Chapter Thirty-One: A Family In Crisis

You would probably be surprised to hear that once we explained to Janette everything that had happened and how important it was that she accompanied us on this storyline, she immediately had a change of heart and became a team player.

You would be surprised to hear that.

But you’re not going to hear that.

Because it didn’t happen.

Luckily, I wasn’t part of the group that had to get her on board. Arthur and Valerie took up that task. Not that they were quick about it. It took them thirty minutes to get her out of her room and they only did that because Arthur implied that he would pick her up and carry her if she didn’t walk.

After all the trouble they had had getting Janette to leave her room, watching her step out of the lodge and take a look at the gargoyle felt like a huge win. However, the battle was far from over because they had to convince her to go on the storyline with us.

Adaline and all the other players who weren’t involved in the storyline stayed in the back. They were all refusing to be involved in any capacity. As soon as we were chosen, it almost felt as if we were lepers and that if they spoke to us too much or interacted with us they might catch what we had.

It occurred to me that I never asked Kimberly what the creature’s Moxie was. I wondered if I were to go around back where the other players were, would they let me talk to her? I asked Roxie about it while Valerie and Arthur tried their best not to scream at Janette.

“Normally, I’d say go for it,” she said. “But with this one, you probably should have done that before the storyline started. Might not want to risk it.”

“What’s the difference?” I asked. I had the feeling ever since I arrived at Dyer’s Lodge that there was something the veteran players didn’t want to tell us. A secret. Even now as Roxy contemplated her answer to my question I could see that despite her intentionally cool demeanor there was something she wasn’t telling me–something that scared her.

When she didn’t respond immediately, I asked, “What is it that you know?”

I could see on her lips that she was debating telling me something.

She must have decided against it.

“You know I have the theory on Janette,” she said. She ran her fingers through her long dark hair. “I don’t think she’s supposed to be here.”

“Well neither am I,” I said with a smirk.

“No, I don’t mean like that.” She got close like she was telling me a secret. “Most people who come here figure out really quickly that you have to follow the rules. Intuitively. Don’t you find it weird that most of us manage not to break the rules even though they are not written down anywhere?”

Truthfully, I don’t know if she was right. I don’t like the idea that I was somehow compatible with Carousel. I just follow the rules because I want to survive.

“Well, some of us just played a lot of role-playing games growing up,” I said.

“And watched horror movies,” she added with a smile.

“That too.”

Arthur and Valerie seemed to have finally been making progress. As the day wore on our need to get a move on increased exponentially.

In the end, Janette’s terms were this:

• she would not go near the gargoyle statue;
• she would not be asked to fight anything;
• Arthur would force her husband to stop going on storylines with Travis;
• she didn’t want to talk to any NPCs because they freaked her out; and, finally,
• Arthur promised to protect her even if it meant dying.

Arthur swore up and down to everything that she required. Eventually, she swayed. Of course, I didn’t believe him at all. I think at that point he would have said anything to get her on board.

Upon examining the box that the Grotesque had come in, Arthur found that it had been reused. It originally had a shipping label on it with an address: 665 Toother Street.

Arthur grabbed his duffel bag. Valerie had a large purse. I wasn’t sure what was inside either of them. Reggie carried the Grotesque. I’m glad he was willing. I didn’t want to touch it.

I think we need to steal some bicycles or a car or something. The long trek to and from Camp Dyer may have kept us safe from most omens (current storyline excluded), but it made getting around Carousel very time-consuming.

For most of the walk, we were off-screen, so we discussed what we knew about the little gargoyle so far. As it turned out, many of the veteran players had been using their insight tropes to learn what they could about the monster before the storyline started. After all, the more they knew, the better they could prepare their builds and strategies.

Like me, they had all shared this information with Arthur before he activated the storyline.

Arthur had a trope that let him determine the creature’s Mettle. It was 19. None of us were safe against that. Chris, Antoine’s older brother, had an Athlete trope that told him about the creature’s Hustle. That was 11. Grace had a trope that would have let her determine the creature’s Savvy but it would have involved interacting with it, which she couldn’t do because she didn’t want to touch it.

My Trope Master ability allowed me to tell that this creature had no Grit while in stone form but would get 20 Grit when it came to life.

While contemplating this I had a sudden realization.

“When this thing comes to life does that mean its plot armor is going to be 63?” I asked.

“Don’t ask me,” Arthur said. “I left all my math tropes behind.”

Apparently, Arthur did have a sense of humor.

“No, I mean is that how it works?”

The Astralist had a similar gimmick, but I hadn’t remembered whether its plot armor changed between forms because I was busy getting the crap knocked out of me around the time I should have looked.

He nodded.

I had felt safe in the knowledge that I was with higher-level players. Even though they seemed panicked I had assumed that that was exaggerated. All I know is that we had better be able to defeat this thing in its stone form before it comes to life.

It wasn’t like we could just break it right then, either. First, that wouldn’t make sense for our characters to do because they don’t have the information we have. Second, breaking it might be the very thing that makes it come to life so we couldn’t risk it until we knew.

So far, the needle on the plot cycle had remained at Choice. That was very fortunate because we wasted a lot of time getting Janette.

When we got to 665 Toother Street, the needle nudged over to Party.

Toother Street was a neighborhood with lots of large old homes. Most of the homes had gardens. Almost all of the homes had nosy NPCs that watched us as we walked up the street.

The house in question was a fairly nice place. Stylistically it looked like it was out of the 70s. The lawn could have used a mow, which I’m sure annoyed the NPCs in the homeowners association.

The walkway up to the door had a great variety of lawn ornaments. River rocks surrounded the stepping stones and wind chimes were hung from little stands. On the left side was a pedestal with a lion statue on top, on the right side there was a matching pedestal but with a vase of flowers on it.

As I understood it, Arthur’s Monster Hunter archetype would help steer the plot. However, Valerie was still the protagonist. If she wasn’t here, Arthur probably would have been.

I decided to try out my new Casting Director trope to determine what roles each of us would play.

The information appeared on a small brass plate underneath our archetype posters on the red wallpaper.

Arthur played an aging, world-weary paranormal investigator taking a case like nothing he’d ever seen before. Janette was his client, desperately seeking help after having been mailed a strange statue that she believed to be cursed.

Valerie was Arthur’s longtime monster-hunting partner. Roxie and Reggie were their employees. Reggie was only characterized as being loyal. Roxie was supposed to be Arthur’s younger sister. My role, which I didn’t quite understand, was a cocky young protege with a mysterious gift.

I informed the group of this dynamic. Arthur said that most of his roles went something like that. I’m not sure how they would have learned some of those details if I hadn’t told them but I suppose some of those details might not have been there if I wasn’t there to see them.

I don’t know what my “mysterious gift” was, but I don’t think it was talking about my ability to throw playing cards into drywall like Gambit from the X-Men.

“Remember, I’m not talking to anyone,” Janette said.

“We know,” Arthur said.

Valerie knocked on the door.

Moments later, the door was opened by a middle-aged woman in a pink robe. Her name was Sally. Behind her was a young girl, maybe seven years old. Her name was Jocelyn. They were both run-of-the-mill NPCs. Plot Armor 3.

“Hello?” she asked cautiously as she opened the door. She scanned the group of strangers that had just arrived at her home.

Before Valerie could answer, Sally saw the gargoyle that Reggie was carrying.

“I told him I don’t want that anywhere near this house,” she said. She slammed the door. She looked genuinely afraid.

“Reggie why don’t you and Janette go wait for us near the street,” Valerie said.

Reggie nodded. The two of them headed off away from the house. Janette was careful not to be anywhere near the gargoyle.

It took more knocking and pleading through the door to get Sally to open it again. Eventually, she relented. We were in the Party Phase and Valerie had her “A Kind Face” trope doing the heavy lifting, coaxing information. Sally was very hesitant to talk to us. Eventually, she invited us into her dining room, where we all took seats around the table. Valerie sat closest to Sally.

“Look, everything in my life was perfect before Donald got the job at the church,” she said. “Is that where you got the statue? Did Donald give it to you?”

“Did you see that woman that was with us at the door?” Valerie said. “She received the statue in the mail a few days ago and, like you, she just wants her life to be normal again. We’re hoping that you can help us make that happen for her.”

Sally began to cry.

Valerie was good at this part. Maybe she was experienced, maybe she was just an empathetic person. She put her hand on Sally’s and said, “This is exactly the kind of thing that we do. We can fix this we just need to hear your side of it.”

Sally wiped tears from her eyes with a cloth napkin that had been on the table.

“I did everything I know to do,” Sally said. “It’s just… he’s obsessed.”

“Who’s obsessed, Sally?”

“Donald. Donald. My husband. Or at least he’s supposed to be,” she said. The tears began returning to her eyes.

“Do you think Donald is the one that sent this package?” Valerie asked.

Sally nodded.

“Do you know why he would do that?”

Sally shook her head, desperately seeking some explanation but finding none. “I’m sorry. He’s explained it so much but nothing he said made sense. Donald is an art restorer. He’s been working at the church over near Culling Creek Junction. That’s where he found that… thing.”

“Mommy,” her little girl’s voice sounded from the living room where she had been sent while the grownups talked.

“Just a second, pumpkin,” Sally said.

She continued. “Ever since he brought it home, he’s been different.” Her voice got quiet. “I hear him talking to it sometimes when he thinks I’m not around.”

For the first time, Arthur interjected, “Does it talk back?”

Sally seemed surprised at the question. “Well of course not. It’s made of rock.”

Despite having 64 Plot Armor, Arthur only had 4 Moxie. And it showed.

Valerie took back over. “Do you remember the types of things he would say to it?”

“Well yes, he would say—”

“Mommy!” Jocelyn said from the living room.

“What, honey, I’m talking to our guests.”

The little girl entered the room. She was nervous.

“It’s just…” She must have suddenly gotten shy.

“What is it?” Valerie asked gently.

The little girl pointed at the wall toward where the street would be on the other side. “That’s not Daddy’s statue,” she said. “Daddy’s statue had wings.”

Janette

Hysteric

Plot Armor:

9

Mettle:

0

Moxie:

4

Hustle:

2

Savvy:

2

Grit:

1

Riley

Film Buff

Plot Armor:

15

Mettle:

1

Moxie:

5

Hustle:

2

Savvy:

6

Grit:

1

Roxie

Eye Candy

Plot Armor:

40

Mettle:

5

Moxie:

10

Hustle:

11

Savvy:

8

Grit:

6

Arthur

Monster Hunter

Plot Armor:

64

Mettle:

11

Moxie:

4

Hustle:

10

Savvy:

21

Grit:

18

Reggie

Bruiser

Plot Armor:

38

Mettle:

14

Moxie:

7

Hustle:

3

Savvy:

1

Grit:

13

Valerie

Final Girl

Plot Armor:

58

Mettle:

13

Moxie:

11

Hustle:

13

Savvy:

9

Grit:

12

Tropes:

I DON’T LIKE IT HERE…

Type: Insight

Archetype: Hysteric

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Gives player insight into the location of Omens and how to avoid activating them

TROPE MASTER

Type: Insight

Archetype: Film Buff

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Sees enemy tropes. Lose half of PA

LOOKS DON’T LAST

Type: Debuff

Archetype: Eye Candy

Stat: N/A

Effect: Targeted at First Blood. Debuff stats of all enemies by 1% for each minute survived up to 15%

RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

Type: Buff

Archetype: Scholar

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Buffs Savvy and Mettle when fighting an enemy with their weakness.

BRAWN OVER BRAIN

Type: Buff

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: Mettle

Effect: Gives buff to Mettle based on how large the difference between the player’s innate Mettle and Savvy is.

LAST ONE ALIVE

Type: Rule

Archetype: Final Girl

Stat: N/A

Effect: Cannot die until the party is killed

WILL SOMEONE SHUT THEM UP?

Type: Action

Archetype: Hysteric

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Invulnerable while screaming in a shrill or annoying tone. Lowers Plot Armor with each use.

CINEMA SEER

Type: Buff

Archetype: Film Buff

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Buffs Savvy and Grit of Allies by predicting plot elements

A SCREAM IN THE DISTANCE…

Type: Action

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Screaming loudly causes the player to go off-screen as the camera cuts to a teammate who hears the scream

LEGACY HUNTER’S JOURNAL

Type: Insight

Archetype: Monster Hunter

Stat: Savvy

Effect: During Party, the player can research enemies within a journal brought into the storyline.

ANYTHING CAN CLUB

Type: Rule

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Can find a suitable club weapon in any scene with lots of items.

ACTUALLY, I’M A VETERINARIAN

Type: Background

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: The player has a background as an animal doctor. Can now equip:

-Fluent in Medical Jargon (Doctor)

-Animal Whisperer (Adventurer)

– If you can’t see it, it won’t bleed (Soldier)

-This is for the pain… (Doctor)

-Always the right dose (Doctor)

OBLIVIOUS BYSTANDER

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any Minor

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Cannot be targeted while convincingly acting oblivious to the enemy

THE RED MIST

Type: Perk

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: Lowers PA by 10%. Guarantees instant painless death

EUREKA!

Type: Insight

Archetype: Scholar

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Helps find important information with text.

I’M JUST BIG BONED

Type: Buff

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: Moxie+

Effect: Once in Party Phase, the player gets a buff to Mettle when responding to insults about weight. Both Players’ Moxie are used.

FLUENT IN MEDICAL JARGON

Type: Heal

Archetype: Doctor

Stat: Savvy/Moxie

Effect: The player can understand Medical Jargon, diagnose allies’ wounds and prescribe treatment. Can change the severity of the wound by giving it a more/less treatable diagnosis. (“Don’t worry, it’s just a sprain”)

ESCAPE ARTIST

Type: Buff

Archetype: Any

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Plausible escape plans boost Hustle

GET A ROOM!

Type: Rule

Archetype: Eye Candy

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Exploration with a love interest during the party boosts the odds of important discoveries

RELOAD AFTER CUT

Type: Action

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Reloading a gun makes the player go off-screen

LIQUID COURAGE

Type: Buff

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Temporary buff to Grit and Moxie when taking a swig of alcohol before the relevant action

IF YOU CAN’T SEE IT, IT WON’T BLEED

Type: Heal

Archetype: Soldier

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Giving a wound a quick dressing to hide it from the audience can heal Mutilation, Hobbling temporarily.

CASTING DIRECTOR

Type: Insight

Archetype: Film Buff

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Insight into player roles in storylines

I RUN BETTER IN HEELS

Type: Buff

Archetype: Eye Candy

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Buff Hustle while wearing heels.

MERCY KILL

Type: Buff

Archetype: Any

Stat: Mettle

Effect: Killing dying or severely injured teammates who beg for death buffs Grit

HAIR OF THE DOG

Type: Perk

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Drinking alcohol and pretending it soothes a hangover or similar will provide the player with a mental and emotional boost.

THIS IS FOR THE PAIN

Type: Heal

Archetype: Doctor

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Giving player medication can ease their pain. Heals Incapacitation from pain.

DADDY’S CREDIT CARD

Type: Perk

Archetype: Eye Candy

Stat: N/A

Effect: Gives Player Infinite Money to Spend In-Story. Purchases disappear after.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Type: Insight

Archetype: Monster Hunter

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Can Identify Creatures, Monsters, and Paranormal and assess their Mettle.

Extra Padding

Type: Buff

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: N/A

Effect: Gives Grit buff to players with extra weight

BETTER THAN THE BOYS

Type: Buff

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Gives a female player a buff in relevant stat when acting competitive with male character

TRAGIC BEAUTY

Type: Buff

Archetype: Eye Candy

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Buffs allies’ highest stat upon their tragic demise

THEY WENT THAT WAY

Type: Insight

Archetype: Monster Hunter/ Adventurer

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Allows a player to track enemies who leave even the faintest evidence

IT’S MOSTLY MUSCLE

Type: Buff

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: N/A

Effect: Gives Mettle buff to players with extra weight

BETTER MAKE IT COUNT!

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: The last round of ammunition will always be more accurate and more powerful than those that came before it.

Call Sheet

Type: Insight

Archetype: Any

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Insight into if the player will be on-screen soon.

MIND OVER MONSTER

Type: Buff

Archetype: Monster Hunter

Stat: Savvy

Effect: Swaps player’s Savvy and Mettle when fighting Creature, Monster, or Paranormal

SELF-MEDICATION

Type: Heal

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Drinking alcohol or similar vice temporarily heals pain and non-visible injuries

A KIND FACE

Type: Insight

Archetype: Final Girl

Stat: Moxie

Effect: During Party Phase, NPCs will be more inclined to share important plot information

MYSTIFYING GEOGRAPHY

Type: Buff

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: Buffs Hustle of player and nearby allies when traveling while off-screen

CUT THE HEAD OFF THE SNAKE

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: Changes win condition of a storyline that requires the elimination of all enemies to only requiring killing the leader

TOTALLY WASTED

Type: Action

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Drinking in excess and acting completely inebriated lowers the player’s plot armor

IMPORTANT CHARACTER STUFF

Type: Action

Archetype: Any Major

Stat: Moxie

Effect: When a player reveals important character arc information, they go on-screen

EXTENDED ARMING SEQUENCE

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: Gives the player extra time in between the middle of Rebirth and Second Blood to prepare weapons and set traps

I NEED A BREATHER

Type: Action

Archetype: Bruiser

Stat: Moxie

Effect: Acting winded and requesting a break in travel or work causes the player and nearby allies to go off-screen

WHO’S WITH ME?

Type: Buff

Archetype: Final Girl

Stat: Moxie

Effect: In Finale, Allies gain a buff to relevant stat when assisting the player.

MASTER AND APPRENTICE

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any

Stat: Moxie+

Effect: Allows the player to share a “teachable” ability with an ally by performing a mentorship arc. Both players’ Moxie is used.

A GIRL’S GOT TO KNOW HOW TO PROTECT HERSELF

Type: Rule

Archetype: Any

Stat: N/A

Effect: Allows any female player to bring self-defense weapons into a storyline

Hunter’s Arsenal

Type: Rule

Archetype: Monster Hunter

Stat: N/A

Effect: The player can bring monster-hunting equipment into the storyline

ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CLIMAX

Type: Rule

Archetype: Final Girl

Stat: N/A

Effect: As the Final Battle approaches, all surviving allies will be assisted in converging on the location of the climax

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