Akuma Hantā Quest

>>1094363
>Ask about the unmarked letter. It might be business.

>>1094363
>Thank him, then ask what the gift is for.
Then

>>1094363
Thank him, then ask what the gift is for.

>>1094394
>>1094379
"Ah, thanks. What's up with the gift?" You ask, lifting the box. You shake it slightly, and hear nothing move, or break.
"It's your birthday present. I didn't want to bring it up earlier, because it wasn't technically your birthday then, but... Wait. You do know that today's your birthday, right? You haven't gotten-"
"Yes, yes, I knew that it was my birthday," you reassure him. "I just didn't expect you to give it to me so early. Couldn't you have held onto it until later?"
Miles gives you a strange look, and you furrow your brows at him. You see his Adam's Apple bob as he swallows nervously, and you lean back, crossing your arms.
"What? What's wrong? You're not clocking out early, are you?"
"No, no, it's not that... it's just, ah..."
He seems reluctant to talk.

>Urge him to continue.
>Change the subject, ask about the letter.

>>1094415
>Change the subject, ask about the letter.

>>1094421
You continue to frown at your stammering secretary, then decide not to make him more uncomfortable than he already is. You set the box on your desk, then hold up the letter.
"Who dropped this off, Miles?"
Miles clears his throat, and fidget slightly, thinking back.
"It was... a short, pudgy guy, in his late 20s, I'd say. He was really sweaty, too, like he ran all the way here, but he was breathing just fine. He left as soon as I took the letter. He was weird, definitely, but not... creepy."
You nod slowly, and closely inspect the letter. You don't hear a bomb ticking, and you don't sense the residual magic of a hex or a curse, so you tear it open. The letter has an address, arranged like a ransom note. You snort, and fold the paper into a neat square, then drop it into your pocket.
"What did it say?"
"It had an address, and nothing else. You think I should go?"
"Uh... I guess so. I'm pretty sure you can protect yourself, if he turns out to be some lowlife who took offense to something you did in the past."


>Miles is right, you'll be fine.
>No, it's too risky.
>You should take Miles with you, just in case.

>>1094482
>Miles is right, you'll be fine.

>>1094504
"Yeah, you're right. I'll be fine." You push you chair back from your desk, then set about gathering your things. After a few minutes of awkward silence, you realize that Miles still hasn't left. You straighten up, sling your satchel over your shoulder, and frown across the room at your secretary.
"You can go home if you'd like, Miles. I doubt we'll get any call-ins tonight."
Miles makes the same flustered expression from earlier, and begins stuttering again.

>Order him to go home.
>Ask him what's wrong.
>Order him to tell you what he's hiding.

>>1094545
>Ask him what's wrong
Say it, man!

>>1094545
Rakshasha got your tongue?

>>1094560
"Miles. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Miles shakes his head. You continue frowning at him.
"Is there something you NEED to tell me?"
Miles makes a slight whimpering noise, and rushes to the door. You hear him hurry down the stairs, and hear the 'ding' as the front door opens. You scoff, slightly surprised, and start to leave. Just before you step out of your office, you turn back, and retrieve the little blue box on your desk. You decide to open it later.

You step outside a few moments later, and look up and down the street, before jaywalking across, and head towards the parking garage. You deposit your things in the back seat, then set the little blue box in your passenger seat. You grip the steering wheel of your shitty little Lincoln, and think for a few moments.


>Head to the address on the letter. Business is more important than Miles.
>Head to Miles' house. He was acting stranger than usual.

>>1094573
sorry, i was typing the other thing when you posted this. don't worry; we'll have plenty of opportunities for puns later.))

>>1094586
>Head to Miles' house. He was acting stranger than usual.
He knows something.

>>1094605
You start the engine, and peel out of your parking space. Several minutes later, you find yourself walking from a different parking garage, down to Miles' apartment building.

You wonder why you bought a car in the first place as you knock on Miles' door. There is no answer. You knock a few more times, frowning. After a few momemts of silence, you hear a thump on the other side of the door, and jump back, yelping.


>Let yourself in.
>Knock again.

that's all i've got in me for tonight. it's almost 2:30 a.m. over here, and i've got work in the morning. don't expect any answers until this afternoon, at the latest))

>>1094638
>Let yourself in.
>>1094648
Goodnight and thank you for running.

>>1094650
You hurriedly fish out the spare key Miles gave you, and quickly open the door. The apartment is pitch black, and you fumble around for the light switch. When the light flickers on, you hear a grunt from the living room. Your rest your hand on the grip of the firearm in your waistband, and you slowly step around the corner.
Miles is sitting on his couch, cocooned in blankets, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
"Boss?" He lets out a yawn, stretching. "What're you doing here? Did something happen?"
"What am I doing here? You got here in time to take a nap, and I drove, Miles. You've got some explaining to do." You relax slightly, and your hand drops to your side.
Miles starts to say something, but freezes when a thump resounds from the entry hallway. After a second or two of silence, he mouthes the words, "You brought company?"
You shake your head no, and listen to something breathing heavily in the hallway. A lump forms in your throat.

>Take a step toward Miles, so that you have more space between yourself and whatever's in the hallway.
>Turn around, and draw your firearm. You can probably shoot it before it gets too close.
>Take several steps to the side, so that you can look between the hallway and the couch.

>>1095510
>Take several steps to the side, so that you can look between the hallway and the couch.

>>1095577
You turn, and step backwards, looking from the couch to the hall. Miles frowns at you, slightly confused, and both of your frowns intensify as a second Miles steps around the corner. The Miles' immediately lock eyes, staring at each other, before slowly turning to look at you. The one that stepped out of the hallway takes a few deep breaths, and wipes sweat off of his forehead.
"Boss, that person on the couch isn't me."
"No, you're the one who's not me-"
You cut them off with a chopping motion, and glare at them. After a brief stare-down between the three of you, you draw your gun.
"Alright. I know how this works. I'm going to ask you both some questions, and whichever one of you answers correctly, doesn't get shot. Alright?"
Both of them nod, but the Miles on the couch frowns. You think for a moment, keeping your gun pointed at the floor.


>Ask them what their favorite food is.
>Ask them what their favorite hobby is.
>Ask them what their favorite movie is.
>Shoot the one that came in from the hall.
>Shoot the one on the couch.

>>1095927
>Ask them what their favorite hobby is.

>>1095941
"Alright. What's your favorite hobby?"
Both of them respond, "I don't have any," simultaneously. Your frown turns into a scowl. They both got that one right
"Alright, well..."
>Ask another question.
>Shoot the one from the hall.
>Shoot the one on the couch.

>>1096112
>Ask another question.
Ask them what their favorite food is.

>>1096138
"And... what's your favorite food?"
"I don't have a favorite," they say, again, in synchronization.
You tighten your grip on the gun in your hand, and move your finger behind the trigger guard. The faker probably knows more about Miles than you do. Asking questions isn't doing you any good.
>Shoot the one from the hall.
>Shoot the one on the couch.

>>1096212
Ask what he got you for a present.

>>1096212
>Ask what he got you for a present.

>>1096220
>>1096234
"Alright, alright... What did you get me for my birthday?"
"A ring," the one on the couch says, almost whispering.
"A necklace," the one from the hall says, unabashedly.
You raise your gun, and look between the two of them again.


>Shoot the one from the hall.
>Shoot the one on the couch.

>>1096250
>Shoot the one from the hall.

>>1096327
You shoot the one from the hall, immediately. As expected, he crumbles into ash, and you smile, proud of yourself. You tuck the pistol back down the front of your pants, and turn to face Miles, just in time to see him shedding his skin, and stretching upwards. The ogre looms above you, hunched over beneath the ceiling. You swallow a lump in your throat, and contemplate your choices as the ogre prepares to attack.

>Get out of there. You got lucky the last time you met with an ogre, and barely survived then.
>Nah, you can handle him. Fire a few warning shots at him, to let him know that you mean business.

>>1096420
>Nah, you can handle him. Fire a few warning shots at him, to let him know that you mean business.
Back take a few steps back just incase.

>>1096420
>>Nah, you can handle him. Fire a few warning shots at him, to let him know that you mean business.

>>1096440
You take a few steps back, and find yourself pressed to the wall. You swallow, and raise your firearm again. You fire a few shots at the ogre's head, abd achieve nothing. He isn't cowed, and he isn't harmed. The giant oni chuckles at you, before dragging its iron club across the floor, destroying the tiles, and swinging it up at you. With nowhere to go, you evade to the side, right into the oni's waiting hand. He squeezes, and you make a pained noise. He straightens up slightly, inspecting you at eye-level, and you can see tiny insects crawling across the tusks jutting out the sides of his mouth.


>Struggle, roll 1d20.
>Attempt to bargain with him.

>>1096489
>>Attempt to bargain with him.

y-you too

>>1096489
>Attempt to bargain with him.

>>1096501
>>1096514
"Hey, now. You don't want to eat me, I'm-"
"You're right."
"Wait, what?"
"I don't want to eat you. I want you to talk to somebody."
>"Talk to who?"
>Continue trying to bargain.

>>1096614
>"Talk to who?"

>>1096614
>>"Talk to who?"

I''m going to sleep because i work early tomorrow, but keep up the go

>>1096618
>>1096657
"Talk to who, exactly?..."
"The man I want you to talk to."
"Smartass."
The ogre chuckles again, and shrinks down a few feet. He takes on Miles' appearance, and presses its club into your back.
"Walk me to your car, and don't try anything funny, alright?"


>Try something funny.
>Take him to the parking garage, then attack him.
>Take him to the parking garage, and don't try anything funny.

>>1096725
>Take him to the parking garage, and don't try anything funny.
Well, if he wanted to kill us, he would have.

>>1096786
nnh. check back in the morninh))

>>1096982
See you later

>>1096725
Yup, no funny business
Take him to the parking lot

Wait, so both Miles were impostors or were the real Miles actually an autistic demon?

You guys could've tried to open the present before shooting you know.

Why did an Oni sent by an employer need to shapeshift into our secretary and take a nap in his home instead of turning into some schmuck from the street and just walk into our office with the job?

>>1098330
1: both were imposters

2: the present is still in your car


3: because if it had just been some shmuck, Miles might have come looking for us if we went missing, and he might have gotten the police involved))


>>1098105
>>1096786
"Alright."
You lead the oni down through the apartment, and feel the club disappear when you walk through the lobby. You contemplate running, but decide against it, and take him out to your car. He opens the door for you, and you snatched the box out of the passenger seat as soon as you sit down, so that the oni doesn't sit on it.
After the oni puts his seat belt on, the club rematerializes, and he rests it on his lap.
"Hand over your gun."
You begrudgingly hand over the pistol, and the oni inspects it for a moment, becfore snorting, and tossing it into the backseat.
"What a shitty gun. Too bad it didn't blow up in your face when you shot my partner," the oni says, sneering.
>"Fuck you, only the old models exploded."
>"It's better than your stupid club."
>Grumble angrily, then ask him where we're going.

>>1099613
>Grumble angrily, then ask him where we're going.
Rude much.

>>1099613
"Your stupid theatrics turned your partner into a puff of smoke. This has got to be the dumbest way to ask me to do a job I've ever seen. Now, where are we going?"

>>1099744
Supporting.

>>1099744
>>1099856
"Your stupid theatrics turned your partner into a puff of smoke. This has got to be the dumbest way to ask me to do a job-" The oni reels back, and punches you in the jaw. You don't remembered Miles ever being able to hit that hard.
"You're the stupid one here. That loss was planned for, and nobody is asking you to do a job. I don't want to hear another stupid word come out of your stupid mouth. Give me your phone."
"I don't-"
"Shut up. Give me your phone."
You grumble, and pull out your phone. You hand it to the oni, and he continues to stare at you.
"Unlock it."
You continue to grumble, and begrudgingly unlock the phone for him. You keep one eye trained on your phone as he pokes around on the device. He takes a few minutes to input directions into Google Maps, then hands the phone back.
"There. Drive. Don't talk."
The directions are to a parking garage, close to the outskirts of town. You frown, and pull out of your parking space.


About half an hour later, you find the parking garage. The first floor is completely devoid of cars, and life. The oni crosses his arms.
"Top floor."
The second floor is just as empty as the first.
On the third floor, you think you see a rat out of the corner of your eye, but you can't be sure.
On the fourth and final floor, you see a gigantic crowd, apparently in the middle of some kind of party. You contemplate driving through the crowd, but the oni stops you with a hand on the steering wheel.
"Get out. I'll park your car."
>"No thanks, I got it."
>"Don't scratch the paint."

>>1103893
>"Don't scratch the paint."
Just get out and don't take another step.

>>1103893
>Don't scratch the paint."

>>1104914
>>1106556
"Don't scratch the paint," you say, and slowly open the door. You take your time stretching, then step forward, and turn around. You watch as the oni carefully parks your car, then make eye contact with him when he steps out of it. He narrows his eyes, and you hear him drag something across the side of the vehicle. The oni then raises one hand, and points at the crowd, frowning at you.
>Walk into the crowd.
>Circle around it, looking for somebody who looks important.

>>1110034
>Circle around it, looking for somebody who looks important.

>>1110034
>>Circle around it, looking for somebody who looks important.