RE: Four Painful Years
09-22-2018, 06:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-22-2018, 08:04 AM by Paperhelmet.)
COTTONHELM: “Allow me to explain.”
COTTONHELM: “Erm, that is, allow me to explain some more. I’ll try to keep it brief.”
VERMILLION: "WHO HAS MY EARPLUGS?”
COTTONHELM: “Shh!”
COTTONHELM: “You see, the three of us are more than capable of protecting you within the fortified walls of our facilities. We are also ready and willing to put you through extensive self-defense programs should the day come to pass that we - as Gudrun put it - ‘let our guard down’, and you are left with no choice but to fight alone. Those amenities are guaranteed.”
COTTONHELM: “What I cannot guarantee, however, is a cure for your illness. That being said, the possibility of a cure is very much on the table. Depending on how much data we can gather during your time with us, we may be able to formulate a method of separating the mass from your brain without killing you, hopefully within the next three-or-so years.”
GUDRUN: "The Galactic Library can offer you knowledge privy only to the most dedicated researchers, artisans and experts in the known solar system. We intend to use that knowledge to formulate an extraction method quickly and accurately. If a cure is to be found, it’s going to be found by us."
VERMILLION: “BUT CURE IS NO USE IF YOU DIE. THORNS ACADEMY OF COMBAT TRANSFORMS LITTLE GIRLS INTO LIVING WEAPON. DEATH IS YOUR ALLY, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER FEAR IT. YOU WILL MASTER MANY WEAPONS AND MANY FORMS, AMASS ORCHESTRA OF DEADLY INSTRUMENTS, AND AT END OF DAY? EVERYONE AFRAID TO HUNT YOU. BECAUSE EVERYONE IS DEAD.”
COTTONHELM: “And what MSTTE regrettably lacks in terms of sterling networking and a brutal training regimen it more than makes up for in sheer, dauntless robustitude. Each and every instructor is a certified expert in their respective field, from subjects as innocuous as Merchanting, to courses as educational as they are tests of will, like our Fusion Studies course. We strive to connect you with new friends, new experiences, and the you that you truly wish to be! We are a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B, and when it comes to your safety, there is quite literally nowhere safer. I can be in many places at once, you see…”
GUDRUN: “Let’s wrap it up, VP.”
COTTONHELM: “Ah. Quite right, quite right.”
COTTONHELM: “Unfortunately, our combined mentorship would probably kill you faster, due to the demanding nature of our methods. You’re only human, after all… These circumstances demand efficiency. So, what’s left for you to decide, dear Julie, is which path to choose going forward.”
COTTONHELM: “Will you live the life of a freelance adventurer and scholar? Explore the unseen, sophisticated, thrilling existence of a Library agent? Or will you revel in glory as a hardened mercenary? We collect the data we need either way, so none of us have a particular stake in this matter. The choice is purely up to you.”
---
There’s a bit of a pause, after which Gudrun whispers something and nudges Cottonhelm with her elbow.
---
COTTONHELM: “... Aaaand... while it pains me to entertain the thought, you could always attempt to strike out on your own. We can’t force you to do anything without your clear consent. Oh, we’ll help you get started should that be your wish, surely, but… I don’t recommend such a foolhardy course of action. The fate of the entire galaxy would rest on your shoulders alone, quite literally… That kind of burden could drive you to unspeakable ends…”
---
Another pause. You can hear Vermillion’s helmet chafe against his neck armor as he shakes his head at you in warning.
---
COTTONHELM: “... So! What do you think?”
---
You’re totally speechless. By some stroke of unimaginable fortune, you’ve been given a chance at a normal life. But, on the other hand, this chance was given to you as a direct result of the thing that robbed you of normalcy in the first place… Is there a moral here? Actually, that doesn’t matter. Focus, woman, focus!
You have a very important choice to make. There’s just one thing you need to know about before you choose...
---
JULIE: “I… don’t really know what to say, this is just… really blowing my mind!”
JULIE: “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
COTTONHELM: “Ooh, I wouldn’t thank us just yet if I were you, but regardless, you are very welcome.”
JULIE: “I do have a question, though. A really important question.”
---
You liar. It’s not important at all. Important to you maybe, but still really silly in light of everything. Despite that, you can’t help but wonder… They mentioned spacecraft, and they keep talking about solar systems and other sci-fi stuff...
Could this be a dream come true?
---
JULIE: “What are the odds of me getting into a giant robot?”
COTTONHELM + VERMILLION + GUDRUN: "Favorable."
JULIE: “Fucking SOLD.”
![[Image: BEGlEYG.png]](https://i.imgur.com/BEGlEYG.png)
COTTONHELM: “Erm, that is, allow me to explain some more. I’ll try to keep it brief.”
VERMILLION: "WHO HAS MY EARPLUGS?”
COTTONHELM: “Shh!”
COTTONHELM: “You see, the three of us are more than capable of protecting you within the fortified walls of our facilities. We are also ready and willing to put you through extensive self-defense programs should the day come to pass that we - as Gudrun put it - ‘let our guard down’, and you are left with no choice but to fight alone. Those amenities are guaranteed.”
COTTONHELM: “What I cannot guarantee, however, is a cure for your illness. That being said, the possibility of a cure is very much on the table. Depending on how much data we can gather during your time with us, we may be able to formulate a method of separating the mass from your brain without killing you, hopefully within the next three-or-so years.”
GUDRUN: "The Galactic Library can offer you knowledge privy only to the most dedicated researchers, artisans and experts in the known solar system. We intend to use that knowledge to formulate an extraction method quickly and accurately. If a cure is to be found, it’s going to be found by us."
VERMILLION: “BUT CURE IS NO USE IF YOU DIE. THORNS ACADEMY OF COMBAT TRANSFORMS LITTLE GIRLS INTO LIVING WEAPON. DEATH IS YOUR ALLY, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER FEAR IT. YOU WILL MASTER MANY WEAPONS AND MANY FORMS, AMASS ORCHESTRA OF DEADLY INSTRUMENTS, AND AT END OF DAY? EVERYONE AFRAID TO HUNT YOU. BECAUSE EVERYONE IS DEAD.”
COTTONHELM: “And what MSTTE regrettably lacks in terms of sterling networking and a brutal training regimen it more than makes up for in sheer, dauntless robustitude. Each and every instructor is a certified expert in their respective field, from subjects as innocuous as Merchanting, to courses as educational as they are tests of will, like our Fusion Studies course. We strive to connect you with new friends, new experiences, and the you that you truly wish to be! We are a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B, and when it comes to your safety, there is quite literally nowhere safer. I can be in many places at once, you see…”
GUDRUN: “Let’s wrap it up, VP.”
COTTONHELM: “Ah. Quite right, quite right.”
COTTONHELM: “Unfortunately, our combined mentorship would probably kill you faster, due to the demanding nature of our methods. You’re only human, after all… These circumstances demand efficiency. So, what’s left for you to decide, dear Julie, is which path to choose going forward.”
COTTONHELM: “Will you live the life of a freelance adventurer and scholar? Explore the unseen, sophisticated, thrilling existence of a Library agent? Or will you revel in glory as a hardened mercenary? We collect the data we need either way, so none of us have a particular stake in this matter. The choice is purely up to you.”
---
There’s a bit of a pause, after which Gudrun whispers something and nudges Cottonhelm with her elbow.
---
COTTONHELM: “... Aaaand... while it pains me to entertain the thought, you could always attempt to strike out on your own. We can’t force you to do anything without your clear consent. Oh, we’ll help you get started should that be your wish, surely, but… I don’t recommend such a foolhardy course of action. The fate of the entire galaxy would rest on your shoulders alone, quite literally… That kind of burden could drive you to unspeakable ends…”
---
Another pause. You can hear Vermillion’s helmet chafe against his neck armor as he shakes his head at you in warning.
---
COTTONHELM: “... So! What do you think?”
---
You’re totally speechless. By some stroke of unimaginable fortune, you’ve been given a chance at a normal life. But, on the other hand, this chance was given to you as a direct result of the thing that robbed you of normalcy in the first place… Is there a moral here? Actually, that doesn’t matter. Focus, woman, focus!
You have a very important choice to make. There’s just one thing you need to know about before you choose...
---
JULIE: “I… don’t really know what to say, this is just… really blowing my mind!”
JULIE: “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
COTTONHELM: “Ooh, I wouldn’t thank us just yet if I were you, but regardless, you are very welcome.”
JULIE: “I do have a question, though. A really important question.”
---
You liar. It’s not important at all. Important to you maybe, but still really silly in light of everything. Despite that, you can’t help but wonder… They mentioned spacecraft, and they keep talking about solar systems and other sci-fi stuff...
Could this be a dream come true?
---
JULIE: “What are the odds of me getting into a giant robot?”
COTTONHELM + VERMILLION + GUDRUN: "Favorable."
JULIE: “Fucking SOLD.”
v CLICK THIS IMAGE TO CAST YOUR VOTE v
^ CLICK THIS IMAGE TO CAST YOUR VOTE ^
![[Image: PNPpCfB.png]](https://i.imgur.com/PNPpCfB.png)
![[Image: KGVIPNT.png]](https://i.imgur.com/KGVIPNT.png)