"But that's not fair! Why—"
"There's nothing unfair about it. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Besides, these are the rules. I'm just the host; protesting to is useless."
Corpse Gentleman cut off Mr. White Cat's objection. His murky eyes shifted to the hospital diorama on the table, and he pointed a finger at the five statues standing before the hospital entrance.
"The story officially begins. There are many ways to end it, which you'll have to explore and discover for yourselves. But for now, the writer, the sailor, the rchant's daughter, the noble lady, and the foreign viscountess have arrived at the hospital gates, only to find them bound by a chain and secured with a padlock.
You cannot destroy the gate or the lock, as you are explorers, not common thieves. So, please find a way into the hospital. You may now speak..."
Since everyone had read the rulebook, they understood what "speaking" entailed. The five of them quietly studied the tabletop diorama for a mont, noticing that a thin layer of white mist had sohow begun to swirl around the scene. It was steam from the machinery beneath the table rising to the surface, but it corresponded to the very real fog that shrouded the hospital in the story.
"Can the explorers just leave and go ho to sleep?" Hathaway asked first.
"Of course not. Fleeing the ga is forbidden," Corpse Gentleman replied.
"Then can we just climb over the wall?" Hooded Man inquired next. "It doesn't look very high."
"The writer and the sailor can, but the other three ladies, who are wearing skirts, cannot. Unless, of course, you don't mind splitting up..."
"No, we're not splitting up."
Mr. White Cat voiced what everyone was thinking. He then picked up his silver tal token—his character card—and announced:
"I'm controlling my childhood friend, a sailor. His life experience includes the 'Pathfinding' ability."
He then picked up the two heavy dice.
"Your sailor's 'Pathfinding' skill is 50. Roll below 50, and you'll successfully find a way in."
Corpse Gentleman watched him, and though the man looked like a corpse, he was still capable of stroking his chin, a gesture that sent a chill down Jenkins's spine.
The dice were thrown. The result: 63. The figurine representing the sailor seed to co to life, pacing back and forth in front of the gate a few tis before returning to its original spot, where it began to fidget anxiously, scratching its head. The other four figurines remained motionless, like inanimate objects.
Mr. White Cat clicked his tongue in disappointnt but said nothing.
"My forr admirer, the rchant's daughter, also has a pathfinding ability."
Hooded Man leaned over and picked up the dice, but the rchant's daughter had an even lower skill level, and he failed as well.
The figurine of the rchant's daughter began looking left and right at the gate, the second of the statues to spring to life.
"What a pity. You were so close that ti. A small tip for you all: don't linger outside for too long. There are beasts in the wilderness at night."
As Corpse Gentleman spoke in his chilling voice, Hathaway's own voice rang out:
"The character I'm controlling, Jenkins Williams..."
"He has no pathfinding ability," Corpse Gentleman pointed out, seeming to know the specific details of every character card in their hands.
"Yes, he doesn't," she conceded, "but according to this character card, he usually travels with his cat, Chocolate."
All eyes turned to Hathaway, curious about what she was going to say.
"Since the cat is also with Jen... with Williams, can I control Williams and have him order the cat to find a path? His character card clearly states he has a 'Cat Training' ability."
After a few seconds of silence, Corpse Gentleman gave a slow, silent nod. On the table, a tiny wooden cat scurried out from the white mist at the edge of the diorama. When it touched the wooden figurine of Jenkins at the hospital gate, that figurine, too, stirred to life.
The real Chocolate, who was lying on the table, stared wide-eyed at the scene.
The two wooden figures played affectionately for a mont before Hathaway rolled the two dice.
"Williams's 'Cat Training' skill is... 99," she announced.
Jenkins suspected that most of the people present were now probably wondering if he had so kind of inappropriate relationship with his cat. He felt utterly misrepresented; his cat training skills couldn't possibly be that high.
Such specific abilities were all written on the character cards, and Jenkins was genuinely worried about how many of his secrets were recorded on that piece of tal.
"Though the cat training was successful, it doesn't guarantee Williams's cat can find another entrance. You'll still need to roll for his luck," Corpse Gentleman reminded her, then added, "And Williams's luck is extrely low. Only 3."
Hathaway was certainly aware of this, but she rolled the dice in silence anyway. The result was exactly 03.
Jenkins heard her let out a distinct sigh, followed by the quiet murmurs of relief from his friends. He was at a loss for words, left to simply watch as all five newly animated wooden figurines followed the little wooden cat, its tail wagging, away from the locked gate.
After walking for a while through overgrown grass alongside the rusty iron fence, they indeed found a gap. Without any direction from the players, the party of five people and one cat slipped through into the hospital courtyard.
"The five adventurous friends have entered the hospital through a gap in the fence, only to be startled by the desolate and eerie atmosphere within. From now on, the noble lady and the rchant's daughter will have 10 added to all their ability rolls. If any roll exceeds 100, an unexpected event will occur in the story."
Corpse Gentleman announced the new developnt. Jenkins and Hooded Man exchanged a look. This ti, they were the unlucky ones.
Before Corpse Gentleman could dictate the next part of the story, Mr. White Cat, who was finally getting a feel for the ga, spoke up, buying everyone so ti:
"Since we're inside the hospital, perhaps our five friends should discuss what they each know about this place. I imagine anyone coming here to explore would have done at least a little research beforehand."
His words served as a prompt for the others, and Magic Miss spoke first:
"My friend from a decade ago, the foreign viscountess, has been living in Nolan for many years. She would likely know sothing about the local history."
Corpse Gentleman glanced at Mr. White Cat, then nodded.
"The character card didn't ntion this, but it seems to have been judged as true. In that case, the character cards will be updated."
The hidden compartnts on each person's left slid open again. On the new silver plates that appeared, there was indeed a great deal more content than before.
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