Just a Passing Assassin...

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

???: You’re in rough shape, it’s a miracle anything’s left of you…..

???: Report reads that you’re a jack-of-all-trades, did a bit of work in everything. Your last job didn't seem to end so good though.

???: You’re flickering so you clearly seem to be responsive at least.

???: Well then let's get you set up. We need to rebuild you.

???: Hopefully you're cohesive enough to pick out what you need….

???: Choose who you want to be and tell me about yourself. Who are you? Where were you on the day you died? And uh... what do you want me to refer to you as?

Option A:
 

Option B: 


Option C:

---

Name:

Pronouns:

Who Are You?:

Where Were You When You Kicked The Bucket?

[Ignispark]

Option B

Name:
Uhh...Spiral?

Pronouns:
It/Its.

Who Are You?:
That's a bit of a loaded question. You can't just ask people that and expect a good answer. 'I just get things done. ' is probably an okay answer though.

Where Were You When You Kicked The Bucket?
By a volcano, I think? It was bright and hot and smelled awful.

[Lilium Mortem]

B

Name of Rigamarole

pronouns: she/her or He/him interchangeably.

Who am I? WHO AM I? I'm a loser. got nothing done in life, left nothing to be remembered by. always a strain on those who knew me, hallways a burden.

When I died I was in the city center, shopping, I think

[King-Clod]

Option C

Name:
Whirlwind Renegade

Pronouns:
she/her, he/him

Who Are You?:
I'm a witch! Just getting started, but I'm really getting a hang for things! I like using wind and metal scraps best, using them to make my namesake! Or at least, that's the plan. Haven't gotten very far yet.

Where Were You When You Kicked The Bucket?
I...don't know, actually. I think it was early morning though.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 ???: Don’t be shy, got a lot to fill you in on.

You pick option B.

You black out only to wake up on a table shortly.

Your form is serpent-like and cold, covered in scales ranging from small micro ones typical of a snake, to larger mask-like ones on your new face.

You don’t think your original form was anything like this… doesn’t matter now, it’s probably long gone. You have glimpses of your old life but it’s ridden with holes.

???: You feel alright? Everything connecting fine?

You give a nod, surprised by the first noise to come out of your throat. The voice is alien to you.

???: Alright, name please?

You thankfully can recall enough to give an answer.
 

Spiral: Spiral Renegade, witch in the making. Last thing I remember I was getting the hang of things there but I haven’t gotten that far. Think my motifs were wind and meta.

???: Oh, sensitive? No wonder they were eager to salvage you…

Spiral: Other than that I was a bit of a nobody I think. Whole lot of nothing going on but magic was my livelihood.

???: Good, good! Got something to cling onto there. Lucky to remember as much as you do…

Spiral: And you are?

???: 4D, it’s the first two digits of my body’s unit number and I can’t remember that much myself honestly… so I use what I got.

4D: So uh, what are you in here for?

Spiral: Mmm?

4D: You died right?

Spiral: Think so, can’t remember for sure how. Went out to the shopping center one morning and I remember this awful smell like… like Rotten eggs?
Spiral: But a lot of it is blank…

4D: Mm.. I can’t say I remember what happened to me perfectly either. Sometimes wish I did...



4D: Have to say that look is good on you though, people who worked on it will be proud. If you don’t like it there’s plenty of room to upgrade down the line of course...

4D: Speaking of, we managed to salvage some goods off your person?

4D: In a locker. You had a weapon on your person and a pair of accessories. You mind filling me in so I can get those for you?

4D: And feel free to ask me anything, I’ll answer as best I can.

[MarxzVulpez]

Accessories: a decent sized backpack shaped like a beetle with plenty of pockets
and
a baseball cap that we can use to increase our stealth skills (either by making it harder for people to look directly at us, or by letting us blend in with shadows better)

Weapon: looks like an ordinary sword handle, but by using our motifs it can manifest several different blade styles. it can also expand/extend to become a spear/pole arm, also with similar blade styles/types available.

[Ignispark]

Seconding the beetle backpack that sounds really cool. As for another accessory...I'd like to make the ill advised suggestion of an accessory of a pair of boots that can pop out skating wheels.

Also seconding the magic sword/pole arm sheathe because that sounds very rad.

[Lilium Mortem]

Weapon is a transforming war hammer/ machine gun

Accessory 1 is a retractable wing backpack used for scrap assisted flight

Accessory 2 is a pair of heavily modified flight goggles, with many different rotating lense attachments including a headlamp.

[King-Clod]

Seconding transforming weapon, but I do think it'd have a keychain at the end, like on the keyblades in Kingdom Hearts. Maybe of a rubber duck?

To go with that theme, actually, a nice pair of red leather gloves and a black leather jacket with plaid at the end.

Maybe goggles too, fits with the witch theme.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 

 Spiral: Think I had my backpack and my hammer on me.

Spiral: Bag was shaped like a beetle? 



4D: That's adorable… let me see if I can grab it… Were there goggles too?

Spiral: Yeah actually… I thought those would’ve been toast with the rest of me.

4D: Nope, they’re good as can be. Miracle really..

You hear a creaking in the corner.

4D: Ah good, already sending it down!

They walk over to a dumbwaiter in the corner that manages to send it all down nice and easy.

4D returns with items in both hands and places them in front of you.


Your bag has the goggles slung over them as if it were wearing them.

It’s cute…



Your hammer is in good condition. As you recall it’s capable of transforming into a firearm of some kind via folding mechanic.

4D: Think there could be stuff in the bag.  We’ll get you a room soon enough and take you there. What type of clothes would you like? We’ll see what we can do.. Umm… how would you like for me to refer to you as?

Spiral: He, Her…. both? Can I do both?

4D: Of course. I have to say I’m surprised you had a weapon like that… where did you find it?

Spiral: I want to say an auction but I might be wrong. Anyway, clothes? This medical robe is uh...

4D: Right! Tell me what you would like.


 

[Ignispark]

Might be a bit cliche, but something with a coat and a fun hat never goes out of fashion.

[Lilium Mortem]

crop top, fingerless gloves, combat boots, cargo pants, some anime esqe long tailed jacket with complex patterns of lines. all done up in black and red with gold/yellow highlights

[King-Clod]

Seconding every said above, on one caveat

Make that hat a cowboy hat

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

You think hard for a bit. Something cool, a little edgy. Something fit for someone as cool as you.


 
You fill out the request form, 4D takes a look at it and gives you a face.

You're a little self conscious suddenly.



Spiral: Is something wrong?

4D: A cowboy hat? Not sure if we have one but… oh? I have people upstairs telling me they do actually. Hold on.

The dumbwaiter takes a bit longer to set you up this time but within the next few minutes it arrives with the closest thing they could manage to your request.

It’s a bit of a lot to put on but you can at least recall enough to know this was always your sort of thing.

You take a look at yourself in a mirror.



Not bad. It's you.

4D: That came together pretty nice actually..

Spiral: Think so too.  So… what now? You have me here for a reason I think.

4D: Mm! We should take you to your room. We’ll be running some studies soon enough but I think some time to get comfortable with the new body would be good for you. So…

4D: What would you like in your room? We can make all sorts of accommodations. Entertainment, bedding, personal hobbies. You’ll be here for a bit.

[Ignispark]

A bed. A chair. A table. A lamp. All essentials. Can't be without a lamp. Can you imagine a lampless world? Uh. And. Got any interesting books on science or witchcraft that could be borrowed?

[King-Clod]

Beanbag chair. A game system and some rpgs, cheap ones, I'm not picky. Maybe some materials to make kites, I think I like making things with my hands like that. And a full-length mirror to pose in, obviously.

[Lilium Mortem]

Mini-fridge stocked with fresh fruit and juice. A rubber duck and beetle plushes. a lava lamp. Seconding games console.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 
Spiral: A lot of the essentials first. Bed, table, lamp mirror, a mini-fridge stocked with fruit stuff…



4D: You’re going to be here awhile, indulge in a bit more.

Spiral: Beanbag chair, some games maybe? Plushes… shaped like ducks or beetles even… uh…gaming stuff in general. Maybe some recreational stuff? Kite making stuff sounds fun, I like working with my hands. A lava lamp could be cool…

4D: Absolutely.

Spiral: And some books! Witchy books or sciences. I like keeping my studies up.

4D: We actually have a library that’s pretty well stocked.

Spiral: That’s perfect then.

4D: Going to take some time to get all of it but we’ll try to grab what we can for now. At the very least today you’ll have a bed and lamp going.

Spiral: So what’s the catch?

4D: The catch is you’re going to be part of our study, testing the physical feats of experimental body types and writing down how they feel. Think of it as being paid to flex muscles. You signed on as a donor so you know…

Spiral: Did I?

4D: We all did for one reason for another.

You can’t remember how true that is but it doesn’t sound wrong.

4D: Anyway you do good work in here and you’ll be let out so no worries there. We’ll fill you in further but for now let me introduce you to your buddy who’s going to help you learn the ropes.

4D walks toward the door and gives it a little knock.

4D: You can come on in whenever you’re good.

After a moment of silence, the knob turns.

Stepping in is a woman covered in stitch-like markings and accessories with a powerful aura. You can practically see it. You get the sense there's some sort of danger barely contained in her. Her smile however is genuine enough.



???: Never worked with a newcomer before, you’re plenty dressed for the job ahead though.

???: Mostly anyway.

4D: Allow me to introduce you to-

???: I got it covered. Name’s Steady.

She gives you a good look.

Steady: A lot sturdier in frame than some of the earlier builds. Probably got a lot of muscle off the bat. Kind of like it.

Steady: So, talk to me. I know you got lots of questions and so do I.

Now’s your moment to make a first impression. You should also probably look for some answers on what exactly is going on here. You get the feeling they’re going to really make you work.


 

[Ignispark]

Ask what the best advice they could've gotten when they started out was. And what they think the best things to know would be. They know what's ahead. You don't. So, make use of that to try to pry the best info as quickly as possible.

[Lilium Mortem]

isn't true resurrection impossible? I thought there was always a catch? how long has it been since I died? Where exactly am I? What exactly am I now? What's the deal with this organization? what do you mean by 'dressed for the job'?  What exactly are you going to have me do?

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 Spiral: Honestly just processing a lot right now. Isn’t true resurrection a myth? I thought there’s always a catch? How long since I died exactly?



Steady:  Who said you were resurrected properly? Your old body is gone and a lot of residual parts with it. You probably don't have most of your old memories. Like...

Steady: How much can you actually remember?

You think for a moment and…

You can’t actually. You can’t recall what actually killed you, or anything beyond a few days before your early demise.

Steady: It’s amazing you have as much of you left as you do but effectively? You’re a new person for the most part. As for how long you’ve been gone? Hard to say, don’t have a record of when you found your way here on hand but we can pull it up. From experience though? Treat it like a clean slate.

Spiral: You said I’m dressed for the job? What exactly is this place? What are they going to have me do?

Steady: Depends on what kind of work you’re willing to do to pay your way out but gist is we have a quest board system. You pick jobs and do them in exchange for goods, mods, and spare bodies. Anything from bounties to investigations.

Steady:. Everything you own is practically currency among the folks here including the body you’re in right now. Treat it that way.

Spiral: So you’re putting me to work.

Steady: Essentially. Well… not me but the guys on top really. I’m in this grind too but I don’t mind too much you know? Don’t have anyone out there waiting as far as I can remember so stable work and a cushy room are good for me.

Spiral: That point then I have to ask, what’s the best advice you have? Like, what do you wish you knew starting out?

 

Steady: Shit uh… Office and maintenance jobs are just as good as any others even if they don’t pay as well as field work. Sometimes you just need to do a safe shift to cool down from the hard stuff.

Steady: On a more personal level? Make friends, kiss girls, die at 69. You do that and you’ll have the best time around here. Anyway…

Steady: Any more questions? Also kind of hungry so we might move onto brunch in a sec…

[Ignispark]

What's good to get for brunch?

[King-Clod]

Just a few. How long have you been working here? Can you leave?

[Lilium Mortem]

how long does it take to get enough dosh to blow this Popsicle stand?

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 
Spiral: Just a few. First off, recommendations for brunch?



Steady: There’s this platter of grilled skewers that they make regularly, should have it today actually. Grab that with a side of fried egg rice and that’s filling and comfy… The desserts are good too, I'll cover yours today since you just started.

Spiral: Might have to try that.. Secondly I guess I want to know how much dosh do you need to get out of here?

Steady: In a rush to leave? Can't blame you too much... Depends really, plenty of folks here have means to cash out. It’s just not in their interest right now.

Spiral: What about you? How long have you been at this? Can you leave?



Steady: Years really, I’ve had the chance to call quits a few times but I dunno… I don’t really know what I’d do after. I got a life here and nothing out there. Even if I manage to remember anyone I don’t really feel like the same person I might’ve been before all this. It’d be kind of just upsetting… I don’t want to talk about that too much though, I’ll ruin the mood on your first day.

Steady: If you wanna work your way out you absolutely can though but well…



4D: If I may chime in, it’s likely been years since your untimely demise. Steady here was kept dormant quite a while before being revived. You likely have been gone a long time yourself too…

Steady: Yeah..

You’ve absolutely upset her a bit, seems like leaving is a bit of a sensitive topic… Maybe you should shift the direction of the conversation a bit.

[Ignispark]

Use a classic maneuver. Poorly segued minutia. So, how about that weather?

[Lilium Mortem]

Sorry, I just don't want to live my life on someone else's terms. even if I can't go back to what I had before, I still want to go out and see the world, make something new that's mine.

[Guest]

What's something to avoid at brunch? Is the orange juice too bitter or do they steep the tea too long or anything like that?
-Marxz-

[King-Clod]

You mentioned making friends as a point of advice, what's the crowd around here like?

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 Spiral: So uh… you mentioned friends? What’s the crowd like around here?



Steady: Oh? They’re pretty chill around here as long as you’re not starting shit. Everyone just wants to vibe really. If you're up for it, I can introduce you to a few of my guys here. At least one of them is bound to click with you right?

Spiral: Sure.. part of brunch?

Steady: Yeah, we can eat after. Follow me, we’ll hit the hub.

You don’t really have much choice here anyway..

Spiral: So uh…anything to avoid?

Steady: Huh? Like you mean just in general or…

Spiral: Food-wise. Like is the orange juice too bitter or does the tea steep too long…

Steady: Oh! The OJ is always good so don’t sweat.



Steady: Tea? Ehhhh… hard to say. Never really drink it. Tea and Coffee always end up burning me so I avoid them like the plague.

Spiral: Fair enough..

You’re taken to a bunch of tables where people are sitting. You see Steady point to two in particular.



Steady: Some of my buds are here right now so it's a good time. Who do you want to sit with first?


On table A, a Dragon-esque person is enjoying a hot bowl of soup. He seems warm and friendly.



On table B, a moody looking robot treats themself to a nice dessert. Perhaps they’re hiding a sweet side under their cold expression.

[Lilium Mortem]

pull table A and B together and force a group meeting

[Stonek]

Table A, he looks cool enough

[Ignispark]

Bring a third table in between the two. maximize friendship coefficients. bring tables together with addition. speedrun colleague acquiring.

[King-Clod]

Table A!

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

You go for a blitz and slam three tables together with your new body’s incredible strength.



Steady: What the fuck dude.



???: O-Oh?!


???: You spilled my dessert…



???: They don’t pay me enough for this…

You give them all a wide grin.

Steady dives in to save you.

Steady: Sorry, the  newcomer got excited to meet folks. I’ll compensate for the dessert…so uh.

Steady: On the left we got Rico, he works in monitoring.

Rico: I’ll be watching you and keeping update feeds going while you take up jobs. We’ll be working together plenty.

On the Right we got Fiddle, they’re on field work just me and possibly you depending on how things work out. 

The robot seemed too shy to give any response. Instead they looked down at their knocked over ice cream with a deep melancholy.

Steady: You going to be okay…?



Fiddle: My Ice Cream...

Steady: I’m so fucking sorry….

Steady: Anyway uh…. Middle guy is um… we don’t talk much actually.



???: Name’s Dell, not surprised. I handle the quest lineup in the backrooms for ya’ll to work with. We got a lot of investigations lately so the rookie should be fine. Anyway… yours are ready to look at whenever. Just... please don't do that again. Being hellspawn means that sort of sudden movement is going to destabilize my ass for a week.



Dell: Ugh, gonna need someone to anchor me after lunch...

That looks pretty bad right now...



Steady: Right so uh…

She leans to whisper at you.

Steady: Say something please...

[King-Clod]

we can fix this. just gotta hit them with the ooool razzle dazzle

"Hiya! Nice to meet y'all! Sorry about the table thing, got a little carried away there, heh. My name's Spiral Renegade, what's yours?"

wait frick she already told us

"What sorta missions do you guys like to do?"

[Ignispark]

ah yeah following up with your name is probably a good idea. uh. ask them their favorite color? maybe some other small questions to distract them from the fact that you somehow managed to screw things up in the span of a few moments.

[MarxzVulpez]

Oh god, I'm so sorry about your dessert, we'll make it up to you as soon as we can
Nice to meet you all, sorry I got carried away there. still getting used to everything, just "woke up" recently.

[Lilium Mortem]

I am not used to being this strong. Sorry. I just wanted to talk to everyone and... It seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe I was an asshole. I'll bottle up that existential crisis for later, what is up fellow zombie people?

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 You try to rescue this as best you can.

Spiral: Didn’t know my own strength there, new body and all..

Spiral: Nice to meet ya’ll, sorry for getting carried away there! I’ll uh… make  up for the dessert whenever we can…



Rico: No worries, first day and all that right?

He looks over at Fiddle.

Rico: You going to be okay?



Fiddle: I guess so, just a rough work week.. I get it though.

Spiral: I’ll make good on it once we got cash.... So uh… name’s Spiral Renegade, yours?

Wait no you already were told that.

Spiral: Right so um.. Rico and Fiddle and uh… Dell?

Dell has seemingly melted onto the floor, replying in static noises.



Steady: Yeah… hellspawn bodies were kind of an experiment that didn’t work out but also the process of modding or replacing one is risky so a few folks got bad luck here.

Steady: They were meant to be able to do all the ghostly things. Turn invisible, hide in walls, possession of objects, but uh… yeah.

Steady: He’ll probably respawn soon…



Spiral: Respawn...?

Steady: I mean yeah, right now everyone is linked to a respawner that scoops you up and puts you back together.

Spiral: Ah! So um… what type of work does everyone do here then if we need one of those?

Steady: A lot of investigation and bounty work.

Rico: Mission control really, I’m no good at fighting..



Fiddle: Hit jobs. Some things in this world aren’t meant to exist.

Steady: Yeah… we’ll probably not put you on those off the bat. Investigation work is always a good early option though. Sometimes it’s as simple as monitoring potential threats to the world and sometimes it’s collecting samples of supernatural oddities to turn into potential body mods.

Steady: We can look at some job listings while we eat. This kitchen has pretty much anything you can think of.

Fiddle: Best ice cream in the multiverse…



Steady: Yeah… anyway let’s order something before we overview yeah? Feel free to ask questions too really, I know it’s kind of a lot right now.

[Ignispark]

I wonder who's idea it was to have a business based on a metric tonne of necromancy...

anyhow uh. get the skewers. those sounded rad.

[Lilium Mortem]

Cheeseburger, no pickles, bacon, and a side of fries. A classic

[King-Clod]

If I get a bounty quest and kill a horror or terror or something, could I replace one of my limbs with a limb of what I killed?

Also for my meal... I could really go for a bowl of oatmeal, believe it or not. Maybe with pickles.

[MarxzVulpez]

Seconding the Skewers

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 Spiral: Kinda feeling the skewers actually…  you mentioned those earlier and I’m pretty tempted.



Steady: I can do that. Promise you’ll love it.

Spiral: So, quick question. If I were to cut off a limb or something from a target, could I attach that onto me?

Steady: If you manage to sample a target via scan or DNA fragment we could use that to cook you up all sorts of mods, no need to Frankenstein though… I mean not that I’ve never done it myself. I’ll be supporting you on the job for now though, gotta train you up.



Steady: Speaking of, before I get your order, here’s our options for today. We’ll get you prepped for any of these.

Steady: Anything catch your interest?


Missing in Action

Quest Type: Bounty
Main Objective: Retrieve the body of a fallen comrade.
Side Objectives: Verify cause of death.
Danger Level: 3

Description: Someone on the job has bit the dust outside of respawner range. Go in and find the body to see if we can salvage them. Will pay in massive amounts of purchase vouchers and a copy of the fallen’s body for mod usage.


The Junkyard Reaper

Quest Type: Investigation
Main Objective: Verify Subject’s Danger Level
Side Objectives: Successfully Scan target, Witness Target’s Proxy, Leave Job Offer
Danger Level: 2

Description: They don’t seem like all that much but rumors around them suggest they're a destroyer of worlds potential threat. Possibly worth scouting. Verify their true strength. Will pay in basic vouchers and early access to any mod developments found.


Heavy Metal Queen

Quest Type: Bounty
Main Objective: Scan the Target or bring back a sample.
Side Objectives: Witness the Target’s Scrap Form, Witness the God Parry, Steal their Guitar
Danger Level: 3

Description: A Duelist in a far away land, said to be the master of defense. Track them down and scan them, they seem like the key to some giant advancements. You’ll be rewarded with a copy body and access to mods, as well as vouchers.

[Lilium Mortem]

are these people... outlaws? if they're just normal citizens isn't scanning them a breach of personal privacy? and why does this one want me to steal a guitar? that's gotta be a crime. it's stealing! Are we the baddies?

[King-Clod]

It'd probably be wise to start with a lower danger level, such as with the Reaper quest, but the MIA mission is drawing me to it. I think if whoever got lost is going to have any chance of respawning now, it's gonna have to be quick. Plus, it has fewer side missions to keep track of.

Quick question: How high do the danger levels go up to?

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 Spiral: Probably would be best to start with something at a lower danger level like the Reaper quest but the MIA mission is pulling me in I think. If whoever’s lost has any chance of respawning, it has to be quick. Plus there’s fewer side missions to keep track of…



Steady: Makes sense, I was thinking about it too… praying they're okay.

Spiral: Have a bunch of questions also?

Steady: Shoot.

Spiral: How do the danger levels work? How high do they go?

Steady: Varies but the main important ones to keep track of uh…

Steady: Level 1 means zero chance of combat needed to be involved. Two means there’s a good chance but it’s low risk. 3 means you’re incredibly likely if not outright going to be picking a fight with something. 4 and 5 are missions where the risk is more real, and 6 are jobs that involve people who could delete you in a spar.

Steady: While you're new, I’m going to say limit yourself to level 3 or lower.

Spiral: Who are these people also? Are they outlaws? Scanning them is kind of a breach of privacy right?



Rico: We work in supernatural anomalies mostly, none of these are exactly powerless folks. We assess figures who could be threats at a reality bending level. If they seem like a potential problem, we record and monitor from there. If they’re just minding their own business? Leave them be for now.

Rico: That’s part of what a lot of investigation jobs come down to. Assessing their danger level.

Rico: We also look at folks like that as potential candidates. More than likely you did something to catch our attention, took our offer, and were taken up as a donor after you passed..



Fiddle: That’s really how all of us got in here actually. You probably don’t remember that much though. I mean I do.

Steady: We’re essentially a mercenary branch looking for newcomers and researching folks who might have abilities that’ll come in handy.

Fiddle: We also take hit jobs though the application process is a little difficult. Setting up the summoning circle, verifying that the target’s some supernatural nightmare… finding the right people for the job…

Steady: Also get used to dying a lot.

Fiddle: I’ll never die....

Rico: Seriously though you probably took some kind of offer and are here now because of it. You can work your way out though it’ll be awhile depending on how much pay you took while alive.

[King-Clod]

...Huh. I have to admit, I feel pretty disconnected from whoever I was when alive. Feels like a stranger racked up my debt and left me here.
I do appreciate the info though. Is there any way to...figure out who I was before all this? Are there files on us?

[Lilium Mortem]

Am I allowed to look at that offer? my 'contract' as it were? are we government affiliated, or independent? and while I don't think I'm the kind of person that would, could I refuse taking bounties? work off my debt some other way?