Fate of the World Session 5

You and your allies continue staring down the man known as Jail Scaglietta. He continues smiling at you as more robots file out behind him. He must have been the one who created the things, given how well they're clearly waiting for his command. It looks like it'll be a rough fight that's about to break out,  but instead of coming for you, the robots disperse into the dead crowd.

"Oh there's no need to worry, we're not here for you all. Not today at least."

"Then...what are you here for?" Renee asks, not lowering her spear

"The COMPS. Truly, they are fascinating devices, to think that their original purpose was for summoning and binding demons. Of course, I made some adjustments...but it seems they aren't perfect just yet. The summoned person being able to kill their summoner is a flaw that I'm certain we could all do without."

The robots begin removing COMPs from all the dead college kids, dutifully walking back towards Jail as they hold the COMPs in their hand.

"Once again I thank you Mr.Kazuchika. You and your friends have provided me with invaluable data. As thanks, the young lady behind you can keep hers." He says pointing to Holly

Holly instinctively slinks back, almost as if she's afraid that Jail would hit her

"Hoho, do not be afraid young lady. As I said, there will be no harm to you today. I think you've been through more than enough already."

>Why did you do all this?!
>What are you planning?!
>Were you watching this the entire time?
>Other/Write-in

>Bullshit, your little clockwork gremlins jumped me and my friend when we didn't have any COMPS
>Why did you do all this?!
>What are you really planning?

"Bullshit!" You shout taking out your gun and aiming at him "You and your little clockwork gremlins jumped me and my friend when we didn't have COMPS!"

"True. They did, though that was also a test run and a different day. Really, if you had died there, it would have been really pathetic of you. Once more, I thank you for helping me with combat data."

"Why the hell did you do all this?! All these people are dead!"

"A suitable sacrifice for my goals. The pursuit of science should not be shackled by such bonds...that and if all goes according to plan, then these people would die anyway. Besides, isn't it your job to prevent this sort of thing?" Jail says with a wicked smile

"According to plan? What are you up to?"

"Now that would be telling and unfortunately for you I'm not allowed to give away my intentions just yet. Now then, I believe we should all be leaving."

"Why the hell would we let you get away?" You growl taking a step closer

"Simple. The barrier that Lord Raptor put up has fallen. I'm very certain that soon the authorites of this world will be here soon enough. Surely you all do not wish to be seen as the prime suspects in this no? I most certainly wouldn't. I'd need you for more data gathering later on!"

"You motherfucker...!" Renee growls out

"Now now young lady, language. We're all adults here. Now then, I'll see you all again some other day."

Before you can act, Jail and his robots slip away into a portal appearing right behind them.

"Dammit..." you mutter

"Hiro, we need to get out of here before the police arrive. What do we do?"

>Quick, back to my car
>We'll head to the velvet room!
>Other/Write-in

>Quick, back to my car

"Let's move. We gotta get to my car quick!"

You all recall all of your summons and begin to book it back towards the entrance. Things are going pretty well too and in fact you even manage to get into your car and start it up! Talking to Holly, she tells you that she has a uncle living in town that she can stay with. In fact, she was sent to this city precisely because of him.

"Okay cool, I'll drop you off there." You say as you begin to pull out. You drive-by some of the other empty police cars in the dead of the night. As you're driving through the road that leads away from the college, you heart sinks to the pit of your stomach as you see flashing lights behind you. They honk at you, trying to get you to stop.

"Oh fuck." you mutter

"W-what do we do Hiro?!" Renee whimpers

"I...I don't wanna go to jail..." Holly mutters

Shit shit shit!

>Floor it!
>Stop,try to explain yourself
>Other/Write-in

>>Floor it!(100)

"Both of you, put on your seatbelts. Now."

The two women don't even bother arguing and quickly strap themselves in. The second they're finished, you put your foot on the gas and peel out of there, the tires screeching as you do. Looking at your sideview mirror, you see that the police car is following you, trying its best to keep up. You've got to make it into the city to lose them!

The police car keeps up with you for a little bit, but it's steadily losing ground and once you get into actual traffic you take that as your chance. You're hyper-focused on evading arrest along with your friends. You dip and dodge between cars, pulling off moves only seen in movies and video games. You continue snaking in-between cars and looking at your mirror again you see that there's no police cars behind you.

"I think we lost them!" You exclaim pumping a fist into the  air

"Yeah! Great work Hiro!" Renee exclaims
You slow down, doing your best to blend in now with the rest of whatever traffic is around you. And after another hour of driving (you ended up further from home than expected) you park your car in the apartment garage, and you're followed by your friends into your home.

"Um...t-this is a nice place Mr.Hiro." Holly says

"Thanks. Look, can you call your uncle? I'd like to take you home, but I think it'd be better if we stayed off the streets for now."

"U-um...okay." Holly replies going to use your phone

What follows is her uncle screaming at you for at least an hour (as if you needed that after everything) and you reassuring him that you're just a friend who managed to escape from that hellhole with her. Holly would  be back at his place tomorrow by noon. You were just all so goddamn tired after everything that happened, and you can only assume that he understood as he finally relented.

"S-sorry..." Holly muttered

"It's fine, it's not your fault. You can use my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

"You mean we will." Renee says "Sorry Hiro, but I am not going all the way to my place tonight."

"Fine, whatever." You sigh "Just...get some rest."

>Stop by the velvet room
>Just go to bed
>Other/Write-in

>Stop by the velvet room

"Actually hang on, I think we need to take Holly to see Igor." You say to Renee

"Oh...oh yeah, he'd probably want to see her. I mean, she has that COMP and Aqua too..."

"Um...w-whose Igor?" Holly asks

"You'll understand when you see." You say guiding her up to your room. You can tell that Holly is feeling kind of uncomfortable, almost as if she expects something bad to happen, but her eyes go wide when she sees your closet glowing blue.

"U-um...what is this?"

"The entrance to the Velvet Room." You say plainly "Come on, let's go."

The three of you step through and instantly you're greeted by Igor's face

"E-Eeeeek!" Holly shouts hiding behind

"Oh my...I didn't expect that reaction." Igor says with a laugh "Worry not Holly Keith, you are safe here. No doubt, you and Master Aqua have many questions."

Appearing from her COMP, Aqua stands in front of Igor with a concerned look "Many, just what is going. Who was that Jail person and why was I brought here?"

"Calm yourself. You are among friends here. I will explain everything. If you would not mind Mr.Kazuchika? Ms.Byrd?"

You give him a nod. Where to go

>Go to see Mirei
>Go see Hanekoma
>Return to your room

It's no big deal. I mean, you guys generally roll well
It's just the enemy also rolls well
>Go to see Mirei

"Alright Igor, we'll leave the three of you two it. Hey Renee, wanna go see Mirei?"

"Sure."

The two of you head through the door on the right that Mirei is behind. She greets you with that same mysterious smile that she always has.

"Hello to you both. Congratulations on stopping that Lord Raptor person."

"Thanks Mirei." You say

"Yeah...it was kinda rough though."

"Your battles will only get more dangerous from here on. How may I be of service?"

"Well I was thinking..."

>Summon new allies(Choose for Hiro, Renee, or Holly)
>Power up Allies
>Just stopping by to say hi

>Summon new allies(Hiro)
>93+15=108
"I'll go first." You say taking out one of the crystals

"Very well." Mirei says "Just as before envision who it is you desire to come to your aid."

Who do you want this time? Another good guy wouldn't hurt. But unlike Duran who is tanky (The fight against Raptor proved that) you want someone agile. Possibly even moreso than Ace if at all possible. You focus on that thought as much as you can.

"Good. Perfect. I can see it now. Come forth!"

A bright light engulfs the room and when it's finished you uncover your eyes...only to be facing down the barrel of a gun.

"You know, you got a lotta guts callin' on me kid."

"Holy shit...you're...you're-!"

"Dante, Son of Sparda. Good to see that my reputation proceeds me. Igor told me what was going down and I gotta say, I don't usually take pro bono work. So you better have a good reason for me to help you out."

"W-what?! You can't...l-leave Hiro alone!" Renee exclaims
"Aw come on miss, we're just talkin'."

You don't even flinch "Alright Dante, you're right. No one works for free. How about...Strawberry Sundaes?"

You watch as Dante's hand twitches at that

"All you can eat. Hell, we know an Alchemist who can probably whip up as many as you like."

Dante lowers his gun slightly "Ya mean it?"

You bring your COMP up "Hey Ryza, you think you can make Strawberry Sundaes?"

"Strawberry Sundaes? Sure! That'd be easy to make! I can make tons of them!"

This causes Dante to quickly holster his gun and offer his hand "Good to be workin' with you Hiromu, let's get along well!"

You quickly shake his hand in return "Happy to have you aboard Dante!"

>Summon new allies(Holly)
>80+15=95

"Whose next?" Mirei asks

As you and Renee are about to speak, a voice manages to speak up enough for you to hear

"U-um...c-could I try next?" Holly asks

"Wait...you actually signed the contract?" You ask Holly

"U-U-Um...y-yes? Is...is that okay?"

"I mean it'll be dangerous. You saw what your school ended up like." Renee said

"I-it's...it's okay. I want to help...I-I can do it! I...I hope anyway..."

You and Renee look at one another before nodding. Holly is hunched over and looking like she just did something terrible by speaking up like she did.

"All yours Holly." You say

"Yeah, go right ahead." Renee asks

The two of you step aside, as you hand Holly a crystal to use

"Now then Holly, I'm aware that Hiromu taught you how to summon forth allies from the crystals. It's the same thing here. Just clear your mind okay?"

Holly takes a few deep breathes before closing her eyes to focus. The crystal glows brightly and as is becoming par for the course, you're all momentarily blinded. Standing in front of you all is a somewhat bored looking girl.

"Mukyu...I never thought I'd end up being spirited away. Oh well, I suppose learning some things about an outside world could be interesting. I'm Patchouli Knowledge. Pleasure to meet you."

"H-Hi..." Holly waves timidly

"Most interesting. I wonder if I'll see her eventually too..." Mirei giggles "Will there be anything else for you three?

>Summon Allies(Choose for Hiromu,Renee, or Holly)
>Power up Allies
>Leave

>Power up Allies
>3 for Dante
>3 for Rajaki
>2 for Patchouli

"Okay...time to power up some allies if that's okay Mirei."

"Of course, by all means. Funnel the power into them as you have before."

You, Renee, and Holly do as told, taking a number of crystals and draining them into your COMPS for your desired summons.

>Dante grew to level 2!
>Rajaki grew to level 2!

With this finished, you all decide to leave Mirei for now. You're out of crystals for the moment and thus you can't do anything else.

"Please do return soon." Mirei says with a wave

You all return to the main area of the Velvet Room, what will you do next?

>Go see Hanekoma
>You're tired. Go back to your room and sleep

>Go see Hanekoma

"Let's stop by Hanekoma's see if he has anything." You say to the other two

"W-whose that?" Holly asks

"He's a cool coffee making guy."

"C-coffee? Um...I-I guess that's fine."

You all walk towards the left door that leads to Hanekoma's shop Coffee shop. Once inside you see the place is empty as usual.

"Do you ever get any customers here Mr.Hanekoma?" You ask

"Of course I do! You're standing right here! Anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, got any new equipment?"

"Hmmm, not in the way of weapons at least. Still got my medicines and such."

"Hmmmm...."

>Go ahead and buy what you like

List so far

>Medicine($50)
>Chakra drop($100)
>Revival Bead($300)
>Patra Stone($100)

You decide to make some purchases and when done you say your goodbyes to Hanekoma

"See you kids later. Keep out of trouble now!"

"As if it were that easy." you reply

With that little exchange, you return to the entrance of the Velvet Room and then to your bedroom.

"Okay, now that that's done...!" Renee says with a stretch "Get out Hiro."

"Huh?!"

"We're going to bed, and we are not letting you watch us undress, right Holly?"

"I...I wouldn't like that."

"There you have it. Now off to the couch with you!"

"You do realize this is my apartment right?"

"And are you really going to put two girls out in the middle of the night?"

Shit. She's got you there.

"Good job Hiromu. You really won em  over." Dante jokes

"Please shut up." you reply going towards your couch. Sweet relief. It isn't even 5 minutes before you pass out asleep.

The night passes and you wake up to the sound of cooking in your kitchen. You see Renee,Ryza, and Holly all there together enjoying themselves.

>Please tell me you didn't eat all my food
>Pass back out
>How are you all feeling?
>Other/Write-in

>Yawn, Morning
>Please tell me you left food for me
>How are you feeling?

You sit up with a yawn and look at the women cooking. A part of you wants to make a really dirty joke, but you manage to control yourself.

"Please tell me you left food for me." You grumble getting up

"Some eggs, just for you!" Ryza

"Thanks." You say groggily, man you need some coffee

"Hey, where's the Strawberry Sundaes?!" Dante cries out

"Hey I want something too!" Miku called

"Me too!" Duran hollered

Pretty soon, your apartment is filled with you and your friends summons all clamoring for food and Ryza synthesizing it all up.

God you really don't need this shit in the morning. You find your coffee maker, get things going and soon you've got a cup all set for yourself. While everyone is busy grouped in the kitchen, while Ryza continues working. You see that Holly is sitting on the couch by herself.

You sit next to her, which causes her to let out a little 'Eep.'

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm...um...I'm okay..."

Despite her saying that, you can't help but feel she's not being entirely truthful.

>Anything you wanna say or talk to her about?

>You sure? Most people'd be freaked out if they fought their way out a zombie movie, myself included.
>What were you even studying to begin with?

"You sure? Most people would be freaked out if they fought their way out of a zombie movie, myself included."

"B-but you and Ms.Renee seem okay."

"Well, we've kinda had a rough week believe it or not. Did you hear about that office that got attacked?"

"Y-yeah! T-that was...?"

"Ours yeah. Those robots that Jail had tried to kill me, right in the middle of work! Well...at least I got a day off from it."

"O-oh...um, I'm glad you're okay!"

"Thanks. Though you're in the thick of it now. We should keep in touch."

"Oh, I'd like to but...well..."

"What's wrong?"

"I left my phone on campus."

"Oh...well that's no big deal. Your uncle's number should still be in my phone, I'll just call through that for now."

"Oh okay! Um...are we...friends now?"

"I'd say so at least." You reply, taking a swig "What were you even studying anyway?"

"Oh! W-well um...I...I want to be a social worker! You know...h-help people, preferably kids who have had rough home lives you know?"

You feel like there's a particular reason for that...

>I assume Damien is to blame for that?
>Well good luck
>Other/Write-in

>That's something to be proud of

"Hey, that's something to be proud of." You say again taking a drink

"O-oh...really? Th-thanks! What do you do for work Mr.Hiromu?"

"Renee and I work a customer service line. Trust me, if you can avoid like the plague."

"He's not wrong! Hey, Sailor Moon, get off! That's my sausage!"

"Oh...um...I thought you had a much better job than that."

"I sure wish I did, what did you think me and Renee did?"

"Well um...you sorta acted like some sort of paranormal investigator! You were really in control of everything and you didn't even flinch! Um...no offense, but you didn't seem all that scared at all. You just looked really cool!"

"Me...?Cool?"

You stop and think, you never really saw yourself like that at all. Especially not with your current occupation.

>Thanks. You were pretty cool too.
>I wish I was a paranormal investigator
>Oh yeah, what time should I get you home?
>Other/write-in

>I wish
>What time should I get you home?
>Renee if you empty the fridge again you have to pay to fill it!

"I wish." You reply bluntly "I wish I were a paranormal investigator. Rent would be way easier to handle."

You finish the last of your coffee before turning back to the kitchen "Renee if you empty the fridge again you've gotta pay to fill it!"

"Uwah?!"

You hear some dishes drop to the floor as the thought of that scares Renee enough to stop whatever it was she was doing. You watch as she scrambles to get everyone to stop eating while you go back to Holly.

"What time should I get you home anyway?"

"O-oh! Um...S-sooner would be better! My Uncle...he um...he kinda worries a lot."

And you didn't tell him the address either...

>Renee I'm taking Holly home!
>Sure you don't wanna hang here longer?
>Other/Write-in

>Renee I'm taking Holly home!

Well, that's a pretty solid indication of what should probably be done.

"Renee, I'm taking Holly home, that kitchen better be clean when I get back!"

"Y-yeah! I promise!" Renee calls out

You gather up your summons and head down to your car. You SHOULD be okay, and the fact that the cops haven't tracked you down, nor kicked your door in is a good indicator that things are fine. You have Holly get in the front seat and pretty soon you're off.

You're a bit cautious while driving, wondering if the cops will suddenly appear out of nowhere and start tailing you, but thankfully things are smooth sailing and with Holly directing you, you arrive at a two story home with a porch, walking up to it, you give the doorbell a ring and after a minute or two a man opens the door looking you up and down.

"You that Hiromu kid?"

"That's me." You reply "I'm here to drop Holly off."

"H-hi Uncle Karl..." She mutters

While he was looking at you with some disdain, when his eyes settle on Holly, he breaks into a smile "There you are Holly! You okay?" he says moving towards her and pulling her into a hug "I saw the news last night...what happened down there?"

"Um...I don't really know." She lies "But Mr.Hiromu helped me! He and Ms.Renee got me out of there."

Again he looks at you with some disdain "Hey...what's your relationship with Holly?"

>I'm her friend
>I'm her boyfriend
>I'm a personal therapist
>Other/Write-in

>I'm her friend

A part of you really wants to say that you're her boyfriend. But the better part of you tells you that would be in poor taste, and so you keep it normal.

"I'm just her friend that's all. You gonna be okay Holly?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine with Uncle Karl." she replies, she looks actually sort of happy...at least way happier than whenever you'd seen her yesterday or spoken to her after everything settled down.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it. Don't hesitate to call me if something happens Holly. I'll see you later."

"O-okay! Bye Mr.Hiromu!"

You leave the two family members to catch up, and get back into your car. The first thing you do is call Renee.

"Renee, how's my fridge looking?"

"Um...it's nearly empty."

"Goddammit..." You mutter, looks like you're gonna have to do some more shopping.

"S-sorry Hiromu..." Renee whimpers

"It's...fine." you say

>Looks like you're going shopping
>Just do it later
>Other/Write-in

>Looks like you're going shopping

"Looks like I'm going shopping." You say over the phone

"Okay, I'm gonna head home. I need to change my clothes and grab some things."

You hang up and make a hard right. You didn't think you'd be going shopping again so soon. You continue driving up to the grocery store and after piling your cart as much as you could (and being forced to use your dad's card) you're able to load your car up. This time thankfully, there are no giant bears or wolves to attack you this time.

"Thank whatever god is out there." You mutter

You continue on back home, and have Ace and Dante help you carry stuff up to your apartment. As you all sit down and rest after lugging everything up the stairs, your phone goes off.

It's Renee...

"Yeah Renee, what's up?"

You're blasted with Renee blubbering into your ear from her end. She's so loud you can't even understand what it is she's saying.

>Renee calm down!
>Hang up and head over there. There's no getting through to her
>You have no time for this
>Other/Write-in

>Renee calm down!
>I'm coming over now!

"Renee, calm down!" You say over the phone

This...doesn't work.

"Look where are you? Are you at your apartment?"

She fumbles out something that sounds like a yes and you quickly get Ace and Dante back in your COMP and you're back down the stairs and into your car. As you pull out you remember something vitally important to this entire thing:

You have no idea where Renee's apartment is. She never really asked you to give her a ride while working there so you assumed she was close by the office. You call her back on your phone and manage to get her to give you the address to her apartment complex.

It's a bit further than you realized. At least 30 minutes away from the office by car. So how the hell was Renee getting home? As you pull up to the front you see that Renee is sitting on the curb with a box next to her and her face buried in her hands.

You get out your car and walk up to her, her eyes stil filled with tears.

"Renee, whatever it is, calm down. It's not that serious!" You say

"H-Hiro...I...I...!"

"What is it Renee?"

"I got Evicted!" She wails

>END