>>3522244
Cir, you beautiful bastard! Welcome back!

>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.

AND HE'S ALIVE
Good to know you're back, cirno. I missed you

>>3522255
Also, before I forget: Fuck 0phelia

>>3522244
>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.

>>3522250
>>3522257
Glad to be back, seriously. I miss having free time! Writing now.

>>3522244
>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.
Welcome back.

>>3522244
>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.

Great to see this come back was sad when there was no new thread after like 3 weeks!

>>3522244
>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.
>Fiercely ignore the ringing of your phone.

You roll your shoulders as you stand up from the desk, saying a quick goodbye to a group of girls walking out the door and ignoring the buzzing and ringing of your phone. You vaguely recognize them – they often come in and dominate on the old Groove Groove Circuit game you have pushed away in a corner. It’s nice to know that some people appreciate the classics!

As you open the partition and move out from behind your desk, you give a glance across the room. Most of the people who had came in during the afternoon have departed, leaving the formerly packed space devoid of much life. Sure, there were a few people here and there – you could actually spot Cinder playing Warscape – but compared to earlier, it was like a dead zone. You have no doubt that part of the current popularity was due to the reports about you on the news and the doxing of your address, but all in all it hadn’t been too bad? You had been expecting aggressiveness and invasive questions, and putting Rock aside, that hadn’t happened as of yet.

Regardless, you make your way through the arcade methodically, checking out the machines and giving little greetings to those who weren’t playing on the VR machines. Things were pretty alright for the most part – you mark down some machines that you’ll need to give a checkup on in your pocket notebook, along with picking up the rare wayward piece of trash that someone forgot to throw away. Things always seemed to be calmer in the evenings…

The calmness ends when you hear a shout from deeper in the arcade, followed by the sound of something hard crashing against metal.

Oh boy, you just had to speak up, didn’t you?

>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.
>Ignore it, like a coward.

>>3522244
>>Walk around the arcade and see if anything needs fixing or if anyone needs help, it is your job after all.

>>3522273
>>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.

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>>3522257
>Fuck 0phelia
Welcome to the club. Would you like a complimentary t-shirt?

>>3522273
>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.

>>3522259
College must be rough
>>3522273
>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.

>>3522273
>>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.

>>3522277
>>3522283
>>3522286
>>3522289
Let's go look at the chaos! Writing now.

Also I love that image more than you could possibly imagine.

>>3522273
>Go investigate the crash, you think you know what caused it.

Good to see you back. Unlike a lot of other qms

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>>3522296
>Good to see you back. Unlike a lot of other qms
Just because I haven't made a new thread in 6 months doesn't mean I abandoned it!

>>3522292
>Also I love that image more than you could possibly imagine.
Thanks Cir, I'm glad you like it!

You let out a long sigh and turn on your heel, running a hand through your hair as you make your way towards the strategy section of the arcade. You thought you had recognized him coming in while you and Cinder were eating lunch, and this certainly confirmed it – another crash causes you to pick up your pace, because the helmet would most likely be broken if you were too slow.

When you round the corner, you see the offender – a blonde haired girl leaning against the Order & Overwhelm machine with a smirk on her face, and a boy with a shock of brown hair glaring at her whilst hunched over, helmet firmly between his hands as he bangs it against the chair once more. You could piece together from the various times that this incident occurred that she loved antagonizing him in this game, and it had certainly worked like a charm.

“You CHEATED!” He hollers, spittle flying from his mouth as he stomps his foot against the ground. The girl snickers in response, her eyes containing just a smidgen of cruelty.

“How am I supposed to cheat on an arcade machine, Alex? Are you that stupid?” It would be easy to mistake her attitude as bullying, however you have seen them together quite a bit over the last three years – when they play games cooperatively they get along great, she just took a lot of pride in winding him up.

“I don’t know how, but you did! There’s no way you could have gotten that many units that quickly!” He goes to slam the helmet down once again, and you contemplate how to dissolve this without your property getting smashed.

>Move over and take the helmet out of his hands.
>Make your presence known to the two of them with a warning.
>Watch the chaos unfold, you have enough money to replace the helmet.

>>3522322
>>Move over and take the helmet out of his hands.

>>3522322
>Make your presence known to the two of them with a warning.

>>3522322
>Make your presence known to the two of them with a warning.
You break it, you replace it.

>>3522322
>Move over and take the helmet out of his hands.
>"I know how much you like to tease," you begin, "but if it costs me a new helmet every time you visit then I'd rather you didn't flirt with your boyfriend on these premises."

>>3522322
Blast a fat nut on their foreheads.

>>3522322
>Make your presence known to the two of them with a warning.

>>3522334
>>3522336
>>3522343
Time to lay down the LAW. Writing now!

“Hey, both of you. You break it, you’re replacing it.”

Your voice is sharp and it causes both of them to freeze, Alex stopping the helmet from hitting the chair and the girl’s eyes widening. Their heads turn slowly towards you, expressions showing that they knew they had fucked up. Just as the girl’s mouth opens, Alex begins speaking.

“H-Hey there! H-How’s it going, boss?” He straightens up and sets down the helmet, attempting to lean against the chair as casually as possible. His face is flushed in a deep red, and he can’t seem to meet your eyes – he was always like this when you caught him in the act.

“I know that I’ve talked to you about this before, Alex. I get that you’re upset, but this doesn’t belong to you – I have to spend my own money to replace what you break.” You don’t allow yourself to feel bad as he bites his lip, glancing up at you with tears in the corners of his eyes.

Instead, you look at her next.

“And you, Amelia. I know how much you like to tease him, but it’s causing a ruckus, so I’d prefer it if you two kept your flirting outside of the arcade.”

“H-Hey-“
“We’re no-“

They both go to speak at the same time, and you level a look at them that makes them go quiet.

“I’ve had to warn you about this three times before. If it happens again, I’m going to either make you start paying for it or bar you from entering. I like the both of you, but this is an issue.”

Alex’s cheeks flush even further, and Amelia’s face puffs up in a pout.

“Do you understand me now?”

“Yes…” They both mutter sullenly, to which you can’t help but smile.

“Glad you understand.” You go to turn around, but then you look back. “By the way, Amelia, money’s due for the pass in a few days. Don’t forget about it this time.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

You walk away and hear them both start a muttered conversation, and when you get far enough away you see them both heading to a co-op shooter. They were good kids, and you’d hate to have to kick them out.

What do you do now?

>Go and find Cinder, perhaps you can catch the end of one of her games.
>Go and answer your phone – you can hear it from here, and customers probably can too.

>>3522363
>>Go and answer your phone – you can hear it from here, and customers probably can too.

>>3522363
> I know how much you like to tease him, but it’s causing a ruckus, so I’d prefer it if you two kept your flirting outside of the arcade.”
Ayyyyy

>Unplug the phone, make a sign saying that the phone is 'Out of Commission'.
>Visit Cinder.

>>3522368
>Unplug the phone
Anon, I think it's our cellphone.

>>3522371
>Anon, I think it's our cellphone.
if it is then we can mute it or turn it off?

Going to go make some lunch, be back soon!

>>3522363
>Go and answer your phone – you can hear it from here, and customers probably can too.

>>3522363
>Go and answer your phone – you can hear it from here, and customers probably can too.


Business before pleasure.

>>3522363
>>Go and answer your phone – you can hear it from here, and customers probably can too.

>>3522367
>>3522379
>>3522387
>>3522389
Back from eating! Let's go answer the phone. Writing now!

Also on a side note, I think next time we get a call or have contact with 0philea we actually ask why she’s so dead set on having us join her team. And we make sure to point out that she still thinks we’re a cheater, the two of us obviously don’t get along at all and would have an insanely difficult time cooperating as a team, and we’d probably make her team look really bad because we’re cheaters. Not to mention we’re rusty as shit if we ever do play and have next to no knowledge on current mechanics and metas. Just saying not knowing why she’s so intent on this is kinda bothering me now. Cause there’s like 100 reasons it wouldent work out and the only good reason is we where good at the game 5 years ago.

You grit your teeth and move towards the desk, apologizing to a few customers for the noise as you snatch the device off of the desk.

>Call from: Unknown Number

Your eyes narrow at the screen in your hands. 0phelia had been calling throughout the day, enough so that you blocked the number to the arcade. She didn’t have your personal line, however with the app you had hooked up to the arcade’s phone, every call made to it came through to yours. This hadn’t been an issue before yesterday, but apparently this bitch was persistent. She would leave the arcade without a fuss, she said. She must be good at talking out of her ass. Why was she so intent on getting you on her team anyways? You had been too angry to contemplate it earlier, but now with some free time you can’t help but wonder.

You stare at the phone with trepidation. As you said, you had blocked her number – however there was nothing stopping her from getting a new one, or just switching to another payphone. On the other hand, it could be someone important calling and the phone wasn’t recognizing who it was.

What do you do?

>Answer it – if it’s someone important, great! If it’s who you think it is, interrogate her – this shit has gone on long enough.
>Decline the call with righteous gamer rage.
>Other.

>>3522403
She may have been a fan of ours many years ago, hell after our incident we could have been a key character in her evolution into a bitch!

>>3522408
>Make sure the system will record the message!
>If it really is 0phelia then try to get her to mention that she stalked us or how she leaked our address. That way we can bring it up in court if we sue, or post it online and compare it to the lies she's said to the media!
>Put on the 'I'm an innocent person, why are you torturing me?' act.

>>3522408
>>Answer it – if it’s someone important, great! If it’s who you think it is, interrogate her – this shit has gone on long enough.

>>3522414
+1

>>3522414
Supporting

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>>3522418
>>3522420
The senate has decided her fate. She shall be punished for the crimes she committed.

>>3522408
>Answer it – if it’s someone important, great! If it’s who you think it is, interrogate her – this shit has gone on long enough.

I mean I’d also like us to bring up what I mentioned about us being a shitty member for her team at this point.

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>>3522428
Anon. Does my strategy not please you?

>>3522414
>>3522418
>>3522420
Writing now!

>>3522411
Maybe but I wanna see what she ends up saying when we point that all out.

>>3522431
Ehh legal battles is the realistic way to handle it, but I feel like it wouldent really be fun to read and vote on. But that might just be me.

>>3522438
>>3522433
Oh, nono. I probably worded it poorly but I just wanted to make sure we were recording the interrogation that we're about to have. The potential suing was just speculation.

Holy crap, it still lives. Glad you're not dead, OP!

You go to answer, but you pause for a moment as you stare at the oppressing sight of the incoming call screen. A small smile begins to spread across your face as you reach over and tap a few buttons on the physical call receiver, setting down your cellphone and picking up the arcade’s. You raise it to your ear.

“Good evening, this is Cascade Arcade. How may I help you?” You rattle off into the phone, hopping up and sitting on your desk with closed eyes. Moments later you get a response, to which you can’t help but chuckle at.

“Hello…” A familiar voice, sounding as casual as could be considering how much she’s been fucking phoning you.

“You know, this is getting old. First you track me down, then you release my address, and now you’re harassing me to this extent. What have I ever done to you?” You try to make your voice as calm as possible. Losing your cool whilst recording the call would be unseemly, as you were planning to post this online as soon as she hung up.

“I need you…to be on my team.” She responds to you, stating this as if it was a fact that not only she knew, but you knew as well.

“I haven’t played this game in five years. I know nothing about what it’s become, I don’t know the meta, I’m apparently a cheater to you, and more importantly, I don’t like you. So, you should just let all of this go. I messed up and I’m just trying to live my life peacefully, so please, leave me alone.”

“You can…be taught.” Her methodical way of speech continues despite the hot truth you just dunked on her, and that upsets you just a little. “My fans made me…aware that you have…a wristband. You can’t…cheat with it. You have skills…that I need. You always have. I want to be the best…and you are going to help me.”

“No, I’m not. Harassment won’t make me join you, no matter how much you keep it up – all it does is make me resent you more.”

“You underestimate…my tenacity. Besides…I think you’ll be joining…soon enough.”

Okay, so she’s fucking crazy. That’s a neat thing to know, you guess.

“And why would that be?” If she has something else coming your way, you’ll bite – if it’s something physical, you have the sweet power of EVIDENCE now.

“You’ll see…if you don’t after that…I’ll be quite surprised.”

Surprisingly, you hear the click of the line from the other side – this time she was the one to hang up on you. A moment later you hear a ping from your cellphone, showing that the recording had successfully been transmitted to you. You let out an angry sigh, and as you slam the phone back into the receiver, you hear a voice behind you.

“You okay, dude?”

Looks like Cinder is finished with her game.
>Relay to her everything you just learned along with your anger, she’s your only confidant.
>Turn and try to downplay the issue – you have her on record, and you can post the conversation online now.
>Other.

>>3522454
>Relay to her everything you just learned along with your anger, she’s your only confidant.
She's been in on it since this has started.

>>3522454
>Relay to her everything you just learned along with your anger, she’s your only confidant.
>Save multiple copies of that recording RIGHT NOW. Also see if you can do the same to the cctv footage of when she visited.

>>3522454
>Relay to her everything you just learned along with your anger, she’s your only confidant.

>>3522457
>Save multiple copies of that recording RIGHT NOW.
Save locally on the computer.
Save a copy on your phone.
Send a copy to Cinder's phone.

Always expect the worst outcome from a young teenager who plays hardcore.

>>3522457
Seconding.

>>3522455
>>3522457
>>3522461
>>3522467
Spill the beans in the name of FRIENDSHIP. Writing now!

>>3522470
Is it possible for us to watch her own stream if our match against her? And see a record of what she/her viewers were saying at the end of it? I assume she won't have deleted it all in rage.

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>>3522470
I just want to say, thank you for returning back to us Cir, and the number of updates is godly. You truly are a blessing.

[Sorry for the wait, words were being a bitch.]

>>3522475
That's absolutely possible.
>>3522479
No problem anon, I really enjoy writing this.

You let out another angry sigh and turn to look at Cinder, who’s looking at you with mild concern. She’s leaning against the desk casually, but you can tell by her furrowed brows and crossed arms that she’s tense.

“Another call from 0phelia.” You mutter, grabbing your phone and downloading the recording you had taken. “She’s fucking crazy, I swear. Saying how I have skills that she needs, and that she’s going to become the best with my help…why can’t she just leave me alone?”

Cinder looks at you, and then hesitantly reaches out to clasp your shoulder firmly. She says nothing, but she’s relaying a hell of a lot of concern from those bright blue eyes. You close your eyes and exhale, her gesture calming you just a bit.

“Regardless of that, I have her on recording – mind if I send it to you? I’d like to make as many copies as possible just in case she like…hacks my phone or something.” Cinder nods in response, and you two go through the whole rigamarole of sharing a file over Bluetooth, because that’s a feature Bluetooth has in case you didn’t know that.

Just as the transfer completes, a notification up on your phone – shit, it’s closing already? You look outside and notice that the sunset has nearly faded, the murkiness of the night sky already upon you. Goddamn, you can hardly believe the day is already ending.

>Proceed with getting everyone off of the systems, it’s closing time after all.
>Get the voice clip uploaded on your old public account first – expediency is key.
>Other.

>>3522516
>Proceed with getting everyone off of the systems, it’s closing time after all.

>>3522516
>Get the voice clip uploaded on your old public account first – expediency is key.

I don't trust what she said, I think she'll get some goons to wreck our shop. Is it possible for us to stream and record the cctv from our home computer? Actually wait, what if they attack our house?!

We don't want to upload anything publicly yet, do we? I figured we're just gathering evidence, we don't have much yet. Although getting the CCTV of her flipping out would be good.

>>3522516
>>Get the voice clip uploaded on your old public account first – expediency is key.

>>3522516
>upload the recording somewhere privately

>>3522525
>>3522535
She streamed your match, time to show off her bad attitude. Writing now!

>>3522550
:)
It's only fair. She won't get the support of sponsors and civilians if they realise how bad she is. Now they'll know she lied in her interviews as well.

[Going to take a nap after this one – my focus is starting to dwindle, and I want to keep writing consistently when I’m on. I’ll be back in a few hours! Thank you for reading – please leave any feedback or comments you have, as it helps me improve the story overall. Glad to be back, everyone!]

You decide to give the arcade-goers a little bit of extra time, going around the desk again and sitting at the computer. Cinder follows and leans on the back of the chair as you type in the link to the social forum that pros tended to use – it gave the fans an avenue to chat with the players they admired as well as insight into how they’re doing, so most coaches told players to get a profile if only so someone didn’t begin to impersonate you.

You type in your username and password, and the page begins to load up. You’re surprised that they didn’t mess with this account as well, since this website was funded by Auxilia Systems themselves. Either way, you’re brought to your old profile page, and you can’t help but cringe.

>Name: N0v4_C43s4r
>Bio: The best there ever will be.

Your profile picture is definitely one you took when you were younger, as obvious as that may be. Your younger form is bent over in a bow, wild black hair splayed out as you look at the camera with a smirk and a wink. You immediately click on it and set the profile picture back to the default one, because fuck that edgy shit. You weren’t about that life anymore.

How do you proceed?

>Check out your notifications bar that’s displaying 99+ menacingly.
>Upload the audio file along with a short message, no need to dilly dally.
>Try and see what your old team members are up to.
>Other.

>>3522594
>Upload the audio file along with a short message, no need to dilly dally.
>Change our profile pic to a gif of 0phelia kicking that bin. Maybe hide her face if that's sort of illegal.
>Change settings so you can only receive messages from people in your friend list.
>Try and see what your old team members are up to.

See you when you wake up Cir!

>>3522594
>Check out your notifications bar that’s displaying 99+ menacingly.

Don't upload guys. Let us be a bigger man.

>>3522594
>Check out your notifications bar that’s displaying 99+ menacingly.
Probably a bunch of death threats.

>>3522594
>Check out notifications
>delete cringe bio

>>3522594
>Check out your notifications bar that’s displaying 99+ menacingly.
No upload pls

>>3522598
This

>>3522613
>delete cringe bio
this

>>3522594
>Check out your notifications bar that’s displaying 99+ menacingly.

See you in another 3 weeks without a word!

>>3522594
>>Upload the audio file along with a short message, no need to dilly dally.

>>3522675
Nah, you guys are stuck with me this time around! No college means nothing to do for around four months, so unless something pops up I'll be hanging around here.


Originally you came on here in the interest of expediency, but you find yourself tempted by red numbers of the notification bar. A long time ago, you remember staring at it dutifully just in case someone wanted to chat. When your popularity skyrocketed, it almost became too much to bear – you couldn’t really have meaningful interactions with people when others were clamoring to be a part of the conversation as well. Despite knowing what lies beyond it, you mouse over to it and click, but not without taking care of that edgy bio. You really didn’t know what had gotten into you at that age.

The site loads up a page that lists every interaction that had came your way whilst you were gone. As you expected, a lot of it is hate mail – a melting pot of cursing, slurs, how much you had disappointed the community, how people were coming to slit your throat. You know, pleasant shit like that.

“Geez, these guys can be ruthless…” Cinder remarks from behind you, cringing at a graphic description from some guy named WARSCAPERX77. Beforehand it would have left quite an impact on you, however now you only find humor in the generic name – some people were really lame, huh? You continue to peruse down the list despite yourself, and as you get to more recent things, you find a few well wishes dispersed with hate comments that had been incited due to the recent news articles.

>FROM: Dahlia
>Heard you’re back in the fold. Gimme a call if you wanna catch up.

>FROM: x-halcyon
>DUDE WAS THAT REALLY YOU? YOU’RE OFF YOUR GAME BROTHA HMU

>FROM: Fletcher
>Call me.

You wince and feel your heart stutter at the last one. You think you’ve had enough of this page.

“You gonna post the recording or what? It’s getting late.” Cinder comments, not heeding your sudden emotions.

>Go and post the audio recording along with a small message.
>Check out your old team’s profiles, see what they’ve been up to.
>Other.

>>3522975
>>Check out your old team’s profiles, see what they’ve been up to.

>>3522978
Sometimes you just gotta observe the past. Writing now!

>>3522975
that sounds great with posting a lot thought I would have something like that with big bad wolf then the pastebin disappeared along with the qm

>>3523053
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HFhJ5FP_LY

Rather than heeding her words and uploading the recording asplanned, you find yourself moving the cursor over to the social tab, clicking on it and letting it load. On here the comments were more pronounced, and they all seemed to be on your last activity that you posted all that time ago – more scathing remarks, but you weren’t bothered by them. What you were looking for is the team group that your captain had created – and you were shocked to find that you hadn’t been kicked from it.

Loading into it, you find that it’s entirely inactive, which doesn’t shock you. Like Cinder had said, your team seemingly dissolved when you bailed, but no one ever bothered to delete the group. On the sidebar you spot the cluster of names that belong to your old team – none of them are online right now, thankfully. You begin rifling through their profiles.

>USER: orange
From the looks of things, Orange hasn’t been on the scene since a few months after you left. No updates, no recent games shown, not even a different profile picture. A shame, he’s a damn good player.

>USER: BU5TER
Buster was seemingly a hell of a lot more active, having taken up a position on a team that you don’t recognize. From the looks of his profile picture, he doesn’t seem to be very different – a cocky smirk with his eyes obscured by sunglasses, ratty blonde hair framing his wide face. His last status was about him dunking on a team he had beaten a week ago. How quaint.

>USER: Drifter
Drifter was similarly as active as Buster, having secured a spot on w0nderland. You vaguely recall Cinder telling you that it was the #5 team in the league? Good for her. Rather than having a picture of herself, she had a picture of her avatar – it seems she’s keeping with her desperado aesthetic. Wide hat, a poncho-esque item slung over her shoulders, and a hard-set frown. No status updates on her end, she was never the type to communicate with a lot of people.

And finally, you mouse over to the final member. Your team captain. You gulp out of nervousness, but you click on his profile.

>USER: Fletcher
Fletcher has gone solo, as he isn’t listed under any professional team. His profile picture is simple – he’s standing in front of a white background, his black hair and dark coat standing out against it. He had always been more of a serious type; however, you knew he was a very kind man behind his intimidating looks. No updates on his end either.

The buzz from your phone interrupts your thoughts – another notification about the closing time. You shake your head and sigh, standing from your chair and looking around the arcade. You can’t see anyone from here, but you’re aware that some people are most likely still hooked up to the VR machines.

You’d worry about the recording later.

>Go and see if anyone’s still on the machines.
>Flip the sign to closed and lock the doors, you didn’t want anyone else coming in.
>Other.

>>3523076
>Go and see if anyone’s still on the machines.

>>3523076
>>Go and see if anyone’s still on the machines.

>>3523076
>Flip the sign to closed and lock the doors, you didn’t want anyone else coming in.
We really should have uploaded the recording. If we do it after whatever 0phelia threatened happens then it can be discredited as a forgery.
We could always post it on a bbs anonymously, though.

>>3523083
>>3523085
Writing now!

>>3523076
>Go and see if anyone’s still on the machines.

>>3523086
Post it on a bbs anonymously and advertise it on NOT4chan

“Cinder, watch the door for me whilst I get everyone off of the machines, please.” You say to her as you move behind the partition, wandering deeper into the arcade and still hearing her call back a response.

“You should hire me at this rate, with how much I’m covering your ass!” Her tone is one of jest, and it makes you crack a smile despite the memories brought on by your old team. She wasn’t exactly wrong, a lot of the time you asked her to do little things around the arcade, but you knew she’d voice her concerns if she had a problem with it.

She’s a good friend.

As you suspected, there are quite a few people still on the machines. You walk over and open the side panels, pressing the button and notifying those in game to get the fuck out of game. After the long and arduous process of manually getting everyone out – you really needed to install the automatic notifiers Alexis keeps talking about – and you once again find yourself at the front desk. You walk over to the door and flip the sign over to Closed – a lot of places had a sign that did it automatically, but you’d like to think that there’s a rustic charm to the place in that regard.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to stick around tonight?” Cinder says, her legs propped up on your desk and her form the very picture of relaxation.

>Yeah, you’re going to head home – she can stay if she wants, though. You trust her.
>Actually, you wouldn’t mind sticking around – what 0phelia said unnerves you a little bit.
>You’re going to head out, and you’d like it if she would as well if only for the sake of 0phelia’s vague warning.
>Other.

>>3523112
>Other. Post the video with the message now.

>>3523112
>>Actually, you wouldn’t mind sticking around – what 0phelia said unnerves you a little bit
>Use the extra time to post the audio file

>>3523112
>Actually, you wouldn’t mind sticking around – what 0phelia said unnerves you a little bit.

>>3523117
I'm not voting for this.
>Other. Post the video with the message now.
Why do we want to do this and what that accomplish?

>>3523076
Change from this >>3523117 to
>Actually, you wouldn’t mind sticking around – what 0phelia said unnerves you a little bit

>>3523063
I know it's just hard to see a quest you enjoy go

>>3523129
Because if we put the file up anytime after whatever 0phelia was planning happens, it can easily be dismissed as a forgery and would require additional work on our part to prove its being real. This is without knowing if we live in a single-party consent area.

>>3523146
If we can spread this file, we can stop her from doing whatever she is going to do. In the worst case she does it anyway. There's not much to lose here

>>3523126
>>3523129
>>3523140
Writing now!

>>3523146
If she does something so drastic we may as well take it to court there well it will be easy to classify that it's real

>>3523129
If we upload it anonymously, however, and her threat happens later (read: imminently), then people will know something is up with 0phelia and would be more likely to hurt her reputation.

Also, I think we should try contacting Fletcher

Fuck, too late now.
I really need to enable auto-updates.

>>3523167
Then comes the issue of consent.

“Actually, I think I’ll hang around. What 0phelia said bothers me, so I’d like to hang around the place just in case she sends someone to mess it up. Also, there’s the matter of deciding what to do with the recording.” You tell her, waggling your phone at her for emphasis. She shrugs her shoulders with a snicker, standing and vaulting over the desk rather than going through the partition.

“Well, I’ll be playing Warscape if you need me. Get in touch with me if something happens!” She pats you on the shoulder again, but her eyes are serious. “Seriously.”

“I will, I will. You’re a lot stronger than me anyways, so I can at least use you as a bodyguard.” You reply, brushing off her hand and walking towards the desk. You hear her footsteps fade as she walks towards the VR machines, so you allow yourself to relax into your office chair.

Alright, let’s focus on what you know.

You highly doubt Rock will be back tonight, so you’ll put the matter of his issue to the side. Right now you need to focus on everything that went down with 0phelia – namely the vaguely hidden threat she had thrown your way.

>“I think you’ll be joining…soon enough.”

What could she have meant by this? A few possibilities pop up in your head – vandals, more incessant pestering, finding more people that hate your guts to come over…you don’t doubt that she would push things to the extreme if she didn’t get her way soon, since now she seems to have a personal vendetta all because you don’t want to join her fucking shitty team. God, you hate her.

And there’s also the matter of the audio recording of the whole call – you were going to post it to your profile earlier, but now that you’re thinking about it, it might not totally be the best move? Either way, you need to come to a decision on that, if only for the sake of it being out of your thoughts.

>Upload it to your social page – if she wants to swing first, you’ll swing right the fuck back.
>Upload It anonymously to a BBS – it’ll spread like wildfire, and hopefully it wouldn’t be traced back to you.
>Don’t upload it at all – you’ll keep it a secret just in case you need it someday. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…yet.
>Other.

>>3523208
Nevermind, that's a stupid question; of course we wouldn't know.

>>3523227
Yeah, you don't know that information! Could always look it up, though.

>>3523208
>Check if what we're doing is illegal first. If it's legal, then upload it anonymously.

>>3523246
>... behind seven proxies.

>>3523208
>>Don’t upload it at all – you’ll keep it a secret just in case you need it someday. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…yet.

Gonna go and make myself some dinner, I'll be back soon to see what the majority is!

>>3523208
>Don’t upload it at all – you’ll keep it a secret just in case you need it someday. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…yet.

>>3523208
>Don’t upload it at all – you’ll keep it a secret just in case you need it someday. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…yet.
Upload it into private cloud. That should give us date and extra believability

>>3523263
>>3523279
>>3523298
Back from eating, writing now!

You shake your head – uploading it would most likely do more harm than good, even if it would feel cathartic to do so. Instead you decide to keep it close to your chest, making sure not to spoil the fact that you do have a semblance of proof with the recording. With that in mind, you upload it to the cloud just in case she somehow gets it off of your phone, and you make a mental note to save a few copies on your PC at home. It never hurts to be careful, especially in the face of an angry gamer.

As you do so, you hear the crackle of thunder from outside accompanied by drops of rain. When you glance out the windows, you see the dark blue light from the arcade reflected in the heavy drops falling. It looks quite peaceful, honestly, but you feel too on edge to really enjoy it. You felt like you were playing a game of chess with this girl – at least in Warscape you didn’t have to think much, all you have to do is win.

You let out a long sigh as you find your mind wandering back to your team – more importantly, the message Fletcher had left on your profile. A part of you would love to speak with him again, however the majority of your mind is rebelling against that. You were afraid to face him again – afraid of what he would say due to you walking out on them. You had left without much warning in the first place, so you wouldn’t blame him for having a problem with you as well. You were really wishing 0phelia hadn’t came into your life, because now you were thinking about the past that you managed to leave behind in the first place.

Just as you’re about to curse her mentally, the sound of thunder cracks right over the building and everything in the arcade goes dark.

Fucking hell, a power outage?

>Poke your head out the door, check if the rest of the street is out too.
>Go and grab Cinder, no use sitting around when you had nothing to do.
>Stay put, you’re comfy in your office chair.

>>3523373
>Go and grab Cinder, no use sitting around when you had nothing to do.
Pure coincidence.

>>3523373
>Go and grab Cinder, no use sitting around when you had nothing to do.

>>3523373
>Go and grab Cinder, no use sitting around when you had nothing to do.

>>3523389
>>3523405
>>3523411
Writing now!

You grumble to yourself as you make your way towards the back of the arcade, almost running into a few machines as you do. You aren’t used to walking around this place in the dark – power outages were a rarity for you, and even if you’d like to blame the circumstances on someone cutting the power, you aren’t that conspiratorial. Shit happens.

After you end up having a tiny bit of difficulty, you consider taking out your phone and using the flashlight to try and locate your pal. However, when you reach for it, you are reminded of the fact that you left it at the desk, and you’re halfway through the damn building by now. You really should have prepared for this better, you think to yourself. You can’t believe this shit.

“Cinder, you dead?” You call into the darkness jokingly, moving around what you believe to be a Tetris XXV machine. You listen and receive a response in the form of a few footsteps and what you think is a giggle?

Okay, you see what’s going on here. She’s staying quiet as a joke, a prank, and other such synonyms of the word. You’ll just have to find her in this impromptu game of hide and seek! Honestly, it beats sitting around in the chair until the power came back on. Fuck it, you’ll play.

>Listen closely for her. [This will require a roll.]
>Begin teasing Cinder as you attempt to locate her.
>Stealthily try and make your way back to the desk to grab your phone. You know, like the cheater you used to be.
>Other.

[Unrelated but I passed all my classes this semester and I'm happy about it. Time to have a celebratory drink.]

>>3523441
>Listen closely for her. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523441
>Listen closely for her. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523444
>>3523446
Please roll me a 1d20, the best of the first three will be used.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>3523450

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>3523450

>>3523451
>>3523452
We'll do best out of two since it's been ten minutes, so a 16 it is!

You pause in place and close your eyes, trying to focus on the environment around you. As much as you have a distaste for the game, you try and channel instincts that you had forged in Warscape into reality. A few moments pass, the only sound in the air being the pounding of rain against the roof and a distant crackle of thunder…and then you hear it.

The sound of footsteps circling around you. Holy shit, you didn’t expect to hear anything! Nice! From what you can tell, she’s somewhere behind you – judging by the route you took to get to this particular spot, she would have to be in an open space if your hearing is correct. You find yourself smirking, you thought this would take way longer than it had. The only question is…how do you approach her? There’s so much to think about when it comes to hide and seek. Why isn’t there a game based around that concept, huh?

>Turn around and try and get to her before she has a chance to run off. [This will require a roll.]
>Try and move away from her in order to get the drop on her. [This will require a roll.]
>Announce that you know where she is in the hopes that she’ll accept it as your win.
>Other.

>>3523472
>>Turn around and try and get to her before she has a chance to run off. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523472
>Other.
>Shine our phone's flashlight at her.

Just because we don't cheat in game doesn't mean we won't cheat in real life

>>3523472
>Turn around and try and get to her before she has a chance to run off. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523474
>>3523480
Roll a 1d20, please!

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>3523482

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>3523482

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>3523482

>>3523483
Nice. 18 wins, writing now!

You pause in place and feign looking around you until you hear her footsteps stop in place. You roll your shoulders and without much of a second thought, you turn on your heel and fucking bolt to where you think she is.

You can’t help but grin when you hear a small squeak in front of you – looks like you were dead on after all. You extend your arm outwards a bit, hoping to grab her wrist during her initial confusion. It would take some serious dexterity, but you were feeling pretty spry after that sudden sprint, and as you reach out you prepare to steady yourself when you grab her.

Unfortunately, your weren’t prepared for her to duck out of the way, messing up your rhythm something fierce. With your sudden momentum generated by your arm having nowhere to go, your attempt to steady yourself fails as you careen forward at a fast pace. This accomplishes two things – one, you feel your hand graze her arm. Two, you’re pretty sure you’re taking her down with you if you continue at this space.

What do you do?

>Try to catch the both of you and steady yourself, you’d rather not injure your friend due to your rashness. [This will require a roll.]
>Catch yourself on the machine and hope that you don’t fucking football tackle her in the process.
>Let nature take it’s course.

>>3523506
>>Let nature take it’s course.

>>3523506
>Try to catch the both of you and steady yourself, you’d rather not injure your friend due to your rashness. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523506
>Try to catch the both of you and steady yourself, you’d rather not injure your friend due to your rashness. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523506
>Try to catch the both of you and steady yourself, you’d rather not injure your friend due to your rashness. [This will require a roll.]

[Headbut her! Assert dominance!

>>3523514
>>3523517
>>3523519
Please roll a 1d20 to prevent disaster.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>3523526
it's her fault

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>3523526
Allah don't fail me now

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>3523526

>>3523532
her game has caused disaster

>>3523533
yooooooo

File: noice.jpg (1 KB, 125x70)

1 KB JPG

>>3523533
we have been blessed by the dice gods

>>3523533
This wins, the dice gods are smiling. Writing now!

>>3523538
>her game has caused disaster

You move faster than 5 km/h on foot someone gonna get accidentally molested, one of the core rules of anime.

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218 KB JPG

>>3523532

>>3523544
nature's course was not taken on this day, disaster has been prevented.

You briefly consider trying to stop yourself on one of the machines that are next to you, and you even consider not trying to stop it and trying to lessen the impact. However, your mind begins clear. You would not feed into the cycle of guys falling on girls. This isn’t one of those animes. You aren’t the daft protagonist of some isekai story. The rules of nature hold NO LAW OVER YOU GODDAMNIT.

The cycle ends here.

You try and maneuver yourself so that you’re not about to drive your shoulder into her, and instead reach out your other arm to press against the machine behind her. You snake your arm around her waist and pivot, slamming your back against the machine but stopping the both of you from taking a tumble.

Fuck, that kind of hurt though.

>Wolfgang O’Neal
>Health: 9/10

All is silent between the two of you as you pant, the movements you had made taking the wind out of you. You can feel her in front of you, your arm still around her waist and some of her hair splayed across your arm. Once you were certain that you had steadied yourself, you let her go.

“Found…you.” You say between breaths, your heart pounding due to the exertion. She doesn’t respond for a few seconds, assumedly because she’s calming down herself.

“Y-Yeah! You sure did!” Her voice is strangely high-pitched, and you hear her stepping away from you. “Sorry for the impromptu hide and seek, I thought it’d be funny…”

“In the dark? Around expensive machinery?” You can’t help but respond, looking in her general direction with a raised eyebrow that she couldn’t even see.

“Well, isn’t that the way to play it?” Her voice returns to normal as if nothing had been odd about it, and you both share a chuckle.

The moment of levity is then interrupted by a loud crack of thunder and the sound of shattering glass from the front of the store.

…what the fuck?

>Go and investigate.
>Duck down and try to turn your attention to the storefront.
>Hide - fuck whatever that is.
>Other.

>>3523575
>Duck down and try to turn your attention to the storefront.
We clearly got the Dex for this Stealth.

>>3523575
>>Go and investigate.

>>3523575
>the sound of shattering glass from the front of the store.
Just a lurker, but if that is who I think it is I'm pissed...

>>3523575
>Go and investigate.
>Need to buy a gun intensifies

>>3523575
>Go and investigate.

>>3523582
>>3523586
>>3523588
It begins. Writing now!

>>3523604
BEFORE THAT: FUCK 0PHELIA

You feel a quick flash of terror spike down your spine as you instinctively step away from the noise, reaching out blindly to the left to assure that Cinder was still there. When you feel your hand bump against her arm, you find yourself able to exhale.

>”I think you’ll be joining…soon enough…”

Is this what she meant? You couldn’t know, considering you didn’t even know what the fuck broke the glass. Either way, you needed to find out what was going on and try to extricate yourself from the situation – the power was still out, and therefore your CCTV camera was fucking dead. Anything that happened now wouldn’t be recorded, and that made you feel exposed in a manner that makes your heart pound in fear.

Either way, time wouldn’t pause on account of your contemplation. You drop into a crouch and move forward, trying to keep yourself obscured just in case the offender could see well in the dark. Without making noise, you manage to make your way towards the now clear sound of rain splashing against pavement. You peer around a machine, hoping that there would be some form of light source to work with – unfortunately the street is still powered off, and the moon is seemingly obscured by clouds.

Shit just keeps going against you, huh?

>Try and listen for sounds other than the deafening rain. [This will require a roll.]
>Make your way over to your desk so you can grab your cellphone.
>Knock something over in an attempt to draw out whoever broke the glass.
>Other.

>>3523642
>Make your way over to your desk so you can grab your cellphone.
s t e a l t h

>>3523642
>Throw something to draw attention
>fucking book it for the desk and get your phone
Knew we should've uploaded that fucking audio file.

>>3523642
>Try and listen for sounds other than the deafening rain. [This will require a roll.]
Everything backed up on cloud bitch!
FUCK 0PHELIA

>>3523642
>Make your way over to your desk so you can grab your cellphone.

>>3523607
No anon, fuck Cinder

>>3523646
>>3523659
snake.....move to desk....Writing now!

>>3523654
The fuck 0phelia train is a good train.

You hear footsteps behind you, shortly accompanied with a pat on the back – Cinder’s right behind you, and that makes you feel safer if only for the fact that she’s way stronger than you. After casting a hesitant glance towards the rest of the room, you slowly make your way towards where you think the desk is. Thankfully, you succeed in not being spotted, although when you reach it you hear another deafening crash as another window is busted.

This solidifies the fact that this might be 0phelia’s doing. If it was someone seeking to get into your till, they would have just climbed in and climbed out. Since they broke more than one, it meant that this was a message or an intimidation tactic – and it was just so conveniently timed that it happens when your CCTV camera and alarms are disabled.

Does nature have a vendetta against you now? Is this what you get for littering that one time? Fucking mother nature is an asshole, goddamn.

Setting aside the issue of nature’s machinations, you find the partition and open it, moving inside on your hands and knees. Once you cross that threshold, you scuttle over and swipe your phone off of the surface and pull it close.

Well, you’ve made it this far. What now?

>Move further into the arcade and call the police. [This will require a roll.]
>Stand and quickly take a picture of the storefront, if you catch the perpetrator you’ll have evidence.
>Other.

>>3523701
>>Move further into the arcade and call the police. [This will require a roll.]

>>3523701
>Move further into the arcade and call the police. [This will require a roll.]
You'd think we'd have a button for this kind of scenario.

>>3523705
>>3523709
Roll a 1d20!

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>3523716

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>3523716

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>3523716

File: 1557538750123.png (327 KB, 456x810)

327 KB PNG

>>3523728

File: I_WON.jpg (16 KB, 480x360)

16 KB JPG

>>3523728

>>3523728
Praise be to this anon. Writing now!

You move back out of the desk, nearly bumping into Cinder as you do – Christ, she’s literally right behind you! As you slink through machines as close to the ground as possible, you hear a noise that perturbs you.

A grunt, followed by glass falling and crunching underfoot. Oh dear, the person’s inside now.

You pick up the pace a little and move towards the Warscape machines without much incident, covering the phone with your shirt as you reach them and turning down the brightness. You tap at the emergency call button, dialing 911 as fast you can with a now trembling hand.

When you bring it to your ear, the operator has already answered.

“911, what is your emergency?”

Looks like power isn’t dead on that side of town, thank god.

You keep your voice as low as you can while you begin to explain the situation to the man, nervously glancing towards the sound of footsteps that are now audible over the pouring rain. When questioned for further details, you give all that you know – the line goes silent for a few moments, and those moments feel like an eternity to you. Soon, the man returns.

“We’ve sent a car out your way, it will be there in fifteen minutes. Please stay on the line for the duration.”

You curse mentally as you remember that the station is across town from you – fifteen minutes was plenty of time for you to get your shit stomped in by a wayward vagabond. You suppress your irritation, instead muttering that you’d stay on as long as you’re able to.

What do you do?

>Stay put, there’s no reason to risk yourself any further with the police already on the way. [This will require a roll.]
>Try to make your way back to the entrance, if you can get out and away from the arcade you’ll be home free.
>Locate the perpetrator and snap a photo – you’ll have their face as evidence if they try and flee.
>Other.

[And with that, I’m going to pass out for the night! Please leave feedback, questions, comments, or anything else – it helps me improve my writing, because there is a lot of improvement to be had. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed reading this so far, and I apologize for being gone for 3 weeks without a word! Have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.]

>>3523757
>Go to the entrance and try to stop the perp from getting out, hopefully they dont know of any back entrances

>>3523757
Pass phone to Cinder then go bust some heads

>>3523757
>>Other.
Try to get Cinder out of here so she can be safe and then
>>Locate the perpetrator and snap a photo – you’ll have their face as evidence if they try and flee.

>>3523761
Anon, we haven't even tried to make it; last thing we can do is get physical.

>>3523763
>>3523764
Ugh. Fine! This then >>3523763

>>3523763
If they trash our phone, we've lost the recording as well. Best thing to do is give it to Cinder or hide it somewhere they won't find.

>>3523850
We have duplicates of the recording tho, we sent one to Cinder a couple updates ago.

>>3523858
And thank God we did that. It's best to get her out of here, since her phone has a copy saved. Plus she's nice and we wouldn't want anything to happen to her.

>>3523763
Supporting.

>>3523263
>>3523279
>>3523298
Dammit anons, now she can claim the recording was forged after this incident. Sure some people won't believe her but in all likelihood, many will.

We also need to protect the server banks, and security logs. If these idiots destroy them then we can't prove she was here, nor that she is violent.

>>3523757
Tell Cinder to get her phone out. Let see if we can't get pictures of the asshole fucking up our workplace.

Tell Cinder to stay put behind the counter, and leg it for the CCTV room. The Intruder might be going for recording/tapes that show her having temper tantrums, and that, combined with the veiled threats might be enough to fuck her over.

maybe get the police involved? If the police show no interest, then we post all of it online and let the internet fuck her over.

>>3524042
>Tell Cinder to stay put behind the counter, and leg it for the CCTV room. The Intruder might be going for recording/tapes that show her having temper tantrums, and that, combined with the veiled threats might be enough to fuck her over.
Aye sir, we need to leg it into the security room!

>>3523757
>>Locate the perpetrator and snap a photo – you’ll have their face as evidence if they try and flee.

So not to say it’s impossible, but you think it’s possible this is unrelated to 0philea? Like I said there’s a good chance it is her, but I think it’s just as likely that this is some other ass hay with a vendetta. this seems a bit to brash even for her.

>>3524080
It's possible but there are quite a few coincidences. The power was cut off and they made sure to break the store's glass when thunder sounded. Sure the latter point could be done by any criminal, but the former means that these criminals spent a short while scoping the place out, they found the power cables and cut off the power. This is likely to have been premeditated.
Now why would a group of random thugs waste their time being sneaky when we're just a gamestore?

Also QM, did we back up the cctv footage like a couple of us requested or was it only the audio file?

[Good morning, everyone! Back to your regularly scheduled vandalism.

>>3523763
This wins!

>>3524107
I can confirm that the power wasn't cut by someone, it's a natural power outage - the entire street is currently dark, that's why you can't see jack for the current moment. Also you've only backed up the audio file, not the CCTV footage.

Throughout the tension of the situation, it was easy for you to forget that Cinder was still here. If at all possible, you’d prefer it if she escaped without being harmed – she is a close friend after all, and with this happening she’s been dragged into your business without a say in the matter. If you dared to suggest such a thing to her however, she’d probably cuff you around the ear for it – if anything she’d beat the shit out of this guy for daring to encroach on her practice space. Regardless, you need to get her out of here.

“Cinder, I have a plan.” You desperately hope that the thunder and rain masks your voice from the intruder, not caring much if the 911 operator overhears – if the guy got ahold of you, you’d have to think on the fly regardless.

“Yeah?” She’s as cool as a cucumber, her voice not far from you. You can practically picture her pressed against the machine, eyes closed as she searches for any signs of the vandal. The booming footsteps stopped a minute ago, and that’s somehow more terrifying – at least before you had an idea of their location, and now all that remains is the tormenting sound of rain. This was like something out of a B-tier horror movie, really.

“We’re going to go to the front, and you’re going to get out. After that, I’ll try and get to the security room so I can grab the records of 0phelia just in case this is her doing. I’ll snap a picture of the guy afterwards, and then I’ll peace out as well.” You think that this is a pretty good plan, but Cinder disagrees.

“And what if you get caught, dude? What if the guy fucks you up?” Cinder whispers with frustration, reaching out and grasping your shoulder before you can respond. “I at least can fight, you’re…well, you’re not very strong. We’ll have a better chance if I stick around.”

You find yourself mentally cursing – why does she need to be stubborn right now? If everything goes off without a hitch, nothing will be harmed except your wallet due to the glass windows you’d need to replace.

That’s if things go off without a hitch, though.

>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]
>Concede and allow her to be your backup.
>Suggest another plan that she might be agreeable to. [Other.]

>>3524116
>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]
Good morning Cir!

>>3524116
>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524116
>>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]
We wouldn't know what to do if she gets hurt

>>3524116
>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524116
>Try and persuade her to go along with your plan. [This will require a roll.]
We got shit Charisma though.

>>3524129
>>3524133
>>3524134
>>3524135
>>3524137
Alright, we're starting the day with a roll! Please roll a 1d20 to do a persuasion.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>3524140

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>3524140

>>3524141
Ouch

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>3524140

>>3524142
YOOOOOOOO.

File: 1448318125731.jpg (195 KB, 876x757)

195 KB JPG

>>3524144
Ayyy.

>>3524142
Well, that super wins. Writing now!

>>3524142
Dice Gods are happy with our altruistic actions

You try and soften your tone as you move to face her fully, putting a hand over the one grasping your shoulder. Time to dump some logic that she’ll hopefully listen to.

“Cinder, it’ll be a lot easier to move around silently by myself. He’ll have a lot harder of a time finding one of us in pure darkness. Plus, I don’t plan on getting caught – he won’t be able to hit me even if he does catch me.” That is a potentially bold-faced lie, but you’re a dexterous man and can evade hits. Whether or not you could do so in total darkness is another matter, and one you’re definitely not going to think about.

Before she has a chance to respond, you lay it on thick – you take her hand off of your shoulder and squeeze it.

“I’d also prefer it if you didn’t get hurt during this. You won’t have to worry, as soon as I complete my plan I’ll be out of here. I promise.” Whilst you may be putting it on a little strong, you mean every word of this – it would tear you up if she got injured, whether this is 0phelia’s doing or not.

She takes a few seconds to process this information, you can only imagine the patented pout-glare she’s sending your way. However, she lets out a bitter sigh and squeezes your hand back.

“Fine. You’re a dick, but fine. Let’s go.” She certainly sounds irritated, but you’d take that over a potential incident. With that squared away, you make your way across the arcade once more carefully. You’re hyper aware of your surroundings, pausing at the slightest unnatural noise. When you make it to the front, you find yourself having to step over the broken glass, the crunching making you flinch as you do. This would be one hell of a mess to clean up in the morning,

“I’ll get ahold of you when I’m out.” You tell her when she’s through the door, already turned around to head towards the security room.

“Stay safe.” She responds, and shortly after you hear footsteps on the pavement as she bolts away.

Alright, time to put your plan into action.

>Head directly to the CCTV room behind your desk.
>Take a moment to try and ascertain the intruder’s location. [This will require a roll.]
>Other.

>>3524152
>Head directly to the CCTV room behind your desk.

Also a 15 minute response time? Do we live in Detroit?

>>3524152
>Head directly to the CCTV room behind your desk.

>>3524107
Ya this is a natural black out like cir said. So I feel like it’s alot more likely that some random guys walking around pissed about the cheating just wanna vandalize our shit. Not to say I’m not on the fuck 0philea train, cause well fuck her. But I don’t want to end up blaming every misfortune we run into on one person. Seriously tho. She’s fucking crazy. That being said I would not be opposed to us saying thanks 0philea when ever we’re mildly inconvenienced

>>3524152
>Head directly to the CCTV room behind your desk.

>>3524154
>>3524157
>>3524165
Writing now!

>>3524159
>random guys walking around pissed about the cheating just wanna vandalize our shit.
It was five years ago! These people need to learn to let go.

>>3524171
That’s the best I can think of. Cause I doubt there’s anyone who could predict forces of nature for this. I mean maybe that one guy rock has buddy’s around that he’s talked shit about us to.

>>3524193
Could be Ophelia minion who was waiting outside to work up the nerve to start vandalism. When power went out he saw and took advantage.

You briefly consider trying to locate the guy but decide against it in the end. Time is definitely of the essence, and every second that you dawdled is a second that they could use to get a bead on your location. This is certainly a risky move, but the quicker you get out, the better.

You move over to the desk and try to put the gentle crunching of glass under your foot out of your mind, instead focusing on navigating to the partition. You briefly consider hopping over the desk, but if you fucked it up you’d be screwed. You ain’t no Dukes of Hazzard, so you move around like a normal person and get in without difficulty.

Just when you let out a sigh of relief, you hear a crash that makes you nearly jump out of your skin. This motherfucker was messing with your arcade machines now? You’d be highly surprised if it wasn’t 0phelia at this point, and if it wasn’t…well, some Warscape players did result to vandalism over a loss. You had experienced it first hand all those years ago, but this extended beyond a house being fucked up…if they kept going, you’d have thousands of dollars’ worth of machinery to fix.

How fucked was the league nowadays? Why couldn’t people learn to let go? You had made your mistakes, and yet they were still being dragged up and displayed at your detriment. Your hatred for the game and community grows more every day, and more importantly towards that fucking persistent bitch 0phelia. If you find out that she did this, you’re going to flip your shit more than you already have.

You stand for the first time in a long while, rushing over to the door and testing the knob. Thankfully you hadn’t locked it, so you move in and shut the door behind you. Even without being able to see clearly, you remember this room if only because of its simplicity.

The room is very small and lacks decorations, only containing a desk, a chair, and a computer. This room was hardly used by you except on the rare occasion that you actually needed to check your security footage, so it sat empty about 99% of the time. You move forward and locate the computer, reaching behind it to unplug everything. As the power is out, you can’t do fuck-all other than taking the whole computer with you – and unfortunately, the amount of wiring you have plugged into the back of this thing is making the process a little slow.

>Turn on your flashlight so you can see what you’re doing. [This will require a roll.]
>Fumble through it in the darkness, the chance of them seeing the light is too great. [This will require a roll.]
>Other.

>>3524212
>Does the door swing inwards? Do we have our keys with us? If yes to either then lock ourselves in the room (e.g. with a key or prop the door closed with the chair). Maybe hide our phone in a corner and set it to record in case the assailant gets in.

Out of curiosity QM, how would the person see the light of our flashlight? If the door is closed and there aren't any windows then the only way light could shine out is from under the door.

If that's true then.
>Cover the bottom of the door with your hoodie/top (or whatever overgarnment we're wearing) prevent light from escaping, then turn on your flashlight so you can see what you’re doing. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524212
>Turn on your flashlight so you can see what you’re doing. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524232
The door swings inwards, you do have your keys. And the light will be visible from under the door, yeah.

>>3524212
are we not insured to this kind of thing? it seems to me that knowing the lengths other people go to with warscape, we'd take some measures to protect ourselves in a situation like this

>>3524239
Oh perfect! Then we place our shirt under the door to hide the light while we extract the computer!

>>3524212
>Don't use flashlight

Gonna go make myself some lunch, so be back soon!

>>3524243
You aren't insured as you fully have the ability to pay for all of the costs incurred business-wise, and unless you go off on an insane shopping spree, you'll be good money wise for the duration of the quest. You made a lot of money when you were on the scene, and with living quite frugally other than business expenses, you still have a lot left in the bank. Would it have been smart to take out insurance? 100%. However in my mind, it just...wasn't something you thought about.

>>3524268
oof. guess that cheating thing hit harder than I thought

>>3524232
+1

>>3524212
>>Turn on your flashlight so you can see what you’re doing. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524232
I support this set of actions.

>>3524212
>>Turn on your flashlight so you can see what you’re doing. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524238
>>3524319
>>3524344
Finally back, looks like this won out! Please roll a 1d20 for flashlight stealth.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>3524350

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>3524350

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>3524350

>>3524352
You are our hero. Lets hope it was high enough...

You hear a few more crashes outside, which makes you wince – not due to fear, but due to the fact that you’ll have to shell more money the more shit gets broken

Regardless of future costs, you finally feel comfortable in turning on your light in the safety of the room – the brightness throws you off guard with your vision being nothing but dark for the last while, but you shake it off as you aim it towards the computer. It’s very nice to be able to see again, and you’re quickly able to get to work in undoing all of the wires. The crashes continue to occur, and some sound very close at times – it spurs you on in finally removing all of the wires.

Occasionally you’re forced to give updates to the 911 operator who still has been on the line for the duration of this, letting him know that you’re safe and that you plan to remove yourself from the premises as quick as possible. He objected to it at first, but upon hearing the crashing he reluctantly conceded that you probably should get going. No matter what he said, you’d be leaving – fuck sticking around during this shit.

You haul the computer off of the ground and onto the desk, managing to mitigate the sound as best you can. It’s quite heavy – you had spared no expense in getting decent wares for the arcade, and while it may be outdated by today’s standards, this computer is a solid one.

Leaning against the desk, you stare at the door with trepidation. Step two of your plan is now completed, so where do you go from here?

>Exit the room and try and snap a picture of the criminal like you planned. You’ll bail as soon as you get a solid shot of him. [This will require a roll.]
>Text Cinder and tell her that you’ll be holing up in the security office. The police should be here shortly, and you have keys to lock the door.
>Try and exit the arcade without taking a picture, you have 0phelia on camera and on a recording if you wish to blame it on her. [This will require a roll.]
>Other.

>>3524377
>Exit the room and try and snap a picture of the criminal like you planned. You’ll bail as soon as you get a solid shot of him. [This will require a roll.]
We're going to be killed.

>>3524377
>>Exit the room and try and snap a picture of the criminal like you planned. You’ll bail as soon as you get a solid shot of him. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524377
>>Exit the room and try and snap a picture of the criminal like you planned. You’ll bail as soon as you get a solid shot of him. [This will require a roll.]

>>3524389
>>3524391
>>3524400
Many rolls are had today. Roll a 1d20, and let's hope the dice gods favor you on this one.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>3524403

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>3524403

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>3524403

>>3524406
All hair the king!

>>3524427
Hail, but you get my point

>>3524406
Good shit anon

>>3524406
Writing now!

You know that it’s best to stick to the original plan, and if you’re lucky you’ll make it out before he can guess where the flash comes from. Normally the guy would be able to find you, but he was just as in the dark as you – it’s no doubt that the sudden flash of the camera might disorient him due to the area being pitch black. With that in mind, you hoist the computer into your arms and move towards the door, gently edging it open just as another machine is broken.

If you actually do get a clear shot of this guy, you’re going to be elated – Alexis can sue them for you, since you didn’t really want to be bothered in all honesty. She may irritate you sometimes, but she’s reliable when it comes to things that you don’t understand.

You set the computer on the desk as you move around it, fishing out your phone and waiting for another machine to get broken. When you hear the noise, you immediately turn your phone’s camera to it and snap a picture, ducking down as soon as you see the flash go off. You hear a low grunt from within the arcade, followed by the stomping of footsteps as whoever it is moves to a new location – thankfully they seemed to be going to the left of you.

You let out a shaky exhale and raise the screen to your face, using your hoodie to shield your cellphone from view. When you look closer at it, you see a remarkably clear picture – and your blood turns cold.

Oh fuck. You didn’t think Rock would be back so soon.

This certainly confirmed the rumors from your days on the circuit – there was no hard evidence of the fact, but people always talked about how Rock would go and pick a fight with whomever he had a problem with, often times vandalizing their property when he couldn’t find them. Judging by the conversation you had with him earlier, he must have ran the clip by someone he trusted – and they convinced him that you had actually cheated against him all those years ago.

Well, now he thinks you’re a cheater and a liar. The police are going to love this.

>Exit the arcade, you’re on the home stretch.
>Confront him and say you have a picture of him, use it as leverage against him.
>Send the picture to Cinder and go back into the room, if he hadn’t checked the security room yet he isn’t likely to at all.
>Other.

>>3524467
>Exit the arcade, you’re on the home stretch.
>Send the picture to Cinder.

>>3524467
>Other, Exit the arcade and send a copy of the picture to Cinder.

>>3524467
>Send the picture to Cinder and go back into the room, if he hadn’t checked the security room yet he isn’t likely to at all.

>>3524467
>Exit the arcade, you’re on the home stretch.
We know who he is, we have evidence, we can absolutely fuck him.

How long until police arrive now?

>>3524467
>Exit, you're on the home stretch

Rock has the highest IRL stats so far. We don't want him to catch us. OP never weighed in on if Ophelia and Cinder working together could take him.

>>3524479
Adding to this as I forgot,
>Send picture to Cinder first.

>>3524476
>>3524477
>>3524479
>>3524482
Writing now, it's time to get fucking gone.

>>3524480
With Cinder, there would be a fair chance in your favor. She isn't nearly as strong as Rock, but you don't need to be as strong as someone to beat them up!

>>3524467
>>3524477

>>3524467
>>Exit the arcade, you’re on the home stretch.

You hurriedly pull up your messaging app and send the picture to Cinder, closing it directly afterwards just so you don’t have to look at it. If Rock caught you, you’d be dead meat – it’s time to skedaddle.

You slouch back over to the desk and pick up the computer, the weight of the thing causing you to readjust your hold on it. Once you’re assured that you aren’t going to drop it on the way out, an angry shout followed by more crashing causes you to head towards the door immediately. He must be growing impatient as time passes – the police should be here in about 7 minutes if the operator was being truthful.

You turn and walk towards where you know the entrance to be, keeping yourself low to the ground and ignoring the crunching of glass under your uncertain steps. It didn’t really matter if he heard you anymore, because you’re almost home free. You open the door and feel the harsh wind of the storm grace your face, the spray of rain refreshing your sweating body. You take a step forward, feeling invigorated…

And that’s when you realized that fate really must have a vendetta against you.

You hear the sound of scraping against concrete, as if someone was making a sharp turn on foot. It couldn’t have been a millisecond afterwards when you feel a pressure on your torso – something on the computer, and something on your abdomen. With a low noise, you find yourself pushed hard into the arcade, your footing upheaved and your body following suit as you hit the floor.

A second later, you hear the crash of your computer hitting the ground.

Fuck.

You’re taken off guard in a major way, and as if the flash of lighting and the crack of thunder was a starting pistol, you hear booming steps sprinting towards you. You try and scramble up, feeling your palms get cut up by the broken glass. Due to the proximity of the assailant, you hear an exhale as something heavy is picked up from the ground – your fucking computer.

You need to act fast.

>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.
>Turn around and go deeper into the arcade, but at the cost of your computer being stolen.

>>3524519
>>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.

Also get Cinder to help us by distracting him.

What do we have on our computer that we haven't sent a copy of to cinder yet?

>>3524519
>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.
We've shared everything with Cinder and the police are dialed into your phone, so it doesn't matter if Rock runs or tries to hurt us. Either way he's gonna be caught.

>>3524533
The CCTV footage from the arcade.

>>3524533
Recording of 0phelia stalking us irl, which she denied.

I love how this started as a quest about videogames.

>>3524519
>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.

Go on, Rock, add some assault charges.

>>3524519
>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.

>>3524519
>>Go for the assailant and reclaim your computer, exposing yourself to Rock.

>>3524519
>No one steals our computer!

>>3524528
>>3524534
>>3524538
>>3524541
>>3524545
Writing now, sorry for my lateness I had some stuff to do!

>>3524588
Fuck 0phelia and Fuck Rock

>>3524589
I get immense joy in writing these two. Gotta love irrational, with grudges or aspirations!

File: fuck0pheliaVER2.png (46 KB, 987x364)

46 KB PNG

>>3524589
>Fuck 0phelia
I think we know what our new sign will be once we repair this place.

>>3524594
I'm fully in favor of starting a new Warscape account for the sole purpose of beating and humiliating her back down to level 1. Possibly while pretending to be an obnoxious 12 year old.

>>3524598
unfortunately she probably has an army of white knights to protect her