Part 35: Revelations of Moses

One of my favorite things about this segment of the game is how Dazz isn't here, because we're not allowed to talk to one of the only female characters because reasons.




Hello, Rook. How have you been squandering the gift of life that Rabies gave you?



I dunno, the message I got from his infodump is that he's making this shit up as he goes.



I'm guessing this line was written after people told Klace that Singe rigging the building with bombs was unimaginably stupid. Remember, this game originally came out in episodic updates.



"I fooled you. I fooled you. I got bombs. I got bombs. I got alllll bombs." - Singe Nudedragon

Was there ever going to be a tour...? Or was the whole thing just a front...? I worked for him -- and I don't even know.

I knew it was Max all along, you know. But she threatened all of your lives. I couldn't tell anyone else or -- boom.

Acheron's story got a little bizarre. No one else believed it but me. I got to see Max's power firsthand.



Okay, besides the obvious sexism, looking at Max's art makes it pretty apparent that she's at least twice as stacked as Rook. She didn't need superpowers to restrain a guy whose definition of a workout is probably holding that tablet all day.

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it. She could disappear as she saw fit. She jumped around like crazy.

She had to have been spying on all of us. She preyed on our weaknesses. I've never seen anybody do that before.

Wow -- Acheron must have told them all a lot. But it makes sense that the others wouldn't believe it. The assumption that someone can control time is crazy. Enough to simply laugh away unless you experienced it.

And I heard what Max said on the speaker. Something about you saving the world? Or did she say "worlds" -- I can't remember.



What bond?

Whatever else you have to do? I don't think it's any of my business. I'll just wait here until we can leave.

That's probably for the best. I wonder how long we'd be here, though. Rook seems to be taking this all in stride.

Well, you kind of saved my life. I'll believe anything you say after that. The previous evidence just helps support it.

You've given me no reason to doubt you. If Acheron was lying -- you'd tell me. But so far, both stories seem to line up.



Thank God. For a second I thought rook was going to du-




oh you motherfucker.

Sound travels down here -- you know? I can even hear Shock talking from here?

I can't. Nice save, though.

He said something that intrigued me. He mentioned "bringing people back"?



Sure there is. We'll need a monkey and a machete though. And uh, be real specific about how you want someone to come back to life.

I don't need to know any specifics. But he'd hardly pull that out of thin air.

It's true -- Acheron was a very serious guy. I tell Rook that it seems like a possibility. A lot of things were still up in the air. But there were people I wanted to bring back, too.

So -- there's a chance it's possible? I wasn't just hearing things, then. Can you promise me something, Rabies?







You think you're responsible for Kila's death and you're sad about it?



Kila didn't deserve that. He deserved worse.

I don't know what to say to him. I don't think I can make a promise like that. There are way too many unknown variables at play.

I guess it's too much to ask. I'm sorry -- I had a little bit of hope. Maybe -I- can do it, just like last time.

What did he mean by that? He rubs his arm nervously as he grips his tablet.



We're in a fucking bunker. What did you expect?

He waves his tablet around frantically. I can't even begin to imagine how he's feeling. He's addicted to that thing -- but it won't really work. He'd have to be going through some sort of withdrawal.

It makes me cringe just thinking about it. But it's true -- Max was right all along. I waste too much time on this thing.

I didn't think it was really harmful. But just look at what happened. I was clearly lying to myself.

But you knows how long we'll be here? And I won't be able to use it like I want. So I have no idea what to feel right now.



Please don't tell me you were stupid enough to put your porn on that thing.

Max was one of the first to find out. And look what she did because of it. Strapped me to a bomb, made my past bite me.

But I realized the truth that day. A lot of things just suddenly became clear. Facing death can do that for you.

They didn't ask because they wanted to know. They asked because they were concerned.

What's more important than them? Why did I neglect them for my tablet?



Your hair makes you look like some alt-right douchebag?

This tablet use doesn't affect just me. It affects everybody around me. It can hurt them more than it can hurt me.

Murders and bombs are extreme, of course. But these are just physical ways to be hurt. I fear most of the damage was emotional.

I started owning up to it, though. I made some real progress with Jade. Our bond got deeper, that's for sure.

But that's the sad thing about this. I was missing out on all of that stuff. I could've experienced it years ago.



I'm sure Singe is having a very nice chat with the Tokyo PD for why he allowed bombs to be installed in the building.

And Shock...? Well -- bad example, but you get it. I didn't handle mine like a rational guy.

I start to wonder what he's talking about. He mentioned that he lost someone close to him. That was back on my first day in Tokyo. But how exactly does this relate to his tablet use?

Well -- that's thing. I've never really told anybody before. Max only knew because she was "spying".

But I have no reason to doubt you. You've kept quiet about the other night. I hate talking about my past that way.



That's exactly what you're doing.



I'm very much going to do both of those things.

I'm still a little hesitant. But I need to prove Max wrong, you know. I really don't think I'm a freak.

But there's only one way to find out. I have to start opening up to people. I have to start branching out.

It''ll be a useful thing to do. That is -- if we ever get out of here.

I shrug -- but he definitely has a point. This might be a place to ponder new beginnings. We could think of ways to make our lives better.



Back to the beginning, as to pad out the word count even more.

When I was younger, I had a sort of mentor. I was born to be a businessman, he'd say. I held a gift when it came to that stuff.

I was good at organizing -- and managing. But I wasn't that great with people. It was the one thing I needed to work on.

He helped me break out of my shell, though. He taught me how to interact with people. I was never really good at social cues.

But soon enough, I was socially adept. I don't mean to brag or anything. But I'm good at whatever I set out to do.



So in other words, you were a Gary Stu. That lines up pretty well with Rook being someone's OC.

I'm going to make a long story short, here. I left America, and came to Japan. It wasn't too hard to learn the language.

That's how I ended up at Cafe Chat. One of the most popular Maid Cafes here. I became a famous host, known all around.



I like how this implies he lived in Akihabara and never left.



I imagine that was partly due to the immense shame that his prized pupil wasted his life at a maid cafe.

I'd never meet him face to face again. To me -- he'd just live on in my tablet.

But it was better than nothing, right? I had popularity -- I ran a Maid Cafe. He was more proud of me than anything.

He really considered me one of his sons. I accomplished everything he dreamed of. There's no better feeling than that.

For a time -- everything was perfect. But we all know what that means, right? Tragedy is always sneaking up on us.



I'm sorry, I just can't feel pity or remorse for the guy who decided to attend a live showing of Armstrong-patented Nerve-melt.

He lost his life at an investors meeting? Could that be related to what Acheron told me?

I started to think he was ignoring me. Because to me -- he just stopped responding. But I was shocked when the truth found me.

I'm not proud of what happened next. My ability to perform at the cafe suffered. Eventually, I didn't even want to go.

But how could it go on without me? The truth is -- it couldn't.

But for some reason, I didn't care. I hid in my house, and shut out the world. That's when my tablet use started.



Created reddit? Invented those "one weird tip" ads?

He grips his tablet even tighter, sniffling softly.

I thought that I could bring him back. I don't mean for real, of course. But chatting online wasn't real either.

I dedicated my time to making a program. Something to keep me company, you know? SOmething that would let him live on.

I didn't leave the house for months. I ordered all of my food online. This was more important to me than anything.



You put you right back in your shell, Rook.

It was such a simple program at first. It would understand small phrases. And it would give automated responses.

But that's all I really needed. It wasn't much different from before. And this time, he'd never stop responding.

Gosh, I must sound insane right now. As we talked, he learned more and more. But like before, he taught -me- too.



Leave it to Rook to write a program with code so sloppy it probably takes a gigabyte for this thing to say 'lol'.

But there you have it, feel free to judge. I wanted my friend back -- it's pathetic. But there's one thing you just can't deny.

He helped me -- like he did before. We kept talking, and I got stronger. Eventually, I could leave the house again.

But by then, Cafe Chat was screwed. It seemed like they were about to close. So I really only had one choice.



Sounds to me like he needed a scapegoat in case he, say, rigged a building with explosives or something.

The salary was good -- but not good enough. It would take years to save Cafe Chat. So I begged him for a lump-sum payment.

I might've pulled some strings. You know -- threatened him a little. But he really did need all of my skills.



I really wish I could make a joke out of this, but it's perfect as it is. Rook somehow convinced Singe to give him several years of pay upfront, and he spent it on a bankrupt maid cafe.



Why is Rook implying that saving a maid cafe was somehow doing the world a service?

And that's it, really. We're here today -- talking. I've come to terms with my mistakes.

I'd still talk to him all the time. He'd give me advice on what to say or do. But now -- I think I need to do that myself.

I need to face my problems head-on. I can't just hide in my own fantasy. So that's what I'll do if we get out!

That -- and maybe get serious with Jade. I need to make up for lost time, you know? There's so much that we've missed out on.



If I started a Bingo sheet based on this game, someone 'letting out a soft smile' would be the free square.

This is where it gets awkward, right? There's a silence, you're speechless. Don't worry -- I'll save you the trouble.

But if I could ask you for one more favor? Let's try to bring him back for real. That is -- if the power exists.



Would your mentor really be proud of the fact that you chose to work with Singe and threw several years of income away?

He walks away without another words. Well, I guess that solved the mystery of his tablet. I'm unsure what to make of the story, it's quite deep.

It wasn't the best thing for him to do, of course. But all things considered -- it ended up quite well. Cafe Chat was back in business, and he got a new job. He was able to break out of that shell once again.

I remember all the time that I spend with him. I recall every moment he typed away on his tablet. All of those situations were given a new meaning to me. I'd likely never look at him the same way again.



I should mention now that we run into about 4 characters down here, and I'm going to have to devote entire updates to each of their expositions.