WEE͠K ̸́4͝

[strangerpeople]

W҉͘E͜͠͝E̕K̡̛͡ ̡͟4̸

[The blight is all-consuming.

Within days dozens are confirmed infected, and you and your unexpected new scientist friend find yourselves trying to work on a cure. If not a cure, a stopgap of some kind. Anything to prevent this thing from destroying everything. It's hard work. It's not going very well. Really, it feels like with every step forward, you're taking ten steps back. Discouraging is an understatement, to say the least.

A week passes, and the death toll rises. It's really starting to look bleak. You constantly second-guess yourself, and even get into a fistfight with your new ally one night. It's getting to the point where you are working on fumes.

Then, unexpectedly, you get a phone call. It's been a long night, and the sun is beginning to rise above the mountains, when it happens.

You and the scientist are not the only ones looking for a cure. In fact, there are at least a dozen others-and they think they may be close to a breakthrough.

But-and you can't believe you're hearing this, after all of the failure you'd experienced throughout this blight-they need your help.]


---


[To say that the end of last week sucked would be an understatement. To say that no one knows what this week will bring is not even in question. Yet even as you wake, you feel a cloud lift from your mind, as one of the truths you've been living with since the beginning has suddenly changed.]




[But is it possible to abide by this new truth? The Hosts, and IT beyond, seem intent on making that impossible. And the rat...well. Obviously the rat's not an ally. Let's not kid ourselves.

There's only one way to find out if more deaths can truly be prevented-and that's to keep going, and hoping that the new floor that has opened up will offer something in the way of an opportunity.

In the meantime.


There are 11 strangers left in this place.]

Comments

[cuteandinnocentpet]

H m m.

I wonder if that's really what you want to ask of me, though.

[poorlovefool]

... How'd you guess?

[Eric sighs.]

Fine. You took Lala to the rest of the building, right? That's what I'm trying to do.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

You’re not as subtle as you think you are! But very well.

[Their eye gleams.

The next instant, the elevator is rocketing through floors at a very fast rate.]

[poorlovefool]

Oh than- Waaaugh!

[is there like a hand rail, he's going to grip it for dear life if so]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

[There is, thankfully.

Soon enough the thing lurches to a halt, and Eric finds himself on a floor full of machinery.]

This is where I took her. Feel free to look around, I suppose!

[poorlovefool]

Is this the only other floor?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Of course not.

But there's no reason to take you anywhere else right now.

[poorlovefool]

Mph...

[well, doesn't seem like he can reason with it. Let's look around... anything changed from when Lala was here?]

[strangerpeople]

[No. The machines are still running. The massive hall is otherwise silent and empty.

Then Kyuubey starts to pad towards the other end of the room. Follow?]

[poorlovefool]

[Sure. Might as well let the fluffy demon give him the tour]

What's over here?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Something special!

[It nudges the wall, and the door slides open to reveal the throne and table of dilapidated food.]

[poorlovefool]

Ugh, nasty... [this room reeks with all that rotting food! But he says it's special, so in he goes.]

You know, I wondered about that gross food as soon as Lala told me. It doesn't seem like IT to have something this untidy around.

[He will approach the throne first though. There's something tempting about an empty throne. Maybe because he's a god in his world but he still doesn't have one. Does it seem cursed, though?]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Not usually. But this place is a symbol.

[NOPE Kyuubey gonna sit there. Neener neener!]

[poorlovefool]

[Kyubey you little shit. Eric takes a step back, then turns to look over his shoulder at the table again.]

A symbol? [that can't be good, knowing IT.]


Whoever ate at that table...


Did IT... do something to them?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

That's right. IT did something to one of the people who ate there.

[Tail swishing.]

Yet this is also a symbol of IT's greatest failure.

[poorlovefool]

Uh huh... What are you talking about?

[don't be so vague or he'll sit on you!! Maybe]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

You are surely aware of the young boy by now, aren’t you?

[Its head tilts.]

He is a surprisingly and singularly unique individual in his universe. His is a destiny of unimaginable importance.

[poorlovefool]

S-So... he was here?

[He looks up at the throne, suddenly.]

Is that his, then?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Oh no. This throne belonged to the meat puppet IT used to persuade the boy to his side.

But you are correct-he was here once.

[poorlovefool]

[he just mumbles 'meat puppet' repeating this weirdness. Good to know that's a thing.]

I get it... so the kid must have broken out of his control.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

That's right. He managed to break free due to an unexpected factor IT hadn't accounted for.

Ever since, IT had never forgiven this failure of ITs power.

[poorlovefool]

Never forgave itself?

[That sounds pretty important. The unexpected factor is important too, but why would Kyubey tell him his ally's weakness. He'll try to get more information first.]

Does that have something to do with why IT brought all of us here?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

You can say that! Failure is something IT doesn't believe it should be capable of, after all. It hadn't experienced it, or any real resistance, in millennia. Yet a mere girl broke that boy free!

[poorlovefool]

.... Another one of the three?

[just a guess.]

Can we get her back here?

{THAT is mostly a joke, he doubts it'd be that easy.]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Indeed. Compared to her brother, she's hardly even worth a second glance.

[Its butt wiggles.]

Probably not!