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As carefully as I can, I negate all the sound produced by my footsteps as I hurry out of the area where I ran into Irene and... what was the guy's name? Lloyd? Whatever his name is, I don't want to be anywhere around him or his cohort.

Even though I've just made contact with members of an actual evil organization, it's taking all of my self-control to keep from shouting with joy. I mean, I finally have a lead! It's been FOUR YEARS, and after all that time I FINALLY have something to work off!

Though I do wish it wasn't information gained from a dubious source...

But still. I have the name of the Branch that put my Mom in the hospital, and that's the first lead I've had since the day it happened.


>head to the hospital and tell my mom the good news
>head back to my uncle's house and take care of home stuff
>[OTHER]

>>34544138
Find a gun. We're an automatic silencer.

>>34544317
but thats not really a tactic used by a hero of justice.

You fucker, it's 4am and I have class tomorrow. Are you really gonna do this to me?

i luv u

>>34544138
>head back to my uncle's house and take care of home stuff
Don't want to give mom false hope. We tell her after we have his head.

>>34544138
>head back to my uncle's house and take care of home stuff
>>34544381
We become the Punisher then?

>>34544317
I support this idea. Adquire gun, become Silent Punisher, proceed to plan the complete anihilation of Tree of Life, torture its members for more info on the branch that attacked our mother and finally become worst than the criminals we arrest.


But for ow, find a gun,it's reasonable to get some protection now that we are this close

>>34544433
We can just wrap it up in gift paper and have it delivered to her on mothers day. Nothing says I love you like a severed head

>>34544138
>>head back to my uncle's house and take care of home stuff

>>34544317
ignore mumz, acquire gunz

So if we had killed Irene here, what effect would that've had on the main story?

>>34544766
Actually, the head wouldn't mean much to her. If we're actually showing it to her, how about the arm?

Is 4chan loading extra shitty for anyone else today?

>>34544838
>So if we had killed Irene here,
You're assuming that our attempt would succeed.

>writing

>>34544838
Dogs would bark happily at the death of their mortal enemy.

>go find some sort of weapon, or at least train a bit more with our powers
soon we will REMOVE the one that hurt our mother

>>34544887
Have you got your lap top fixed yet Archelon?

>>34544381
Hero of Justice is when we're taking care of the city at large.

When it comes to Fucking mega-arm punk-ass faggot bitch, we're a Scream of Vengeance motherfucker.

>>34544901
>implying it wouldnt
Her power would only help her not to gag on our dick

>>34544138
Have we told mom yet about our love half accepting our proposal?

>angsty character
>dark background, we seek revenge
>have rare powers that makes us one of the strongest person in the world
>edgy teen vigilante
Is this THAT GUY, the quest?

>angsty character
>dark background, we seek revenge
>have rare powers that makes us one of the strongest person in the world
>edgy teen vigilante
So basically, THAT GUY the quest

Edgelords please

We have a lead, don't go full murderhobo now.

>>34544918
>Have you got your lap top fixed yet Archelon?
Sending it in next Monday.

>>34544993
>Have we told mom yet about our love half accepting our proposal?
Nope. This would have been the first opportunity to do so, but now it's going to have to wait.

>>34545159
and anyways guns are shit compared to are powers

>>34545159
Is it too much to ask for a protag that plans in advance and isnt a completly innocent pure maiden and instead we could play someone actually insteresting?

>>34545178
I think you understimate the impact that a bullet in the head can have, especially when we can increase its shockwaves into canonball levels.

>>34545035
>>34545111
Did you really need to post twice?

>>34545209
Gearing up like rambo isn't something he would do

Planning ahead is nice, wanting to get all sorts of guns and killing devices in a world where it's clear that those things probably wouldn't be easy to stock up on or even certain they would work isn't.

Connection problems

>>34545241
all he has to do is smack his hands together to do things like that

Have we tried making music with our power for our irresponsible girlfriend yet?

>>34545297
>Gearing up like rambo
Dude. I'm saying we take something that can successfully fire a bullet. I don't want a M249, maybe just a humble .22 handgun.

>>34545297
Do you think getting into melee with a branch that excels in close combat is a good idea?
If we need to dispose of someone witout calling attention to brand activity, how would we do it?
Why do you think a person in mortal danger wouldnt acquire a gun if it improved their chances of survival?

Once I'm far enough away that I'm sure that they can't follow me, I start on the way back to my uncle's place. While I kinda want to go and tell my Mom about this, all I have to go on is the Branch name and that'd mean a whole lot of nothing to her. Yeah, I'll just keep that to myself for now.

And besides, I do have homework to take care of. If I get it out of the way now, I don't have to worry about working myself ragged trying to finish it tomorrow night.

Stupid school...


>[1/?]

>>34545624
>[2/2]

By the time I get back, it's already afternoon... and my uncle's car is in the driveway. Great.


>go inside normal-like and say hi
>sneak upstairs without him noticing

>>34545859
>sneak upstairs without him noticing

This is a sneaking mission.

>>34545859
>go inside normal-like and say hi

>>34545859
>go inside normal-like and say hi

>writing

sneaking?

No, I'm not sneaking. I live in the guy's house, I should probably at least say hi. Even though he's a dick.

have fun with that

Ignoring that annoying feeling of dread in the back in my head (and the annoying voice in my head), I walk into the house and listen out for my uncle. Great, he's in the kitchen. That means that I won't have to go out of my way to say hi.

And the less effort I have to put into this, the better.

>[1/?]

>>34546587
>have fun with that
And so it begins

>>34544068
I almost messed up my 100% attendance.

>>34546587
>[2/2]

"Huh?" my uncle calls out the second I step into the kitchen. "Who's there? Joshua, is that you?"
"Yeah," I mumble unenthusiastically.

And here he is, my mother's brother Wallace. As he turns his big grumpy self away from the television and faces me, I can practically feel how much he doesn't feel like talking to me.

"I was wondering where you wandered off to," he sighs. "I saw on the news that a building just blew up, you weren't off messing around with that stupid paranormal investigator hobby of yours, were you? I don't need to be paying for TWO relatives' hospital care, you know."


>lie to him, it's easier
>I checked it out but didn't actually enter the wreckage

>>34547299
>lie to him, it's easier

>>34547299
>lie to him, it's easier

>>34547299
>lie to him, it's easier
"I ran into a couple of people I know. Talked for a long while. No big deal."

>>34547299
>lie to him, it's easier
Unless we are some massive Stannis fanboy I can't see any in character reasoning to tell the truth.

>writing

>>34547604
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Sorry, got distracted.

>back to writing

>>34547982
Put the gunvolt down archelon.

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"No," I say, "I just happened to run into some people while I was out. It turns out that we share some common interests and we ended up talking for a while, that's all."
"...common interests?" he raises an eyebrow. "Oh, so -they're- gonna go digging around that wreckage instead of you?"
"I dunno, probably?" I shrug.

For all I know, they're still out there right now.

"So anyways," I say, heading to the fridge to get something to drink, "I didn't do anything stupid so you don't have to worry about that."

...God damn it, there's nothing here but Diet Coke.


>[1/?]

>>34548229
Ice water

>>34548229
>Diet Coke
The horror! Better just to drink water.

>>34548229
Water and hyperoats.

>>34548229
>[2/2[

disgusting

"...oh yeah, I forgot to go grocery shopping," Wallace says, shrugging.
"Guess I'll have to settle for tap water," I reply.

And then I look in the cabinets, only to see that there's nothing left to eat either. What the hell!?

"Uh..." Wallace seems uneasy, probably because I'm kind of glaring at him maybe. "Here's twenty bucks, that should tide you over until I to to the grocery store tomorrow."
"Thanks," I reply as I take the money.

While I'm not hungry right this second, at least now I won't have to worry about food later.


>homework now, food later
>food now, homework later

>>34548513
>homework now, food later

>>34548513
>homework now, food later

>>34548513
>homework now, food later
May as well get it out of the way.

>>34548513
>>homework now, food later

>>34548513
>>food now, homework later

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>>34548513
>actually doing homework
Come aren't we cool /tg/?

captcha: 420

>writing

After pouring a glass of water for myself, I stuff the money in my pocket and head for the stairs.

"Hey, where're you going?" Wallace asks.
"To do my homework," I reply.
"What a surprise," he laughs. "Make sure you do it right, now!"
"Yeah, whatever," I mumble.

No sense in heading out right away since I'm not actually hungry, and getting the stupid homework out of the way now means that I don't have to worry about wasting time if I end up staying out late tonight.

Once I'm in my room, I put down the glass of water and go through my notes... looks like I only have this one assignment due Monday, and it's on the pages from here to here...

"Calculate the angle of reflection when directed from point x"

i can do that


>[1/?]

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>>34549041
>Calculate the angle of reflection

Josh confirmed for defeating CC with his unstoppable high school science class mastery of science because we allowed him to do homework.

THIS IS THE FUTURE WE CHOSE.

>>34549041

Indulging the voice in my head because it's actually good at this kind of thing and I don't want to be bothered, I put myself on autopilot and let it do my homework for me. It still takes what feels like forever to do, but it's still twice as fast as I could manage to do on my own.

Who'd have thought that having a split personality thing would actually come in handy.

>[2/?]

File: Kazyua Smile.gif (1.34 MB, 350x270)

1.34 MB GIF

>>34549409
Broing it up with the friend in our head.

>>34549409
>[3/3[

Once the assignment's finished, the voice in my head returns control of my body to me and I make sure that all the questions are done and all that before putting it away in my backpack.

Just in time for my stomach to tell me that it's time to eat. Fortunately, I have that $20 bill to get something to eat with!


>go to the grocery store
>go to a fast food place

>>34549604
>go to the grocery store
More for less. And we need to make that money last.

>>34549604
>>go to the grocery store
Our body is a weapon, and we must properly nourish it!

>>34549604
The choice that gets more exposition on this guys branch personality.

>>34549604
I want to do
>go to the grocery store
but I think it's more likely to run into someone familiar at
>go to a fast food place

Desicions...

>>34549604
>go to a fast food place

>>34549669
We only have $20 to last a week. We need to go to the grocery store.

>>34549604
>go to the grocery store

>writing

burgers?

No.

cheeseburgers?

No.

why not i like burgers and we have money

I have no idea when Wallace will actually restock on food and it's not like I have much in the way of cash. I'm going to the grocery store.

lame

>[1/?]

Oh hey a branch voice that doesn't appear to be psycho on first sight!

Gotta love how everyone else is terrified of split personalities and Josh is like "Hey! That thing can do my homework while I zone out!".

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>>34550058

Calling it now - CC and Josh will become friends but everything will be ruined when she try to mooch off his meal.

>>34550136
Perhaps Gardeners have some control over the Branches they create? So Lorelei, who was doing it out of goodwill, made sure to give Josh and agreeable personality, whereas the creator of the book made it such that the personalities spawned would be as disruptive as possible?

>>34550058

Since I really don't want to have to interact with Wallace AGAIN, I cancel the noise from my footsteps as I sneak out of the house. That's like my favorite trick... I'm so glad I ended up with this Branch instead of something lame.

Having successfully snuck out of the house, I opt to head to the big grocery store instead of the smaller one that's just down the street. Though it's probably a mile or so away, the food's a lot cheaper and there's a MUCH wider selection of food to boot!

>[2/?]

>>34550241
Nope, planting seeds is 100% shots in the dark.

>>34550333

Just like in real life.

>>34550245
What's your beef with annelid telepathy, kid?

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>>34550245
>[3/3]

Upon entering the grocery store, I head straight for the stands where they have fresh-cooked food... while I -am- here to buy some actual groceries, I don't see anything wrong with spending five bucks or so on a quick bite to eat right now...

Ow.

someone's here

be careful


>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me
>nope out of here
>carry on as usual, nobody's stupid enough to try something in a crowded place like this
>[OTHER]

>>34550426
>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me
>carry on as usual, nobody's stupid enough to try something in a crowded place like this

>>34550426
>>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me

>>34550426
>>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me
Hero of Justice always investigates!

>>34550426
>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me

Joshua dying won't trigger a Bad End, right? Just so that I don't feel too bad if this turn out to be an horrible choice.

>>34550426
>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me
then go about business as usual.

>>34550426

Hey arch, how often does this happen for Josh?

>>34550426
>carry on as usual, nobody's stupid enough to try something in a crowded place like this
>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me

>>34550426

>look/listen around first, this place might be crowded but there's still a chance that I can spot whoever triggered the synapse before they can find me

>>34548268
Swap the contents with regular Coke, see if he notices the difference.

>>34550426
Buy bread, jerky, milk and potatoes. A man can live for months on bread, jerky, milk and potatoes.

>>34550602

It's not that. Josh can super-hear the fizzling and it bother his autism.

>>34550532
>Hey arch, how often does this happen for Josh?
Under normal circumstances? Maybe 2-3 times a year.
These aren't normal circumstances, though.

>writing

>>34550604
no, a man can survive on all that.
In order to truly LIVE, though, he needs something fresh.

>>34550634
Shake it flat, then. Diet Coke tastes a lot better flat.

>>34550660

Apparently some snobs here find that disgusting.

>>34550653
Like pepsi next? The next evolution in pepsi?

I'm always careful. But it'd be way too suspicious if I up and rn out of this place immediately after having the synapse, the person who just triggered it might notice me.

...but they might be doing the same thing, too...

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I casually walk among the crowd while listening out for rapid heartbeats or anything that would signify panic.

Best case scenario would be that Lorelei's shopping here, but that's way to good to be true.

>[1/?]

>>34550885
>Best case scenario

And then he run into her buying icky products.

The issue with a large detection radius is that the possible area is larger. When you've got a smaller radius, the number of possible branch holders becomes smaller. And unless the other guy already knows who he's looking for, he won't know who the one he's detecting is either - and have a much larger selection to sift through.

On that note, we ought to do some testing regarding this with Theresa and a tape measure.

>>34550885

child crying

arguing couple

Some guy's trying to shoplift... and security just caught him. Nice.

A jogger outside... a really fat person who's out of breath... but nothing that's overly suspicious. Damn it.

maybe they have smaller range?

Maybe.

Still wary, I resume walking along the path I was going to take before the Synapse set me on alert-mode while continuing to look around for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing says that I can't eat while searching, after all.

greedy

Shut up.


>[2/?3]

>>34551058
>[3/3]

Just a bunch of normal-looking people carrying on like normal... and I try to act my part as a normal guy who's trying to get a bite to eat.

And just as I get in line for the Japanese foods stand to get myself a couple of cheap onigiri, I hear a familiar heartbeat. Like what I'd hear from a... well, it doesn't sound human.

branch holder

secondary effect?

That's my guess.

Tracing the sound to its source, I don't have to look very far to locate its owner. Not too far from here, sitting at a table by herself. She's got a small bag with her, and she's happily chomping on taiyaki...

"This is so yummy!" she giggles to herself. "Maybe I should save one for Lloyd..."

Irene.


>what do I do now?

>>34551058
>you wanted food too, fatty.

>>34551267
Pull out the cloak and dagger, boys.

>observate from afar.

>>34551267
"Fancy meeting you here, Irene. Grabbing a bite?"

>>34551267
>Hit on her.

>>34551267
>BH have a different heartbeat

I don't like that one bit.

>what do I do now?

Show ourselves.

>>34551267
Call her fat.

FAT FAT FATTY FAT FAT.

But in all seriousness, shouldn't we just go on about our business? I mean we don't have a particularly strong reason to interact with these people right now.

>>34551267
I really want to get to know Irene, but I don't want her to know what Joshua looks like or who he is.

>>34551267
She knows our voice. Avoid; browse the shelves until she leaves. No need to force a confrontation in a crowded area.

>>34551267
If she approaches us act friendly

Main problem is that she want something we stupidly promised to our waifu.

>>34551383
Same with CC

what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

is there any way to give Irene a happy end at this point because life really seems to be shitting on her.

>>34551267
Just act normal and see what she does would be my suggestion. Neither of us are doing anything 'bad' and are just here to eat.

Though personally I'd really like to talk to her but I'll leave that vote to you guys.

>>34551383
Can't break a promise to waifu
I'm seriously hopeing Joshua's story will end like "Let The Right One In"

>writing

>>34551426
>I'm seriously hopeing Joshua's story will end like "Let The Right One In"

What do you mean?

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>>34551413
No route, no love, no happy end.

She's the sacrificial lamb on the altar of plot relevance.

>>34551456
I haven't given up hope yet

Maybe we can get her to leave her asshole brigade if it's treated her like a tool for too long.

>>34551465

What if we form our own brigade and invite everyone along? We could be bikers or something.

>>34551475
I don't think making our own will work, but I would like to find out more about Gauth before we rope anyone into his plans.

>>34551453
Actual spoilers below
She doesn't age neither physically nor mentally and will leave him for someone younger when he grows too old, he is just one of many boys who have fallen for her over the years

>>34551512

That's just one interpretation of the movie.

Though I doubt Lorelei can vampirize him.

>>34551534
We know the old guy she was staying with had met her when he was a kid

>>34551561

No, he's a pedophile she's manipulating.

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Focusing my attention on Irene, all I'm getting from her sound-wise is a normal heartbeat. That and happy giggling as she eats the taiyaki. She's not on guard at all, and it honestly seems like she doesn't even notice that I'm here. What, is her Synapse range that small? Or maybe she's so strong that she doesn't have to be on guard...

...no, I've never come across someone like that. Not even that crazy plant bastard.

body composition is strange

Huh? In what way?

resonance is wrong, not like normal humans

closer to yours than others, but still not the same

>[1/?]

>>34551662

What is she eating in that pic?

>>34551662

I don't know why but I think this whole side quest is entirely so that a character interacts with Irene.

>>34551686
that fishbread thing Recettar is fond of?

>>34551662
Is she a metal geeeeeeeear?

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>>34551686
>What is she eating in that pic?
Taiyaki.

>>34551686
Taiyaki, as mentioned in the text.

Clearly arch has been planning this for a while.

>>34551662
Wait, is that a drawing from the... Uhh, what do turtles have? Feer? Claws..?

Either way, is that an archelon original?

>>34551781
Hell no.
Decu was kind enough to draw it for me last week.

...and I just lost everything that I typed due to my laptop being retarded.

That's just great.

>>34551953
At least now you have it fresh in your mind

>>34551790
If anyone needs a sample of Decu's work this sentence should suffice.

And you did all your Magical Girling with a chainsaw.

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>>34551662
>[2/2]

Deciding not to potentially blow my cover, I keep an ear open for Irene as I wait in line. Completely oblivious to the fact that I'm right here, she just carries on like before, eating and giggling about how good the food is and checking her phone.

even evil minions have off time

After I get my food, I eat it on the go as I hurry up and get my groceries together. I don't hear Irene change her position at all the entire time, and she only gets up when I'm in the checkout line.


>follow her from afar, maybe she's up to something
>go home, I have better things to do than stalk strange girls

>>34552076
>>follow her from afar, maybe she's up to something

>>34552076
>follow her from afar, maybe she's up to something
Could be a good opportunity to find out more about them

>>34552076
>go home, I have better things to do than stalk strange girls
Like follow leads and eat dinners.

>>34552076
>follow her from afar, maybe she's up to something
not as if we had anything better to do

>>34552076

I think it's safer to approach her now than to stalk her and risk being spotted.

Especially if she's meeting with someone else.

So no stalking for me. Either approach now or go home.

>writing

>>34552167
Lets see if we can get Joshua onto CC's nice boat.

After Irene's made her way through the front entrance of the grocery store, I wait until she's made a little bit of distance before following after her. All the noise from my footsteps and the crinkling plastic bag is being cancelled, so I should be fine as long as I'm careful to keep out of sight.

stalker

Not stalking. TAILING. Because she's a member of an evil organization, and I'm supposed to be a hero of justice.

it's because she's cute

Shut up, my heart belongs to Lorelei.


>[1/?]

>>34552234
Irene forever alone.

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>>34552234

One block.

Two blocks.

Ten blocks... how far is this girl going to walk? I mean, we're in the bad part of town now, and not even I'd feel safe wandering around these parts by myself if not for my Branch.

And even with it, I'm still on edge.

But Irene's just walking along without a care... I hope I'm not following her straight into a trap. But her heartbeat's still steady, it'd be faster if she was anticipating an ambush or something.

.........SHIT. Just got a Synapse.

maybe she's the one who's been trapped

>[2/?]

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>>34552283
Okay I have an idea

Let's pair Irene up

With Theresa

NOTHING CAN GO WRONG

>>34552234
You can't lie to me we have the same head

I knOw everything you know like it or not

>>34552283
She can get with Theresa now that she's lost CC.
There, everyone's happy. Theresa definitely wouldn't join the crazy religious organization or anything...

>>34552306
Nope, and Mina definitely won't go join the cultists out of spite.

>>34552318
Shit, I just realized how much rejoicing the Charlotte route will cause.I love it.

>>34552286
>[3/3]

We're walking east, the footsteps coming from the north.

Okay.

Silently, I duck around a corner in order to keep from being spotted by whoever's approaching. Thanks to my radar, I'm able to keep on following Irene without actually needing to -see- her.

Completely oblivious to this new Branch holder, Irene keeps on walking down the sidewalk... her range must really be horrible, I'd hope for her sake that her Branch itself is good enough to make up for that.

"Ooh, I was wondering who set my alarm off!" a voice calls out. From the pitch and intonation... it's a boy. Pubescent.
"Huh?" Irene stops dead in her tracks. "Umm, can I help you?"
"You sure can!" the boy says as he continues to approach her.

Irene's heartbeat remains calm... up until he's maybe ten feet away from her. Then it spikes RIGHT up, I guess that really is the limit of her Synapse.

"...you're a Branch user?" Irene gasps.
"What, you couldn't tell from the start?" the boy laughs. "I mean, I felt you coming from like three blocks away... though I heard you coming loooong before that."
"Wha?"
"Your footsteps!" he says, stomping on the ground for emphasis. "Yours don't sound like other people's do! And that's why I followed the sound to find out what's up... and here YOU are!"

And then the ground starts rumbling.

"Yanno, it's no fun trying out superpowers on lame stuff like buildings," the boy says. "But other people with superpowers? That oughtta be way more fun!"


>intervene
>wait it out

>>34552306
i bet theresa will otheresa take over, at least for a good while

>>34552437
>>intervene
Hero instincts go.
Save the cute girl.

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>>34552450

>>34552437
>>wait it out

>>34552437
>>wait it out
For now, this is a good opportunity to observe their branch powers.

>>34552437
>intervene

>>34552437
>intervene
REMOVE

>>34552437
>wait it out
She is an enemy of the waifu.

>>34552437
>MAXIMUM INTERVENE
DEAFEN

>>34552437
>intervene

>>34552437
>wait it out

>writing

>>34552437
>Intervene
From range by directly countering his vibrations with ones in antiphase.

an evil minion in trouble is still a person in trouble

And a hero always helps those in need.

that's right

After placing my bag of groceries on the ground beside a wall (please don't get stolen), I put on my goggles and my gloves and take a deep breath. Gotta keep a clear head, this is an unknown Branch user.

Two unknown Branch users.

Anyways, this kid was able to hear Irene coming from really far away so clearly there's at least -some- overlap in our abilities. Better keep that in mind. But I've been in this game for four years, and I won't be outdone by some punk kid.

justice is on our side

Damn straight.

>[1/?]

>>34552437
>Intervene

>>34552617
Well the boy has some kinf of earth powers... and might be able to detect people by pressure they put on ground, since he specifically referred to footsteps.

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>>34552617
Gotta love the justice boner

And I just had a thought, tecnically Lorelei is our inner voice's "mother" because she was the one who gave him to us

>>34552672
What if we're a natural branch and Lorelei didn't exist all along!?

>>34552705
Go home Shamalama, you're drunk

>>34552705
Spooky

>>34552705
I'm not saying it was aliens, but...

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>>34552617
>[2/2]

"Wh- what are you doing, kid!?" Irene shouts.
"What'd I just say!?" the kid laughs. "Imma test my superpowers out on you! And lucky me, the first one I play with is a cute girl with huge boobs!"
"I know that it's exciting to have a Branch and all, but you really shouldn't attack random people... that's a quick route to having the authorities come down on you."
"What, like the police? I wasn't scared of them BEFORE I got my powers, what makes you think that I'll be scared of them now!?"

The rumbling's getting louder...


>try and cancel the rumbling and make a flashy heroic entrance
>try to get a sneak hit in

>>34552745
>>try and cancel the rumbling and make a flashy heroic entrance
JUSTICE!

>>34552745
>try to get a sneak hit in

>>34552745
>try and cancel the rumbling and make a flashy heroic entrance

>>34552745
>try and cancel the rumbling before sneaking in a hit

>>34552745
>try to get a sneak hit in
>use something to hit him from afar if possible
His branch is earth-based, which means that trying to cancel the rumbling would only remove the noise and he will detect us running if we move towards him.

>>34552745
>>try and cancel the rumbling and make a flashy heroic entrance

>writing

>>34552745
>that pic

So we're in Colorado?

The rumbling of the ground's getting even louder, now it sounds and feels like there's an entire convoy of semi trucks rolling down the street.

"This is your last chance to cut this out, kid," Irene says as she slowly crouches down. "I don't factor age into account when assessing a Branch-related threat."
"That's just fine with me," the kid laughs. "It's no fun if you don't fight back! But don't worry, I'll let you survive long enough to tell you that it was the power of-"

The end of his sentence goes unheard. Along with the rumbling of the ground, Irene's low growling, and even the sound of the wind itself.


>[1/?]

>>34552981

Josh, you idiot! He might have told us his Branch!

>>34552999
who cares? he's a) new b) not gumo-gumo

>>34552981

This trick never fails to throw people completely off... having an entire sense taken away like this is always traumatic. Irene's backing away slowly while her eyes dart around in all directions in hopes of figuring out what just happened to the sound, and the boy in his stupid hat?

He's a total mess right now. Just what I wanted.

Dashing in from the side, I draw my fist back and swing as hard as I can at the kid's face. If I do this right, I can knock him out with a single punch.

CRACK

>[2/?]

>>34553056
>CRACK
That's not a good sound...

>>34553056
the sound of fingers breaking

>>34553056
>[3/3[

My hand punches right through... a thin sheet of rock?

"Th... the fuck are you!?" the boy shouts, pointing at me while trying to scramble back to a safe distance at the same time.
"Just a concerned citizen passing through," I reply as I dust off the rock bits off of my gloves.

Thank God they're armored.

"I take it that you're the one who blew up the building that they've been talking about on the news all day?" I ask.
"And what if I am?" the boy asks, having pulled himself back together. "You wanna fight?"
"If it comes to it," I reply, cracking my knuckles. "Though I don't really like the idea of beating on a little kid.
"Fuck you, I'm fourteen!" he shouts as the ground starts rumbling again.

napoleonic complex?

"My name's Eric and now I'm gonna kill you with my Basaltic Dominion!" he shouts as the road beside him starts to ripple like the surface of water. "And then EVERYONE'LL know how badass I am!"


>take the girl and run
>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out
>ask for Irene's help in fighting this guy

>>34553181
>ask for Irene's help in fighting this guy

>>34553181
>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out
Gotta teach this punkass kid a lesson. And show off for the qt

>>34553181
>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out
He's probably not the one, but if we run now we won't know that.

>>34553181
>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out

>>34553181
>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out

>>34553181
>>I don't think I can run away from this, time to fight it out
We're too into Hero stuff to realize we could even ask for help.

>>34553181
>Eric

"Respect mah autoritay!"

>ask for Irene's help in fighting this guy

>>34553181
>ask for Irene's help in fighting this guy

An alliance of convenience seems appropriate. Use our own powers to fuck with Eric, we probably can't directly cancel his earth manipulation with our wave manipulation, but we ought to be able to weaken or redirect his attacks to give us and Irene and easier time.

Also, we know his Branch, are more experienced than him, he doesn't know much of anything about our Branch and also has no idea what Irene can do, so he'll probably make mistakes or panic pretty quickly.

>>34553181
>ask for Irene's help in fighting this guy

>writing

I went to bed, woke up, and this thread is still rolling

>>34553391
Same here

the cold stone which flows like blood

Nice descriptor. This seems pretty straightforward, though... this kid's an Elemental-type like me, and it looks like he can control the ground or whatever.

But he's just a little kid, all I have to do is get past his defenses and take him out.

"Hey, get back!" I say, glancing back at Irene. "This is dangerous!"
"Hey, you're that guy from the-" Irene points at me. "That's how you pulled that trick with the sound, you're a-"
"We can talk later!" I cut her off. "Now get back, I can handle this little punk!"
"...if you say so..."

Reluctantly, Irene backs away while I get ready to fight this little "Eric" kid.

"Playing hero just so she'll let you touch her boobs later?" Eric taunts. "Well go ahead and dream, but you're not gonna be able to do much of anything once I'm done with you!"

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>>34553423
"My heart belongs to someone else!"

>>34553423
Some big words from a little guy.

And now it is time the Quest's first proper battle scene that doesn't involve losing control and trying to murder everything.

Unlike Princess Guard, I am completely forgoing the use of dice in this quest because dice a shit and I really hate the idea of leaving character successes purely up to chance.

Instead, I'm going to try using GARdian's thing that he uses for DXQ.

Basically, it's a rock-paper-scissors thing. There are three types of attacks:

>Strike
>Strikes are fast, precision based attacks. Any attack which seems like it may rely on overwhelming speed or pinpoint accuracy is likely a Strike. As a general rule of thumb, most mundane small arms fire is considered a Strike. Strikes defeat Crashes, but are defeated by Guards.

>Crash
>A Crash is a highly telegraphed, but extremely powerful blow. Any attack which seems to rely mostly on the brute strength or overwhelming force is likely a Crash. As a general rule of thumb, most thrown objects, like trees or boulders, are considered Crashes. Crashes defeat Guards, but are defeated by Strikes.


>Guard
>A Guard is a defensive posture or evasive stance which is used to set up a counter-blow. Any attack which appears as if it could be a feint, focuses on counterattacks, or which seems to be a stalling tactic is likely to be a Guard. Guards defeat Strikes, but are defeated by Crashes.


Every time you get a hit in, you gain a point of Advantage. The first to get three points, be it you or the opponent, is the winner.

>>34553488
When do we start getting special attacks?

>>34553488

Holy shit, you're still going? Did your birthday correspond with an increase in Constitution?

>>34553488
The other dude is obviously a Crasher so we shall
>Strike!

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>>34553488

>>34553488
Strike seems to play to our strengths, hit him where it hurts

>>34553488
>Strike

>>34553488
STRIIIIIIIKE!

>>34553488
Fuck you arch it's like 5 in the morning let me go to sleep.
Anyways,
>Strike

>>34553537
It's 2 in the afternoon, silly

>>34553512
>>34553519
>>34553521
What happens is that arch writes a post detailing the guy's attack, which we use to decide which kind of the three options he is using. We then select to use the option which counters his actions.

So for now we wait for the guy to make his move.

Has /tg/ been good at this combat system in DXQ?

I don't follow it because it's a bit 2weeb4me and the MC is unlikable as hell.

Though the main reason is all that catching up to do.

>>34553548
But it's 10pm at night!

clear mind

you have this

"I'mma beat you and then I'mma beat the titty girl and then I'mma take over the city!" Eric shouts as the entire length of sidewalk lifts out from the ground and coils around him like a giant concrete snake. "My power's the BEST and the COOLEST and it's got no limits!"
"You seem to be kinda drunk on power, kid," I say, backing away from him.
"And you seem to be a giant pussy bitch!"

Far faster than it should be able to, the sidewalk snake uncoils from around Eric and careens sirectly for me.

>strike
>crash
>guard

>>34553594
>>strike

>>34553594
>>strike
Oh boy here we gooo!

>>34553572
Depends on the author's writing, though DXR has generally been able to explain what is what. Things got more difficult when specials were introduced, but other than that it's been mainly straightforward with a few exceptions. I think there was one time where a series of ineffectual blows was misinterpreted as a Strike when in actuality the enemy was just stalling for time, making it a Guard.

Can't say how these players will do, though.

>>34553594
>strike

>>34553594
>strike

>>34553594
>Far faster

>guard

>>34553594
>strike

>>34553594
Looks like a Crash at first glance, but
>Far faster than it should be able to
has me suspicious.

Regardless,
>Strike
which at worst will result in a cross-counter.

>>34553594
>>strike

>writing

>>34553488
being a stone elemental-type he probably has a good guard.
I say CRASH!

>>34553617
I haven't seen this system before, but I guess we can count as a plus that it totally ignores power levels. Even if we go against BBEG we statistically have 50/50 win/lose chance.

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>>34553724

>>34553724
Please refer to >>34553550. We're basically playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, except that we get a hint what he's using.

>>34553594
guard

Is it an archelon thing or a quest thing that all the bad guys are retards?

I mean, it's sort of cute and cheesy, but it's really noticeable.

>>34553737

I guess the BBEG has special moves/need more to be taken down.

If we want in a friendly spar against Gregory there's no way arch would give us equal chances. It wouldn't be consistent with the powerlevels presented.

>>34553737
Not necessarily. In one fight, the BBEG for the arc kept churning out specials, dicking us over by, for instance, limiting our options by preventing a certain types of attack or counting as two in one (which necessitated deliberate cross-counters). In the end, be used one which prevented basic attacks, which we had to counter with our own special.

Basically, it's all cool till special attacks come in. Then shit starts getting out of hand.

sidewalk serpent

get it, it's like a special attack

Though the... -sidewalk serpent- is fast, its movements are easy to predict since it's still just a giant slab of concrete. And so, I leap to the side just before it crashes down where I was standing, the sheer weight of the blow driving it several feet into the ground.

While it struggles to free itself, I clench my fist and punch the slab of rock as hard as I can, matching its harmonic frequency with my own shockwave and sending fractures spidering through its entire length.

Breaking up concrete is like the first thing I did when learning how to screw around with harmonic resonance, this is NOTHING to me at all.

"Y..." Eric growls as he draws the remaining two-thirds of his creation back before I can break it too. "you little bitch, how the hell'd you DO that!?"
"With the hammers of justice," I reply with my most assholish grin.

should have said it's a magic


>[1/2]

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>>34553811
>The feeling of dissapointment when you think it's a new update, but it turns out just to be Archelon's spellchecking OCD

>>34553811
>[2/2]

"Makin' fun of me..." Eric growls as the sidewalk coils round him. "Well how about you try THIS!"

The fault lines that I punched into the snake spread even more, traveling along its entire length like cracks in a broken window. Once they've made it all the way down, the cracked portion in front... it starts peeling apart until there are now TWO sidewalk serpents for me to deal with.

"Try breaking both of them at once, you asshole!" Eric shouts as the two snakes wind around him before darting at me. With half the weight of the original snake to deal with, these ones fly at me twice as fast.

Oh god damn it, they're spinning around like drills too.


>strike
>crash
>guard

>>34553900
>strike

>>34553900
Looks like a strike, so
>guard

>>34553900
Looks like he's Striking, with unnecessary flourish I might add, so let's
>Guard
with equal flamboyance.

>>34553900
>guard
An obvious strike.

>>34553900
>guard

>>34553900
>Guard

Kinda feels like a tutorial encounter, but that's ok.

>writing

>>34553959
Looking at all the "He seems like a Crash kinda guy, let's Strike!" posts, it's hard to deny that it's necessary. Though I suppose it wasn't immediately apparent from arch's explanatory post that each update would be a new attack.

Wait a moment...
>he draws the remaining two-thirds of his creation back before I can break it too
>With half the weight of the original snake
Ya dun goofed turtle

cement serpent cyclone

Even if my timing is absolutely perfect, I'll end up with holes in my hands if I try punching these things to death. And I don't think I'd be able to kick them aside either since their entire lengths are spinning like that.

Trying something a little bit different, I back away until I find a nice solid piece of ground, and...

STOMP

With a little bit of frequency tuning, I manage to practically explode the top layer ground beneath me, sending a nice smokescreen of gravel and dust into the air. And since I don't need my eyes to see, I'm not disadvantaged the way that I'm sure Eric is.

Plus, I'm wearing goggles.

With his aim shot, I easily manage to sidestep his snake drills and they end up crashing into each other while trying to attack where I -was- standing.

Moron.

>[1/2]

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>>34553811
>"With the hammers of justice,"

I like Joshua more and more.

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>>34554108

>>34554078
>[2/2]

Trying to take advantage of my impromptu cover as best I can, I sprint towards where Eric is standing at while cancelling the shock from my footsteps just in case he wises up.

But -just- as I'm in range, the smoke starts to clear and the little shit's eyes nearly bug out of his head as he scrambles backwards, causing my punch to just barely miss.

Crying out like the scared baby he is, Eric pulls all the remaining sidewalk around him (and part of the street, too) into a shell.


>strike
>crash
>guard

>>34554142
>crash
ora!

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>>34554139

Obligatory.

>>34554142
>crash

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>>34554142
CRASH

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>>34554142
>CRAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

>>34554142
Blatant Guard.
>Crash
that shit.

Try not to kill him, though. He's just a kid, after all.

>>34554161
>andreasduringtheattack.jpg

>>34554167
What? No, we need to kill someone that dangerous.

say it

No.

c'mon, say it

He's not worth it.

what's the point of having attack names if you're not gonna say them

With a roar, I send my fist crashing right down on the stone shell that Eric formed around himself... and then I channel the sound of my roaring through my fist and into the rock.

howl of jericho

Irene might not go easy on little kids, but I'm a good guy so I hold off just short of breaking any of his bones along with the stone shell. Unconscious should be good enough, I think.


>[1/?]

Just so you all know, I'm fairly certain there's a branch that just lets you hard-boil eggs with your mind. And nothing else.

>>34554142
>crash

>>34554178

I think killing a kid that you managed to overpower make you a villain, Anon.

>>34553488
this reminds me of the dual system from the suikoden games

>>34554190
>[2/2]

As the stone shell crumbles and my unconscious opponent comes spilling out like the yolk of a broken egg, I breathe a sigh of relief. Though I'm not happy that I ended up exposing my identity to Irene, I did manage to beat a dangerous little psychopath without getting a single injury on my...

...side...

what's wrong

"The air..." I choke out as I fall to my knees. "...the hell, I can't br..."

choking?

"on't kno..."

Is Irene the one doing this!?

No, she's collapsed in the grass.


>attack
>run
>get irene

>>34554246
>get irene

>>34554246
>Get Irene

>>34554246
>attack
Even if we manage to escape with Irene, we kill the kid by proxy. The only chance we have is to stop whoever's doing this.

>>34554246
>get irene

>>34554246
If (s)he created a vacuum around us we are pretty much completely powerless

>>34554246
>>attack

>>34554246
>>get irene

>writing

>>34554309
Sound can also be transmitted through non-gaseous mediums, like the ground for instance. At the moment, we mainly have to prevent ourselves from passing out from asphyxiation.

>>34554355
MIght also be some other gas that is heavier than air and pushing it aside.

But it is probably someone creating a vacuum.

run! someone's trying to capture you, you need to run!

"No..." I choke out. "Gotta make... ...ene..."

Evil minion or not, she's a clear victim in all this. And what kind of hero would I be if I up and ditched her? For all I know, she's the target of whoever's doing this!

Gasping for breath all the way, I hug the ground and crawl my way over to Irene. She's completely unconscious now, and I don't even... shit.

Somehow, I manage to flop her onto my back and then make for the nearrest safe direction. I don't know who's doing this, I can't feel anything from the ground and the goddamned air is barely even carrying sound any...

...more...

Shit, so this is how it ends?


>[1/?]

>>34554380
The thing is that if we were in a vacuum, it should be immediately apparent, since we wouldn't be able to hear any external sounds. Especially since Josh has super hearing, it should be pretty obvious to him.

So I'm thinking that someone has either infused a choking agents into the air, removed all the oxygen from it, or stopped the movement of the air in our lungs entirely. And I'm not sure how to counter any of those.

>>34554403
It didn't hit us until we knocked out Eric

>>34554403
Yeah unless sound power has some weird hax uses, it can't do much against indirect attacks as such.

>>34554403
>didn't see update until after I hit post
Welp, I take it back. Probably a soft vacuum. In which case a pressure wave though the surrounding air to force it towards us should work as a temporary measure, if we're able to do that sort of thing.

>>34554388

get up

get up, joshua! if you die, who will look after your mother! you finally got that lead on who hurt her, are you just going to lie down and give up!? what kind of hero does that!? if you're going to die, die on your feet!

and what about lorelei!? i thought you wanted to marry her!

damn it, I didn't support you for four years only for it to end like-

Trying.

It's hurts like hell, but I can almost breathe. A little bit.

My lungs are on fire, though.

air

someone's controlling the air

Yeah, I figured as much. I still need to get out of here first... and get Irene to safety too. But as I attempt to get to my feet, I look over at where Eric fell... who the hell is that?


>[2/?]

>>34554444
> a challenger appears!

>>34554444
>Quads with 4s
Nice

>>34554476
4 is related to death in nippon land

>>34554403
Or we're being strangled by someone unnoticeable

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>>34554444
>[3/3]

A guy who looks like he's somewhere around my age leans over Eric and reaches for him.

"Damn it, you little moron..." he sighs. "I told you not to go out until you got better control over your Branch, and then you go and get yourself beaten up."

Is this the guy who's screwing with the air?

"Hm?" he turns to me. "Oh, so you're still conscious. That's pretty impressive, you have my congratulations!"
"...ho..."
"Oh, sorry about the air," he says, scratching his head like he's embarrassed. "I've only had this 'Branch' thing for a few days now... what was it called again? Ah!" he snaps his fingers. "'Divine Breath,' that's it!"

And then he leans down and slings Eric's unconscious body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Don't worry, I'll put everything back once my brother and I are safe," he says, waving to me. "Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime!"

And with that. the two of them just... float away.

>>34554527
>Brothers
>Both have powers

Gentlemen, I think we know who has the book.

>>34554527
Eh looks like the city is getting packed with branch users. I wonder just how many books are making their rounds, total.

>>34554527
No! At least let Irene wake up...
inb4 next thread is PGQ

>>34554527
oi
come back 'ere ya cheeky cunt
i'll back yer fukin' 'ead in i swear on me mum

>>34554527
they have the book, time to hunt

And at long last, I put this thread to rest.
Though it was a slow starter, I thought it eas pretty fun in the end. And we got to an actual fight, too!

The next thread will probably be Tuesday night, and I'll be running Princess Guard.


and now for questions if you hsve any

>>34554582
When are the current Joshua-thread in CC's timeline?

>>34554582
What are the odds of Joshua being NTR'd?

>>34554582
>So, are all branch personalities exaggerated versions of the emotional state the branch holder has when getting a seed /shortly after?

>>34554626
I don't think Cecile was an obsessive murderer before she got her branch.

>>34554559
We have no idea how many books went out.

So far the only ones we know of are Theresa's, Mina's, and now these kids.

>>34554663
Have you seen her temper? That one chick upset her and, completely seperate from her branch, she blinded her ass. CC has a temper.

>>34554601
>When are the current Joshua-thread in CC's timeline?
I'm not going to give definites because of Reasons, but this bit takes place not too much before the main Quest.

>>34554619
>What are the odds of Joshua being NTR'd?
Questionable.

>>34554626
>>So, are all branch personalities exaggerated versions of the emotional state the branch holder has when getting a seed /shortly after?
No.


And now I shall FINALLY go to sleep. Thanks for playing!

for further questioning:
http://ask.fm/Maou_Zenigame

>>34554722
Thanks for running, looking forward to whatever you'll be running next

>>34554663
As I remember the evening before she got her branch, Cecile saw her sister with a guy and didn't like it. Would have fit if she wanted to have her sister to herself and 'remove' the guy. Of course Cecile wouldn't murder people, that's where the exaggeration comes from.

>>34554722
>No.
That was too easy an answer.

Still, I think it's close:
>Theresa: Sad, feels alone, falls in love with Cecile.
Branch loves Cecile, tries to do what Theresa wants, but has no(?) inhibitions. Is about "not being there".

>Charlotte
People tell her she is a demon. Branch behaves like that demon, is malevolent and murderous.

>Cecile
See above.

Of course these are all only guesses and probably 80% wrong.

>>34554722
Thanks for the thread.

>>34554777
>Joshua
Becomes hero of justice who names his attacks