Job Title: Nightmare Incarnate
Rank: C
Category: Normal
Job Location: Spooky Forest
Solo Word Count: 1,000
Group Word Count: 2,000
Additional Requirements: N/A
Job Description: One day you receive a large box from the mailman. After inspecting it, you see that it doesn't say anywhere what's inside or why it's been sent to you. All that is written on the box is your name as the recipient.
Upon opening the box you discover that its contents are a hardcover book, which upon closer inspection proves to be a personal diary, and a voice recorder lacrima, both covered in bloodstains. Despite the bad feeling you have, you open the book and skim through the entries.
From that point onward all pages are ripped from the book. After putting the diary down, you activate the recorder lacrima.
Having listened to the lacrima, it's as if more questions have emerged than been answered. Who sent you these items? How do they know your name? What happened to the P.I. and the policemen? What did they find in that forest? It seems that you have no choice but to go there and find out yourself.
Enemies:
Reward: 20,000 jewel and the plot effect of becoming randomly haunted by Nightmare Incarnate until you figure out how to dispel it.
Rank: C
Category: Normal
Job Location: Spooky Forest
Solo Word Count: 1,000
Group Word Count: 2,000
Additional Requirements: N/A
Job Description: One day you receive a large box from the mailman. After inspecting it, you see that it doesn't say anywhere what's inside or why it's been sent to you. All that is written on the box is your name as the recipient.
Upon opening the box you discover that its contents are a hardcover book, which upon closer inspection proves to be a personal diary, and a voice recorder lacrima, both covered in bloodstains. Despite the bad feeling you have, you open the book and skim through the entries.
- The Diary:
"12 February, Day 647.
Today was a fun day. We went on a picnic near the forest and spent the whole day talking about meaningless things. It really was a blissful experience and since she didn't have any problems today we were able to forget about reality, even if for just a day."
"19 February, Day 654.
It happened again. She collapsed today and started mumbling about magical gates and how everything is going to be a nightmare. This is happening more and more often and I am getting really concerned now. No doctor knows what's wrong with her..."
"25 February, Day 660.
This is really getting out-of-hand! With each passing day, she becomes more and more delirious. I don't know what to do anymore. I've contacted every doctor and every mage I could find, but no one knows what's wrong with her. There has to be someone that can help..."
"1 March, Day 664.
This is my last hope. I contacted an exorcist who is said to be able to cure cases like hers. He's going to come tomorrow night. Maybe the end of this nightmare would finally come."
"2 March, Day 665.
It's a little before midnight now. The priest is going to come any minute and put her troubled mind to peace once again."
"3 March, Day 666.
I... don't believe it. I remember last night... the purification ceremony... then something happened and I was sent flying, and she ran away towards the Spooky Forest. When I came to, the priest was lying on the ground with his heart gouged out. What on Earthland happened last night? There's no time to waste, I know she's somewhere in the forest so I have to find her. I'll contact a couple of local police friends and we'll set off to search for her. Please be okay, my love..."
From that point onward all pages are ripped from the book. After putting the diary down, you activate the recorder lacrima.
- The Recordings:
"Date- 4 March. Time- 1:43 PM.
Adiolog #1. I am assigned due to my expertise in the field of demonology. It seems that a woman has been possessed by an unknown type of entity, presumably a type of demon, and has escaped in the Spooky Forest. We are currently within the said forest ourselves, having a local guide us through. For some reason when we entered it a thick, almost unnatural, fog descended upon us but we were capable of navigating through the dense vegetation regardless. Currently, we are standing in a forest clearing about 2 klicks north of the entrance. So far there's no sight of hostiles or the woman. It's unnaturally quiet, though. A bad omen."
"Date- 4 March. Time- 2:30 PM.
Documenting the investigation and search for the possessed woman in the Spooky Forest. This is log number two. It's been nearly an hour since the previous log and we've spent the time delving further north into the forest. It's crazy here. Everywhere you look there are huge trees and if you look up there is nothing but branches and leaves. The vegetation on the higher levels of the forest is incredibly dense, so there barely is any light down on ground level. It almost feels like we're alone in another world with no way out, and that damn fog isn't helping either. All this is taking its toll on the minds of the others. We're nearing another clearing. I guess we'll rest there for a while."
"Date- 4 March. Time- 2:45 PM.
This is audiolog number three. Things are not looking good. The others are getting seriously paranoid and I can't really blame them. This place plays with your mind in a very freaky way. A few minutes ago we continued moving deeper into the forest, following our course north. The guys are really getting worried now. They say that every now and then they see someone's silhouette in the distance, just beyond the fog, watching them. Observing their every move. I have yet to confirm the existence of this shadow, but if it is there then it might be the woman we were sent to find. Next time the silhouette makes an appearance we'll go after it."
"Date- 4 March. Time- 666:666 PM.
*The sound of someone's ragged breath mixed with their crazed running could be heard for several minutes. After that the barely audible thud, as if someone being hit against a tree, interrupts the running*
This is *static*P.I. *pant* We *static*eed help! We...we got sep*static*ed and the *static* took us out *pant* one by one. It's b*static*n watching us all along! Tor*static*ring us while studying its *pant* prey. It's close, *static* the only one left *static* coming f*static* me. *static* *static* *static* the time *static* thre *static* ourty-five. (after that point the static becomes too great and you can't understand anything)
Having listened to the lacrima, it's as if more questions have emerged than been answered. Who sent you these items? How do they know your name? What happened to the P.I. and the policemen? What did they find in that forest? It seems that you have no choice but to go there and find out yourself.
Enemies:
- Disturbing Noises
Are those footsteps? A demented laughter somewhere in the distance? A person's dying screams? Is that a whisper you can hear, carried in the wind? This place is really freaky...
This causes paranoia or similar effects, depending on your character. Strong-willed characters or people with a great ability to maintain their calmness can resist this to a great extent, though not completely.
Enemy Rank: Weak - Poltergeist Shenanigans
Trees falling down, rocks suddenly shooting towards you, having your body strongly pushed away without any explanation; these anomalies can deal some serious damage or scare the living daylights out of you. They might even separate you from your allies. Be on guard.
Enemy Rank: Normal - The Unknown Figure
You can feel it, can't you? Just beyond the mist, its hollow eyes staring right into your soul, sending ice-cold chills down your spine. No matter where you look it's there. Always watching, always moving. And no matter what you do, it's always just beyond the mist. Its effect is to greatly frighten you, triggering your fight or flight mechanism. Whether you choose to attack or run away and hide depends on your character's personality. Do your best not to go mad.
Enemy Rank: Strong - Nightmare Incarnate
Your time is up. The chase is over and now you must die. And it is coming to do just that. The unknown figure that had been stalking you until then finally appears before you, for better or worse. It's a humanoid about 2.5 metres tall, clad in black, but that's all you can make out of the figure. Its attacks are unnaturally fast, its reach long and it seems that it can attack you with its tentacles, cutting you with them and letting you bleed. It is tangible now, so you can at least fight it and hopefully save yourself. It takes 4x B rank damage to defeat and does B rank damage per hit. Good luck trying to set your terror aside to fight it effectively, as all the previous scare tactics only ramp up from here. Also please note that defeating it does not mean that it dies. Instead, it escapes back into the mist, which gets lifted soon after. It leaves behind several torn pages of seemingly insane nonsense.
Enemy Rank: Boss
Reward: 20,000 jewel and the plot effect of becoming randomly haunted by Nightmare Incarnate until you figure out how to dispel it.
