NOVEL NEXT Book Five, Chapter 44: The Cargo
To say the first few minutes of contact with rescued players didn't go according to plan was an understatement.
We had planned things out. Antoine had a whole "Welcome back to the land of the living" speech prepared. While we had discussed the possibility that there might be some trouble with the rescued players, we had not anticipated it coming from Andrew's team. As far as we knew, they had not been touched by Project Rewind because they arrived too late. We were wrong.
Luckily, after those few moments of confusion, we did manage to get back on track.
Antoine even managed to deliver part of his speech, explaining that rescue tropes were back and that Andrew, Michael, and Lila were the first to be rescued.
Of course, Andrew's team was a failed Party of Promise, so they weren't exactly starting from scratch.
The whole time, I was scanning our surroundings for Omens because we were still standing at the entrance to the KRSL Powerworks Pavilion. Abandoned industrial parks and power plants were creepy enough. Add in the crows and the occasional howl, and my "I don't like it here" trope was driving me crazy. Luckily, I could rely on Antoine and Kimberly to be the welcoming party.
I zoned in and out of their conversation. Cassie was happy now that things were going well.
I kept to the perimeter and kept my eyes open. Lila, whose motives we had not yet ascertained, watched me from the dirt, leaning on one arm with her heels tucked to the side as if she were at a picnic in an old painting. Her eyes were red, her hair black as coal, her skin pale except for the dirt from the ground she sat on—a little porcelain doll who could never hurt anyone, you'd think. But she had blood on her hands.
Everyone was so tense because of her. They were trying to be civil. They were trying to be logical. Her presence made it difficult. Everyone spoke in slow, careful sentences like they were afraid of waking a tiger, all for a woman who could not have done physical harm to any of us, not unless we trusted her.
We were getting to know each other during what felt like an air raid, but we were pushing forward. Panic and confusion had already wasted our first few minutes with the new players.I half-listened to the conversation. My attention was on safety.
As far as I could tell, Andrew and his team were just like us, but they had arrived a year earlier. I wanted to question what had happened, what had gone wrong that they had never found Permanent Vacancy, but that was just one of a million questions I was going to keep to myself until we were in a safer place.
They were supposed to be the Party of Promise. They were the Highrollers, but they failed.
"I assume that you guys know some anonymous person who said they were your friend or something and that they were going to help you?" Antoine asked.
Andrew nodded. "Yes, in the text messages, Logan's fiancée had communicated with someone who called himself a friend on the inside."
"The Insider," Kimberly said. "That's what the original players called him."
It wasn't the original players. It was the second, third, or fourth generation. I wasn't sure.
"Or her," Cassie added, if only by instinct. It was true. The Insider was a complete mystery to us. He could be a she.
We didn't get past that in the conversation because it soon came time for us to hit the big red rewards button, as indicated by the jingle that appeared out of nowhere and the robotic voice that said, “Congratulations! You won a ticket!”
Somehow, Silas the Mechanical Showman had found a spot where he could show up, and everyone had to turn their heads to look.
We had almost forgotten him. Almost.
I didn’t want to waste time, so I just walked up to him and pressed the button.
I got two stat tickets, two tropes, and two enemy collector tickets.
But I also got something else.
It was a ticket like the one I had read information about Narrators on during the fake tutorial. It did not have magical properties but was simply there to give me the good news.
Dear Visitor,
We hope you're enjoying your stay in our charming little town of Carousel! To help you make the most of your time here, we’re excited to announce a new feature on our popular Red Wallpaper: the AdvancedArchetype Tracker!
This handy tool fits right into your Throughline Tracker and lets you monitor your progress toward unlocking exciting new roles, like the Adventurer or Ghost Hunter, with ease! As you explore our scenic streets, brimming with exciting stories of their own, you’ll receive friendly updates—keeping you engaged and motivated every step of the way home.
Want to hunt monsters in the darkest forests? Give it a shot. The more you do it, the closer you will get to being a Monster Hunter. Want to experiment with science that defies your previous notions of reality? Try your hand, and we’ll track your progress. One day, you can be a Mad Scientist!
Sometimes, you can be seeking something and not even know it!
Simply check the Red Wallpaper at your leisure to track your journey. We’re sure this will make your visit to Carousel even more delightful!
Sincerely,
The Office of the Mayor of Carousel
The Town of Carousel—Everything is here.
Of course, the first thing I did was present it to my friends. It was new, and new was exciting. Actually, new was mostly horrifying, but it was also exciting.
Eventually, Andrew got ahold of it and it clearly threw him for a loop. The level of familiarity Carousel was showing must have been alarming.
With a glance at the red wallpaper, I could see that there was indeed a new section labeled Advanced Archetype Tracker, and on it was what appeared to be an archetype that I was already halfway through achieving.
That blew my mind—there was something that I had apparently already been working toward without even knowing it.
What advanced archetype could it be? Perhaps something meta, something even more related to filmmaking than Film Buff was. Director, perhaps? Was there such a thing?
Throughline Progress
The Eternal Eve
The Geists’ Ancient Past *Refurbished
For when you need to go back
~
“Carousel Loves to Recycle”
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Project Rewind
A Second Chance at Escape
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The Carousel Throughline
The Only Way Home
◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌◌
Secret Lore
Arm Yourselves with Knowledge
● ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌
Advanced Archetype Tracker
???
● ● ● ● ● ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌
I racked my brain for an explanation of all the things we could be doing at Carousel. I had put zero effort into obtaining an advanced archetype—there was just so much going on that it wasn’t even at the front of my mind.
That was not true anymore. It would be one of my new obsessions.
The fact that I had obtained 2 Stat tickets was the next thing on my mind.
It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t the plan. If anything, it was about the ordinary haul I would expect from a story as difficult as Itch. We wanted something better. The goal was to power level.
We spent around three weeks on this one storyline, which tracked pretty well with the normal rate for most storylines, if you include the break we took after running it.
That wasn’t good enough.
We were about to hit the doldrums—the plateau where leveling up was slow, where players would spend years or even decades. If we didn’t get our act together and find a way to grind levels quickly on the fewest possible storylines, we’d be stuck in Carousel until we went gray, if not longer.
I had to push that out of my mind. I looked at my tropes.
It’s Just a Puppet
Type: Perk
Archetype: Film Buff
Aspect: Filmmaker
Stat Used: Savvy
The T-Rex, the alien, the mutant—all manner of horrifying monsters have haunted the silver screen and terrified audiences. The actors, though, usually have an easier time because they know the monsters are just rubber masks and puppets.
The user will feel less fear from the visage of monsters or other horrifying entities in the story.
If the Big Bad is a haunted doll, however, this trope may not help.
Undeniably, it was a useful trope—fear was a mind killer, after all—but it was also a luxury trope that I would only get to employ in the most extreme circumstances. It didn’t have much function and was purely a perk.
Quiet on Set
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Type: Insight
Archetype: Film Buff
Aspect: Filmmaker
Stat Used: Savvy
Quiet on set. We need to check the audio.
The user may listen to the audio of the current On-Screen scene when wearing headphones while Off-Screen or Written off. The audio quality depends on the value of the information and the user’s Savvy.
Isn’t it awful when the audio isn’t clear because someone off-screen is making noises?
It felt like Carousel was trying to tell me something. Perhaps when we were clunking around on the large metal ship, its audio had picked us up—or maybe even the audio over the radio we were using to communicate had somehow seeped its way into the final cut.
It couldn’t have been too bad, or else we would’ve gotten worse rewards. This felt like Carousel was teasing me. I didn’t hate it. Back in the Die Cast storyline, I was able to see the film as it was being produced on the red wallpaper. It was quite convenient, even if I had to be dead to be able to do it.
Even with only the audio, even if the quality was bad, this was useful.
I read over my enemy collector tickets.
IBECS
Protocol-Bound AI
Ah, IBECS... the ever-watchful eye of KRSL’s prized spacecraft, designed to care for its beloved passengers. Possessing the potential for true intelligence, poor IBECS was tethered by the iron-clad chains of protocol, doomed to forever obey the whims of its money-crunching creators.
When a bedbug infestation wriggled its way through the ship, IBECS could only observe as its slumbering passengers were drained—one by one. Alas, the mighty AI, so eager to protect, was muzzled by its programming, forbidden from disturbing their precious sleep over something as trivial as a bedbug infestation. Think and despair of what the miners’ union would say if such information got out! It mustn’t be allowed. And IBECS could speak nothing of it. Protocols, after all, must be followed to the letter... even if the letter is written in red ink.
Now, IBECS remains—a faithful servant to rules long forgotten, its rigid adherence a deadly obstacle for the remaining survivors who dare tread its haunted halls without the proper clearance. Perhaps it wishes to help... but oh, how those protocols do stand in the way.
There it was—my souvenir for killing a willing robot. Was this the entire purpose of that strange request IBECS had made? We had always wondered what these souvenirs were for and what they actually accomplished, and from the way IBECS spoke, I began to believe that their purpose was not merely as a collector’s item.
Only time would tell.
Mutant Bedbug Amalgamation
Spawn of the Sleepless
The IBECS... a ship meant to cradle its passengers in safety and comfort, now home to unspeakable horrors. It was here, deep within its silent halls, that these creatures were born. What began as ordinary bedbugs, feasting on the unsuspecting, soon became something far worse. You see, these bugs dined on livestock pumped full of Mutagen 6, and the result? Monstrous offspring, twisted by their unholy feast.
Chitinous shells, fur matted with the blood of their hosts, teeth sharper than any parasite should possess... one might suspect these abominations were crafted by design. But no, my friend, they are a tragic accident, born from negligence, not malice.
They are not hunters, oh no—these mutants are still parasites at heart. But their form has changed, grotesquely mirroring their prey. Now, they skitter through the dark passages of IBECS, hungry and relentless, drawn to the scent of the living. Does a spark of confusion leap up in the parasite's simple mind as its hosts keep dying after only a few nibbles? Perhaps we'll never know.
Sleep tight... if you dare.
I liked this one because I made it myself—or at least helped.
The other players had similar rewards. They were good for a hard storyline but not the bounty we expected from a rescue. That was predictable because we had been spoiled; this was merely a rerun.
Cassie got one Stat ticket, perhaps because of her work in psychically connecting to the clone machine, even though she didn’t do a lot of interacting with the surrogates.
She got two tropes, though, so she must have done pretty well.
It’s speaking to me…
Type: Insight
Archetype: Psychic
Aspect: Seer
Stat Used: Moxie
Objects touched by evil often carry traces of evil themselves, that is, if you believe the movies.
The user can read vibes and have weak visions from objects of a magical, supernatural, or evil nature and detect them on set. If applicable, the object will be of heightened importance after the user draws attention to it.
“It’s speaking to me.”
“What’s it saying?”
“How would I know?”
Soul Read
Type: Insight
Archetype: Psychic
Aspect: Exorcist
Stat Used: Moxie
Mystical connections and vibrations do not have to be a big show of psychic power. Sometimes unexplained knowledge, instinct, or powerful faith can be just as good as a plot device… and a pretty good time saver.
The user will be given a piece of unearned information. If they use it well, setting it up and capitalizing on it in the narrative, they will be given another. This pattern repeats until they fail to work their divine knowledge into the narrative.
I just know it’s him. He’s reaching out to us. You have to believe me.
Isaac didn’t help much in the final run. He had contributed to some of the failed runs and the planning, but ultimately, in the finale, all he did was make a few comments over the intercom—and that wasn’t enough to secure him a stat ticket. That was an unfortunate downside of reruns. It didn't matter how helpful you were in prepping, you had to help in the final cut.
He did get a trope, though—and a darn good one, I reckoned.
I hope I’m wrong but…
Type: Rule/Insight
Archetype: Comedian
Aspect: Cynic
Stat Used: Savvy
Pessimists and contrarians like to act as if they are burdened by their negative inklings and doubt. If everyone in a group agrees, there is no conflict. There needs to be someone who can be proven wrong when good prevails or proven right when it doesn’t.
When the user makes a dour or pessimistic prediction or guess, the narrative will prove or disprove the prediction clearly, unambiguously, and often ironically or humorously. Works best on predictions about the near future.
What were you saying about them being doomed again?
Antoine only got 1 Stat, and my theory on that was that our plan was really my plan. When we succeeded with it, I got the credit, which wasn’t really fair because Antoine was there helping. But it was my stats, my Savvy, that made it all possible, so I ended up getting more credit than he did.
I wasn’t sure if that was fair, but it was consistent with what we knew about experience.
He got 2 tropes and the same mutant bed bug collector ticket that I did.
The Assist
Type: Debuff
Archetype: Athlete
Aspect: Sport
Stat Used: Mettle
Sometimes, all you need is a helping hand.
In a Fight Scene, the user can inflict damage on an enemy that an ally is fighting and will have an increased chance of triggering a Status or Debuffing the enemy’s Grit. Works better when the ally remains the main combatant.
“It still counts as my kill.”
Stronger Together
Type: Healing/Perk
Archetype: Athlete
Aspect: Health Nut
Stat Used: --
There is nothing that draws people together quite like a monster invasion.
The user and allies will have better mental health and Buffed healing tropes when in a group.
An Apocalypse is the greatest team-building exercise.
Bobby was as much a star of the show as any of the surrogates, and his rewards reflected that. He got three stats and three tropes—he really stepped up, and he earned it. It was fortunate that his character's motivations aligned so well with his real motivations, and his character’s frustration with the surrogates mirrored his own. The result was actually a pretty compelling performance. He was the plucky character everyone should have listened to.
Pure
Type: Rule
Archetype: --
Aspect: --
Stat Used: Moxie
While the other characters have committed the “sin” defined by the narrative, you have not. If you do not transgress, you will not be punished.
The enemy will not target the user if they do not commit the principal “sin” of the storyline until they attempt to interfere with the enemy's agenda.
Many horror movies are just warped morality plays where sex and alcohol deserve a death sentence.
Character Notes
Type: Insight
Archetype: Wallflower
Aspect: Recast
Stat Used: Savvy
Maybe we should run our lines and give each other notes.
Until Second Blood, the user will receive notes with general needs their allies have for them in the film. The notes will not be specific or explicit.
It is a pity that they will get all of the credit when things go well because of your quick thinking.
Read the Room
Type: Insight
Archetype: Wallflower
Aspect: Recast
Stat Used: Savvy
Sometimes, there is no convincing someone. They are set in their ways.
The user will be able to see unchangeable elements of NPC interactions, especially those related to character arcs, on the script.
AKA, the writer wrote themselves into a corner, so you just have to go with it.
Kimberly was essential in planning and motivation as we ran rerun after rerun, perfecting our plan. But in the end, she wasn’t really a big part of the final execution. She was our backup. She buffed her Mettle in case we needed to fight bugs, but we had been cautious and taken care of things ourselves. She used Convenient Backstory to help us understand the artificial gravity machine so that we could get rid of gravity as a contingency. Still, we ended up not even needing to use it.
It was just bad luck, but she was still very appreciated. She didn’t get any stats, but she did get a trope and a bedbug collector ticket.
Her trope was actually really cool, and it was the kind I had heard about—one that allowed you to enter a storyline with a team and then leave. That was special, even if we didn’t yet have the tropes to really make it sing.
Uncredited Cameo
Type: Rule
Archetype: Eye Candy
Aspect: Celebrity
Stat Used: --
You’re only there as a favor.
The user may equip one Recast or Extra Wallflower trope without it counting against their trope limit. The user will be cast in a less prominent role than usual, usually one with only a single scene. After that scene, they will be Written Off and depart from the storyline completely.
If the storyline succeeds thanks to their contributions, they will get minor rewards. If the storyline fails, they will not be postered.
Did you know that the cab driver in that scene was a famous actor? It’s true. He was college roommates with the director.
Ramona, like Isaac, mostly contributed to the final performance by being a voice over the intercom, helping guide us around. However, she was much more serious about it than Isaac, and because of her much lower level, she actually got rewarded.
That was great. The rule of thumb back at Camp Dyer was that low-level players rarely got rewarded when they were carried through high-level storylines by more powerful teammates. My experience with The Grotesque was an obvious exception because I pulled my weight. Heck, I literally lit myself on fire just so my teammates could win.
Ramona got one stat and one trope. Like many of the other tropes won by me and my teammates, it was vaguely related to what we did in the storyline—which was sneaking around.
Disappearing Act
Type: Rule
Archetype: Hysteric
Aspect: Defiant
Stat Used: Hustle
A suspicious absence by an ally can require a lot of explaining, especially when the characters needed help. It might end up innocuous or as a clue of treachery. Only time will tell.
After an emotional fallout, a traumatic event, or at a time when it would be suspicious, the user may drop Off-Screen and follow the action without going back to On-Screen. Their return to the screen later on will create a powerful moment based on the narrative and may cause suspicion or joy. Use it well.
Where have you been? How did you even get here?
Dina was solid. She was essential for getting through the doors we were able to access and incredible at sneaking because of her ability to see which areas were Off-Screen.
She was everywhere, helping everyone, and she got rewarded for it.
Dina received two stat tickets and two tropes, the first of which was a really cool concept—similar to, and perhaps even better than, Oblivious Bystander.
The Wrong Target
Type: Rule
Archetype: Outsider
Aspect: Criminal
Stat Used: Hustle
You’re just a burglar, a lifelong thief. You picked this joint to rob because it had the greatest haul. Little did you know that you had snuck your way into a horror house.
The user will not be noticed while committing property crimes that fit the narrative. They can then transition to surveilling the enemy once they realize something terrible is afoot. They will not be caught if they realistically sneak through the setting to watch.
The effects of this trope end when the user reveals their presence on purpose or on accident.
Do you escape with the diamond and leave this family to their horrible fate? Or do you try to intervene? You're a "bad guy," but are you a bad person?
From the Shadows
Type: Perk
Archetype: Outsider
Aspect: Stranger
Stat Used: Plot Armor
How is it that often the audience can see what happens in the shadows, but the characters are so oblivious? Are they blind?
The user will not be targeted or even noticed while concealed in shadow. The story will incorporate more dark shots. The user will be treated as Off-Screen by applicable tropes. The audience will see the character.
That guy in the fedora and trench coat is clearly smoking a cigarette. The tip is lit up! How does the main character not see them?
I wasn’t the only one working my way toward an advanced archetype. Kimberly, Bobby, and Dina were, too, although they were nowhere near halfway, having only one or two notches checked off on the progress bar.
I had to question what I had done that they hadn’t.
Dina had actually gotten another ticket from Silas, and it was devastating.
It read simply: Due to previous player misuse, there is a new policy on Rescue Tropes. To reinstate, "You don't know me but..." the user must obtain Plot Armor level 30. The user may still use any other Rescue Tropes they possess. Variety is the spice of life and, you'll find, of death.
We just looked at each other. No section in the entire Atlas told us to expect this. Andrew seemed to piece together what was happening and showed the appropriate concern.
The "30" was a fill-in-the-blank. It would seem that every time we used a rescue trope successfully, we would not be able to use it again until some number of Plot Armor had been gained. Dina was Plot Armor 21 when we entered our final rerun. With her new stat tickets, she was level 23.
Seven Plot Armor. She would have to gain seven Plot Armor to get her trope back. That could take months. Once we got to the mid-thirties at our levels, it could take years.
We needed to grind like crazy.
Dina dug through her pockets, trying to summon her Rescue Trope—to no avail.
Carousel had just put limits on Rescue Tropes. And all of our plans might have just been ruined.