Beneath the gleaming skyscrapers and picturesque facade of
the City of Redemption lies another city; a community of dark and ancient magic
populated by creatures of the night. Dark Redemption is a shared-world
novel based on an online role-playing game by James Crowther.
Plucky Girl Reporter Cassandra True and her roommate Cecilie have gone to the Club Cyba-Netsu, a local cyber-cafe. There, Cecilie was picked up by a cute guy who turned out to be Greg Hans, a murderer who had been killed by the police a week earlier. The opportune arrival of the club's owner, Aoi Kurayami, sent the malevolent spirit fleeing.
Plucky Girl Reporter Cassandra True and her roommate Cecilie have gone to the Club Cyba-Netsu, a local cyber-cafe. There, Cecilie was picked up by a cute guy who turned out to be Greg Hans, a murderer who had been killed by the police a week earlier. The opportune arrival of the club's owner, Aoi Kurayami, sent the malevolent spirit fleeing.
"That guy was a ghost?" Cecilie squealed.
"I almost made out with a ghost! Wicked!"
"Cecilie!" Cassandra gasped. "The man was a murderer and a serial rapist!"
"Well, yeah. That part is kind of creepy."
"And he's dead!"
"There are many ghosts in this city," Miss Kurayami said serenely as she sipped her tea. "Some continue to walk the earth in a mockery of their former life."
Cassandra shuddered, but she could not help be intrigued in spite of herself. "Do many ghosts come here?"
"Cecilie!" Cassandra gasped. "The man was a murderer and a serial rapist!"
"Well, yeah. That part is kind of creepy."
"And he's dead!"
"There are many ghosts in this city," Miss Kurayami said serenely as she sipped her tea. "Some continue to walk the earth in a mockery of their former life."
Cassandra shuddered, but she could not help be intrigued in spite of herself. "Do many ghosts come here?"
Lady Kurayami favored her with a cryptic smile.
"Perhaps."
"Any cute ones?"
"Cecilie!" Cassandra scolded. Then she turned back to Kurayami. "If a ghost haunts this place it must have been important in its life, right? Did Greg Hans come here often when he was alive?"
Kurayami's smile ceased. "Greg Hans was a sick and diseased animal. A beast with no sense of restraint. My club was only one of the places he sought his victims. You are not going to write about this, are you Miss True?"
Cassandra froze in the process of fishing her mini-recorder out of her purse. "Uh, well, I think the ghosts of Redemption would make an interesting story, don't you?"
"I cater to people with dark tastes, Miss True; people who relish the bizarre, the unconventional, the mysterious; people whom some would call monsters. Greg Hans, however, was a true monster. I would not like to have my establishment associated with such a creature as he."
"Oh. Yes. I can see your point of view." Cassandra fidgeted with the recorder. She found something about the small quiet woman to be extremely intimidating; but she braced her nerve and added, "Perhaps you know of some friendly ghosts? Ghosts you wouldn't mind associating with?"
"Any cute ones?"
"Cecilie!" Cassandra scolded. Then she turned back to Kurayami. "If a ghost haunts this place it must have been important in its life, right? Did Greg Hans come here often when he was alive?"
Kurayami's smile ceased. "Greg Hans was a sick and diseased animal. A beast with no sense of restraint. My club was only one of the places he sought his victims. You are not going to write about this, are you Miss True?"
Cassandra froze in the process of fishing her mini-recorder out of her purse. "Uh, well, I think the ghosts of Redemption would make an interesting story, don't you?"
"I cater to people with dark tastes, Miss True; people who relish the bizarre, the unconventional, the mysterious; people whom some would call monsters. Greg Hans, however, was a true monster. I would not like to have my establishment associated with such a creature as he."
"Oh. Yes. I can see your point of view." Cassandra fidgeted with the recorder. She found something about the small quiet woman to be extremely intimidating; but she braced her nerve and added, "Perhaps you know of some friendly ghosts? Ghosts you wouldn't mind associating with?"
Lady Kurayami pondered the question. "Perhaps..."
she conceded. "Mind you, I can make no guarantees. Spirits are extremely
fickle."
"See if you can find one with a nice bum."
"Cecilie!!!"
"See if you can find one with a nice bum."
"Cecilie!!!"
NEXT: My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles
1 comment:
I forgot to add a note last week about Greg Hans, the ghost Cecile encountered.
This was a shout-out to Jex, who created the City of Redemption setting. In one of his earlier posts of the game, he had his character, the ghostly Mr. Grey, confronting a serial killer who had just been gunned down by the police.
Mr. Grey had hobby, (or perhaps it was his doom, I don't recall) of offering the souls of those about to Cross Over into Death a choice: In the case of Greg Hans, it was between damnation, and continuing on as a ghost. Hans took what looked like the better choice, but it wasn't really.
I brought Hans's ghost back as a reference to Jex's earlier posting. By this time, Jex had completely forgotten about the character and I had to remind him. Ah well.
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