Fox

...


>basics of CQC

RAGE

>>47755
You...you're the gray fox! It is truly an honor!

>>47755
Wrong Grey Fox.

>>47755

YAF, remember the basics of SAGE.

Also, writan sometime soon-ish.

>>47850

WHERE IS THE WRITING SNAKE. YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE WRITING.

"Snake." Aya's annoyed voice catches your full attention. "You know, I bet that gun of yours has more uses than just killing things."
You glance first at Aya, and then turn your attention to the rifle in your lap. You hadn't really thought about it before. She might be right. If it can fire anything you imagine, you're certain it could make a chair or two.
Her uncomfortable stare forces you back to your feet. "Alright, I'll give it a shot." Your previous experiences with the weapon tell you that it's projectiles travel at a fairly constant speed. You return to the hallway to allow yourself room to test it. Aya and Elly follow behind you.
"Now let's see what this thing can do." You ready the weapon, the vision of a heavy metal chair in your mind. Better make it strong if it's going to be fired like a bullet. Holding the image in your mind, you fire the weapon.
The rifle produces a dull humming noise as it fires several chairs into the hallway beyond. As you'd predicted, it fired them all at an incredibly fast speed. You watch as the chair legs catch onto each other, causing them to bounce off each other and collide with the walls. Anything caught ahead of the oncoming wave of chairs would certainly be cut into pieces.
"Heeeh~?" Aya seems interested, to say the least. "Glad you didn't do that in the kitchen." She runs ahead of you. "Come on! Let's go get them!"
You reclaim several of the chairs, pulling several unbent ones from the twisted wreckage. It looks like even those strong iron chairs weren't strong enough. As you pull them back to the kitchen, you realize you've walked back into the main hallway.
"Hang on a sec." You have an idea. You drop the chairs and ready the weapon again. If it can make complex objects like explosives and chairs, it might be able to make an exit. You envision the way out in your mind and fire the weapon at the heavy stone wall you had initially walked in through. If it works, you won't have to wait for help, and RAY might still be where you left it. You fire the weapon.
The weapon produces a high-pitched whine as the air around the end glows red-hot. A large stone fires across the room. As it travels through the air, it takes shape and becomes the doorway you'd imagined. It slams into the wall beyond, producing a deafeningly loud noise. Without pause, you follow the path forward, heading towards the door. Beyond, you can see the stone atrium and RAY in the center. You run towards it, the thought of freedom first in your mind. You're almost there! It worked! You run through the doorway.
SLAM!
A heavy pain clouds your mind, knocking you backwards. You struggle to your feet, grasping your injured nose in your hands. It doesn't seem to be bleeding or broken.
"Snake!"
You look up. Aya and Elly run towards you.
"Wha-" What in the Hell just happened? You reach towards the exit, towards the possible cause of your pain. It's solid, an exit only in appearance. What you'd envisioned was an exit, but what you received in turn was a solid wall colored to look like the outside, and a new-found feeling of depression.
"Snake, are you okay?" Aya helps you to your feet.
"I'm fine." You allow her to lead you back to the stairway ahead. You notice the chairs are still there. At least something worked.
You allow yourself time to recover before carrying the chairs into the kitchen. You continue your experiments with the weapon as Youmu prepares the food, shooting several more small 'exits' and a small table. As before, all the exits don't actually lead anywhere.

[X] Imagine some strippers, you'll need some entertainment while you wait.

>>47891
It has pretty much been established that the gun fires things at a VERY high rate of speed. You may get strippers for a moment, but in the end, they'll be smears on the wall.

[x] Go check out the left hallway while you wait, and see what you missed.

[x] Just wait. You don't have anything better to do at the moment.

Holy shit, chair launcher.

[X] Try and imagine some C-rations

hey, maybe we could imagine food

>"I know what the words mean, but I've never seen this arrangement before." She taps the papers in your hands. "It's definitely a spell, but I don't know what it does."

Maybe Yukari can help us, or at least she can ask Patchouli

>>47902
[x] Take a picture of the papers with Aya camera
[x] Ask Nitori if she can see the picture
[x] Tell Yukari to go where Nitori is

[x] Blast a hole in the ground
[x] Imagine hot water
[x] Take a bath

>>47906
also:
[x]Imagine 50-year-old scotch - in very sturdy metal bottles, of course.

>>47901

er, C-Rations with drogue chutes, so they SURVIVE when shot.

>>47904

this guy seems legit

[x] Take a picture of the papers with Aya camera
[x] Ask Nitori if she can see the picture
[x] Tell Yukari to go where Nitori is

[x] Take a picture of the papers with Aya camera
[x] Ask Nitori if she can see the picture
[x] Tell Yukari to go where Nitori is

[x] Take a picture of the papers with Aya camera
[x] Ask Nitori if she can see the picture
[x] Tell Yukari to go where Nitori is

After setting up the table and chairs, you decide to take a quick trip back to the painting. After you eat, there'll be plenty of time to experiment with the rifle. First, you should concentrate on taking as much useful evidence from this place as possible. You've yet to identify the two other women in the painting, and you need to ask Youmu and Elly what they found during their search.
To start, you should investigate the painting. Nitori said something about being able to connect to devices she builds, so Aya's camera may do the trick. You grab Aya's hand and rush back over to the painting.
"Wha? What's going on?" Aya seems confused. After all, you didn't tell her what you had in mind.
You point to the painting. "Take a picture of that. I have an idea."
Se obeys, snapping a few shots of the painting. She turns back to you with a confused expression.
"Got all that Nitori?"
*Huh? Eh?* You hear a noise similar to water splashing in the background.
"I had Aya snap a few pictures of the painting in this dump. You did say you could see the pictures she takes, right?"
*Ehh... Ah... Y-Yes, I did. Why?* She seems distracted.
"I need to find out who the two blonde women are in the background. Do you think you could find somebody who knows?" You begin walking back to the kitchen.
*Sure, but.. Now's a bit of a bad time.*
"Why?"
*I'm in the bath.* That explains all the splashing you're hearing.
"Alright, I have one more idea, then. Would it be okay with you if I asked Yukari to have a look?"
*Ehh, I'd rather you didn't, but..* You hear some static coming from the device.
*Already~ heard~* Yukari's singing voice drowns out Nitori's protests.
"So you'll do it?"
*Sure, why not. If I don't know who they are, I know someone who mi~ght~♪*
You stand outside the doorway to the kitchen. "Alright. The sooner we know, the better." The static dies down, and you hear a clicking noise.
*Guess there's no stopping her.* Nitori's defeated voice rings in your ear. *I'll just have to get there before she breaks something..* Another click.
You look at Aya, who had been following close behind you the entire time. You walk in the kitchen and take a seat.
Aya searches the kitchen, pulling out plates and spoons from the cabinets as she systematically goes through the contents of each one. As she finishes, Youmu walks over to the table, the two cans floating above her ghost half. You didn't know she could do that.. She separates the contents of both cans into four bowls and pushes them in front of each person. You eat in relative silence.
"So I've been meaning to ask." You catch Youmu's attention as she clears away the used dishes. "Did you find anything in the rooms you searched?"
She responds as she moves about the room. "Nothing much. There's a bathroom of sorts through the door next to this room. The rest were mostly empty."
"'Of sorts'? 'Mostly empty'?" She's being vague on the details, as seems to be normal for her.
"Yes." She finishes cleaning quickly, and sits back at the table. "The bathroom has no shower or tub, and the rooms didn't seem to be used." She reaches into her pocket. "I did find this one thing, although I don't think it'll be of use." She holds out a small object which looks like a piece of jewelry. She's about to hand it to you when Elly forcefully stands up, knocking the chair over behind her.
"AHHH!" She grabs for the item in Youmu's hands. "That's MINE!!"
Youmu pulls her hand back before Elly can touch it.
"Give it!" She continues to grab for the object, leaning over the table towards Youmu.
Youmu remains calm, sitting completely still save for her free hand, which reaches up and pulls Elly's hat over her eyes. "Calm down."
Elly surrenders, leaning backwards and pulling her hat from her face. She glares at Youmu.
"Hey, I think you should give it back." You feel somewhat sympathetic. After all, Elly has been somewhat helpful and hasn't shown any sign of ill will save for the moment you first met. The object does seem awfully valuable to her, though. You turn to Elly. "At least tell us what it is. I don't think she'll be handing it over until you do."
Youmu nods curtly in agreement, felling no pressure from Elly's intense stares. "What he says is true. Tell us what it is and we'll return it."
Aya throws her hands over the table in a gesture of lazy frustration. She rests her head between her arms, looking at nobody in particular. "If it's so important to you, why'd you leave it lying around in the first place?"
"I didn't!" Elly's glare turns to Aya. "I always have it with me!" She leans over, pulling the chair from the floor and returning to her seat. She crosses her arms, pouting silently.
You wait several seconds before trying to move the conversation forward. "So..."
"So what?!" She glares at you.
"Are you gonna tell us what it is?" Her attitude is starting to get on your nerves.
"Fine!" She points to Youmu's hand. "What she found is my scythe. It was a present from Miss Yuka." She holds her hand out in a 'give it here' type gesture.
Youmu looks at you, expecting you to decide whether or not to hand it over.

[X] You can have it when we get out of here.

No point in arming someone you can't completely trust.

[x] Give it back
[x] Get ready for anything

[X] You can have it when we get out of here.

>>47939

[x] "If you promise not to attack us with it, I'll give it back to you."

[X] You can have it when we get out of here.

[x] "If you promise not to attack us with it, I'll give it back to you."

[x] "If you promise not to attack us with it, I'll give it back to you."

>>47944
>>47985
>>47987

You're going to trust the word of someone loyal to Yuka?

>>48008

Snake. I saw you update. Bring it back.

>>48010
Fixed a couple of glaring errors.

----------

Well, a deal's a deal. You'd promised earlier to help her find it if she helped you get out, and since it seems that you'll be out of this place by tomorrow you might as well return it. Although you don't really see how a small necklace could be a deadly weapon. Maybe it holds some special powers.
You nod to Youmu, turning your attention to Elly. "Alright, you can have it back, so long as you don't try to kill us or anything."
"Kill you?" Her expression tells you that the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. If anything, she's not the type of person who can lie and be believable.
You watch as Youmu hands her the object. She immediately takes it, pulling it from Youmu's hands and looking at it intently as soon as she has it.
"Hmm.." She lifts the object over her head, investigating it with one eye closed. "It looks okay.. Might as well try it out!" She stands up and takes a few steps back from the table. She holds the object in front of her.
You notice her fingers move, as if pressing a tiny switch on the device. Before your eyes, the device begins to glow as it extends to form a heavy metal pole. She swings the blade-less item around a few times, as if testing it's balance.
"Huh." Aya leans over your shoulder, staring intently at the object. "She said it was a scythe. Where's the blade?"
Elly seems to notice Aya's commentary. She swings the staff over her shoulder, and a large curved blade shoots out of the end behind her, clicking as it locks into place.
"Hmm, it seems okay." she swings it over her head before slamming the weapon blade-first into the stone floor. It folds in on itself, becoming gradually smaller as it reverts to it's previous form. She secures the necklace chain around her neck as she turns to face Youmu. "Where'd you find it?"
"On the floor in one of the rooms." Youmu points in one direction, indicating the direction of the room. "You weren't in a proper state of mind at the time, so you didn't notice."
Elly places a hand behind her head, smiling uneasily. "Ehehe~"
"Well, at least your assumption turned out to be incorrect." Youmu stands up and heads for the door. "Your master is still alive and well, although I know nothing of any others."
"Hey! Where are you going?" Aya stands up, facing towards Youmu.
She continues to head towards the door. "If we are to camp out for the night, we should set up in a place where we can be spotted easily. I don't want to be caught napping if and when help arrives."
"There's really not a lot of choices, if we're to make ourselves obvious." You stand up next to Aya. "I think the round room with the locked door would be our best bet."
"Why do you say that?" Youmu turns around, curious to hear your reasons.
"Well, I don't think they'll come in the same way as us. That just means they'll get stuck here too. There's something about that door that interests me."
"Very well, then." Youmu turns back towards the door. "I am in agreement. We should gather up what blankets and pillows we can. I don't think we'll need to set up a watch."
"Yeah, this place is deserted." Aya steps forward, suspiciously eyeballing Elly to your left.
She seems to notice the passing glance. "I said I wouldn't kill anyone! Geez!" She turns to you, seeking some sort of ally.
You shrug. "Don't worry about it. I don't think you will." She probably won't, so long as she doesn't figure out that Yuka's been trying to kill you since you first met.
You follow Youmu into the hall. The four of you split up, searching the rooms once more for anything that might serve to add comfort. You somehow get stuck with Yuka's room, and you shamelessly pull the blankets and pillows from the bed. Before leaving, you search through the room one last time. Again, nothing but botanical encyclopedias and carvings on the wall. Yet the charred surface by the window reveals something to you. Had you not searched the room carefully, you probably would have missed it. A section of the wall appears to have been distorted by the impact. You probe the wall with your knife, tearing away small sections of drywall, revealing black stone just below the surface. Your systematic tearing away of the wall reveals a small square-shaped hollow in the stone, as if made to hold a wall-mounted safe. You're glad there's no safe, but you do find some manner of valuables. It's mostly burnt paper notes, probably some sort of currency charred by the grenade blast. They're unrecognizable with the level of burns they've received. There's a small bag placed to the back of the hollow that appears to be unhurt. You pull it out and examine the contents. Inside are several large jewels, and a sunflower-shaped pendant. It's surprisingly similar to the butterfly pendant you've been carrying with you all this time. You wonder if there's a connection. For now, you pocket the items and rush back to join the others.
You head back into the hall and join the others in the round room. They seems to have already set up camp. Aya appears to be fast asleep, while Youmu waits patiently. Elly is trying to set up a place for her to sleep that's somewhat removed from your group. You join them on the wall opposite to the locked doors. As there's no place or reason to set up the tent, you skip it. You lay down on the floor and stare up at the ceiling, although sleeping is difficult thanks to the orange glow that seems to light the entire place. You turn to one side, facing Elly.
"Hey, is there a way to turn off the lights?" You mumble, your face half-covered by your pillow.
"Dunno." She shrugs, still refusing to fall asleep. "I guess I'll try the usual way." She holds a hand over her head as she chants something to herself. She throws her hand downward in front of her, and the lights dim. "Huh, whaddaya know." You watch as she lays down, facing away from the three of you. She seems lonesome over there by herself, but you recognize the advantages of the situation as well. You lay back down facing the ceiling, and fall asleep shortly thereafter.

[ ] 1
[ ] 2
[ ] 3
[ ] 4
[ ] 5

>>48011

Ah.

[ ] 3

[x] 1
[x] 2
[x] 3
[x] 4
[x] 5

[X] 1

[x] 1

[+] 15

[ ] 4
no one ever picks four

>>48011
>Inside are several large jewels, and a sunflower-shaped pendant. It's surprisingly similar to the butterfly pendant you've been carrying with you all this time. You wonder if there's a connection. For now, you pocket the items and rush back to join the others.

[x] 2
[x] Put that goddamn pendant on as soon as you wake up.

[ ] 5

[x] 4
Why not.

[ ] 4

[x] 4

whatever

[ ] 4

You find yourself standing in the main hallway against the wall where you first entered this strange building. You could've sworn you'd fallen asleep, but the feeling of being in this place is all too real. It seems different somehow. You immediately notice the change in lighting. The entire room glows with a blue light, rather than the orange hue you've become accustomed to during your waking moments. You decide to search the building again, and you reach down to grab your pistol.
It's not there. As you look over yourself, you realize all your weapons are gone, and the only thing you're wearing are your battle fatigues. You walk towards the stairway ahead and the painting above. There may be a knife in the kitchen you can use. As you get closer, you start to see a small yellow ball of light floating at the bottom of the staircase. It begins to glow brighter as bolts of energy and sparks fly from the center of it. Slowly, you notice the bolts of energy begin to form arms and legs, taking the shape of a human. The yellow glow begins to break away, cracking like ice and dissolving into nothing.
Before you stands Elly, her weapon drawn and pointed at you.
"This is the mansion at the border between the world of reality and the world of dreams." She explains. "It's not safe for a human to come here!"
She doesn't seem to recognize you. Maybe it's a prank? "Enough joking around. What happened here? The place seems different."
"Eh?" Your response seems to catch her off-guard.
"Furthermore, I'm just about as 'human' as Yuka. I'm not in any danger, here." That huge scythe of hers is the only danger you can see ahead of you.
She stares at you in disbelief. "You.. know Miss Yuka?" Her disbelief turns to suspicion.
She really doesn't recognize you. At least, you should try to avoid a fight until..
"What's all the commotion?" A voice comes from the top of the stairs. You look up in the direction of the source. A child-version of Yuka stands above, rubbing her eyes sleepily and looking down at Elly.
"Sorry, was I too loud?" Elly replies, nervously.
"You were.." She points in your direction. "Who's that?"
"An intruder." Elly stares at you, unflinching. "He says he's an acquaintance of yours."
"Don't know him." Yuka covers her mouth as she yawns.
"What do you want me to do, then?" Elly tightens her grip on the scythe.
"The usual." Yuka walks away in the direction of her room. "Send him up if he lives."
"Don't I get a say in this?" You yell up the stairs. Yuka simply you. You look back to Elly. "Guess not."
"Don't take it personally, but I'm not allowed to go easy on you." Elly smiles, as if what she said were a joke. She raises her weapon into the air, as if preparing to take your head. Several balls of light appear around the blade of the weapon.
Yet she's grossly underestimated you. As she brings the weapon down, you leap forward, throwing your shoulder into her gut and knocking her backwards. She hits the bottom stair, and goes into a fit of coughing as she struggles to catch her breath.
"That's.." She pulls herself to her feet, using the scythe as a support. "Not... fair.."
Before she can completely regain her footing, you take another step forward, grab the weapon, and force it from her hands.
"Hey!" She grabs for the weapon, much like she did when Youmu held it away from her. "Give it!"
You hold the weapon's blade to her neck. "Don't expect any sympathy from the enemy. Do you surrender?"
She slowly falls to her knees. "Uuuu~ And this was supposed to be a danmaku fight!"

>Uuuu~

[x] This girl, you don't know what she's doing, but she's giving you an irresistible urge to tease and bully her. There's no other way this will end. You will indulge.

>>48098
[X] No Mercy, kill or be killed. Kill her.

[X] "All's fair in love and war, kid."

[x] "Got no danmaku, so I've got to use what little I've got to survive."

[x] "I'm a soldier. I don't engage in play-fighting."
[x] "What year is it?"

[x] "Wait, Yuka said 'if he lives'. Danmaku is nonlethal. What the hell are you playing at?"

[x] "Wait, Yuka said 'if he lives'. Danmaku is nonlethal. What the hell are you playing at?"

[x] "Wait, Yuka said 'if he lives'. Danmaku is nonlethal. What the hell are you playing at?"

[x] "Wait, Yuka said 'if he lives'. Danmaku is nonlethal. What the hell are you playing at?"

[x] "I'm a soldier. I don't engage in play-fighting."
[x] "What year is it?"

[ ] "If a fight goes like it's supposed to, somebody, somewhere has screwed up. Better remember that kid."

[x] "Wait, Yuka said 'if he lives'. Danmaku is nonlethal. What the hell are you playing at?"

"Danmaku or whatever, you were told to try to kill me." You swing the scythe over your shoulder. It's surprisingly lightweight for a solid metal weapon. "Unfortunately for you, I don't plan on getting killed in my sleep."
"Uuuuu~" She lowers her head in defeat.
"So are you going to lead the way, or am I going to have to force you?"
"Fine!" She yells, pulling herself to her feet quickly. "But just so you know, I don't normally lose! It's been a long time since I fought anything!"
The way she says it makes you think she's used this excuse countless times. You motion for her to lead the way, even though you know where the room is located. You'd rather not have her standing behind you.
You follow behind her as she silently walks down the hall. You look around as you follow her, trying to make sense of the subtle changes to the structure. The floors are covered in carpeting, and pictures of flowers line the walls. Where there were doors before, you see nothing. The hallway seems to be missing a few rooms. You pass through a large, open room with a large bathing area in the center. The white stone floor stands in contrast to the black stone of the halls. Countless numbers of potted plants encircle the bath, partially hiding it from view. Elly leads you to a door at the far end of this room. She stands beside the door and opens it for you. You walk a room you immediately recognize as Yuka's. The window you remember seems to be missing, a picture of sunflowers takes it's place.
"I take it you won?" Yuka sits patiently at her desk, as if waiting for you. She glances to the scythe you're carrying over your shoulder.
"Spoils of war." You lift the weapon slightly, attempting to attract attention to it. You hear Elly groan in displeasure as she closes the door behind you.
"So what brings you to a place like this in the middle of the night?"
"I can't say I really know." You shrug. There's really no way of discerning the time of day in this place, other than the clock-shaped object Yuka holds in her lap. It looks like a pillow of sorts. "I fell asleep and somehow I woke up here."
"It's not normal for such a thing to happen." Yuka yawns, leaning back in her desk chair. "People who wander into this place in their dreams often die in their sleep."
"I hope that wasn't a threat." It certainly sounded like one. She's awfully well-spoken for a small child, but you've learned that appearances are often deceiving in this world.
"Of course not. I'm simply stating a fact." She fidgets with the nightcap on her head. "If a human's consciousness wanders into this place, they often find themselves unable to return to their bodies. With their mind and body as separate entities, they eventually die when one tries to wake without the other."
It sounds similar to what's happened to your actual body. You'd wandered into the strange mansion, and you find yourself unable to leave. "So how exactly do they get back out? I'd rather not wind up like the rest of them."
She pulls herself from her chair. "Follow me."
She opens the door and heads back through the bathing area.
"This is a weird place to have a bath, don't you think?" You ask as you follow behind the small girl dressed in pink.
"It's no bath. I use it to grow flowers." She pauses by the pool, turning around to face you. "Do you like flowers?"
"I suppose. There's really no reason to hate them." You shrug.
"I see.." She seems somewhat disappointed. Maybe she expected you to answer with more enthusiasm.
She continues back down the halls, past the entrance and through several more rooms that seem strangely out of place.
"So who designed this place?" The architect must have been completely mad. A few rooms back you could've sworn you'd seen a garden.
"I did." She giggles, leading you further down the hall. "A dream world's pretty convenient. I can add rooms if I want."
Which probably means she can remove them as well. There must be some connection to the current state of the place. Compared to here, the mansion in the waking world is sparse, almost dead in appearance.
She stops at a large set of doors, similar to the ones you'd blasted open. She tries to push the door open, struggling with both arms to move the heavy metal door aside. You help her, opening it just enough to pass through.
"Thanks." She turns around, smiling innocently at you. She's completely different from the Yuka you've become familiar with.
Taking a quick look around, you recognize it as the same round room you're physical self is sleeping in. She leads you around the room, down the spiral staircase and to the heavy set of doors you've been unable to move.
"Here's the back door." She waves her hands toward it, like an automobile salesman showing off a brand new car. "If you walk through it, you wake up as normal."
"I see." You remember it being locked. "Is it locked?"
She tilts her head to the side, looking at you in confusion. "Why, should it be?"
"No, I just get the strange feeling that it's the kind of door that's usually locked."
She pushes the door open with little effort, smiling childishly as she turns back to face you. "Well, as you can see, it's not!"
You stare through the doorway, into the blackness beyond. "So I guess this is goodbye?"
"Yup!" She answers quickly, the smile disappearing from her expression. She grabs your pant leg as you start for the door. "You don't.. want to stay a while longer?"

[x] Stay, if only for a little while. It should be good to learn more about the place

>>48118
>solid metal weapon
>solid metal
>metal solid
>metal gear solid

OH U

[x] "I could always run into you again. You never know..."

Might as well go get ourselves nearly killed and see what the other Yuka thinks of this.

She was the best lead on the dragon too, I believe.

[x] Stay, if only for a little while. It should be good to learn more about the place

[x] "I could always run into you again. You never know..."

Ohohohoho.....

>>48118
Holy shit, Yuka is moe-moe.
[x] Stay, if only for a little while. It should be good to learn more about the place

[x] Stay, if only for a little while. It should be good to learn more about the place

[ ] "Sorry, but I have to go."

"SANE OPTION GO," he shouted with a bitter smile upon his face.

[x] "I could always run into you again. You never know..."

[x] "I could always run into you again. You never know..."

YOU CAN'T DO THAT SNAKE! YOU'LL CREATE A TIME PARADOX!

[X] "I could always run into you again. You never know..."

She seems lonely. After all, it's probably just her and Elly that live here. You haven't seen anybody else around. You might be able to get some information from her as well, or at least you hope to gain insight into why she's been trying to attack you.
"I can't stay very long, but I did have a few questions." You don't want to wind up dead or anything, and spending more time here greatly raises your chances.
"Questions?" She perks up a bit. "About what?"
"Just anything in general." You think for a second. There's so many questions you could ask her, but you shouldn't ask too many. First on the agenda is escape. "I'm curious about this door. If it was locked, and the front door wasn't there, how would you get out of this place?"
She raises an eyebrow. "That's a weird question." She looks to the open door behind her. "I guess... you'd be stuck here." She smiles as she answers.
"That's too bad." Actually, you're thinking that it's awful. "What about you? Why did you order Elly to attack me?"
"Because." She faces away from you, releasing her grip on your pant leg. "I don't like weak people inside my house."
She seems to have this strong dislike for weakness. Although fighting Elly didn't seem like much of a test of strength. Rather, she seemed to be incredibly weak herself. Maybe you really are stronger than you think.
"You don't like weakness?" Her adult self said something to that effect as well.
"Nope." She turns back to face you, smiling.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm strong. Want me to show you?" She holds up a fist playfully, as if she were making a joke about fighting you. You don't think she's joking.
"No, I'm fine." If you stay here much longer, you might wind up dead by her hands instead of by being separated from your body. "I should probably be leaving."
"Already?" She seems disappointed.
"Afraid so." You smile as you walk past her. "I have a strange feeling we'll meet again. Goodbye, Yuka."
You wave behind you as you walk into the blackness beyond the door.

----------

BANG!
What is that god-awful noise?
SLAM!
It's coming from the door? You open your eyes, only to be faced by the ethereal orange glow of Yuka's household. You're back in your own body, you think. What the hell was that dream?
BANG!
"Shut up!" You yell at the source of the noises. It's giving you a headache.
You pull yourself from your makeshift bed and take a quick look around the room. Everybody else seems to be just waking up, all staring at the locked door ahead.
"Snake!" Aya yells impatiently from across the room, her eyes darting from you to the door, and back to you again.
BANG!
That heavy banging noise again. This time, you pinpoint the source of the noises. They're coming from the door. Someone--or something--is trying to force it's way into the room. You gather your gear as quickly as you can, and point your rifle towards the source of the noises.
The doors have been visibly deformed, as if by an entirely too large battering ram. A faint red glow comes from the other side.
POW!
The doors shake as something impacts them from the other side. One buckles, the topmost hinge holding the left door up fails, flying from the wall as the door twists and falls toward the floor. A hinge on the lower part of the door halts it's swift decent, holding the door at an angle in midair. You can make out the figure of a person, bathed in a bright red light, floating through the opening.
"Eya Snakey!" The figure shouts. "Sorry it took so long!"

>>48143

"You're a welcome sight Nitori."

[X] Lower your weapon and see who it is.

[X] Lower your weapon and see who it is.

[X] Lower your weapon and see who it is.

[X] Lower your weapon and see who it is.

Thread is close to autosage, starting a new one.