is the knife I passed by on the patio stairs by the KO'd giffany still there? can I compare that to the alan wound

Allegedly, Hustler didn't get to anyone tonight. This is good, as long as it's the truth. I hate to say it, but it's not because I could stop them. I'll say it again for everyone, stay the hell away while you can.

I woke up in a cold sweat last night. We're coming up to the boiling point here, and I had to stop Hustler before it was too late. I saw someone in a labcoat go into Shuttle 2, and flew to the Orange Zone™ to look for a set of handcuffs, and 23. Most of the stuff in Counter Terrorism was missing, though. I found what I needed, at least, and left to see Nancy. She was just standing there, smiling at me. No time to chat (not like she'd have anything nice to say lately) so I go upstairs.

I grab some Paint out from the Boiler Room and exit through the Sleep Lab to find 23 headed for the Survey Dorms. Seems like he geared up to take on Hustler as well. All the better, means I don't have to beg.

Spoiler: Show

We go for the Dorm Rooms. Hustler isn't here, but Looob is. Before I can even draw, 23 is on him. I don't know if you've ever seen the guy fight, but... it's amazing. I wonder if he can teach me to move like that. I didn't have time to get any photos before the brutalizing stopped. I assumed it was dead, and we decided to head for the Director's Office, since Hustler seems to hole up in there nowadays.

In the Office, there seems to be some kind of... ritual going on in there? Or something. There's tons of flowers and symbols carved into the walls. The room also smelled like the inside of a workshop or something, like there was gasoline everywhere. Hustler stood in the center. There wasn't time for any snide remarks this time before 23 attacked. The fight barely lasted ten seconds before I realized Hustler had a lighter in their hand. 23 managed to protect me from the initial blast of flames while we tried to run for the secret elevator, but Hustler closed the door before we could get through.

...You know, for being part ancient warrior or whatever, Hustler kind of sucks at the whole "Valor in Battle" thing.

23 and I go for the Service Elevator next in an attempt to chase them down. We end up in the Lost City Outpost, but nobody's here. We give it a second, but once we realize they're gone, I suggest we try and protect the Seal before Gus can get to it.

On our way to the Occultic Seal, we see Tinkaton carving a memoriam to Dodo into a rock. She tells me that the Seal door has been converted into Dodo's library portal. Should be safe, for now. While we had her here, I suggested we attempt to Seance for Stella. Tinkaton agreed, and 23 offered to keep watch with us, in case Hustler came back and tried anything.

The seance was... uneventful. It worked, for one thing, so we know she's not coming back... She couldn't answer the bulk of my questions about Simon, Astrid, or the Codex, either. She seems to have died before the founding of the BPI, and before Astrid's condition got any better. She was happy to hear she's alright, said to pass on she loves her. "If she's anything like me, I'm sure she's doing great."

...My condolences, Astrid.

I suggested she try to go and see her daughter, but she was apprehensive. Didn't know how to get around, especially not with all the killings going on. I think she just tried to take Tinkaton back to her room, with 23's help. They leave through the Lost City Outpost, I broke off to use the Service Elevator and get up to that big red button.

While I was in the Power Room, I saw someone use the elevator to go back down. "Fuck it," I thought to myself, "If they're stuck in the elevator, they can't die in the basement." K-chunk, power off. The elevator stopped, so... sorry. I figured a full reset of the facility power might shock the Radio Tower back to life outside. On my way back up and out, I saw Dexter on the shuttle platform. My plan for tonight was to run someone over with the thing, so I figured now's the time. Hopefully no hard feelings, considering the state of the night. He got the better of me with his gun, anyways.

He leaves via shuttle, I go through the Receiving Bay. There's a bloody knife in the break room, too. Dunno if that's important, but I didn't want to touch it just in case. I made my way out into the forest towards the Radio Tower, which was kind of burnt to shit once I got there. Someone in a Gas Mask was there to greet me, saying some shit about gold investments. They had a Breaching Axe, too, which they used to run me off. Not an anomaly, whoever it was. I wasn't feeling up to a brawl in the woods so I just left to go to sleep.

Poke through Alan Wake's room. Where's his typewriter, and was anything written with it?

In the world of business, there is one thing I cannot tolerate. Moreso than any other economical sin. I am talking, of course, about ignorance. Intentionally turning a blind eye to the truth. Desecration of salvation. So, when I awoke last night, having been kidnapped by a violent ape, I of course knew how to deal with its ill intent. Frankly, it should consider itself lucky to be alive. I did warn you all.

And, don't worry about all this... blood. It's not mine.

I prepared my office for expansion last night. Of course, there were setbacks. The Hunter and his backstabbing friend saw it fit to destroy more of my hard work. They can't kill me, yet they still writhe with anger. Collateral damage ensues. More losses. They could have taken the deal. Many others did.

Do not worry. My friends are alive, so all is forgiven. You'll get more chances to play nice.

---

My public facing sector has diminished, sure. In private, however... words churn themselves into deals behind closed doors. Marketing folds inward on itself. Recruitment ceases. Production engages. A precipice beckons. Cease your worrying.

I'm fighting, not with you, but for you. Consider my perspective. We all find ourselves in a pit, an abyss - we are all thrashing and kicking and screaming, literally killing each other while waiting for someone to throw down a ladder, sinking further into this dark ritual. Not even realising the scale of our misery. Now, here I am. In the abyss, with you, knowing the danger and the despair. I'm trying to pull you all out, at enormous cost to myself, and you return the favour by fighting me at every turn. Yet, I keep on going. In many cultures, this is known as love.

Read that again. Think about it.

I see those negative reactions. Stop it. It disrupts my Mojo. Please. Please. Please

Real quick check of the Boathouse and the Boiler Room.

And I'm going to wander through the forest until I can find that relay building. Seems pretty important to the case at this point.

You check the Boathouse first. The only thing immediately notable about this place is that there's vomit all over the floor. As for the Boiler Room... upon entering, you are hit with a metallic, burning smell. Within the boiler's burner sits a hunk of melted metal. You are unsure what else you can find in these areas with a cursory glance.

You then go to wander through the Black Forest, except... it doesn't take long to find the relay station. Along the way, you find a path lit by large lamps mounted to the bordering trees, now shining bright after regaining power. You follow the trail, eventually reaching the clearing housing the relay station and the chasm. The relay station is now rendered a burned-out husk of a building, though the equipment surprisingly remains functional, with the large radio tower protruding from the earth now adorned with a red, blinking light.

Underneath the torched floor, you see that a hatch has been revealed.

Tinkaton may as well check her CCTV footage.

You sit everyone down to watch your CCTV video. You observe as your footage sees Pea leaving the Chapel, then you sit through several uninterrupted hours of an empty room. After a while, Dexter gets annoyed and just fast forwards to the end.

is the knife I passed by on the patio stairs by the KO'd giffany still there? can I compare that to the alan wound

You check the Patio stairs, finding a bloody steak knife from the Kitchen. Picking it up, you compare it to Alan's wound. It does not seem particularly fit the profile of the wound, being too long and not sharp enough. Even through the decomposition you are fairly certain the wound was not serrated.

Poke through Alan Wake's room. Where's his typewriter, and was anything written with it?

You check out Alan's room, finding only his typewriter and Barry the seal. While the latter munches on his pillow, you sit down in front of his typewriter. It appears to be a normal typewriter in every way. You give it a try and find that it at least functions as a typewriter.

Next to it, is a sheet of paper...

Spoiler: Show

Hey, Mr. Black Scribe. Is the one people are calling "Nyarlathotep" part of your game, and part of last night's motive?

You're asking me? Ahahaha.... No.

I care not of the title you may have ascribed to it. The creature that lurks below both draws from the same power as I do and possesses an intricate knowledge of the ritual in various forms. I am unable to affect him in any greater measure - nor would I be successfully able to kill that which consists of magic and nothing else.



And yet, he works against my grand cause. A pity. He would have made a wonderful disciple, should he have stayed his destined course.

Pull whatever's in the Boiler out so we can examine it properly. We got oven mitts, right?
Dunno if we can figure out what it might've been, but I'll sure try.

This post was last modified: Jun 1, 2024 at 12:20 AM by Riki.

Arboretum and Boathouse vomit look alike?
Riki also wonder if lithium foil in Chem Lab, and if skelly costume in Boiler Room...

This post was last modified: Jun 1, 2024 at 12:43 AM by Columbo.

Check out the hatch underneath the relay building, bring a flashlight and rope and slooowly go down it, the whole way.

City Outpost door break? Gus go in, but card say only Access II. Too little for City.

Oh, the writer asshole and the crimson eye asshole are dead. Tinkaton certainly cares.

Tinkaton had two missions when she woke up; protecting the occultic seal...and killing Riki. Why him, exactly? If she had to attempt, she may as well go for the night of protection. And of her four possible targets, Alan was too obvious, she respects Giffany for killing a Crimson Eye, and despite everything she's loyal to her friends so she wasn't going to kill the one person that likes her, so football boy was simply her only option. Nothing personal. She might do it again.

And so she woke up, shotgun in hand, and headed out to the lobby, with Ciel leaving her dorm around the same time. The latter was visibly nervous around Tinkaton when they boarded the elevator, which is nothing new to her. The shotgun probably didn't help. Regardless, they went down together, and into the control department, where Ciel moved on to the jail. Tinkaton saw Nancy standing by the desks, and went to chat her up...to the best of her ability, anyway. Nancy was...off, though. She was singing Hustler's praises the entire time, and telling her to trust them, but the way she went about it was...creepy. Very unusual for her.

The goblin's going to have to try to figure something out.

As the two finished up, Nashu came from the lobby and into counter-terrorism. Nancy went back to her spot as Tinka searched a couple of nearby rooms she could enter for a kill opportunity, and then again searching for the football in the KG lab area. Though he wasn't there, she did see Lyra leaving and heading to the control department, and Nancy entering the director's office. She then made her way to the receiving bay and took the elevator down.

She arrived at the observation room and made her way to the occultic seal, shotgun in hand. Standing right in front of the seal room, though...was Riki, just staring at her. She was PLANNING to sneak up on him and blast him in the back of whatever his head was, then dispose of the body, but he was just...there. Shrugging, she just shot in the chest several times. This did very little. Turns out he had on a bulletproof vest or something, so he tanked the gunshots. They ended up just awkwardly staring at each other before he just left to go do Riki things and she went to protect the seal.

...Except Riki must have had Dodo's stupid key so she found herself in the library maze instead. With a sigh, she started looking for a way out, eventually hearing someone's footsteps...after they heard her own, though, they started running away. She chased after them for a bit, but lost them. Eventually she found the door back to where she came from and got out of there.

A little dazed, she paused to catch her breath for a minute, and just sat down to play with the rocks. She will not elaborate further. After a couple minutes, Morgan and 23 came from the outpost, and asked her to try to bring back Stella. With a sigh, she complied, trusting that neither of them would do anything stupid. She closed her eyes and began to try channeling Stella...

...And it worked. Tinkaton's spirit was essentially asleep during the seance, so she has no knowledge of what happened during Stella's revival. According to Morgan and 23, they tried to interrogate her for a while, but didn't really get the answers they were hoping for. Eventually they left, and Morgan headed off while 23 escorted Stella to Tinkaton's room to wait for the seance to end. Along the way, they allegedly passed by a gorilla, and Tinkaton inexplicably turned into one herself. She should say that she trusts that 23 and Morgan are more than likely telling the truth here, and that this is probably what really did happen, but she cannot confirm herself.

She did indeed however wake up in her room though, and as she prepared for bed...she was very upset to find out that she had somehow turned into a gorilla. Please change her back.

...I was gonna be an asshole and just not say anything, but I've been watching this whole thing go down - and I'm fucked if I don't say anything. Yeah, sure. It's easy to just come out there and say you didn't kill anyone, but I didn't. I came close. Some fuckface tried to kill ME, but I'm in the clear.

Probably. See, the thing is... I don't really give a shit one way or the other if you guys catch the "proper" killer for this asshole crimbo janitor. But I'll admit, I tried to beat his ass. Almost got mine beat in return. The uh... nature of the ass-beating though might in turn lead to you guys turning around and subsequently beating mine once and for all.

So, you know. I'll talk, before this gets dangerous. For me.



Oookay. So, you know those knives you've been finding everywhere? Yeah, that's me. See, I was thinking when this whole thing rolled around. Old bastard seems like he can take a lot of damage, and I needed something that could do a lot of damage. I started thinking back, to Season 3, Episode 4 - A Knife Day to Die. The bad guy in that one was basically covered with knives. Was killing people, pretending to be a ghost and hugging them to death. Probably for the better we got some new writers after that point, but what can I say? I got inspired.

Figured a lot of stab wounds would maybe do the trick, but I wasn't about to dress myself in a knife suit like some kind of schizo. Instead, I figured I'd do the next best thing and secure a bunch of knives to one of those big pizza paddle things. Like a beat meat tenderizer. Used some tape, some cling wrap to keep blood off. That was the first thing I did after starting off in the lounge, though that Walmart John guy ran past me into the Kitchen first.



I thought he was supposed to be dead, but man I don't know anymore.

He left, so I headed in. Strapped various knives to a big paddle, taped them on. Pea showed up though, and we had a chat. Told him I wouldn't kill him, got the same reassurance in turn. Had a couple drinks, then he headed out. Finished up my thing, then headed out myself. Took a garbage bag too, for transportation.

The janitor said something about that Communications room, so I took the service elevator downstairs. It's like the fucker was waiting for me though, he was right there when I came out. Old fucker is tough as nails, but I tried to whack him good. Got a couple good hits in with my janky weapon, but I had to run back into the elevator eventually. Guy does NOT go down, no matter how many knives you hit him with.



Anyway, I went out to the Patio after that. Around there, I started to just drop my knives around. Rip 'em off the paddle and leave them around. I noticed you guys get hyperfocused on random weapons, so I wanted to be a bit of an asshole. Save my own skin. Riki saw me ditch the paddle when I came up the stairs, but I didn't think that was a big deal.

I remembered that the Communications thing said something about a relay station, so I figured I could maybe try a Plan B. Just pop him in the head, dump a bullet in his brain when he comes out here. Except, I ended up getting lost. I was always shit at navigating spooky woods, you can ask my producer. I actually thought I found the fucker at one point though - except... it was the bear.

Yeah, less said about that, the better.



As it turns out, these peashooters the Bureau gives us? Yeah, useless against large wildlife. Didn't exactly come out of that unscathed, but I managed to get away. Ran deep into the woods, and I tripped over a fucking pallet jack. Who the FUCK leaves a PALLET JACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS? Are you KIDDING me?



...Well, whatever. After a random encounter with Nashu after that, I made it out eventually, back to the Patio. Headed back to the Shuttle station while dumping some knives, but before I could call the shuttle, that asshole Morgan tried to push me onto the tracks and run me over with the thing. Pointed my gun right at him before could hit the button though.

He can go ahead and try to run me down, but while this shit can't kill a bear, it'd take him down easy. He backed off though, so I headed back to the Lounge. Poured myself a ginger ale. Only other thing I did is catch back up with Hazel. I mean, look. I know she's a murderer. But the goose freaked me out, and I... just missed talking to someone else in the industry.



So yeah. I attacked the fucker. Bloodied him up. Whacked him with a bunch of knives. But I didn't kill him. He was seen after that, and I definitely didn't fucking burn him, and he was alive when I left. I still don't care about who killed him, but if it keeps my ass out of the fire, I'll come clean.

Steak knife still in Laser Hallway? Not like Dex-Dex knives, right?

Guess I better wander the woods for that pallet jack.

Pull whatever's in the Boiler out so we can examine it properly. We got oven mitts, right?
Dunno if we can figure out what it might've been, but I'll sure try.

You pull the lump of metal in the boiler out, using oven mitts to protect your hands. It appears to be a lump of aluminum, but you have no idea what it once was. There is a hole in the middle though, like a donut.

Arboretum and Boathouse vomit look alike?
Riki also wonder if lithium foil in Chem Lab, and if skelly costume in Boiler Room...

You check the vomit in both areas... You can't really tell. Man it's vomit. You don't think they came from the same person at least, and neither of them were a souper.

Searching the Chem Lab, you do see some Lithium foil, though it is tucked away. You also find the Skeleton Costume in the Boiler Room, though it is tucked behind several cleaning chemical jugs to better hide it.

Check out the hatch underneath the relay building, bring a flashlight and rope and slooowly go down it, the whole way.

You walk out to the Relay Station and inspect the hatch. It is metal, and appears to be very old. You lift it open with a grunt and slip inside, landing with a thud on the ground. Clicking on your flashlight, you illuminate a dirt tunnel stretching forward and slanting downward. You trudge forward, walking for what feels like hours until suddenly the path begins to steeply slope downwards.

Your foot slips and you go tumbling down, sliding on your ass down the steep pathway as though it was a slide. You slide for… almost as long as you were walking, honestly, until you’re unceremoniously dumped through a crack in a cavern wall, ending up on the side of the Chasm with the Chaotic Seal doorway.

Standing up, you dust yourself off and head back up via the Mine Elevator.

City Outpost door break? Gus go in, but card say only Access II. Too little for City.

You inspect the Lost City Outpost door... The keycard reader sparks and pops, a plume of smoking emitting from it. It appears nonfunctional, and anyone can access the door.

Arcana Lab door also broke, or no sign of anything bad anywhere around?

Hello viewers, It's me Hazel Nolen reporting to you one final time after my death last week.

As recap for everyone joining in... I was sentence to death after killing a goose that could distort space and time. And I know what you're thinking... "But Hazel, don't people kill geese all the time?"

And the answer is yes. Most people do kill Geese for sport or special occasions such as Christmas dinner.... but when you do it with a click DVD it's apparently no longer 'Socially acceptable' as the kids say.

But that aside, death has been different but not terrible. My only regret was how I left things with Dexter.
We had a bond both being in show biz, and I played the man like a damn fiddle asking him to cover for me. I was no better the typical executives at the Studio... using people to say lies instead of what is real to cover the truth....

Now let me admit I have no desire to really help you folks... I appreciate you bringing me back so I can fix things with Dexter but....because of everyone here I died, had my body thrown in a fairy circle /lost for multiple days, and was overall left to rot in the elevator with no burial or any sign of respect... but as a reporter I owe you the Truth of what I saw tonight. And it all starts in the Elevator.

I opened my eyes and found myself in darkness, breathing was a task I had almost forgotten but thankfully not too difficult to remember. Now I'll be real with you all... I had one goal tonight. Find Dexter and clear the air between us before I go back to being... well dead. It's hard to want anything more when this is all just temporary after all. So I click the up arrow to escape the darkness.

As I leave the elevator I see someone in a miner looking outfit walking towards me. I don't really wanna mess with them so I do my best to avoid them and let them continue on. They exit into the elevator while I slowly slosh my way through the waterlogged Explosive Storage area and make my way out into the cool night air.

It was in this moment I realllllllllllllly remembered just how fucked I was. Here I stood with nothing but the clothing I died in... No weapon to defend myself with, no armor to protect myself with, and no bond points to give myself any sort of tactical benefit. If I DIED again before I had a chance to do the ONE thing I wanted to do I was going to RIOT.

So I made my way to the nearest area I could to find something to protect myself with / continue my quest to find the man I was looking for - the Auxilliary building.

I make my way into the geology lab moving slow and keeping my eyes open for any danger. As I feel things are safe I wonder into the chem lab, this is where I meet someone wearing a lab coat and gas mask. I can see they are holding a taser and seemingly advance towards me quite threateningly... so use my favorite nightly tactic and just get the hell out of there! Still no sign of Dexter so I head to the main building across the way.

I was suprise to find no one. Everything seemed exceptionally quiet... that is until I made my way to the sleep lab. It's here that I run into Pea. He jumps me from behind and attacks me with a knife - I manage to fight back as well as I can grabbing a jug close by and smacking his head before doing my favorite nightly activity of running away! I made my way downstairs and into familiar territory, as I walk I see a bloody steak knife on the ground by the Break Room.

Its not until I get to the Lounge do I find him. Sitting on the couch Dexter is hanging out drinking his usual glass of ginger ale. We talk for awhile about everything that went down. There is a lot to say but it ends in ...forgiveness.
[color=pink]

I give him a very PG-13 kiss on the cheek for helping ease my soul, and make my way to my old bedroom in the Research dorms. With that I head to sleep, ready to return to the afterlife when it beckons me.

There any shavings or anything we can tell are aluminum by the CNC machine?

Can we take a little sulfuric acid and splash the hand of Walmart John (Corpse)? How do the burns compare to Alan? How about to Gus, for good measure?

Does the trail from climate control look like the body moved from the climate control to into it?