Chapter Sixty-Nine: Subject of Inquiry (Patreon)

It was another day before we finally went to the diner we had been hearing about since we arrived. Mostly, we heard about it in the context of someone asking where Arthur was and everyone answering that he was at the diner.

It wasn’t a long walk to get there by Carousel standards. It was on the western edge of town. If you traveled any further, you might start running into a minefield of Omens.

We went there late in the day. The veterans had spent all day researching the Secret Lore. Better them than me. I just had to watch. They had become obsessed.

Roxie, Grace and her team, Lara, and Sam had gone with us. Sam was an Adventurer Archetype who was health-conscious and actually went out jogging, a rare hobby in Carousel. He was in his early thirties, and wore long-sleeve collared shirts with the sleeves rolled up almost exclusively. That was most of what I knew about him.

~~~

Before we went into the diner, we first stopped off at the missing persons board. It was attached to the wall of a brick building. I don’t know what it looked like normally, but multiple boards had been added until it covered much of the wall.

The boards were full.

Poster upon poster had been pinned to them. They were posted in chronological order from left to right. I could tell because the old posters were yellowed and faded, while the posters on the far right still had much of their original coloring.

Roxie pointed to one of the posters. It pictured a middle-aged man wearing a smoking jacket. His dark hair was slicked back and he had a finely-groomed curly mustache.

~

MISSING

Name: Egan Jacobs (AKA Winston Ashwood)

Plot Armor: 42

Place Last Seen: Munger's Salvage, October 2016.

Occupation: Psychic (Seer Aspect)

Reward: 600 Dollars

~

Along with him, there were dozens upon dozens of missing posters, more than I could count. Some of them went back over twenty years. If I understood the timeline right, that meant they had been here even when rescue tickets existed. For some reason, they weren’t rescued.

“There are so many,” Anna said. The sheer magnitude of them had almost brought her to tears.

“You know, players used to be able to use these posters to rescue teams that had wiped,” Sam said. “If you took someone’s poster and went to the storyline they died in and beat it, they would be revived.”

“What?” Antoine asked. He had mostly been quiet up to that point.

“Yep,” he said. “It was before my time. One day, it just stopped working. No one knows why. Now we get this.” He gestured toward the wall of missing posters.

Roxie flashed me a glance. We both knew why the rescue tickets were gone. As the others discussed the topic, I stayed out of it.

I noticed that the most recent group of people to wind up on the board had been wiped out just two weeks before we arrived. No one mentioned them. In fact, people rarely mentioned specific downed players.

~~~

The missing board was a hallowed place. The gravity of all those posters stole your voice and sobered you up just by looking at them.

The restaurant across the street was a welcome reprieve.

The diner was wrapped in shiny aluminum siding. Most of the building was visible through large wall-length windows. The floor had a black and white checker pattern and the seat upholstery was red, blood red—perhaps the only clue that we were still in Carousel.

As we entered, we heard the clinking of metal tools on the flattop grill. An NPC waitress read off an order for the cook at machinegun speed. The order was all in lingo like diners used to do years ago.

The place was full when we got there, but several tables of NPCs just happened to finish their meals as we arrived, leaving us with just enough room to sit. I found it funny that Carousel would script that.

A short-order cook and two waitresses made up the staff, along with the owner, Gloria, who did a little bit of everything. She was firmly in her late thirties. An NPC of course. Nothing unusual level-wise.

Arthur was at the Diner when we got there. We waved at him. He and the owner were having a conversation, I don’t know what about, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. That was a rare sight.

The Diner had all manner of breakfast food. I got a waffle.

The conversation revolved around Secret Lore. Grace had developed a wealth of knowledge on the subject in the last few days.

“We were told Secret Lore was only found in high-level storylines,” she explained. “I’ve been going through the records from back then—what’s left of them anyway—and they had discovered four storylines with Secret Lore. All of them were over level 60.”

“What’s left of them?” Anna asked. “What happened to the records?”

Anna had inadvertently found a subject that Grace could lecture about for hours.

“They didn’t take good records, for one,” she said. “I guess when you think you will be revived you don’t put as much thought into it. And then there’s the problem of much of writings from that time just being gone.”

She went on about how there were several gaps in the records where years would pass with only a few scraps of paper left to tell what had happened to the players in Carousel at that time.

“How long ago was the gap you're talking about from?” I asked.

“The Secret Lore?” she asked. “They first discovered it thirteen years ago. Before I got here. Lukas, as usual, only remembered about 60% of the truth. The players back then knew what Secret Lore tickets were when they went to the possessed ghost storyline. If I were to guess, they might have even gone there looking for it, but I can’t confirm that from any of the information we have.”

Thirteen years ago was around the time the players had discovered the Rescue ticket exploit that got players killed and rescuing taken out of the game. That might be the reason documentation from that era is missing.

I nodded and went back to my waffle. They continued talking about how poor the record-keeping of the last generation of players was and the struggles it had caused in attempting to organize modern-day runs of Carousel. This was a constant point of frustration for the veterans. The Secret Lore hunt had brought back those same old problems.

I didn’t really talk much for a while; I was lost in thought. I only came around when I heard my friends asking Lara for advice on our next storyline.

“I’ll give it to you straight,” she said. “Do you want good information, but a lower reward yield after you complete the story, or vague rambling that won’t be as useful but won’t stop you from getting good loot?”

That was a tough one.

“Vague,” Dina said. “I’m not going through one of those things without getting anything from it.”

No one argued with that.

“Are you sure that you’re all ready to go on another storyline?” Lara asked. “You’ve had a rough few days.”

We had all been through a lot, really. No one was completely unscathed. But we knew she was talking about Antoine specifically.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Why do I have to keep telling everyone that?”

“You can probably wait a few more days,” Grace said.

“I don’t want to wait,” he said. “I’m going crazy at the Lodge.”

When I died in the Grotesque storyline, I think I said something similar when people tried to pity me. Going through a rough patch can hurt worse when other people can see you doing it.

“Okay then,” Lara said. “Remember to never suffer in silence.”

“I said I’m okay,” Antoine said. “Really. I can handle it.”

“Hmm?” Lara said. “No, that was your advice for your storyline. Never suffer in silence. You wanted me to do a vague Psychic reading.”

She didn’t put on the theatrics she usually did when making predictions. Psychic tropes are usually Moxie-based, so choosing not to play the part made them weaker, just as we had requested.

Still, those four words were pretty vague. It’s hard to imagine what they might mean in the context of a horror movie.

Antoine nodded in understanding.

~~~

~~~

We ended up going out on a storyline the day after next. I carried the job flyer with me:

Job Title: Security Surveillance Specialist

Company: Keystone Recovery and Security Laboratories (KRSL)

Are you a detail-oriented professional with a background in security surveillance? Do you have previous government work experience that required a background check? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you at Keystone Response and Security Laboratories (KRSL).

Responsibilities:

· Monitor and analyze security footage from various areas of the research facility.

· Report any suspicious activities or anomalies.

· Maintain logs and records of surveillance activities.

· Collaborate with the security team to ensure the safety and security of the facility.

Qualifications:

· Minimum of 2 years’ experience in security surveillance.

· Excellent attention to detail and observational skills.

· Ability to work independently and make quick decisions.

· Strong communication skills.

KRSL is a leading research lab committed to advancing knowledge in various scientific fields. We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.

Other Positions Available:

· Security Guard

· Research Scientist

· Therapist for Test Subjects

· Test Subject Manager

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply with their resume and cover letter. Please inquire within for more details about the available positions.

KRSL is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Note: All applicants must be willing to undergo a comprehensive background check as part of the recruitment process.

Important Notice: Due to the nature of our work, we regret that we are unable to consider applicants with certain neurological conditions. Please inquire within for more details.

Confidentiality Notice: The nature of our work at KRSL is highly confidential. All applicants must be willing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) as part of the recruitment process. Any information related to our projects, methodologies, and research findings must not be disclosed to any third party.

The location we were directed to was a large, white facility on the Northwest side of town. Emergency station tents had been put up all around the facility but now, they were being taken down. It looked like this site had been used for some sort of disaster relief, but I could not begin to guess what exactly. Ambulances and firetrucks were parked all around. The entire facility was fenced off, but the gates were open.

A woman wearing a suit stood outside one of the gates and made eye contact with us.

She was an NPC with 3 Plot Armor named Nancy Cartwright. I could see that to trigger the Omen for the story, all we had to do was approach her with the job flier. The movie poster for the storyline was the same as was shown when we first picked up the flier: security monitors splashed with blood. Subject of Inquiry was written across the top of the poster.

My scouting tropes showed me the following:

-I don’t like it here…: “This is scaring me” difficulty.

-Location Scout: The first camera listed was in the security room. There were further cameras in the hallways and rooms surrounding it, including several rooms that were called “Cell” and labeled with numbers. All of the cameras were in the building or at the exits. I would be able to get a better understanding of the layout when I got inside. This trope would probably be really useful in a storyline like the Ranger Danger or Grotesque storylines that spread out quite a bit.

I told the others this information and we approached the NPC that was waiting for us.

~~~

Nancy Cartwright turned around as we approached and began walking through the gate to get into the compound. I found it funny, as she walked, she took the “Omen” with her, as triggering the Omen required us to get to her with the job flier.

She led us past several figures wearing those big decontamination suits you see in movies and further past a team of doctors examining random NPCs, none of whom had any visible injuries. I heard people grumbling as they lined up to be examined. A baby cried somewhere.

I wasn’t sure what had happened there.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Nancy assured us as we walked past the medical tent. “KRSL does emergency medical treatment for the city of Carousel. We’re happy to be able to help the community that our facility calls home.”

“What happened here?” Anna asked.

Nancy turned her head a bit and pressed her lips into a smile. “We can’t really talk about it until the people in charge give the go-ahead. Don’t want to cause a panic. Plus, it’s not like they tell me anything.”

She laughed a fake, folksy laugh.

Nancy was a big-city woman. She stuck out in the suburban landscape that was Carousel proper.

“Just follow me right this way,” she said, waving a security badge over a black box on the side of the building which opened the automatic door into the facility.

“This is building security,” she said. “I will meet you on the other side after you’ve been checked out. Security is quite rigorous, don’t be alarmed.”

She turned and passed through security, flashing her badge as she went.

Now it was our turn. We still hadn’t even triggered the storyline yet.

“Alright,” Anna said, as she walked forward through security. “See you on the other side.”

~~~

The security line was a maze of curtains and x-ray machines where they checked all of our identities and asked us all sorts of questions. I handed them my driver’s license, but I could have handed them anything at this point. I doubt it mattered.

The staff was very stern. They stood with their backs straight and moved their eyes around the area looking for security breaches. They reminded me of soldiers. Maybe they were ex-military. Whatever they did at this facility must have been important.

I was asked to put all of my metal belongings in a tray. I put my Walkman, sunglasses, and headphones in. The guard at that desk examined them to make sure they were not contraband. I joked, “I have a permit for that,” as he was pressing the buttons on my Walkman, but he didn’t laugh.

After I had proven that I was not carrying a landmine anywhere on my person, I was allowed through to the other side with my things.

We still hadn’t triggered the storyline, though leaving now would be awkward.

As Antoine came out to the other side, I noticed something was missing. He had a confused look on his face.

“They take your bat?” I asked. He had a trope that should have allowed him to bring a sports implement into a storyline as a weapon, but perhaps that was a bridge too far for this storyline. Trope or no trope, bringing a weapon into a secure facility was not going to be believable.

He shook his head in amazement.

“It just disappeared as we walked in,” he said, showing his hands. “Just disappeared right out of my hand. I thought I dropped it at first.”

He seemed to be doing okay. For now.

“Come this way please,” Nancy said to us.

We did as she asked. As we did, we finally triggered the storyline. The needle on the Plot Cycle switched from Omen to Choice to Party.

Anna, Camden, and Kimberly followed. Dina still hadn’t made it through security.

“Congratulations,” Nancy said. “You’ve made it through the interviews. You are now a part of the KRSL family.”

I don’t remember any job interviews, but I supposed that was not a part of the movie. Easiest job application process I’d ever had. The job-wanted flier was no longer in my hand.

“Now, it’s time for employee orientation!” Nancy said with a distinctively corporate enthusiasm.

Dodged the interview only to get stuck in new employee orientation. This really was a horror movie.

“I will come get you individually for a quick meet and greet with your department heads momentarily,” Nancy said. She walked away.

Off-Screen.