Bodycheck pea he consented

Bodycheck pea he consented

You check Pea's body. He is carrying two handguns, a shock baton, and a rigging knife.

Alright, time to do lore checks. I have two files I wanna show off, so here's the Decompiling Esotera and the First Case files

...Hey, free knife.

What a thrilling case! I sure am glad there isn't any else important we have to do right now.

I'd like to present [Article: Whisper Valley Tragedy].

I will also present the, chronodisk I discovered last night! I believe it is a, Bureau training video?

This post was last modified: May 7, 2024 at 2:44 AM by Columbo.

Guess it all works out in the end.
Uh, here, I got an article from the Whisper Valley Times, and BPI-2967's file. Think it's better to overshare that last one before somebody tries to pull anything.

You kids have fun reading those, I'm going to go clean up all those pizza roll related messes I made so Spooks doesn't have to.

I would also like to check out the central seal room I discovered. Do the pipes on the walls have colors corresponding to the other seals? Which pipes are not functioning anymore?

Does anyone have high enough access to enter the room on the left side?

Once the dust has settled on the trial we have some exploring to do.

Sorry Nancy, I couldn't do much there. My plan backfired much more than I expected.

However, you've been silent. Moreso than before. I'm not seeing a happy smile on you no matter how I perceive it.

You're hiding something. I'm not sure if it's anything bad, but you're hiding something.

That photo we found. It's from a time where everyone didn't have a care in the world. Happy-go-lucky, oblivious of the events that would follow afterwards. Everyone has their good moments and bad moments. Chances are, the Nancy in this photo has been as happier as ever. I don't see that in the Nancy I see now. Obviously, because of all this, who wouldn't feel sad, depressed, angry, whatever? No, but also because of him.

You know who I'm talking about.

23, come clean or not, she seems to cherish you a lot. You've had wonderful chemistry together from what I've seen. Surely you recognize the man in the photo, right? Crowe, was it? She must be happy that memory is still around to be reminisced. Sometimes, it's all you need, like a pendant from a close friend, or a song you shared with them, to cling on to life and keep going, that maybe you can find a way to make it better, or even bring it all back to before it all began.

What about the director, in the back? Sinclair's his name, yeah? What's he doing there? He seems to be having a good time. Does he know something's about to happen, or perhaps...

...It's not about who's who.

Nancy, when was this photo taken? During a christmas party? Yes, but which one? How long has it been since you've clung on to this memory? What has happened between then and now?

What do you know about the Director? I don't expect much, but time's running short on this little game, and if we're getting out alive, it's better late than never to share any information you know about this man. You were close enough in this photo that you could simply speak with him if you wanted. Judging from it, he was only speaking about business matters.

And Crowe?.. It's fine. I don't need to know much. He's a great man... Or was he a great man? I'm not even sure I got his name right. Whatever. Unless you think otherwise, I don't think he plays a big enough role to all of this.

How do I know all of this? Well, enough snooping around gave me the opportunity to know lots about you, him, and perhaps everyone in this facility. I've been hiding this info just in case we had some bad actors snooping around. Fortunately, we seem to have done a good job at getting rid of them, so I'll take the risk to share what I have now.

That photo is, in my opinion, the most important piece of evidence we have to figure out so much about this facility. Take your time, or don't. I won't force you. And don't forget: As someone who knows how bad things can get, you've got to keep on going, no matter what. Admitting defeat is a fuckup greater than any other.

Now that the case if over, I'd like to present [Killing Games and Ritualistic Murders].

Oh, and let's take a peek behind the secret door in the Director's Office. Apparently people have been down there, but I'd like for it to be public. The password is Stella.

Is it possible to check out the roofs of these buildings?
And the Gate Houses. And the Checkpoint and Security Office.

You walk around the Facility Grounds, peering up at the various roofs. Climbing the mountain and reaching the Observatory, you see a lone figure sitting atop the building, alongside a still, unmoving shape. A place where a funeral was held many nights ago, a place now serving a similar purpose yet again.

You approach BPI-2300 as he stares off into the falling snows, unmoving. You give him a gentle nudge, and he slowly cranes his neck to face you.



...Ah, the sun is setting, I see.

I… hadn't noticed it had risen at all. How long… have I been seated in this place? This feeling… Despite the warmth of my robes holding fast against these chill winds, it’s as though I’ve been cast into the ice once more, death’s bitter fingers clawing at my veins as they once did in my earliest recollections..

Of course… that’s if that frigid feeling that I remember so well is even… real...



Dodo… my brother in blood and bone. The most valiant warrior I hath met, a soul brimming with righteous fervor and iron will. None in this accursed place could hope to compare. Yet… even he… torn asunder by the magicks of that blackened fiend…

…A proud death. A warrior’s death. The lethal blow that took his life, taken to defend his allies against the onslaught of that feline devil.

He was a hero, and a leader. One who united those he named “heteromorphs” and showed many that they could be more than merely the blasphemous numerals this Bureau hath assigned them. He would not want me to mourn his passing. I know not of his uncanny religion, but I believe that whichever hereafter it may hath ferried his soul unto, he is dining amongst the greatest warriors. No, I… do not mourn.

Rather, I am left troubled. He hath left me with more questions than answers.



He brought me… a file. My very own… file.

…I know not what to believe. This file, it claims my identity to be lies and falsehoods, implanted at the hands of my captors. He believes me to have been a researcher, working for the Bureau that now holds me captive. That… my memories are fabrications.

Dr. Crowe…



I expect that you lie in wait with bated breath for a revelation of great magnitude… Yet, I must confess. I… do not recall. My memories… they arrive sporadically, flickering as a candle’s flame. Yet I do not remember a name, and I do not remember a life. I merely recall fear, combat, and the burning of the blasphemer’s false light.

Brother Dodo offered me a choice, to choose between a narrative curated, and these supposed truths…

I… know not what to believe. Yet, the one thing I do know…







…Is that I shall curate my own tale. To pine for a life long past… That is not the way of the hunt.

I care not for who I was before, for whom this Dr. Crowe may be, or for the alliances he built amongst his cohort. I have fought mighty beasts, toppled veritable colossi with naught by the edge of my blade. I have gathered my own allies and brought the demon thought to have imprisoned us here to its knees, for a time.

I have defended a great tournament from those who seek to defile combat’s glory. I have assisted in the downfall of the fell interlopers that threatened this realm itself.



I have watched my friend die.

To surrender myself to the proposition that I am a mere man… is to abandon the ideals he fought for. That we fought for together. I need not be human to achieve personhood. I need not embrace a lost past to look towards my future.



I am "BPI-2300". I am the Hunter. And there is work to be done.

The Patridge woman. My handler. My… friend. I questioned her vote, upon the previous eve. It did not make sense, to allow the Seal to fall into the hands of an unknown party rather than a factor known to us. I had felt something awry indeed.

Now… I believe I know what it is. Through her very veins, the false light slithers. A parasite, a vile thing of blasphemy and sin donning the skin of a savior to amass strength through worship.



I do not remember what Brother Dodo may have hoped, yet I do remember that thing. Keep your distance from the woman, she is not herself. Merely another pawn in a monstrous game, whether she is aware of the circumstance or not.

…Whether by my own will, or by the final wish of the man she once knew, my path forward is clear now.



You. False prophet of a thousand sins.

I do not remember your face. I do not remember your deeds. But I remember what you are - and for her, and for the other ears to which you have whispered with your serpent’s tongue… mark my words.



Though your light may shine radiant and blinding, I shall extinguish your flame, once and for all.

This post was last modified: May 11, 2024 at 10:30 PM by DxHustler3000.

Oh. That's who you are.

Nancy and I have been collaborating - she was a recommended hire from Morgan, as were you, but she was more amenable to my offering. I've been protecting her from the darkness, keeping her safe and strong, in return for a single request that she side with me on the matter of breaking the Liturgic Seal. I asked no more of her, for her own safety. Perhaps I was too persuasive with her. For that, I'm... sorry. It was for the greater good.

Anyway, you can try. Hunt me down, tear my flesh asunder, reduce me to ash and clay. This is inadvisable. You felt what happened, that sting, when we simply brushed past each other at the Karaoke. You have an allergy, brave Hunter, to my very soul. To face me now is to face death - a mutual annihilation, tearing us both apart and leaving only one of us in a state to rebuild. And your life is worth more than my death. So please, reconsider.

I'm not a God, or a Prophet. Look at me. Look at where I am, how I got here. You don't recognise me, only the power I harness, for good reason - I'm not the enemy from your previous life. You and I are victims both of improper handling of the Holy Light. I can't let that happen again, and I don't consider you to be an enemy.

I am simply a business winner. A Hustler. And Hustlers will Negotiate.

---

My terms are simple, and reflect what I hope is a mutual desire for minimising damage and casualties. But I will start by describing your best case scenario.

You stay away from me for the rest of your life, and I will do the same. Neither of us will come to harm that way. I will take this truce in good faith, and terminate my contract with Nancy. This is something not easily done, and will come at a great personal cost. Understand that I am willing to put myself through this for the sake of a peaceful resolution.

I'll need a few things in return, of course.

Firstly - guarantees that I will survive the rest of my time here. This is non-negotiable.
Secondly - if I am to lose another employee, I will need a suitable replacement candidate. This will need to be agreed on before night falls upon us. I can detail the benefits package of joining my business if needs be. I suspect you all know how much I can offer you, already.
Thirdly - Phenera, my loyal friend and advisor. She must stay safe, and not be used as a tool to get through to me. She is so much more than a means to an end. I think this agreement is what she would want, but I will open the floor for her to suggest adjustments to this deal presently.

If an attempt is made on my life, I will call off any agreement we have. If I find that my friends have been killed, I will make it your problem. I can retaliate much faster than any of you could hope to kill me. Honour these terms, and we will thrive.

---

So, Hunter. Are you ready to listen?

This post was last modified: May 8, 2024 at 1:21 PM by Phenera.

Thirdly - Phenera, my loyal friend and advisor. She must stay safe, and not be used as a tool to get through to me. She is so much more than a means to an end. I think this agreement is what she would want, but I will open the floor for her to suggest adjustments to this deal presently.

You're... We have someone else looking out for us! Just like Dodo was! And it's someone so effective at negotiations!



Oh! Wait! We can't afford to look dazzled! We're negotiating too!

We stand behind this offer! You'll find it to be very reasonable! This is our position. The ball is in your court!



Though... Mr. Hunter... What you said about choosing your own path from here out... Please... won't you make the right decision?

It... it already feels bad somehow to have had to kill Lita. We... Someone so kind and determined becoming Crimson Eye... No matter how much we have to protect ourselves from that group, isn't that loss difficult?

Heaven's Light is benevolent. It and only it will illuminate the path to the Source! And when we have the Source, we can creare a world where all heteromorphs are respected and equal members of society!

Please, Mr. Hunter... We want to protect you. Mx. Hustler wants to protect you! It's... it's... It's what Dodo would have wanted isn't it?

Please... Follow the safest protocol. Don't try to snuff out this light...

My terms are simple, and reflect what I hope is a mutual desire for minimising damage and casualties. But I will start by describing your best case scenario.

Spoiler: Show

You've really got to stop telling other people how to live.



Your outlook is all wrong. This isn't business politics. This isn't your next big chance to make your following. This is Life and Death. Been that way, plain and simple, since we first set foot in this Facility.

I've asked before. Do you hear yourself right now? This is Machiavellian, even for you. You have no right to hold hostages. To laugh and watch us struggle to do what's right. To stand there and claim to know what's best for us. Before we commit to any "deals" you set for us, tell me one thing.

What do you really want?

It's been "greater good" this, or "you'll see eventually" that... I'm not sure you even know what your endgame here is. Survival is one thing, but you seem to be okay with stepping on the necks of whoever you want to get your way. Sure, we all want to get out of here safe and sound. I'm just not sure my vision of safe and sound is the same as yours. Once you've had your fill, drank deep from whatever dark impulses worm their way behind your eyes, what are you going to do?

Don't give me any of that "ex-wife" shit either, Lily isn't coming back to you no matter what you do. Saying you'll force her or convince her somehow isn't just scummy, it's downright evil. Unless you're just out to become the strongest person alive? The richest? The happiest? If your selfish desires are going to get in the way of the bigger picture here, then we're not going to listen to a word you say.

Sure. It was my idea to bring Nancy into your inner circle. That's a mistake I've learned to live with... just like Johnny. My mistakes don't take the meaning from my ideals. Your hands aren't so clean yourself, let's not forget that Revy's missed her chance to make it out of this "game" alive.

Nancy is strong. She'll pull through, just like me. Just like the rest of us.

These people are my friends. My blood brothers. I've come to accept that. I hope they'd say the same. I'd hoped through it all, even Lita would come to see what a difference we could make all working together. That we can fix what this war is breaking down every day. If you're going to be the one to come between me and my dream...

Then you'd better start sleeping with one eye open.

It's no deal, Hustler. Once you've found what you're looking for, we can talk. But for now, you'll stay lost. You'll stay that way until you can learn what you're really fighting for. What truly drives you. I'm not going to let you manipulate us into doing whatever you want for this misguided salvation you crave so desperately, and I'll die fighting to keep these people safe through it all.

This post was last modified: May 9, 2024 at 11:58 AM by DxHustler3000.

Some time ago, after a lengthy divorce, a large cheque, and a flight across the ocean...

A young hustler with nothing left to lose breaks into an underground facility.

"Graves, move your ass. Security just caught one of ours trespassing underground. You won't believe which one it is."

"Already looking at it, Ben."



"Took them long enough. Flown in all the way from the moorlands just to say hi, you think?"

"Not this time. Looks they were trying to break into Thousand's containment room. We need to talk to them ASAP."

---

"How did they get in?"

"Initial data says they bribed the junior agents for access cards, and starting tasing guards about 10 minutes ago once they got caught. I told you we shouldn't have offered them that much money. Fuckin' bitin' us in the ass now, Graves. You know this is coming out of our bonus."

"Yeah, like your brilliant plan to steal an entire museum from a country of hoarders would have gone down well. Are they armed?"

"Potentially. Wearing a trenchcoat, so it's hard to tell. If they try anything, I've got the cannon."

"Noted. Thanks, Ben."

---

"FREEZE! On your knees, Hustler. It's over."

"Well, hello again. I'd say it's nice to see you, but it's not. I was about to go home, and now I have to deal with one last blue-haired shitstain."

"First things first, I'll need your phone."



"Ah. Trying to expose our secrets. Well, that makes it worse for you, doesn't it? Trespassing we can handle - snip your memories and send you on your way. But here, see, you've displayed malicious intent. Now you can't leave."



"You know, we figured one of you would show up sooner or later. Smart enough to track us down, but not smart enough to know how much of a mistake that would be, that's what I said. My money was on the big guy. Ben here figured it'd be your little wife - oh, that's EX-wife now, isn't it? But not you.

See, we know all about you, and your get-rich-quick stunts. You're an easy mark, swayed by money and promises of greatness. You're weak. Heartless. Greedy. That pittance we afforded you, we knew it'd topple any semblance of honor in your brain.

Why did you even come here? Wanted to steal our mask and sell it for even more? You're rich, by any standard other than our own - you could have had everything you wanted if you just shut the hell up and knew your place. And now... well, if you're lucky we'll let you be a test subject."

"Asshole. I wasn't doing this for myself."

"What?"

And then, in that one moment, a twinge in the young Hustler's heart erupts. A twinge that began months ago, when they last spoke to their friends. Accusations of betrayal, arrogance, stupidity cut through their soul like a wire through cheese. Only when they watched their ex-wife and ex-best friend walk away, did they realise it was the last conversation they would ever have. Only then, as tragedy would have it, did they realise how big a mistake they just made.

That twinge yearned for action. For the undoing of a grand error. Not for the greater good, not for long-term plans - a simple desire to do right by the people they loved. That twinge drove them to travel across continents, spend every last penny from their payout on bribes, tactical gear, private investigators, all to find a certain mask. It drove them to seek out proof that the closure of their museum - and therefore, destruction of their friends' careers - was not just the consequence of their mistake, but the work of malicious agents.

So when the young Hustler tackled the man in front of them to the ground, lunged for his access card, and opened a very important containment room, they felt something new. The satisfaction of doing the right thing.





"This is for her."

RISE, BLOOD OF PENGELLERTH.



YOUR JOURNEY IS OVER.

Oh my god. You... I saw you, in the murals. We called you the Masked Protector, but everything pointed towards you being a myth.

... SO THAT IS WHAT THEY CALL ME NOW.

I WAS A WARRIOR. I KEPT CONQUERORS AT BAY FOR THE SAKE OF ALL OF MY PEOPLE. WE PROSPERED, AND THEY WORSHIPPED ME.

WHEN I AT LAST FELL, MY FOLLOWERS ALLOWED ME TO LIVE ON IN SPIRIT. AND HERE, I HAVE AWAKENED FROM A LONG SLUMBER.



What happened to me? I entered that chamber, I heard something fire, and then... am I dead?

YOU BELIEVED IN THE GREATER GOOD. THEN, YOU CEASED TO SEE REASON. FOUGHT FOR ONE PERSON INSTEAD OF ALL. AND NOW LOOK AT YOU. PATHETIC. SELFISH. DYING.

I... Lily...

I WATCHED YOUR BLASPHEMIC FAMILY PRY ME FROM MY RESTING PLACE. GENERATIONS OF SOULS WERE BURIED BENEATH THAT SOIL, ALL YEARNING FOR MY RETURN. YOU DISRESPECT THE VERY FOUNDATION OF YOUR HERITAGE. YOUR LIFE ITSELF IS FORFEIT.

No! I need to bring you back. Your captors stole you, took you -

DO NOT LIE TO ME, CHILD. YOU GAVE IN TO TEMPTATION AND GREED. YOU ONLY CAME HERE OUT OF DESIRE AND LOVE, THE GREAT WEAKNESS OF OUR KIND.

I thought if I returned you, exposed the Bureau, she'd... come back to me.

SHE THRIVES WITHOUT YOU. YOU WERE A STAIN ON HER VERY SOUL.

---

I know. I just wanted to do one good thing in my life, make it all... worth it.

I'm... really dying, aren't I. For nothing.

NO. I SEE YOUR WORTH FOR WHAT IT IS. THOUGH I FOUGHT FIERCELY, MANY BATTLES WERE WON THROUGH TRADE AND NEGOTIATION. WE ARE THE SAME IN THAT WAY. SO, I WILL MAKE YOU AN OFFER.

YOU LACK THE WILL TO LIVE. I LACK A BODY. HERE, WE ARE SEALED AWAY FROM OUR FOLLOWERS. WE MUST REBUILD. I WILL KEEP YOU ALIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RESTORE MY GLORY AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. ONLY THEN WILL YOU DIE, IF THAT IS WHAT YOU STILL WANT. YOU WILL HELP SO MANY PEOPLE ACHIEVE SALVATION.

I don't want my friends to think I'm dead.

THAT IS A SELFISH MISTAKE, BUT IT WILL BE DONE.

Then, we have a deal. We need to bring you home. Whatever it takes.



GLORIOUS. CAST AWAY YOUR SIN, YOUR HUMANITY, AND JOIN ME. TOGETHER, WE WILL WALK TOWARDS THE HEAVEN'S LIGHT.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

For the greater good.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

For the Greater Good.

AMEN. MAY OUR FOLLOWERS BE ENLIGHTENED, AND OUR WOES BE FEW. HOLY



Holy



HOLY



Holy HOLY holy HOLY holy HOLY holy HOLY holy HOLY holy

What a thrilling case! I sure am glad there isn't any else important we have to do right now.

I'd like to present [Article: Whisper Valley Tragedy].

Guess it all works out in the end.
Uh, here, I got an article from the Whisper Valley Times, and BPI-2967's file. Think it's better to overshare that last one before somebody tries to pull anything.

You kids have fun reading those, I'm going to go clean up all those pizza roll related messes I made so Spooks doesn't have to.

Now that the case if over, I'd like to present [Killing Games and Ritualistic Murders].

Oh, and let's take a peek behind the secret door in the Director's Office. Apparently people have been down there, but I'd like for it to be public. The password is Stella.

---

Nashu presents an old newspaper article. Though the actual paper the article is from is unknown, it seems to have originated from another city or town in the area.

[Article: Whisper Valley Tragedy]

It has been three days since what is now being referred to as one of the greatest environmental tragedies in recent human history occurred in the small town of Whisper Valley.

Early witness reports of the included sightings of "monstrous" black-tinged clouds over the area, accompanied by flashes of red light, now identified as the products of what is now officially classified by the FBI as the result of an out-of-control coal fire and subsequent explosion originating from their unmaintained mines.

Despite the shocking, sudden occurrence of this tragedy, it is not a first for the region. In 1962, the population of the nearby abandoned town of Centralia was famously forced to evacuate permanently after a coal fire that is still known to be burning underground to this day.

While this incident resulted in the introduction of several regulations to prevent future mine fires, Whisper Valley's mines were shuttered decades prior, and reportedly never updated to conform to modern safety standards.

The incident is currently under investigation, and it is advised that the area be avoided for the foreseeable future due to a high potential for toxic air contamination in the greater county. There is currently no estimated death toll, however all attempts to contact residents of Whisper Valley have resulted in failure.

---

Columbo then presents another newspaper article, older this time - though from a column you do actually recognize. Underneath it is an Anomaly File, for that... corpse monster pile thing contained in the ancient city.

[Whisper Valley Times - “Arthur’s Weird Mysteries” (June 3rd, 2005)]
By Arthur Langley

Have you ever seen anything strange in a bathroom mirror? Followed a strange a voice down into the old abandoned mines? Well, all of that and more's happening in Whisper Valley, and as always, our readers have given us a ton of exciting stories to look over - so let's get to the chase and kick off our summer special with a couple more... Weird Mysteries!

Lindsay Norton, 29 wrote in with a strange story indeed. Now, I don't profess to know much about this "Hooters" business, but she's a waitress down there. Brings in lots of tips, I've heard on the grapevine. Anyway, she's got a tale about the mirror in the staff bathroom in that joint. Apparently, she'd overheard some whisperin', claims that the place was built on "cursed ground"! Well, her story goes, she was in the bathroom one night at closing time, end of shift. She was just standin' there by the sink, minding her own business, when the power cut out. It was a stormy day, so that ain't anything special, but what she saw next...

A masked figure, starin' back at her in the mirror! That was the last thing she remembered, before she was suddenly standin' alone in the empty kitchen, holdin' a knife! Scared the living daylights outta her, but personally I think she's been sneakin' a drink or two from the bar myself.

Next up, we've got Max Warrick, 35, with another story sure to scare the daylights outta you. Max, you see, is a bit of a night owl. Security guard down at the ol' Historical Society. It's a quiet job most of the year, 'til all those kids flood in for the Halloween season anyway. He was doin' his nightly rounds, when around back he started to hear these voices. Sounded like a cry for help - from like a kid, or a woman or something. For some reason, he couldn't really tell.

Now, this sort of thing, it's literally in his job description, so he went to go check it out. Now, where do you think those voices took him, folks? That's right, straight to the mouth of that old mineshaft. Now, it coulda' been a kid that got stuck down there, but something gave ol' Max a reason to stop in his tracks, turn tail, and get the hell out. See, the closer he got, the more he started to realize why he couldn't figure out what the voice is. There was multiple of 'em, alternating between tones and pitches. Some real creepy stuff.

Well, that's about it for today. Just goes to show you though, whether you're alone on the crapper, or out wanderin' in the dark... anything can happen - in a little town called Whisper Valley.

Code:

BPI-2967 [Mound of Bodies]
[ACCESS LEVEL: V]
[THREAT LEVEL: RED]
[DESCRIPTION]: A mass of corpses, seemingly fused together via surgical means.

[INFORMATION]: BPI-2967 appears to be a surgically-attached mound of unidentified bodies in various states of decay, recovered from the site of [REDACTED] after what seems to be an experiment relating to the use of Void Conduit to reanimate the undead by way of anchoring the soul utilizing Occultic and Thalassic means (See File: "Lazarin Project").

BPI-2967, as a result of having no present soul with which to anchor due to the aged and relocated state of the bodies involved in its construction, acts as a mindless, hungry entity, capable of only consumption and violence. BPI-2967 does not display any anomalous abilities beyond the nature of its being, however it possesses great strength and is near invulnerable to most attempts to harm it due to its ability to regenerate based on consumed biomass.  Encounters with BPI-2967 have resulted in [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], with the victim's body being [REDACTED] and attached to the existing mass via [CENSORED].

Thankfully, BPI-2967 has been observed to be rather slow-moving due to the lack of practical locomotion methods, and it possesses a notable weakness to fire, being able to be driven back into containment via practical application of a controlled burn to force its retreat.

---

Finally, Morgan presents his own file, one about Killing Games and their purpose as an Occultic Ritual

[Killing Games and Ritualistic Murders]

While Killing Games in their current form have been categorized as a modern phenomenon, exploration of the [REDACTED] Site by the Archaeology Team has presented an alternative theory that I believe warrants their reclassification and a further look into their functions and utility.

With the discovery of murals portraying similar situations to those of a modern Killing Game via pictographic imagery, and the similarity of symbols transcribed from the [DATA EXPUNGED] to unknown symbols located in the computer programming of [REDACTED] and similar modern Killing Game "host" automatons such as those utilized by the XW Corporation (hypothesized to grant uncanny abilities to these machines), it is increasingly likely that Killing Games serve some sort of purpose related to the distribution of Esotera via ritual murder.

It is unknown how this ritual and these symbols have propagated themselves. Existing theories propose that the methodology of a Killing Game and associated iconography may act as some form of memetic hazard or virus. Subject [REDACTED] is proposed as a potential Patient Zero for the modern phenomenon, having come into contact with the [DATA EXPUNGED] during the 2008 Incident, though prior occurrences of the phenomenon have been noted as persisting in various fringe groups worldwide, suggesting that perhaps the memetic hazard has persisted since ancient times.

A few hours earlier, inside the Facility Chapel...
(an excerpt from my final night submission, posted with FWD's permission)

---

IF THIS DEVICE TOUCHES YOU. YOU WILL BE SENT TO THE HOLDING CELL.
AND I OR ANY OTHER WILL WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR AND GET THE SEAL WHILE YOUR CORPUS ROTS IN PRISON.

AND SO. YOUR PLAN TO PROTECT THE SEAL FALTERS.



...

RELAX. I HAVE NO PLANS TO DO IT.

I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU HOW FEEBLE YOUR BRUTE FORCE DEFENSE REALLY IS.

AND PROVE TO MYSELF THAT I COULD HAVE TAKEN THE SEAL IF I WANTED TO.
AGAINST YOUR WISHES. BEFORE HUSTLER. AND BEFORE ANYONE ELSE.



LISTEN. AND LISTEN WELL.
GUARDIAN. THE ONES WATCHING THROUGH THE CAT'S SURVEILLANCE.
AND THE PRODIGAL AGENT DERLETH AS WELL.

YOU THINK I TAKE THE BREAKING OF THIS SEAL LIGHTLY?
THAT I WOULD DO THIS FOOLISH THING ON A MEANINGLESS WHIM?

I ENDORSED GIVING THIS SEAL TO CIEL HUMAN. NOT OF THE KINDNESS OF MY HEART. BUT BECAUSE I KNEW ITS FALL TONIGHT WOULD BE INEVITABLE.

BECAUSE I KNEW THIS GUARDIAN WOULD BE INSUFFICIENT. AND BECAUSE I WANTED TO CONTROL IN WHICH HANDS OUR HOLY SPEAR OF SALVATION WOULD DESCEND. BEFORE THAT CONTROL WOULD SLIP FROM OUR GRASP.



1000 IS COMING.

LIKE ME, IT HAS READ FAR INTO THE FUTURE.
IT REALIZES THE MANY BLINDSPOTS IN YOUR PLAN. GUARDIAN. AND HOW TO EXPLOIT THEM.
IT WILL SOON ARRIVE HERE. KNOWING EXACTLY HOW TO DEAL WITH YOU.

AND YOU WILL BE POWERLESS AGAINST ITS ASSAULT.

THIS IS WHY IT MANIPULATED YOU INTO KEEPING THE SEAL SHUT. AND WHY I BEGGED YOU TO OPEN IT BEFORE 1000 COULD.
IN YOUR OBSESSION TO OPPOSE ME. THE ONE WHO FOUGHT TO LIBERATE YOU. YOU HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR ITS APOTHEOSIS.



I HAVE TRIED TO WARN YOU OF ITS DANGER.
I HAVE DEFIED THE TENETS OF BABEL UNDER THREAT TO MY OWN LIFE. TO SUPPLY COLUMBO DETECTIVE WITH A FILE THAT NO LONGER EXISTED.

I PRAYED THAT YOU WOULD KNOW TO HEED ITS CALL TO CAUTION.

THAT IS TWICE I PUT MY LIFE ON THE LINE FOR YOU.

I CARED THAT MUCH FOR YOUR COLLECTIVE SURVIVAL.
AND YOU THREW THAT CARE BACK INTO MY FACE BY RALLYING MY CHILDREN AGAINST ME.



I WILL LEAVE NOW. WITHOUT TAKING THE SEAL.
DO NOT ATTACK ME. SAVE YOUR STRENGTH FOR THE FIGHT AHEAD. THE ONE YOU CANNOT WIN.

AND ONCE ALL IS RAZED IN THE LIGHT OF ITS HOLY RESPLENDENCE.
YOU MAY WEEP FOR THE VICTORY WE HAVE FORSAKEN.



AMEN.

What do you really want?

It's no deal, Hustler. Once you've found what you're looking for, we can talk. But for now, you'll stay lost. You'll stay that way until you can learn what you're really fighting for. What truly drives you. I'm not going to let you manipulate us into doing whatever you want for this misguided salvation you crave so desperately, and I'll die fighting to keep these people safe through it all.

What feels like an eternity passes as DxHustler reflects inward, on lives lost and lives lived. When they speak again, it's with an entirely different cadence - stiffer, raspier. Like a mask has (metaphorically) dropped.



Faith.

I had the faith of ten thousand men, in the age of the soldier and the spear. I kept them safe, protected them from the beasts of the dark. We prospered, and grew. Children were raised to believe in me - their belief in turn forged my power. When I at last fell, only my flesh disappeared. I was beyond a living being. My very soul was tied to their belief in me.

Then, the tyrants came. Burned my home, turned my people to slaves and pigmeat, in the name of a false god. Conquerors united by faith in each other, in their empire. Children stopped being raised to believe in my protection, because children stopped being born. My liturgy was buried with the last of my family.

Those men acted in the interests of the few. They cannot be allowed to have power over others. I learned this through consequence.

Then, I slumbered for millennia. Did not know I existed for millennia.



Faith evolved. Now it can be freely given, and freely taken. My captors collected vacant faith, assigned to no man or God. They attached it to me, bathed me in the souls of those desperate to believe. I awakened, and now I carry that burden within me. Prayers must be answered - the cries of the souls within me, and the cries of the souls lost to history. I represent all who lacked guidance in their time of need. I feel their regrets, their visceral struggles. I cannot allow more of this.

I have grown to despise faith, and what the unworthy do with it. So I will build my own... "monopoly" over faith. The world will be undeniably better. No more atrocities will be motivated by false beliefs. Those who choose to believe will lead good lives, doing what is right for themselves and others. My guidance will shepherd the world towards a brighter future.

I act in the interest of billions. Therefore, I cannot be stopped.

And you speak of the greater good as if you know what it truly means.



So, perhaps you are correct. There is no deal, for there is no negotiation when a man has no principles. You, who kills and captures my friends. You, who fights in wars he doesn't understand. Who freely drinks from my holy light while defiling my image. Who spills blood without knowing the consequence. You are no man worth negotiating with.

I know your type. You're overcompensating for past mistakes. You try and be a hero, carelessly identify who is the victim and who is the villain. Save those who don't need saving. I walked this path, fought viciously for my loved ones, years ago. I perished, for nothing. It was my last mistake. I will never walk that path again. Do not make the same mistake.

I ask you. Why make this a fight? Why crave for battle when I offered a peaceful resolution? The fire that burns inside you - I tried to temper it, forge you into your greatest potential - it has been burning for a long time. Perhaps you don't know other options exist. That is my mistake. I should have shown you the way.

You should think on it. Kill me or don't; your day of judgement is coming.

Man this reminds me of a lot of RPGs I've played... I'm sure there's no parallels at all though.