idolpro | Vergil's heart game r3

You feel weak, your body won't move no matter how you try, and you are falling, away from everything you know and love. Away from everything you need to accomplish. If you could just reach out, maybe you could hold on to it, claw your way back. But it's a useless endeavour, you fall unconscious, and your mind goes blank except for poetry and a familiar voice.

O mother Enitharmon, wilt thou bring forth other sons?
To cause my name to vanish, that my place may not be found,
For I am faint with travail,
Like the dark cloud disburden'd in the day of dismal thunder.

My roots are brandish'd in the heavens, my fruits in earth beneath
Surge, foam and labour into life, first born and first consum'd!
Consumed and consuming!
Then why shouldst thou, accursed mother, bring me into life?

You wake on the ground in a cave, cold, wet, and sticky. It smells of rotting flesh. Your objective is clear, but you can't recall a name or face. Nothing else about your memory of him is changed, but for some reason the name "Vergil" just won't come to you, and you couldn't describe how he looks if your life depended on it. But at least your body starts to respond to your will, slowly regaining enough strength to carry on.

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Raven is the most stylish.

A statue that appears to be made of gold and stained nickle. It depicts a woman with a lion's head, carrying a giant hourglass upon her back like Atlas. There is no sand in the hourglass, but something does seem to flow within it. The words inscribed below read "The Watcher of Time". When you approach it, a voice rings in your ears.

Those who desire to acquire the ancient ways of war shall offer the blood of monsters in exchange.

Vital Star +1 Perseverance. 500 red orbs
Devil Star Increases demonic power. 500 red orbs
Tail bow a big red bow, you know, for your tail. It's very charming. 100 red orbs
Monocle is this...true power? 100 red orbs
Arm need a hand? It's a right forearm. Like, from a person. 100 red orbs
Painting it looks like it's of Yamato. 100 red orbs
Flowers a bouquet of regular, non-demonic flowers. 100 red orbs
Journal leatherbound and full of poetry. 100 red orbs
Violin surely this is self-explanatory. 100 red orbs
Robes for the Master of Ceremonies, Ligrev. 100 red orbs

You have 1000 red orbs.

[takes a breath and lets it out]

... even with more demonic power, I doubt I'll be able to take them all on. One or two, perhaps. And then they'll tear me to pieces, or... worse.

[he can't help but shudder at the thought.

he will buy the arm, the painting, and the journal, at least.]

Arm You've got an extra arm now. Can never be too prepared. You feel pretty terrible. maybe because you just bought an arm from a magic vending machine, hope you're happy with yourself.
Painting You feel proud, despite being completely out of your depth. Someone might be looking for this.
Journal It's all hand written, and the writers the pieces are attributed to have some odd names. DMX? Tupac? Are these poems? Are we going to debate the validity of rap as poetry? No we're not, they're poems and you're going to appreciate them and the work put into getting this journal together. Well, maybe you won't that's your choice, but someone certainly would.

You got all the Nero related items, anyway! Two of those feel right, but the other...not so much.

[it's true that the arm might be off... it doesn't even feel like yamato, does it? raven will compare the two]

Not at all, it's not even the Devil Bringer. It's just human shaped.

You still have 700 red orbs.

[so the arm is useless. great. he sighs, and turns to the child]

You don't have any use for this, do you?

He might be a kid but that's still his son's arm. "Ugh, no, put that back."

Can you return things? Well, maybe you can shove it back in there. But it won't give your orbs back in return.

[can he return it??? he'll... try... to put it back.

with his remaining orbs, he'll buy the violin and the flowers.

...

and the monocle.]

Back it goes, absorbed into the statue...

Violin A name was written on the back in black marker, but it's been scratched out. Even though this is clearly a high quality, expensive instrument. It's hard to shake the feeling of annoyance that comes with it. ...Well, the name was scratched out, but now "Vergil" has been written again over the scratches.
Flowers You're terrified. Or is this just how it feels being deeply in love? Maybe both. It might be difficult not to cry for a moment. But it's kind of lame to just give yourself a bouquet, sure you paid for it but are you just going to keep it for yourself?
Monocle You don't feel any different. Except maybe a little silly for even thinking about wearing a monocle, who the heck does that? Although there is a sort of aftertaste of needing to prove yourself...

Two more that feel right. You have 400 red robs remaining.

The ground rumbles beneath you, not enough to throw you off balance or disrupt anything around you, but it is distinct. Vergil looks over at everything and frowns. "You're not too good at this, huh. But I guess it was enough."

If they're not meant to be taken, why are they options?

... did that open the gate?

[also, can he put the monocle on]

You put on the monocle! Maybe you can be as cool as Sparda now? Or maybe it's just good Zrael aesthetic.

"Probably just to throw you off from what's actually important." He shrugs. "That did feel like the gate though, yeah."

[raven... ... ... will wear the monocle now.]

Are you ready to go, then?

"...I can't. It's only for you."

It's your heart too, isn't it?

"That doesn't mean I can go there. I never get to go home, or see her again, so...it's not going to let me."

["her"... oh.]

Do you know that for certain? You have every right to see her--no, far more right to see her than I do.

[he holds his hand out]

Come with me, Vergil.

He doesn't want to hope that he could and be disappointed. But of course he wants to see her, he just wants to be with his mother. So even though he's silent, and hesitates a long while, eventually he takes your hand.

[gently, raven squeezes his hand, and heads back to the cave]

Vergil manages to still be there with you, and it's different. The Hell Gate still has a few thin veins attached to it, but when you enter the cave, the seal covering it shatters into a thousand pieces and vanishes. When it disappears, the centre of the gate seems to as well, replaced only with a void, glowing and swirling with emerald green.

[curiously, raven approaches, and reaches out a hand to touch the void]

It's warm and inviting, something sweet... And it pulls you right in.

Vergil holds tight to your hand, desperate to be pulled along too.

But he isn't there.

Vergil's heart game r3

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