Grim Grimoire of Garish Graffiti

Walking down the hallway to the computer room, you hope that nothing will go wrong in the next few weeks. Your family has been growing more and more concerned about your mental and physical health. Today, they've decided that you need a break and are going to send you to some family friends for two weeks. The bad part about this, is that they live three hours from Shiokawa. Meaning that you can't protect the city for the intervening weeks. So, yeah, you hope that nothing will go wrong. Reaching the door, you carefully open the door. After that fight against that weird computer ghost that was brainwashing kids into committing suicide, you've been even more wary of computers than you were before. When nothing attempts to kill you, you walk inside and use the nearest computer to do the task you came here for. When you finish and begin walking out the room, though, you notice a strange symbol written on the back of the door. That definitely wasn't there the last time you came to the computer lab. [[Ignore It]] [[Make note of it]]

It's probably nothing. You have more important things to investigate, anyway. You leave the computer lab and push the thought of it out of your mind. After school, you head DOWNTOWN with some friends you haven't hung out with in a while. As you pass by the 'lovesick corner' you see that symbol you saw earlier! This can't be a coincidence. Looks like you've stumbled onto another mystery. [[Investigate DOWNTOWN]]

It doesn't seem to be anything malicious, but you draw the symbol down it your notebook before you leave the computer lab and head to your next class. After school, you head DOWNTOWN with some friends you haven't hung out with in a while. As you pass by the 'lovesick corner' you see that symbol you saw earlier again! This can't be a coincidence. Looks like you've stumbled onto another mystery. Under the drawing, you see a small piece of chalk. The artist must have left it there accidentally. You break away from your friends, claiming you need to go home, and walk over to the pillar and pick up the chalk. [Obtained Ritual Chalk] [[Investigate Downtown]]

The symbols appear nearly everywhere and follow no set pattern, what is that about? [[Investigate School]]

The symbols appear nearly everywhere and follow no set pattern, what is that about? [[Investigate SCHOOL]]

The drawings all appear to be made with the same chalk, maybe it's just a delinquent? [[Investigate Village]]

The drawings all appear to be made with the same chalk, maybe it's just a delinquent? [[Investigate VILLAGE]]

It seems like the symbols are drawn all across Shiokawa, who ever made them has to be very dedicated. [[Investigate FOREST]]

It seems like the symbols are drawn all across Shiokawa, who ever made them has to be very dedicated. [[Investigate Forest]]

You start to feel the gloom come over you, but before you can black out you finish drawing the sigil and almost immediately the darkness disappears from the area. Looking around, you notice another symbol drawn on the one of the trees, but it appears to be broken. That must be why this area was corrupted. After looking closer at the sigil, you realize that it and the one you drew both point towards the same place. Following that direction, you come to find... your apartment building?!? [[Investigate Apartments]]

You black out! A few hours later, you wake up in the hospital. Soon after, a nurse comes in to check on you and when you ask her how you got here, she says that a sketchy young man who frequently comes to the hospital for unusual injuries dropped you off. According to the other nurses, your stuff had clearly been rummaged through, but they don't know if it was the kid or someone else. You try getting some more information about him out of her, but she doesn't seem to know anything else about him except for his name, which, thankfully, she does tell you. [[Investigate Hospital]]

The more you study the symbols, the more they appear to look like arrows, pointing you in a direction... As you walk through the forest to where the symbols are pointing, you come across a strange patch of forest. The trees overhead block the sunlight, and you begin to feel a dark gloom come over you. You black out! A few hours later, you wake up in the hospital. Soon after, a nurse comes in to check on you and when you ask her how you got here, she says that a sketchy young man who frequently comes to the hospital for unusual injuries dropped you off. You try getting some more information about him out of her, but she doesn't seem to know anything else about him except for his name, which, thankfully, she does tell you. [[Investigate Hospital]]

You exit the room and head towards the hospital's filing room, hoping that the young man's file will have his address in it. As you walk out, you notice that the main corridor is dark and strangely empty. Walking a little further, you spot a nurse that's sleeping right next to the door of the filing room. [[Sneak past her]] [[Let her sleep]] [[Light a nearby trash can on fire]]

You manage to sneak past her and rummage through the cabinets. Finally, you see a file with his name on it and go through it. While you are grateful that it does have his address, you're not sure how to feel about him living in the same apartment complex as you. [[Head to his apartment]]

Spotting a trash can nearby, you use Invisibility before casting Ithotu Flame on it. After a few seconds, the nurse wakes up with a start before spotting the now burning trash can and running down the hallway to get help or a fire extinguisher. Taking the opportunity, you sneak into the filing room and quickly rummage round the cabinets. Thankfully, you find his file within a few minutes and make your escape. After getting a safe distance away, you sit down and read through his file. While you are grateful that it does have his address, you're not sure how to feel about him living in the same apartment complex as you. [[Head to his apartment]]

You decide not to risk waking the nurse up. The filing room may have your only lead on the who's behind the sigils, but a well-rested nurse means a safer hospital. Deciding to head home for the evening, you head to the front desk and have one of the secretaries check you out of the hospital. As you reach your apartment building, you notice a large graffiti piece on the side of your apartment building. It looks remarkably similar to all the sigils your were investigating. Has this always been under your nose? [[Knock on the apartment door next to it]]

A pale, short teen in an apron opens the door, greets you, nervously smiling and hiding behind the door slightly. His face is covered in cuts and bruises, and his eyes carry a manic, almost delirious expression. "A-are you here c-cuz of the noise? Sorry, I-I tend to stay up quite late." [[Ask about the graffiti]] [[Confront him about the sigils]]

You ask him about the graffiti, and he turns to face you completely and open the door a little more, visibly relieved. "Aaaah, right, the g-graffiti… Y-yeah, totally dude… I-I won't draw it here no more, word!". He swiftly slams the door in your face. [Ending B: Unfinished Piece]

You confront him about the symbols and the artist's face grows frightened, before he pushes you to the floor, muttering. "Y-you a-are not going to do it, y-you won't stop me! The world depends on it!". He draws a knife from his apron, along with a spell book... [[Fight MANIC MESSENGER]]

He's not the only one who keeps a knife on him. You pull out your own and block his attempt to stab you. Pushing him off you, you put as much distance as you can between you and him. Before you can react, he casts Ithotu Flame and burns your arm! Dodging his next spell, you close the distance and manage to stab him in the arm. He swallows his scream and casts Skin Removal! You feel your skin start to peel off and quickly decide that you never want to feel that again. You roll to the side when he casts Ithotu Flame a second time. Tackling him, you pin him down with your body. A second later, you're stabbing his throat repeatedly in a nightmarish scene that would terrify any normal person that came across it. But you're not normal and are well aware of what's possible with magic. And you wanted to make sure he stays dead. [Ending C: The Death of an Artist]

While looking around the apartment block, you realize the forest sigil was pointing to some crude grafitti on the side of the building. Has this always been under your nose? [[Knock on the APARTMENT door next to it]]

You hand the artist the worn-down chalk, explaining how you found it. His face portrays visible surprise, as he draws a butcher's knife and a spell book. "Y-you tracked me down, huh? Y-you are one of them, aren't ya?" [[Fight MANIC MESSENGER]] [[Reason with him]]

Having a trusted ally that is well aware of what's going on in town would be extremely useful for the both of you. All you have to do is convince him of that. As he swings his knife and tries to stab you, you catch his arm and begin to reason with him. "Why should I believe that you'll help me. For all I know, you could be waiting to sabotage me." You point out that you could have easily ruined his efforts without making him aware of your existence, by destroying his drawings. Plus, you used the chalk to create another sigil and purify a part of the forest. That seems to calm him down a little, but he still grips his knife tightly. "How do I know you ain't lying?" You offer to show him the area you drew the sigil to prove you're telling the truth, and he grows less suspicious of you. "...Okay, but if you do anything weird, I will kill you. You flash him a reassuring smile and drop his arm. You turn and head towards the forest and 2 seconds later you hear footsteps follow you. [+1 Ally: Messenger] [Ending A: Magnum Opus]