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>>2704485
"Well," you begin. "I mean...the Underworld got blown up anyway, right? Something needs to be done about that, and I...would like to help with that. Redesign the place a bit, maybe ask questions about if certain ideas really need to be reinstalled..."

Teri nods sagely. "Your gods could be kinda weird about death if I remember right."

"A bit," you agree. "You okay to keep driving through the mountains Teri? If we get jumped that gun of yours is likely to be a liability."

Teri sighs and nods. "I was thinking the same thing, honestly. Shouldn't be as bad through the Ozarks, those're more like hills with green pubes. Bigger problem is the fact that the bus took some hits in that fight, but I'm not sure we should stop -"

The song on the radio cuts out mid-word and blares into a new one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMVkwtLfMM

"- and the bus doesn't seem to want to stop either," Teri finishes. "I don't think an ordinary mechanic can fix this gal anyway."

The road starts to climb the mountains, and you enter...

> Bandit country (She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain)
> A wrong turn (Guilt By Association)
> The Twilight Zone (Tempus Fugit)

>>2704498
> Bandit country (She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain)

>>2704498
>> The Twilight Zone (Tempus Fugit)

>>2704498
twilight zone

>>2704498
>> A wrong turn (Guilt By Association)

>>2704498
> The Twilight Zone (Tempus Fugit)

>>2704498
> The Twilight Zone (Tempus Fugit)
For fun and profit!

Called, writing.

>>2704807
I realize I forgot to mention this, so I've counted the vote, but in the future please

> Greentext ya votes

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>>2704498
You enter the twisty, turn-y roads through the Rockies. The elevation and the blind turns both suck (divine fortitude can keep your ears popping from slowing you down but it can't make it eat less ass), and everyone ends up popping gum into their mouth to make their ears hurt less.

You lean your head out the window on the side of the bus away from the rock face and look up at a clear, starry sky. It's so bright out here, so...clean. It's nice.

Then your traitor brain reminds you that somewhere up there a goddess of filth is in mortal combat with hordes of star-demons, and just like that happiness is over.

"You're allowed to be happy you know," Freddy says in a soft voice from inside the bus.

"Rim me," you snap back, irritated.

"Maybe I will!"

"Skirt's right there car boy, why don't you -" you stop yourself mid-sentence. "Freddy we've got a different problem!"

Freddy lets go of the hem of your skirt and goes directly to a window of his own. You're already pulling Kore; below, in a valley away from the road, is that damn ghost. He's bathed in moonlight and standing before a low stone altar.

There's people on it. A family, two kids, two moms. You don't question the instinct that tells you these folks belong together instead of apart; the youngest kid can't be older than six, and you'll eat your boyfriend's old boots if the older one is a day over thirteen.

The specter rakes a xiphos across the throat of one of the mothers, and you catch the terrified shrieks of the other three on the altar. He's screaming something in Greek, something -

("Hail Kronos! Glory and vengeance for Lord Kronos! Blood for the Titan of Time!")

"Do something!" Freddy demands, horror and anger coloring his voice.

> Shoot the specter
> Shoot the sacrifices

>>2706213
> Shoot the specter

It's worked before, and less targets to take out.

>>2706213
>> Shoot the specter

>>2706213
what would shooting the sacrifices accomplish? also, question- could we drive the bus off the r

>>2706236
off the road? Presumably on to the specter

>>2706213
>> Shoot the specter

>>2706236
>>2706238
>>2706236
>>2706238
Other possible idea- shoot the altar itself- roots will fuck up rock and it will hopefully make the place less receptive to kronos and his influences

>>2706236
you would be preventing them from being used as ritual sacrifices. though one of them was already killed so it might be moot. specifically, whetever was summoned up might kill them anyway.

there is also the question of what happens to their souls of they are sacrificed. oh, and dont forget they might just be bait to lure us into stopping the bus.

>>2706213
>shoot the specter

i dont think freddy would appreciate the logic of premptive murder

>>2706236
>>2706238
So this >>2706280

As far as driving off the road, that's quite likely to end the Argo II. These are the Rockies. 'Off the road' is a bit of a drop.

>>2706291
how difficult would it be to jump from the argos via the window and land at the ritual site?

Called, writing.

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>>2706213
You lean out of the window entirely and point Kore. The Argo II races along - Teri's not about to stop, not with 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' blaring at the top of the speakers - which makes a steady aim hard. You squeeze off a spread of shots - no time for 'one shot, one kill' - when you see the specter raise his xiphos again.

Bullets have travel time. The living mother takes a cut to the neck, which spurts blood, but she's not dead-dead, and the armored ghost takes two shots at chest height before he can make her that way.

Gunshots aren't supposed to throw people. If you had to put hard money on why the specter goes snapping back like he was yanked, your cash would say 'power feedback'. Something goes sailing past your head from the inside of the bus, and Teri's voice yells out loud and clear: "Preserve the lives of the mortals!"

The radio switches over, clashing mid-song without stopping 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At8ao5iABFg - Tally Hall; Ruler of Everything

On instinct more than anything else you get back into the bus, snatch up your duffle that has the Golden Fleece in it, and wrench open the hatch to the roof. The stars are twisting and turning, swimming together like paint that won't quite mix, and then the sky snaps with a hollow suck-pop sound.

There's a road above you.

Upside down and speeding along at your rate, a twin of the Argo II races along its own mountain road that matches yours turn for turn. Its hatch is open, and you look up at someone who is remarkably like you, but isn't you. Her dress is black, with metal accents, and the pistol she holds looks cut from a single block of iron, sculpted more than crafted, with no moving parts.

"What happened?" two Teris demand at the same time.

"Damn ghost fucked with time to get away," Goth Delphi answers. At the same time, you say, "Parallel time."

Goth You looks down at you and sees the bag you're holding. "They still have their Fleece!" she yells, triumphant. "Freddy, get it!"

Goth Freddy gets out of the window of his bus with a harpoon on a chain and a serious 'I brand myself on purpose' aesthetic. You warn him off with a shot from Kore, which he flinches away from with supernatural speed.

> Toss the Fleece to Freddy; he can get his bike out of the bus and dodge better
> Keep the Fleece

AND

> Shoot Goth You, she's clearly the plan-maker
> Try to take out the other bus
> Take the wheel; collateral damage to innocents in that other timeline isn't your problem
> These sorts of rituals are fragile. You don't have to kill anyone, just untangle the connection somehow

>>2707694
> Toss the Fleece to Freddy; he can get his bike out of the bus and dodge better
>> These sorts of rituals are fragile. You don't have to kill anyone, just untangle the connection somehow

>>2707694
>Keep the Fleece
Need to stick together for now. Freddie on the bike is more maneuverable, but more vulnerable than sticking together.

> These sorts of rituals are fragile. You don't have to kill anyone, just untangle the connection somehow.

That Side looks roughly the same alignment as us in the fight, so I’d like to maintain the mission of preserving lives and transporting the Fleece for both of us if possible. They just need to get their own again.

>>2707694
>> Keep the Fleece
>> Try to take out the other bus

>>2707712
besides, the fleece itself isn't that important so much as its possession apparently? Them having a second fleece wouldn't actually help them I think

>>2708275
in home timeline the ghost wasnt able to steal the fleece. In Goth timeline he managed to do so.

also it never stopped being 1995.

I think we can agree that, with one exception, Goth timeline is the superior timeline.

I'ma call and write in one hour.

>>2708991
Called, writing.

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>>2707694
Goth Freddy pulls his arm back to throw his harpoon, and you shoot it twice; it goes flying back, skips against the road, and then he is pulling it up by its chain.

"Plan?" your Freddy asks.

"Get the sky back," you tell him. "Somehow. These rituals are fragile, even with the power of a Titan backing it. I did a job in Montana where someone tried to resurrect a supervillain and we ruined that one by moving the cow out of the way."

You leap out of the hatch and look down towards the altar. There is a figure near the sacrifices; you squint, focusing your vision, and see that it is a stone man who looks almost like the guys you see carved on the outside of sarcophogi. He has bound the wounds of the surviving mother and is untying the children.

"Teri, stone guy with you?"

"He's my last one, but yeah," Teri answers. "What's the play?"

You flick Kore up and shoot aside the incoming harpoon, which sticks in the road and must be wrenched free. You wince; someone's gonna hit that pothole and fucking die. "Smashing the altar might work. I'm not good with time, that was Herman's thing -"

"Throw me and the bike at the altar," Freddy says.

"Might isn't good enough," Teri says. "What if I jumped us across the valley? We'll fuck up the road some but we can make it."

She can't have much ammo left, but it might work. Might...

> Throw Freddy
> Jump the bus
> See if you can find a chance to use your boots. Goth You isn't wearing any...and yours let you walk through doors and windows

>>2709426

> Throw Freddy

>>2709426
>> Jump the bus

>>2709426
>> Throw Freddy

Gotta hit work; will call and write once I'm home.

>>2709426
> Throw Freddy

>>2709426
> Throw Freddy

Called, writing.

I'm gonna get this to a decent pause point, archive it, and get ready to resume Cinderella Sanction Quest. Delphi will be back when I need another brain break or to cycle back in.

>>2715999
i'd rather we finish one thing then have two things half finished

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>>2709426
You shoot the straps mooring Freddy's bike; he grabs the golden hog's handles, already getting ready to launch.

"I'm not super strong here Freddy, you're gonna have to throw yourself," you warn. "Teri, can you lend a hand?"

"Turn coming up," she tells you; you dive towards the back of the bus (that damn harpoon punches through the roof just to your left and rips a gouge in the back of a seat) and get your hand on the door handle.

("Send me after them!" Goth Freddy demands)

(A desperate shriek from Goth You: "I'm not losing you too! Stay fucking put!")

Teri throws her hand out of the window without looking and shoots up. You hear an identical sound from above as Goth(?) Teri's gun speaks in that thunderous roar; there is a sound like the World's biggest bell when the two slugs meet. The shockwave of air rocks both buses and makes your vision reel and spin.

("What the fuck?" you and Goth You demand at the same time.)

("She was going to shoot," both Teris answer, without the slightest hint of remorse.)

"Just give me the damn Fleece!" Goth You demands. "The ghost took mine, I can't fail Mom again. You don't know what she'll do to me. Look at you! You're doing fine, you can afford to fuck this job up. Hand it over - DIE GHOST FUCKING DIE!"

You turn your head when you see Goth You moving her arm; she aims that slab-like pistol ahead of your bus, where the ghost has rematerialized. He vanishes before a hail of iron nails sinks into the road right where he was standing.

> Launch Freddy
> Hand over the Fleece

>>2716049
> Launch Freddy

Goth-Us does not seem to be doing very well.

>>2716049
>> Hand over the Fleece

>>2716049
I really don't understand why goth version of us thinks that it's a better idea to fight us in a display of virtually symmetrical violence instead of both teaming up to fight the ghost

>>2716071
Her ghost has seemingly gotten away with the Fleece. You still have your Fleece.

>>2716074
Oh so it's our ghost that's still showing up on the road then? The whole alternate universe thing is kind of confusing.

I'm still not clear on what the purpose of having the fleece is I guess. it doesn't have any powers but it's important to have it?

So long term is there any actual consequence to there being no golden fleece in our dimension or two golden fleeces in their dimension?

>>2716080
The Golden Fleece is the nexus of powerful Legend. It doesn't exist to have power, though it's capable of anchoring great power; it exists to be. Its tale and the tales that came from it are as famous and vital, maybe even more so, than those of the gods themselves. Portentous events happen around it, to it, and with it.

Who knows what it might be good for, for weal or woe. Potential energy always seems to become some other kind, doesn't it?

>>2716087
strategically, is this a resource that's more important to deny to the enemy or is needed for us?

>>2716097
Not expressed from your superiors, but in Delphi's experience the gods lock things away because they're important to keep, not for nostalgia. Hades asking you to deliver this to safekeeping implies that destruction or loss are not acceptable outcomes. Whether or not Goth You qualifies as safe keeping is your call.

>>2716049
>> Launch Freddy

>>2716049
>> Launch Freddy

Goth-Us is not, in fact, Us. We have a job to do, and we're damned well gonna do it.

Called, writing

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>>2716049
Teri manages to steer the Argo II so that your tires don't hit those nails, and you come to a decision in that moment. Goth You seems like she's gotten a raw deal, but that's her deal to handle.

What was the line? Keep your head down, do your own time?

Jesu - erm, Mom, it's been ages since you read that book. You should really pick up a copy at a truck stop or something since it seems relevant to your life now.

"Don't you fucking do it," Goth You warns. "Don't do it!"

Both buses switch their songs over at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udT1CVDNAxY - Catch Me If You Can

"BITCH!" Goth Delphi screams; you wrench the bus door open just as Teri makes a sharp turn. Freddy swings out with the momentum, bike leading, and goes over the side of the mountain like a stone from a sling. You shoot on reflex; the sound of a whistling harpoon reaches your ears after the need to fire, and Goth Freddy's harpoon clips the back of the bus at the same time as he screams in pain. A pomegranate tree is growing out of his leg, pinning the chain of his weapon and keeping the buses linked.

"Is that gonna be a problem?" Teri asks. "Fuck it," she answers before you can; she points that massive cannon of hers backwards out the window and blows the chain away, depriving Goth Freddy of his weapon.

"Is this gonna kill him?" Goth Delphi yells, fear cutting through the anger in her voice. "DID YOU FUCKING KILL FREDDY?"

"He'll be fine!" you yell back. "Don't yank the roots out, it falls out on its own! Give him plenty of water and electrolytes! Sorry for shooting you dude!"

You catch the beginnings of a sentence ("Give me back my -") and then there's an almighty CRACK from down below. Above you, the other bus and its passengers swirl, mix, and finally pop, returning your sky and its stars to you.

The radio fades away, leaving an awkward silence.

"So..." Teri says. "Do we stop for Freddy or -"

The two of you wince as No Sleep Till Brooklyn slams across the speakers at top volume.

"He'll catch up," you say. You adjust the bag with the Fleece on your shoulder, turn to Teri and there's that fucking ghost.

You come to about a second and a half later with the ghost pinned down beneath you, still pistol whipping his dead face with great enthusiasm.

"It's mine," the specter snarls in Greek. "The Fleece is mine by right! I will have it, stripling Hero."

You hit him again, and he fades out with a series of curses.

"We need to stop and fix this bus," Teri tells you, prompting Argo II to blast that song again.

> No, keep going
> Find a garage on the other side of the Rockies

>>2718732
let me guess, the ghost is Jason right?

I don't know about the setting but I'm assuming that if we're running based on the idea that "all myths are true" it's quite likely that the original argonauts were around at some point. Oh he must be pissed about what happened with Medea- and also that we're kind of ripping off his entire schtick. Might be a good idea to come up with our own myth since he seems drawn to it. Rename our bus at least

>>2718732
>> Find a garage on the other side of the Rockies

>>2718749
I won't confirm or deny, but I will say it's not in my habit to change plot twists just because folks deduce them. DLQ had that with folks that guessed Lora's real name ahead of time.

>>2718759
would repainting the argo II have any effect by the way? I mean the original Argos was protected by Hera and POseidon after all, and we're kind of operating without any of their influences so a more appropriate cultural motif like the uh, barge the ferryman rows in the egyptian and greek underworlds

>>2718764
Maybe. It'll still be the vessel that contains the Golden Fleece though, so there's only so much you can do to conceal it.

I also find it interesting that you see no divine influence in this bus.

>>2718765
I assumed that if Hera and poseidon were involved they'd let us know- probably by including a note in the glove compartment reading "DON'T SAY WE NEVER DO ANYTHING FOR YOU" in bright gold letters.

>>2718732
>> Find a garage on the other side of the Rockies

>>2718767
I think they did let us know Anon. I mean, they gave us a prophetic soundtrack*. If that's not a sign, what the fuck is?

>>2718732
> No, keep going

>>2718776
that's too subtle for Hera, and Poseidon wouldn't probably miss the opportunity to rub something in his brothers face

>>2718732
> No, keep going
No sleep til Brooklyn.

Are there any repairs we can do on the bus while still driving it? Maybe that Freddy can do? He does want to be the God of Automobiles after all.

>>2718795
a good point. it's hard to repair an engine while it's running but not if you're the god of engines

>>2718783
Maybe it isn't them, but it's SOMEONE, innit?

I'm gonna call and write in 1 hour. If we're still tied, I'm throwing a die.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Aight, die throw it is. 1 for keep going, 2 for stop

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>>2718732
You shake your head.

"Are you sure?" Teri insists. "We took a lot of big wobbly hits there."

"I'm sure," you reiterate. "I'm inclined to trust it, and that specter is just going to keep coming at us."

Teri sighs but doesn't argue the point further. You're heading down the other side of the Rockies before she speaks up again. "Specter. That mean something?"

You bob your head a little. "It's...a kind of ghost. Specters enter into pacts with the Titans to gain more power. They can be hard to pick out, but the human sacrifice was a bit of a clue."

Teri makes a face. "Why's your name get to apply to everyone's bullshit? Titans. Like, none of anyone else has Titans."

You raise your eyebrow at her. "Who rules your pantheon again?"

"Ra - wait...Horus....no...Isi - no not her either..."

"That's why," you answer smugly. You lean back in your seat and just wait, while Teri makes a face and focuses on the road.

When you get to the other side Teri pulls over so you can switch seats. The two of you spend another five minutes waiting to see if Freddy is going to catch up, and it is with some reluctance that you get the bus moving again.

"So...dead boyfriend huh?" Teri asks. She holds her hands up when you point Kore at her without looking. "Okay, let's try a different angle. You gonna fuck Freddy or you gonna keep being Helga about it?"

> We're not having this conversation
> Maybe? We're sorta busy at the moment
> No. Hard no. My last...Herman was Aesir and I'm pretty sure this is unhealthy projection
> Write-in?

>>2720411
>> Maybe? We're sorta busy at the moment

>>2720411
>> No. Hard no. My last...Herman was Aesir and I'm pretty sure this is unhealthy projection

>>2720411
> We're not having this conversation

>>2720411
> No. Hard no. My last...Herman was Aesir and I'm pretty sure this is unhealthy projection

>>2720411
> Maybe? We're sorta busy at the moment

Seems like what she’d do. Problem of course being that “busy” is a constant state in her worldview.

>>2720827
To elaborate on my vote, Delphi treats Freddy like a kid, and not without reason. That'd be a little weird as boyfriend material goes.

>>2720411
>> Maybe? We're sorta busy at the moment

I mean, he seems nice, but this is hardly the time.

If we had some hope of sleep before Brooklyn, it might make it easier, but we seem to be getting some /fairly strong indications/ that that's not happening.

>>2720411
> Maybe? We're sorta busy at the moment

Gotta handle Life Stuff, will call and write after. Thank ya for your patience.

>>2724389

You sure it's not Death Stuff, O lich?

>>2725287
Apparently it fucking was.

Called, tallying, writing new thread. Sorry for the delay y'all, I ended up with some medical stuff and I've been sleeping this weird combination of 'hard' and 'useless' where I wake up feeling hung over and still exhausted.

NEW THREAD

>>2735337
>>2735337
>>2735337
>>2735337