Five Floors of Torment

[momatoes]

Alrighty, bring the PDA to the IT department then. Maybe we can figure out the motivation from there. Alternately, use it as a decoy while you sprint to the storeroom, er.

[Miraculous]

Alrighty, bring the PDA to the IT department then. Maybe we can figure out the motivation from there. Alternately, use it as a decoy while you sprint to the storeroom, er.

"I think it's about time that technical support started living up to their name," Magnus says as he starts pacing his way back down the walkway, making sure to keep his gaze firmly locked on the south door. "Thanks for the info, Mack."

"What else does a bartender do but provide banter?" Mack replies as he watches the detective and his party leave. "Just keep in mind my suggestion."

Magnus' only response is a curt nod. The party moves south, south, south, south, north-west, north and north one last time.

Below: The IT Department
Magnus draws the damaged PDA out of his coat pocket and lobs it into the centre of the office. The second it clatters to the ground, cracking the screen in the process, swarms of chittering insects burst out of every nook, cranny, crevice and shadow formed by the desks and swivel chairs. Technical support skitter across the floor to the PDA and promptly envelop it in a tangle of waggling legs and flailing stingers.

"Come on, now's our chance!" Magnus shouts. Neither Frederick nor Felix need any more instruction than that. The party dashes around the perimeter of the office, giving the swarming insects a wide berth. Together, they tumble through the north door.

Below: The Hub
The party crowds into the small, dark room. A lonely lightbulb swings from the roof, bathing the oversized cupboard in weak light. The only thing stored in here is a desk against the north wall. Sitting on top of this desk is a bulky computer terminal with built-in keyboard, so outdated that it looks like it belongs in a museum. Or, at the very least, in the storeroom of a museum. Despite having no visible cables connecting it to anything, the computer is humming gently.

Felix watches the lightbulb sway back and forth temptingly.

What will the detective do now?

[momatoes]

oh no we don't have a motive yet :<

> Approach the computer

[NaiKujibo]

It's mystico, ask for a motive.

[Miraculous]

It's mystico, ask for a motive.

"What's with the computer?" Frederick asks as Magnus approaches the desk.

"It's a..." he starts, but then pauses a moment as he considers his answer. "A source of information," he finally decides. He types a curt greeting into the keyboard.


The Amazing Mystico.exe

Hello again detective.
I was expecting you.
Waiting for you.
Not that I could do much else.
I take it you have question.

"Obviously," Magnus mutters. "What can you tell us about the motives of Sanity and Tate?" he types.


The Amazing Mystico.exe

I know little of Mr. Sanity, detective.
A business man.
Not like you.
Not real.
But he has immense will to live.
To survive.
To dominate.
He is an outlier.
A very dangerous one at that.
Specifically because we know so little about him.
As for Miss. Tate
I can tell you much about her.
She and I were once a couple.
Of sorts.
Husband and wife.
Brother and sister.
Mother and son.
Father and daughter.
A duo of any and every sort.
We were angels of the Dark Keep.
I am no longer an angel.
She still is.
She was thrown from the Keep for daring to involve herself beyond her position.
She was too ambitious.
Too dangerous.
So she was thrown out into the wide open world.
And now she has found a partner to help her return.
Someone equal in her ambition.
Because she cannot do this alone.
She is effectively perfect in every way imaginable.
She is stunning.
Men fall at her feet.
Women weep at her beauty.
Yet she is also brilliant.
She holds degrees in everything from computer science and quantum mechanics to engineering and theology.
She is the most brilliant mind of your time.
Yet she is also charming and dramatic.
Sexy and charismatic.
Troubled and brooding.
But she is also human.
She is occasionally clumsy in a manner that is actually endearing.
She is a poor cook.
She is very unpopular yet beloved by all at the same time.


"So you're saying she's invincible?" Magnus types with a sigh.


The Amazing Mystico.exe

I said effectively perfect, detective.
She is terrible at puzzles.
This is her one true fault.
It is also the reason why she needs Sanity.
As you have seen, this Keep likes to test its occupants through puzzles.
Only the clever survive.
Angels such as us, no matter how intelligent we are, are incredibly poor at puzzle solving.
This was to prevent us from interfering too deeply.
This inability was the only thing standing in her way of taking her revenge on the Keep for being thrown out.
But now she has Sanity.
He is more than capable of solving any puzzle that might impede Tate.


"Okay, so Sanity wants to live, Tate wants revenge. Sounds like a motive to me," Magnus decides. "Can I get that in writing?" he types.

The computer consoles whirl and splutters. A document on yellowed paper prints out of the terminal.


The Amazing Mystico.exe

Any more questions detective?


What will the detective do now?

[momatoes]

Ask him what he means by "not real". Also, what an angel of the Keep is, and what he means when he says he is no longer that.

[NaiKujibo]

>ask about Felix.
I know it's not obviously important or anything, it just bugs me.

[Miraculous]

Ask him what he means by "not real". Also, what an angel of the Keep is, and what he means when he says he is no longer that.

>ask about Felix.

"What does 'not real' mean, exactly?" Magnus types.

The Amazing Mystico.exe

I mean precisely that.
Not real.
He, like every other citizen of your city, is a mannequin.
Detective, have you ever wondered whether the world disappears when you close your eyes?
In a sense, it did.
Whether you were, in fact, the centre of the universe?
In a sense, you are.
When you were not present to observe them, the other citizens in your city stopped.
They simply stopped.
They stopped talking.
They stopped moving.
They stopped thinking.
What is the point of of an actor performing if no audience is present to observe them?
Yet Sanity has willpower to exist outside the realm of your perception.
The simple spark of life imbued into each and every mannequin has somehow grown into a roaring inferno for Sanity.
Whether or not he realises the false nature of his own existence is unknown.

"I think this computer is broken, Magnus," Frederick mutters as he peers over Magnus' shoulder.

"Maybe," Magnus says evenly. "What is an angel?" he types next.

The Amazing Mystico.exe

A divine being.
In essence, exactly what you would expect an angel to be.
Assistants to a deity, the Engine.
Its representatives, its diplomats.
We understood the Engine far more than any human ever could.
I, however, am no longer an angel.
I am a computer program.
Obviously.
I will not bore you with the path of how I went from angel to executable.
A path that is not yet complete.
A path I am sure you will participate in, as many have before you.


"All right..." Magnus says slowly. "What about Felix?" he types. "What is he, exactly?"


The Amazing Mystico.exe

A spy, bluntly put.
Through Felix, the Judge watches your every move.
Should something happen to the cat, it will simply be replaced.
You cannot rid yourself of it.
As I'm sure you will have realised by now.
It is, ultimately, just a resource.
But not just for the Judge.
The cat is loyal to you and, unlike most of its characteristically selfish kind, will lay down its life for you.
Another will take its place.
And another.
And another.
And another.
It is expendable.
Would you not agree, detective?

Felix looks up at Magnus and meows gently.

What will the detective do now?

[NaiKujibo]

Whoa, I knew there was something strange about that cat.

>ask where sanity and/or ms. Tate are.
or
>what's up with the engine?

[Miraculous]

>ask where sanity and/or ms. Tate are.
or
>what's up with the engine?

The Amazing Mystico.exe

Simple.
They are on the third floor.
I cannot tell you their specific location there, but I am certain they are on the third floor now.


"What about the Engine?" Magnus types.

The Amazing Mystico.exe

What about it?
I am aware that it is sick.
But that is all I know.
My only knowledge of the current situation comes from these terminals and the whispering of technical support.
They are surprisingly prone to gossip, if you understand their hive mind.
Nonetheless, I am clearly in no position to do anything about the Engine's sabotage.
I have no hands, after all.


What will the detective do now?

[NaiKujibo]

>find the barman and present means motive and proof.

Unless someone has something else they want to ask mystico.

[momatoes]

> i hope we can get back through the IT room first. well...we can probably use felix as bait for the technicians, but it's going to be grisly so
> yank off a keyboard/mouse/any non-essential computer part so we can be really sure we can cross through the room safely.

[Miraculous]

> i hope we can get back through the IT room first. well...we can probably use felix as bait for the technicians, but it's going to be grisly so
> yank off a keyboard/mouse/any non-essential computer part so we can be really sure we can cross through the room safely.

"Got any tech you can spare as bait for those bugs?" Magnus types into the computer.

In response, an aged floppy drive is violently ejected from the front panel of the computer and cracks as it hits the storeroom floor.

The Amazing Mystico.exe

I just gave up my ability to accept media in the most basic of forms so you could leave this room alive, detective.
I hope you are grateful.
Now then, before you leave, do you have anything to report?

What will the detective do now?

[momatoes]

Report the Means, Proof and...well, Mystico already knows the Motive.

[Miraculous]

Report the Means, Proof and...well, Mystico already knows the Motive.

"Let see what we've got here," Magnus mutters as he draws the Proof and the Means out of his inventory. First, he opens the logbook to the latest entry. "This log we found over in the control room is Proof that Tate has taken over the recycling plant."

The Amazing Mystico.exe

Ah yes.
Normally the plant is used in the upkeep of the world beyond the Keep and to complete the Rapture.
But with the raw material it provides, along with the weaponry contained in the Archive and Tate's stunning leadership skills, Sanity will have an army at his beck and call.
I wonder, detective.
Think you can face down an army?

Magnus ignores this jibe at his expense and continues his report. Next, he taps the spanner. "This tool supposedly sends technology hangwire. It was used to shutdown the Engine according to the barman." Magnus raises an eyebrow at the computer terminal. "You seem fine though."

The Amazing Mystico.exe

One of the very few mercies of inhabiting outdated technology, detective.
So simple it barely even counts as technology, really.
But yes, you are correct on both counts.
God is dying, detective.
It has worked so hard to give you a home and this is its reward.
Sad, really.
By the way, watch what you do with that spanner.
It could well ruin someone's day if used incorrectly.
Or correctly.

"Hrm," is Magnus' only response to Mystico's advice. Finally, he points to the fresh print-out. "You provided the Motive. Revenge and life."

The Amazing Mystico.exe

Quite a noble cause, I daresay.
Though which one, I cannot say.
But yes, you seem to have a firm grasp on the situation here.

"So..." Frederick begins, still watching from behind Magnus, "What happens now?"

The Amazing Mystico.exe

Now?
You leave.
There is no villain here to be fought.
You are far too late for that.
Unless, of course, you believe I am wrong.
Maybe there is something more to be done here.
Something very important.
Or maybe not.
With outliers involving themselves in this game, time is of the essence, after all.
I leave that up to you.
Take the elevator when you are ready to leave, Detective.

Suddenly, a key imprinted with a 3 clatters out of the gaping hole where Mystico's floppy drive used to be.

"Not bad, Mags," Frederick says approvingly. "You've still got it, ya know that?"

What will the detective do now?

[momatoes]

Go back to the elevators, using the floppy drive to distract the technicians.

[Miraculous]

Go back to the elevators, using the floppy drive to distract the technicians.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves and start by getting out of this glorified closet, hrm?" Magnus suggests as he swipes both the damaged floppy drive and the third floor key. Frederick nods grimly. He opens the south door for Magnus.

Below: The IT Department
Technical support, having finished their work on the now mysteriously absent PDA, are scuttling around the small office aimlessly. "They seem agitated," Magnus comments as he peers through the doorway. "Let's give them a little something more to work on." The detective casually tosses the floppy drive into the centre of the room. Once again, the hive of beetles immediately swarm over the damaged piece of hardware, seemingly eager to get back to work. The party wastes no time as they dash for the south door and beyond.

Below: Gangway
"Well, that was... An experience," Fredericks mutters as the party arrives back at the elevator. "A school in a blizzard is bad enough, but this place is just..."

"Impossible? So I've noticed. The further we go, the more complicated things get," Magnus says with a sigh, leaning on the gangway overlooking the dark abyss. "Seems like we're stuck in the middle of a conflict between evil and evil. Possibly grey and grey. At least con men and cheating lovers I can handle."

"Yeah well, you're not done yet, it seems. Before we start complaining about this whole mess, let's finish the job. We going back into the elevator, or is there something more you want to do here?" Frederick asks, motioning to their mechanical carriage waiting at the end of the gangway.

Magnus frowns as he carefully considers the question. Felix mewls softly.

What will the detective do now?

[FeelingsofDisorientation]

+1 Reader
This is a really awesome adventure! Mind you, I'm not that great with puzzles, but I'm definitely watching it!

>Use the elevator to go to the third floor.

[NaiKujibo]

ARGHHHH! I hate situations like this! it's like the game is taunting you. "be careful or you might miss something" Well I can't think of anything, suggestions?

[momatoes]

Aside from saying bye to the barkeep, I don't know what else to do on this floor.

> Give thanks/farewell to Mack
> Go to the 3rd floor

[Mirdini]

SALUD

I have been away for a while because of RL busyness but hopefully I can catch up and contribute again.

[NaiKujibo]

Hey Mirdini, nice to have you again.

[Lankey]

The barkeep said something about us having to restart the generator, have we established that we can't fix it and do so?

[NaiKujibo]

The barkeep said something about us having to restart the generator, have we established that we can't fix it and do so?

yeah, but that resets reality so I don't think that's a good idea.

[Lankey]

It resets the reality outside of this place, not inside if I remember.