anxiouscat | Labyrinthum IC Inbox

They're a common enemy in games like these. Mindless skeletons brought back to life, or simply animated to do a task...

But... there's a game about going around a haunted house full of them, shooting your way through to get to the end and put a stop to it.

We could start with that.

[ His eyes happen to land on "Home of the Dead" in the distance. There's few examples more classic. ]

[Hythlodaeus nods, taking a larger mouthful of his drink.]

Excellent. Give me but a moment.

[And he gulps his entire drink down in one, grins and winks to Kenma, and heads towards the game, humming a tune as he goes. When he reaches it he picks up the fake gun from the front of the machine and turns it around in his hands, curious. He's seen a gun before, back in the city of seven. Still, that doesn't mean he's ever used one...]

[ Blink. Maybe a tiny blush? Anyway-

Hyth you definitely could have finished your drink more casually! Kenma at least takes a slow drin from his, but with the taller man speeding things up, he scarfs down his own drink in a matter of minutes, shifting to stand and walking downstairs again.

Shouldn't be too difficult to get set up. Kenma comes to stand beside him with a fainter smile. ]

You know how to hold them?

[ He kindof demonstrates in the process, pulling out the second gun and using it to aim at the screen, where a tracker seems to follow his movements to hover over game settings and start buttons. ]

Barely. I've seen people holding them, but it feels different when you have one in your own hands.

[He watches Kenma though, pointing the gun at the screen and marvelling over the crosshairs that appear.]

I see...

[His finger curls around the trigger and he fires experimentally. Probably a good thing it's not real!]

I guess... we sometimes take for granted, that not everyone grew up in a world with weapons like this.

[ It seems so normal to him, even here. Eyes glance over, spotting Hyth pointing the gun nowhere in particular. ]

It has... two aiming marks along the top. You line them up with one eye when you shoot.

[ He even turns the gun controller to point along the notches to show him, how helpful! ]

We did not have them where I am from, no.

[Swords and bows, yes. Guns? No. He closes one eye and aims down the sights, humming.]

Ah, this is easier. Thank you. So now I press the button on new game?

Sure, go ahead.

[ Navigating the menu is prrobably the easiest way to practice when they start. Set up, loading in...

Kenma gets ready, holding his gun up and supported towards the screen. ]

The first few rounds of zombies are pretty easy, it'll be good to warm up on that.

[Hythlodaeus is a good shot, but wholly unused to using a gun of any kind. He's sure he can get the hang of it soon, but for now he's having a little trouble.]

Dear me... these undead are quite terrifying!

[He sounds delighted more than afraid, however.]

Whoever came up with such a concept?

Hoooh?

[ He needs a bit of practice, but he'll get there. Every so often Kenma chimes in with a bit of advice. ]

As long as you keep an eye on where your crosshair is on screen, you'll know where you're shooting.

[ Though that second question earns a glance. ]

Mmmh, not sure. A lot of people did? I think. It's a popular story across the world where I'm from.

[The advice helps, and soon he's doing... decently. He's no pro yet, but he's having fun and that's what matters.]

The introduction said that it was caused by a virus? My people did not succumb to illness. Perhaps because of this, the concept did not occur to us. Full glad am I for that!

[The last thing they needed was undead creatures shambling around.]

[ He stifles a tiny laugh, glancing aside and then peering over to Hyth. The game, thankfully, doesn't actually require much skill or technique, mostly just a fun shooter with silly dramatic moments. ]

Maybe. There's a few origin stories, depending on the game or writer... some kind of virus or mutation's a popular one.

Sometimes it's from powerful magic, or some ancient curse. Did you have many folk tales or superstitions like that?

[ Chatting casually between shooting, very chill catte. ]

Tales of ancient curses? Not really...

[He lets a zombie get too close and lets out a delighted yelp as he blasts it to bits, obviously enjoying himself.]

Why, did you have many of those stories where you are from?

[ Just casually blasting away. Kenma seems pretty relaxed about it for now. partly because he's prepping for when the special enemies start appearing. ]

There's a lot. I mean... People have been telling folk stories for thousands of years. They're always evolving or changing, or making new ones.

[ If anything, he's surprised Hyth wasn't that familiar with them! ]

Ah- watch out, there's a unique enemy coming.

Unique enemy?

[Oh, the glowing zombie sure is unique, yes.]

Why is he glowing?

[He aims at the head and fires anyway, but it doesn't go down immediately like the others. He grins.]

Oh, he's stronger! Incredible.

Yeah th-

Oh, that one, yeah.

[ Kenma's just quietly snickering to the side, just a little amused while Hyth gets to experience a digital shooting arcade game for the first time.

The funny thing about these games is they're designed to slowly chip damage off you even if you're really good! Surprise zombies and all sorts of tricks come up. But as long as you're willing to pop in a few more credits? You can keep going.

Luckily, a certain someone runs the arcade, right? He doesn't mind topping them up when their lives are running low. It's quite the adrenaline experience! Right until a final boss where they Alllllmost make it through, only to both lose their last life on a big attack. Not shooting fast enough it seems!

By the time they're done Kenma's arm is feeling a bit sore, setting the gun down with a sigh and stepping back from the machine. ]

Haaah... almost made it. But now you have a good idea of how it works, right?

[Hythlodaeus sets the gun down too and rolls his arms back, laughing.]

Aye, I do! It was fun. I certainly would not wish to meet an undead in person, however. It doesn't seem to have ended well for us in the game!

[Not that it's really clear that they were eaten, the screen just kind of went red.]

Mmmh, Zombie stories rarely have happy endings. They're kindof like a... force of nature thing.

[ Either way, he shrugs, quietly gesturing over to another arcade cabinet. It's pretty easy to see how one can waste away several hours in a place like this. ]

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We can fade away here mayhaps?