Chapter Sixty-Four: Secrets of Carousel

I had never seen Antoine like this. Even when he had stab wounds and broken ribs, he stood tall and pretended it didn’t bother him.

At that moment, he was completely vulnerable.

It took a while to get the story out of him. He didn’t remember some of it. Maybe it was because he was in the forest for so long. Maybe because it was now, partially, a fading dream. As he spoke, he would pause for a few seconds. He might have been haunted by the memory or simply been trying to remember. I don’t know.

“Someone told us to meet back at the cabin but I didn’t wanna go,” Antoine said, his voice filled with uncertainty. “I don’t have any insight tropes that could help me tell the difference between a straggler and my friends. The old guy said that you would be OK if you were all by yourself. I decided to make a break for it. I figure I just take myself out of the equation. As long as I didn’t bring any stragglers with me it shouldn’t matter.

“It would have worked too. I must have been almost out of the forest when I heard him. Silas. Appeared right beside me. He said I’d won a ticket. Riley’s always talking about how he got his Oblivious Bystander trope in the middle of a storyline so I figure that’s what’s happening to me. I press the button and he spits out two tickets. And then he disappeared as soon as I grabbed them. Suddenly, there were six stragglers on top of me.

“I tried to get away, but I couldn’t outrun any of them. I couldn’t figure it out at first. I didn’t know anything about that damn trope he gave me. That stupid trope… No matter how fast I was running or where I went, they were right on my tail. I ran to where I thought the exit was supposed to be but I could never find it because they were with me. I was panicking. Thirty minutes later and suddenly I look at the red wallpaper and I had become a Straggler. No more confusion. I knew what I was and what had happened.

“I kept waiting for the storyline to end, but it didn’t. I watched the plot cycle. The needle was stuck right before The End. It would almost get there but then it would click right back ticking back and forth but never actually getting to The End. It was like it was broken.

“I don’t know how long I was there. The sun never rose. I never had food or water or sleep. I just kept waiting for the story to end. I don’t even remember when it did. Suddenly I woke up and I was laying in the field with you.”

Kimberly wrapped him up in a hug and cried into his shoulder.

“What the hell,” Dina said.

“Why would Silas do that to him?” Camden asked. “Giving him a trope that would guarantee he ended up getting stuck there?”

“I don’t understand,” Anna said.

I had an idea, but I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure.

I turned from the group and marched back to the gate to where Silas was. Dina followed. The others stayed with Antoine.

“So, you’re interfering directly now, huh?” I asked as I saw the mechanical man.

“You won a ticket. Hehehe.”

I nodded. Of course. He wasn’t going to just come out and talk to me.

Dina was quick to press the red button. She got a stat ticket, a trope, and something else along with a handful of coins.

“I knew something was wrong with that storyline,” I said. I had to assume that Silas, or whoever was controlling Silas, could hear. “Chris wouldn’t send us on a busted storyline. You did it, didn’t you?”

Silas didn’t respond. His mechanical arms continued to move and his little silver flashlight turned on and off.

“Riley,” Dina said. She held up one of her tickets. “Look.”

I took a quick glance at it.

Wait a second.

I pressed the red button and got a stat ticket, a trope, and… something else along with some coins.

The something else was a ticket that simply read:

Congratulations!

You found secret lore: Secrets of Carousel #6: The Dark Water

Bring this ticket to the Carousel Public Library to collect your prize. Collect ten for a huge reward!

“Beneath the stygian depths of those accursed lands lies the cadaver of an unfathomable abomination, decayed and desolate, hailing from a plane beyond the grasp of mortal comprehension, where time and space intertwine in grotesque amalgamation. Those audacious souls who dare to feign dominion over the lingering puissance shall forever remain oblivious to the insidious sway it holds over their very thoughts, for their consciousness becomes a mere puppetry, enmeshed in the service of an enigmatic primogenitor. In solemn silence, its devoted thralls patiently await commands that shall never come, forever trapped in a maddening cycle of anticipation and despair. A malevolent force permeates the air, subtly and insidiously, causing dreadful transformations and disfigurements to all that bask in its baleful aura. The indigenous populace once believed that the accursed land was besieged by a multitude of evils, yet their misconceptions betray their feeble understanding; for in truth, a singular abhorrence reigns supreme, exerting its insatiable dominion over the forsaken territory even in death.”

“In Carousel, I envision a haven for souls of every stripe. Without each member of our growing community, we wouldn’t be the town we are today.” -Bartholomew Geist, Founder of Carousel.

Secret Lore….

We had been in a secret version of the storyline. But how? And what was different about our version? Did the other players not know about the dead entity underground? We needed to get back to Chris and the other players so that we could ask them what had happened in their versions.

This didn’t sit right with me. Finding something significant on accident… Something was off. I needed to figure out what it was.

Eventually, Antoine, Kimberly, Anna, and Camden made it all the way to the gate.

“Is it talking?” Kimberly asked.

I shook my head.

“Can it even hear us? Is it just a machine or is there someone there?” Kimberly asked, enraged.

“You won a ticket, hehehe,” Silas said.

Camden pressed the button. He got the same things Dina and I did. So did Anna afterward. Kimberly eventually came around.

Antoine was hesitant to press the button, but he powered through. I could tell that the sight of the machine affected him.

They all got the same Secret Lore ticket and a trope.

Kimberly got two stat tickets instead of just one.

After Antoine got his rewards (which included twice as much money as everyone else) Silas started to speak again.

“The stories can be pretty gruesome here in Carousel, but at least you get to be the star of the show!” he said. “Hehehe.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Antoine asked with a mixture of anger, sadness, and desperation.

Silas didn’t answer, but still, I got a hunch.

“I think he can only talk in prerecorded quips,” I said. “He can’t just talk to us straight up.”

When I said that, Silas turned his head to me and said, “Aren’t you a smart cookie? Be careful, some of the monsters around here have a sweet tooth! Hehehe.”

Then, he disappeared.

~~~

I received a blue ticket:

Location Scout

Type: Insight

Archetype: Any

Stat Used: Savvy

Before any movie can begin production, the filmmakers must find locations for the shoot. Finding the perfect venues to shoot the film is important to make the movie come to life.

With this trope equipped, the player will receive a list of all primary filming locations within the storyline. The higher the player’s Savvy, the more expansive the list becomes. If equipped to a Film Buff, the player will be able to scout a limited amount of this information before entering a storyline.

At higher levels, the player will receive locations that the story can go, not simply the places it will go.

Of course, even if you know where the film takes place, your final location will probably be the morgue.

Kimberly received a red ticket:

That’s What I Said!

Type: Action

Archetype: Any

Stat Used: Moxie

Some characters get no respect. Even when they have a good idea, the get overlooked and have their ideas stolen by someone else.

Normally, a plan’s success or failure is a factor of two things: the innate plausibility of the plan and the Savvy stat of the person that came up with the plan. A player with this ticket equipped can have their plans and ideas “stolen” by higher Savvy allies, with the ally seemingly rephrasing their very same idea. When this verbal exchange occurs, the plan’s success will be gauged by the Ally’s Savvy.

Ally: “We should sneak in through the window and surprise them.”

Group: “That’s a great idea. You’re so smart.”

Player: “Wait, when I said that you said it was stupid!”

Camden received a green ticket:

The Immobile Genius

Type: Buff

Archetype: Scholar, Doctor

Stat Used: Savvy

Why is it that smart people in movies are always unable to enact their plan themselves? They always have to explain their plan to some good-looking cool character who then has to go complete the mission while the actual smart person sits back and waits.

When the player equips this ticket, they will be able to send allies off to enact a plan instead of doing it themselves. In doing so, the ally will gain a temporary Savvy boost proportionate to the player’s Savvy. Any knowledge passed to the player to perform the task will appear on their red wallpaper. If the player has been Hobbled or Captured, the buff will last long enough to rescue or otherwise assist in relocating the player.

“Now listen to me very carefully: when you get there, you need to flip the switches in the correct sequence or we’re all doomed.”

“So, you’re saying there’s no pressure?”

Dina received a blue ticket:

Outside Looking In

Type: Insight

Archetype: Outsider

Stat Used: Savvy

In a world filled with action and attention, it’s challenging to avoid the spotlight. However, there are moments when observing from the shadows can provide a clearer understanding of the situation.

Equipping this ticket grants the player the ability to discern ideal spots to linger, granting them a vantage point to observe events without actively participating in the narrative.

Not all characters are destined to be in the limelight.

Anna received a purple ticket:

Along for the Ride

Type: Rule

Archetype: Final Girl

Stat Used: Savvy

In a group, members with less Plot Armor can be picked off one by one, but when they travel together in a vehicle, their fates are tied together.

With this ticket equipped, when allies are gathered together in a vehicle or similar, the entire vehicle will be considered to have the player’s Hustle stat. In the Finale, it will also have their Grit.

A huge percentage of people in modern society die in car wrecks. In Carousel, they usually die right afterward.

Antoine received a red ticket:

Time Out!

Type: Action

Archetype: Athlete

Stat Used: Grit

In a movie, a fight can often last so long that the camera can cut away to give the audience a break. When the camera cuts back, the fight is still going, often having changed location as the combatants throw each other around the scenery.

When equipped, the player can call timeout in the middle of a fight just by saying or signing it. They will go Off-Screen the very second the player starts to do this. The enemy will be far less aggressive Off-Screen, though they will still fight and will not be killable during this period. The player can flee; however, the fight will resume as soon as the timeout ends regardless of the player’s action. The higher the player’s Grit, the longer the break.

Don’t be afraid to take a breather. Just know it may be your last.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep