The Game at Carousel: A Horror Movie LitRPG
Book Six, Chapter 25: The Paycheck

As the storyline ended, Silas, the Mechanical Showman, appeared amongst the rubble of the burnt restaurant.

"Congratulations, you've won a ticket," he said in his cheerful yet worn-out tone.

We knew the drill. I walked over and slapped the red button before he could even finish his little greeting.

I got no stat tickets. I was over ten levels above this storyline by my estimate. I couldn't really complain. My only concern was whether or not my teammates got rewarded well, which depended on whether or not I had managed to stay a minor character.

I was satisfied that I had.

We all got to split the money from the vault. That meant we were eating at the restaurant soon.

Somehow, I managed to get a rescue trope. Not to mention an enemy collector ticket for none other than Verity Pryce. That made sense on some level. I had beaten her. My team versus hers, we came out on top.

Verity Pryce

Trickster Demon

There is no bargain at the beginning. Only a string of bad luck. A missed payment. A closed door. Customers who won’t show. Business deals that fall through for reasons unknown. But if you trace it back far enough, you’ll find her there. Verity Pryce. Ink-stained fingers. Smile like a knife behind glass. She does not ask what you want. She already knows. She does not twist your arm. She waits for you to twist it yourself.

She is the author of overdue notices and layoff slips. The sudden illness. The too-late phone call that might have changed things. Every small misfortune folding in on itself until you are desperate enough to say yes. And when the offer comes scrawled in fine print, tucked into a whisper, you sign without reading. You always do. Her joy is not in owning you. It is in watching you hand yourself over as if you had no choice.

She wanted your soul, and she didn’t want to take it fairly. She strives to commit such treachery that her creator might cast a glance her way and realize the true price of his abandonment. He won’t. She’ll always be working on that next deal, never realizing that the trick was always on her.

There were a lot of very specific things that happened in this storyline. I was surprised she was just a crossroads demon. She had started her eternal vendetta against the human race in another world, and now she continued it in Carousel. I just hoped I never met up with her in a storyline that would actually let her flex her powers.

I understood theoretically why I didn't get a ticket for killing that colossal amalgamation in Hell. True, the entire fight happened Off-Screen, so it would make some sense that I wouldn't get credit for it.

But I would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit miffed.

Luckily, I could ignore my frustration with that and focus on having won my second rescue ticket. That was a good thing, because my other one wouldn't reappear in my inventory until I was Plot Armor 50. At this rate, that was a million years away.

One Last Lesson

Type: Rescue

Archetype: Film Buff

Aspect: Filmmaker

Stat Used: Savvy

They were always your best student. You couldn’t help but favor them. They took to your lessons like they were born to it. They left the nest a long time ago, and now they are every bit the master that you were when you trained them.

Something happened. Something went wrong, and now your former student is in trouble. They’ve been captured, gone dark in enemy territory.

You will do anything to save them, even in your old age. You may have taught them everything they know, but you still have a few tricks of your own.

Rescue: When a player enters a compatible storyline with this trope while possessing any missing posters of deceased players who died in that same storyline, the storyline will be changed into a Rescue. Succeeding in the Rescue will revive the dead players. This ticket will indicate on the red wallpaper if a nearby storyline is applicable.

In a storyline where an ally was playing an expert in some dangerous field, such as spycraft, monster hunting, ghost hunting, or crime solving, the user of this trope will be able to participate in and direct a film about the rescue of that downed ally from a similar situation to the one that killed them. The lead actor will be the closest applicable Paragon, who will play the mentor character. The number of Paragons that can be cast will be proportionate to the danger of the rescue.

The rescuee and their team will be able to participate in filming both the film and flashbacks as applicable.

Takeover: This trope will cancel out any story alterations except those inherent to the Archetype or Advanced Archetype associated with this ticket and with the Paragon.

Retrieve the Prisoner is the only Win Condition. No others may be added to the Rescue.

You’ve been looking for a chance to prove yourself. Here is your first real project. Let’s see what you can do.

I could see why I got that rescue trope. It was on point thematically and was a very clear reference to what I had done in this storyline.

Directing a movie starring one of the paragons. I had never thought about doing something like that, but as I contemplated it, I couldn't deny a certain nervous excitement.

I read through the ticket a couple of times and then tucked it in my pocket, where it disappeared.

Avery was the next to press Silas's button. She got two trope tickets and two stat tickets.

She didn't even look at the tropes at first.

"Two levels," she said in disbelief. "You know how long it's been since I've won two stat tickets at the same time?"

She continued whispering to herself as she walked away.

My understanding was that their team had spent many months playing storylines that were either at their level or much lower. Not everyone on the team was comfortable with entering a storyline that was too difficult.

Who could blame them? They were trained by the vets at Camp Dyer. Those folks went a whole lot longer than months struggling level by level.

We didn't have that choice. We would gain levels quickly, or we would die full of regret.

We had beaten By the Slice without extreme difficulty.

Winning or losing would come down to whether or not you fell for Miss Pryce's trick. Had we not been so meta and so prepared, we could easily have been distracted by the Hell subplot for so long that we never learned the information we needed to save Gus Junior.

An easy storyline could have been a death sentence just like that. That was the gamble she took and now she was left with pizza on her face.

Trace Memory

Type: Insight

Archetype: Eye Candy

Aspect: Beauty

Stat Used: Moxie

They say scent is the strongest trigger for memory. In film, triggering memories can be a tricky thing. It might just happen On-Screen.

After separation (by death, distance, or plot), another player who encounters the Eye Candy’s scent (perfume, cologne, hair spray, aftershave, etc.) on an object may trigger a shared flashback. Both players replay a moment from their past in which they can exchange information, uncover forgotten clues, or deepen their bond. If the scene is particularly riveting, the flashbacks might continue.

Every moment leaves a trace.

I was amazed when I saw that trope. At the fullest extent of its power, it could almost be time travel. Heck, depending on how much you could manipulate the past, it might as well have been time travel.

Don’t Mind Me

Type: Action

Archetype: --

Aspect: --

Stat Used: --

In horror and action films, escape never comes from brute force; it comes from timing. While the villain's attention is elsewhere, someone slips the cuffs, shimmies through the air vent, or vanishes from frame entirely.

When another player is clearly drawing the enemy's focus especially by being dramatic, loud, or otherwise hogging the camera, the user’s attempts to escape from captivity or restraint will be more likely to succeed.

The only thing stronger than rope is screen time.

A trope to help escape captivity was something that Avery could always use, given her build.

Cassie was rewarded well in this storyline. She only got two stat tickets, but she got three tropes. She had been a reliable ally and a solid character for the story. She definitely came in clutch when Isaac was likely mortally wounded Off-Screen. I didn't see most of her work. She was important for Isaac's success.

That would have been a messy one to explain had she not cured him with that touching prayer. Maybe engaging with religion wasn’t so bad after all.

Still, I got the feeling that Carousel had a soft spot for Psychics. But who was I to complain? Carousel's softest spot was for Film Buffs.

It Is Written

Type: Insight/Rule

Archetype: Psychic

Aspect: Occultist

Stat Used: Savvy

In cult horror and folk horror films, someone always finds the text. Maybe it’s buried in the chapel cellar, maybe it’s inked in blood behind drywall, but the sacred writings always surface, and someone always reads them.

If the storyline centers on a deity, faith, or supernatural figure with written doctrine, the Occultist is guaranteed eventual access to a portion of that text, scripture, liturgy, diary, or transmission. When this occurs, the user will see all of the information their character would logically know about the text presented on the red wallpaper.

Carousel makes sure the faithful get their pages eventually.

Of course, in this story, the sacred text was as common as the bible and could be found everywhere. Still, it could be very useful.

Deja Vu F.M.

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Type: Insight

Archetype: Psychic

Aspect: Seer

Stat Used: Moxie

The radio sometimes plays the wrong thing at the right time. The signals get crossed. Sometimes you can hardly understand what they're saying. Sometimes, that’s because you're hearing it before it was ever said.

When near an active or dormant piece of consumer electronics (radio, PA system, static TV, etc.), the user may hear a short conversation before it occurs. The dialogue arrives fragmented or distorted, but emotionally clear. Only the player hears it.

Imagine figuring out the perfect comeback before it’s time to use it.

Standard fair. Good for the audience. It could be useful if Cassie decided she wanted to engage in the social part of storylines more often.

Wards of Affection

Type: Buff

Archetype: Psychic

Aspect: Exorcist

Stat Used: Moxie

A gift from a loved one can hold power in real life. In film, it holds all the more power as a visual representation of something intangible.

The user may craft a personal ward, a handmade object imbued with care, such as a bracelet, charm, or letter, and gift it to an ally. When the ally is later confronted with spiritual turbulence (possession, haunting, incursion), the ally is buffed to aid in the confrontation.

The Carousel craft fair is the safest place in town.

I was going to ask for one of those paper tulips they taught us to make in grade school. I wondered how she'd feel about that.

I wasn't sure how Anna was going to do in this storyline simply because I had been absent for much of what she had done. Her efforts were primarily social. She assisted with research, too. I had divided up the team and assigned her to that role, but I had no idea how much less cinematic her role might end up being.

She got two stat tickets and two tropes. That was a respectable haul.

Library Card

Type: Rule/Insight

Archetype: Final Girl

Aspect: Girl Next Door

Stat Used: Moxie

If the information you need is in the archives at City Hall, your next scene needs to be in City Hall. Never mind how you get there.

The user’s attempts to gain access to secure information using seemingly innocent cover stories will have a higher rate of success. If she can only get in alone, she may temporarily use her nearby ally’s research tropes while snooping.

Red tape and bureaucratic resistance can be cut through with the right smile.

It usually took a lot of Moxie, tons of narrative momentum, and multiple attempts to get access like that. Sweet.

Are You Okay in There?

Type: Insight

Archetype: Final Girl

Aspect: Girl Next Door

Stat Used: Moxie

Genuine concern for others is a hallmark of a Final Girl. It usually won’t save them.

The user will be able to see all allies’ emotional states on the red wallpaper, including sentiments like the desire to be saved or the desire not to be.

Sometimes a big heart needs help with directions.

Simple. Useful. Hopefully effective.

Camden's research was what made it possible for us to find the letter from Dante, and without it, we would never have known how to square off with that particular brand of demon. He got two stat tickets for his efforts and two tropes to go with them. I feel like he would have done better had he been more cinematic or endearing.

So far, I was the only person who hadn't gotten two stat tickets. I was starting to feel like the odd one out.

Bury the Lede

Type: Insight/Rule

Archetype: Scholar

Aspect: Sleuth

Stat Used: Savvy

Sometimes the evidence of a bad guys guilt just doesn’t translate that well to a visual medium. That’s why in old mystery shows, the culprit would confess when faced with the evidence. There needed to be a solid conclusion.

If the user compiles a volume of evidence sufficient to prove the truth of the mystery, but the evidence is not easy to explain in a quick speech, something will happen to confirm the user’s theory in a cinematic way. A piece of evidence will drop, a real smoking gun.

Of course, sometimes the smoking gun is pointed at the sleuth themselves.

I could see why he got that one. That exact scenario had basically just occurred.

Battlefield Intuition

Type: Insight

Archetype: Scholar

Aspect: Strategist

Stat Used: Savvy

How does the hero know whether to fight or flee? Will the outlaw follow them on horseback, or do they just want to talk? Perhaps the hero knows things the rest of us do not.

While engaging with the enemy in a Fight Scene or a scene that could lead to one, the user will be able to see the enemy’s tactical instructions on the script as to whether they intend to fight, follow, or just intimidate.

All a tactician can do is follow their logic, experience, and intuition. If only you had those.

So far, the assumption that they wanted to attack had been pretty reliable. Maybe things were more nuanced.

Isaac had been to Hell and back. I mean, a lot of us had, but Isaac had really put in the work.

As he pressed Silas's red button, he said, "You know, Silas, we met your girlfriend in this storyline."

He must have been talking about Madame Macabre.

To that, Silas responded, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the theater."

Isaac laughed.

He had been distant and strange for much of the storyline. I expected to find out that Avery's tropes had manipulated him, but even now, with the storyline over, he remained much the same: distant and contemplative.

When I went to ask him about his tropes, it turned out he had a question for me.

"How long do the effects of mind control tropes last?" he asked quietly.

"It depends," I said. "Why? You've been acting weird. Is something up?"

He didn't respond at first. He just stared over at Avery, who was talking to Ramona and Cassie.

I followed his gaze.

"Are you feeling a crush or something?" I asked. "Because I'm pretty sure her trope only works on NPCs, and players can choose whether or not to go along with it."

The Neighborhood Boys was a trope that allowed Avery to gain protectors, affecting any character who had a crush on her, player or otherwise.

Isaac shook his head.

"It wasn't that one," he said softly. "It was the dream."

"I'm guessing it was a happy dream," I said, resisting the urge to make an indecent joke.

"I dreamed I was in love," he said. "I dreamed..." He started to say something, but then he cut himself off and drifted into a memory. "And when I woke up," he continued, "I could still feel it. Right here." He pressed his hand to his heart.

Isaac didn't talk about girls a lot, or any personal matters. It would really undercut his whole misanthropy vibes.

"Well, the storyline is over," I said, "and I don't think that trope is supposed to make you think you're in love. It's just supposed to give you information."

Isaac didn't respond at first, but then he asked, "Do you think this is Carousel messing with me? 'Cause I say a lot of stuff, you know, and it responds."

He almost seemed scared, like he wanted me to tell him that this wasn't Carousel.

So I did.

"Maybe the world isn't ending, Isaac," I said. "Maybe you just have a crush on a girl."

He laughed. Sort of.

I didn’t mention that she was way out of his league.

He seemed to contemplate this while I took a look at his tropes.

Isaac got four stat tickets in part because of how under-leveled he was, and in part because of how well he did. And he did excellently. Those kinds of numbers usually happen in rescue storylines where there's a bonus.

To go with them, he got three tropes. One was a rescue ticket.

Funniest Guy I Know

Type: Healing

Archetype: Comedian

Aspect: Jokester

Stat Used: Moxie

A good performance is just as much about reacting as it is acting. If someone weeps, you comfort them. If someone is in pain, you empathize; if they tell a joke, you laugh, even if that person is you.

The user will get a temporary mental health boost by laughing at their own joke. This can put off Incapacitation, Unconsciousness, and even put off Death temporarily.

How can you expect others to laugh at your jokes if you aren’t willing to?

Isaac would be able to put this one to good use. He had practice.

Whoops!

Type: Rule

Archetype: Comedian

Aspect: Stooge

Stat Used: Hustle

Physical comedy can be funnier than any other kind, but it sure can be hard to pull off when the actors playing the monsters keep trying to eat you while you do it..

In a Fight or Chase Scene, the user cannot be attacked successfully while falling or while on the ground after falling due to clumsiness or similar humorous means. The enemies will strike, but they will miss. Only works if the user stays moving.

Best not get greedy with it.

Almost like Oblivious Bystander, but on your back.

Make Light of Tragedy

Type: Rescue

Archetype: Comedian

Aspect: Jokester

Stat Used: Moxie

They say comedy is tragedy plus time. But time’s up and your friends are still dead. The original story didn’t land, so now it’s your turn to punch it up.

Rescue: When a player enters a compatible storyline with this trope while possessing any missing posters of deceased players who died in that same storyline, the storyline will be changed into a Rescue. Succeeding in the Rescue will revive the dead players. This ticket will indicate on the red wallpaper if a nearby storyline is applicable.

The user receives access to the original script and footage of the failed storyline. Carousel will allow them to remake the events as a satire, recycling many of the same lines, scenes, setups, now rewritten through dark comedy, slapstick, and lampoon. The user’s team will be cast to replace the downed players and get access to limited versions of the tropes they used at the cost of some of their own.

Takeover: This trope will cancel out any story alterations except those inherent to the Archetype or Advanced Archetype associated with this ticket.

Get to The End is the only Win Condition. No others may be added to the Rescue.

The enemy will play along with the satire as long as it's funny. And no longer than that.

This was a powerful rescue trope that could be used in any storyline.

I wasn't sure that Isaac was ready for it yet, but I was sure glad he had it. Honestly, I was hoping we would get more than just two rescue tropes, but in truth, we got lucky to get that. In the Atlas, they talked about grinding stories like this for rescue tropes for months at a time, jumping from one storyline to another in an endless cycle.

We wouldn't have to worry about that for now, at least, especially if Antoine's team managed to nab some.

He also got an enemy collector ticket. He was the only one who got one for defeating an enemy in a fight, even though others like Ramona had seemingly done the same. It must have been because his attacks were powerful enough to beat the possessed creations by the numbers, and everyone else just kind of injured them. It was hard to tell the difference.

Repossessor

Lingering Demonic Spirits

What a pity. Once, they were something beautiful. Or at least something whole. But now, they live in your teacups. In your attic toys. In the soft lull of a music box you never wound. They cannot touch you, no, but they can possess an object which can.

They used to be powerful eons ago. Now they are reduced to acting as henchmen in hopes of some twisted redemption. They perform so well. And no one is watching.

What was interesting to me is that within the story, Miss Pryce and all of the other demons were the same thing, just at different places in the hierarchy. But from these descriptions, I got the feeling that maybe they weren't the same at all, but had just been cast in similar roles.

The fact that the lower-level demons were shadows and Miss Pryce was a fiery abomination also led me to this conclusion.

Ramona did really well, even if I didn't get the chance to see the most important part of her performance. Her fleeing the town, distraught, seeing shadows in every direction, unable to sleep because she was afraid of being caught, was likely compelling stuff.

Or at least I hoped so. I had come up with the idea for it because it just fit her tropes so well and gave her something to do.

She was rewarded for it. She was the lowest-level player on our team, and not only did she have a compelling subplot of her own, but she was Second Blood. Points on points on points.

She was awarded five stat tickets and three tropes.

The Vets always said that dragging along an under-leveled player was nothing but a liability, and it wasn't worth it because the player wouldn't receive too many benefits since they were being helped too much.

Now the evidence had piled up, and it seemed that when they dragged those low-level players along, they never gave them anything to do.

I had not made that mistake, and Ramona had done very well.

I Know It’s Still Out There

Type: Insight

Archetype: Hysteric

Aspect: Craven

Stat Used: Moxie

In a horror movie, guessing the monster is outside your window should be obvious, yet no one ever seems to do it until it's too late.

The user’s Chase Scene indicator will be much more sensitive and activate from even great distances. The user can turn like a compass to learn the direction their pursuer comes from.

You’ll go far in this game. Hopefully farther than the enemy.

Were they supposed to spin like a compass On-Screen or…? This was a great trope. Classic Craven. Chase Scenes usually triggered on the red wallpaper so late it was almost impossible to get a head start.

Disproportionate Response

Type: Action/Rule

Archetype: Hysteric

Aspect: Defiant

Stat Used: Moxie

You are a weak human. They are the unbeatable evil. That’s how it works. That’s the arrangement. By the time you realize how much trouble you’re in, you won’t be able to do anything about it. Unless…

If the leader of the group of protagonists urges caution and prudence rather than being reckless and emotional in response to their dangerous situation, the user will be able to discover weapons or other opportunities that will allow them to make a very bold and dangerous response to the enemy. They may lose allies from it, possibly from disastrous consequences to their actions, but the enemy will be susceptible as well.

Preserves allies' innocence and any narrative protection that it provides.

Someone needs to kill the sick people before they die and rise again. Everyone is just too afraid to get their hands dirty.

These Defiant tropes were always long and involved so much narrative manipulation. Powerful but situational. Ramona was going to be good at disrupting a stalemate, alright.

Die. Please. Now.

Type: Buff

Archetype: Hysteric

Aspect: Frantic

Stat Used: Hustle

It's remarkable that even the frailest of people can be formidable under the right circumstances. For some, that circumstance is really, really not wanting to die.

The user can substitute their Mettle for Hustle when attacking the enemy with rapid fire. They must actually attack twice as fast as normal, and the effect will end when they stop.

Why hit twice as hard when you can just hit twice?

That could be a really effective combat trope. In fact, it could be the cornerstone of a combat build. An entire strategy.

I was ready to go to Kimberley's loft. I had been ready for so long. That demon and her nightmares had stolen so many nights from me that I felt like I hadn't slept in a week. I was ready to crawl into my hideaway bed and melt. Ramona was worse off than I was. She had been abusing her trope that got rid of her sleep deprivation symptoms, and was about to crash.

The trip was a lot slower when we weren't running in order to get to our destination before the first scene started. We were quiet, somber.

We had all gotten fine money from the storyline because Carousel had divided up the money that we found in the safe.

All I could think about as we walked back was whether all the effort we put into getting the attention of the Manifest Consortium had come to fruition. I didn't exactly expect them to leave a message on our answering machine, but some sign that they had heard our little squabble and were willing to make their pitches to us was all I could hope for.

If they did send us some sign, what would it even look like?

I didn't know, and I was too tired to worry about it for too long.

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