Faceless and Afraid

* This placed used to be quite loud, all things considered. Keyboards clicking alongside mouses, talking between enginners, doctors, lawyers. All the up-most of class would be here this hour of the evening. * But now, all is left is broken computers and shattered glass. Enough for some people to call it home, like this girl. And when I mean some, I mean some.

* Glass can be heard cracking, some potted plants falling over, heavy footsteps, boots that feel like they make the ground shake. * Someone else is passing by, now would anyone dare to investigate?

March's attention shifted, from the computer she was just on, to where she thought the noise came from. The civilian closed out of the computer, or really just closing out of the tabs and putting it to sleep. After hiding the light of the computer still mostly being on, she started to move. Her steps were close to quiet, but it was definitely the footsteps of someone who relied on the noise of a team to hide them, albeit by accident.

* Its arm slid through the table, keyboards getting knocked off by rough leather gloves, as the hand met the computer's metal. ''I heard that, ya' parasit'.'' * A course voice, throat strained from too much shouting, a sound painful, only bested by the sound of metal hitting the ground. Again and again, the monitor's metal was met with the weight of a military boot.

-- "...Just move... pain ain't mattering if you're alive." -- She muttered, words to hasten her movement. She moved over collapsed supports of the basement below. She needed somewhere to hide, maybe with a working computer, but she didn't have the time to check each one. Her eyes darted, before diving into an opening.

* A laugh can be heard from up top, a potato being ripped apart by its teeth, swalling the bitten remains. Speaking with a still full mouth. ''Now that's som' nasty fireworks, somethin' ya don't see everyday!'' * Well, the explosion wasn't enough to harm the cement of the headquarter's foundation, but that cubicle is not there anymore. Guess that's how new loops are made.

Static

* This placed used to be quite loud, all things considered. Keyboards clicking alongside mouses, talking between enginners, doctors, lawyers. All the up-most of class would be here this hour of the evening. * But now, all is left is broken computers and shattered glass. Enough for some people to call it home, like this girl. And when I mean some, I mean some.

* Glass can be heard cracking, some potted plants falling over, heavy footsteps, boots that feel like they make the ground shake. * Someone else is passing by, now would anyone dare to investigate?

March's attention shifted, from the computer she was just on, to where she thought the noise came from. The civilian closed out of the computer, or really just closing out of the tabs and putting it to sleep. After hiding the light of the computer still mostly being on, she started to move. Her steps were close to quiet, but it was definitely the footsteps of someone who relied on the noise of a team to hide them, albeit by accident.

* Its arm slid through the table, keyboards getting knocked off by rough leather gloves, as the hand met the computer's metal. ''I heard that, ya' parasit'.'' * A course voice, throat strained from too much shouting, a sound painful, only bested by the sound of metal hitting the ground. Again and again, the monitor's metal was met with the weight of a military boot.

„Ju#st so#me sim#ple dra#wing of mys#elf. Noth#ing to#o spe#cial. Bu#t I do li#ke my n#ew ves#sel a l#ot mo#re. It fe#els fre#sh a#nd ne#w…I sho#uld swi#tch ves#sels mo#re of#ten, I sou#nd disgu#sting“

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

* !!! OK YEA ITS DEFINITELY FASTER IT IS ACTIVELY ACCELERATING AND GAINING MORE SPEED! At this rate not even any of the statues are able to outrun the wall. Was the game rigged to kill everyone participating in it?*

* ! No time to ponder on it, as something lifts you up over its head! Another statue has you in both of their hands, as it flings you across the path, right in front of a cliff…where the path seems to end. The only thing that meets you at the end are 5 statues staring into the distance, with the middle one…the middle one looks an awful lot like the vessel she used. Down to the colors. The only thing missing was the face.*

* Grunt, the kick down onto the statue's face, but its already too late, sent flying over the flames and walls, spinning themselves around to get a proper landing, almost sliding right off the cliff. * Eyebrows furrow, as they get up. They shout forward, placing both hands onto their helmet. ''What's this about? Ya' skip half of the middle board. Flyin' 'round is fun, ya know.''

My piece? You win!

*the statue symbolizing Paranoy had sprung to life, actually looking like the previous vessel yet…upgraded. It didn’t have the same piece of wood on its head but it looked a lot more…refined. If you can say that just a walking hunk of metal*

„I w#as goi#ng to do th#e usu#al, catch#ing yo#u an#d th#en guid#ing yo#u to t#he pla#ce where tomo#rrow ca#n’t ge#t to yo#u wh#en I real#ized somet#hing: I ha#ve no#t h#ad th#is mu#ch enjoy#ment doi#ng my du#ty in mult#iple centur#ies!“

*she sounded very exciting sounded, though her voice was echoed through the giant wall, that was still very close and very much deadly, judging by how each tiny movement felt like you could just fall over dead*

* A smiles wanes. ''That's it?''

. . .

„15 min#utes. If we cou#nt it fr#om t#he fi#rst pota#to y#ou thr#ew.“

*it chuckled*

„Yo#u a#re an intere#sting fel#la, Frybo#mber. An#d th#is ‚gran#dma‘

*grandma in a very sarcastic tone*

Thi#nks I’d be a sha#me fo#r y#ou to d#ie he#re. Ho#w el#se wi#ll I g#et a rem#atch?“

*while its face didn’t change expressions, their tone of voice suggest that it meant it, while still being lighthearted*

. . .

''N' anotha thing, didn't quite get your na-'' * The question is answered, before it was even asked. Chuckling, a glance is given to the wall behind them, staring directly into the giant hashtag up above. * After a moment of silence, they are back onto their feet, looking over at the wall. Reaching their hand forward, their eyes change course to stare at the arm, even while not being real, the skin could be seen, even if briefly, turning into pure metal.

* Giggling, they now face the puppet, sat on the floor, smiling, even if its faint, they still make sure to show those crocked teeth. ''Then make sure to not tak' that long with that rematch. The outsid' is borin', and the Govirmint is even more. So as long as you keep me that promis'.'' * Bowing once more, a hand is reached forward. ''I'll make sure to live to see you again, Misses Paranoy.''

*the giant wall starts retreating back towards the beginning of the path, leaving behind a giant bronze doorframe. There SHOULD be a hashtag in the giant black rectangle but it is empty. The void inside the doorframe had the faint light of the outside world trickle through. It was a lot brighter than the lighting in this dimension, even with the hellfire surrounding this place.*

„fu#n fa#ct: i us#ed to u#se th#is thi#ng as my ves#sel for a wh#ile. Lo#ng bef#ore I us#ed the clo#ck. Hone#stly it#’s kin#da nosta#lgic see#ing it act#ive aga#in. Anyways, he#re is yo#ur tic#ket o#ut.“

„An#d as fo#r yo#u t#wo: y#ou actu#ally h#ad some#one entert#aining f#or me. I tha#nk yo#u. Bet#ter ha#ve wri#tten my na#me do#wn by no#w. Peo#ple te#nd to for#get cert#ain thin#gs in my pres#ence.“

*the vessel also walked through the gate, stretching itself in the now nightsky…as the forest fire has grown immensely*

„Oh ye#a, th#at…eh, n#ot my pro#blem.“

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

* !!! OK YEA ITS DEFINITELY FASTER IT IS ACTIVELY ACCELERATING AND GAINING MORE SPEED! At this rate not even any of the statues are able to outrun the wall. Was the game rigged to kill everyone participating in it?*

* ! No time to ponder on it, as something lifts you up over its head! Another statue has you in both of their hands, as it flings you across the path, right in front of a cliff…where the path seems to end. The only thing that meets you at the end are 5 statues staring into the distance, with the middle one…the middle one looks an awful lot like the vessel she used. Down to the colors. The only thing missing was the face.*

* Grunt, the kick down onto the statue's face, but its already too late, sent flying over the flames and walls, spinning themselves around to get a proper landing, almost sliding right off the cliff. * Eyebrows furrow, as they get up. They shout forward, placing both hands onto their helmet. ''What's this about? Ya' skip half of the middle board. Flyin' 'round is fun, ya know.''

My piece? You win!

*the statue symbolizing Paranoy had sprung to life, actually looking like the previous vessel yet…upgraded. It didn’t have the same piece of wood on its head but it looked a lot more…refined. If you can say that just a walking hunk of metal*

„I w#as goi#ng to do th#e usu#al, catch#ing yo#u an#d th#en guid#ing yo#u to t#he pla#ce where tomo#rrow ca#n’t ge#t to yo#u wh#en I real#ized somet#hing: I ha#ve no#t h#ad th#is mu#ch enjoy#ment doi#ng my du#ty in mult#iple centur#ies!“

*she sounded very exciting sounded, though her voice was echoed through the giant wall, that was still very close and very much deadly, judging by how each tiny movement felt like you could just fall over dead*

* A smiles wanes. ''That's it?''

. . .

„15 min#utes. If we cou#nt it fr#om t#he fi#rst pota#to y#ou thr#ew.“

*it chuckled*

„Yo#u a#re an intere#sting fel#la, Frybo#mber. An#d th#is ‚gran#dma‘

*grandma in a very sarcastic tone*

Thi#nks I’d be a sha#me fo#r y#ou to d#ie he#re. Ho#w el#se wi#ll I g#et a rem#atch?“

*while its face didn’t change expressions, their tone of voice suggest that it meant it, while still being lighthearted*

. . .

''N' anotha thing, didn't quite get your na-'' * The question is answered, before it was even asked. Chuckling, a glance is given to the wall behind them, staring directly into the giant hashtag up above. * After a moment of silence, they are back onto their feet, looking over at the wall. Reaching their hand forward, their eyes change course to stare at the arm, even while not being real, the skin could be seen, even if briefly, turning into pure metal.

* Giggling, they now face the puppet, sat on the floor, smiling, even if its faint, they still make sure to show those crocked teeth. ''Then make sure to not tak' that long with that rematch. The outsid' is borin', and the Govirmint is even more. So as long as you keep me that promis'.'' * Bowing once more, a hand is reached forward. ''I'll make sure to live to see you again, Misses Paranoy.''

*the giant wall starts retreating back towards the beginning of the path, leaving behind a giant bronze doorframe. There SHOULD be a hashtag in the giant black rectangle but it is empty. The void inside the doorframe had the faint light of the outside world trickle through. It was a lot brighter than the lighting in this dimension, even with the hellfire surrounding this place.*

„fu#n fa#ct: i us#ed to u#se th#is thi#ng as my ves#sel for a wh#ile. Lo#ng bef#ore I us#ed the clo#ck. Hone#stly it#’s kin#da nosta#lgic see#ing it act#ive aga#in. Anyways, he#re is yo#ur tic#ket o#ut.“

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

* !!! OK YEA ITS DEFINITELY FASTER IT IS ACTIVELY ACCELERATING AND GAINING MORE SPEED! At this rate not even any of the statues are able to outrun the wall. Was the game rigged to kill everyone participating in it?*

* ! No time to ponder on it, as something lifts you up over its head! Another statue has you in both of their hands, as it flings you across the path, right in front of a cliff…where the path seems to end. The only thing that meets you at the end are 5 statues staring into the distance, with the middle one…the middle one looks an awful lot like the vessel she used. Down to the colors. The only thing missing was the face.*

* Grunt, the kick down onto the statue's face, but its already too late, sent flying over the flames and walls, spinning themselves around to get a proper landing, almost sliding right off the cliff. * Eyebrows furrow, as they get up. They shout forward, placing both hands onto their helmet. ''What's this about? Ya' skip half of the middle board. Flyin' 'round is fun, ya know.''

My piece? You win!

*the statue symbolizing Paranoy had sprung to life, actually looking like the previous vessel yet…upgraded. It didn’t have the same piece of wood on its head but it looked a lot more…refined. If you can say that just a walking hunk of metal*

„I w#as goi#ng to do th#e usu#al, catch#ing yo#u an#d th#en guid#ing yo#u to t#he pla#ce where tomo#rrow ca#n’t ge#t to yo#u wh#en I real#ized somet#hing: I ha#ve no#t h#ad th#is mu#ch enjoy#ment doi#ng my du#ty in mult#iple centur#ies!“

*she sounded very exciting sounded, though her voice was echoed through the giant wall, that was still very close and very much deadly, judging by how each tiny movement felt like you could just fall over dead*

* A smiles wanes. ''That's it?''

. . .

„15 min#utes. If we cou#nt it fr#om t#he fi#rst pota#to y#ou thr#ew.“

*it chuckled*

„Yo#u a#re an intere#sting fel#la, Frybo#mber. An#d th#is ‚gran#dma‘

*grandma in a very sarcastic tone*

Thi#nks I’d be a sha#me fo#r y#ou to d#ie he#re. Ho#w el#se wi#ll I g#et a rem#atch?“

*while its face didn’t change expressions, their tone of voice suggest that it meant it, while still being lighthearted*

. . .

''N' anotha thing, didn't quite get your na-'' * The question is answered, before it was even asked. Chuckling, a glance is given to the wall behind them, staring directly into the giant hashtag up above. * After a moment of silence, they are back onto their feet, looking over at the wall. Reaching their hand forward, their eyes change course to stare at the arm, even while not being real, the skin could be seen, even if briefly, turning into pure metal.

* Giggling, they now face the puppet, sat on the floor, smiling, even if its faint, they still make sure to show those crocked teeth. ''Then make sure to not tak' that long with that rematch. The outsid' is borin', and the Govirmint is even more. So as long as you keep me that promis'.'' * Bowing once more, a hand is reached forward. ''I'll make sure to live to see you again, Misses Paranoy.''

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

* !!! OK YEA ITS DEFINITELY FASTER IT IS ACTIVELY ACCELERATING AND GAINING MORE SPEED! At this rate not even any of the statues are able to outrun the wall. Was the game rigged to kill everyone participating in it?*

* ! No time to ponder on it, as something lifts you up over its head! Another statue has you in both of their hands, as it flings you across the path, right in front of a cliff…where the path seems to end. The only thing that meets you at the end are 5 statues staring into the distance, with the middle one…the middle one looks an awful lot like the vessel she used. Down to the colors. The only thing missing was the face.*

* Grunt, the kick down onto the statue's face, but its already too late, sent flying over the flames and walls, spinning themselves around to get a proper landing, almost sliding right off the cliff. * Eyebrows furrow, as they get up. They shout forward, placing both hands onto their helmet. ''What's this about? Ya' skip half of the middle board. Flyin' 'round is fun, ya know.''

My piece? You win!

*the statue symbolizing Paranoy had sprung to life, actually looking like the previous vessel yet…upgraded. It didn’t have the same piece of wood on its head but it looked a lot more…refined. If you can say that just a walking hunk of metal*

„I w#as goi#ng to do th#e usu#al, catch#ing yo#u an#d th#en guid#ing yo#u to t#he pla#ce where tomo#rrow ca#n’t ge#t to yo#u wh#en I real#ized somet#hing: I ha#ve no#t h#ad th#is mu#ch enjoy#ment doi#ng my du#ty in mult#iple centur#ies!“

*she sounded very exciting sounded, though her voice was echoed through the giant wall, that was still very close and very much deadly, judging by how each tiny movement felt like you could just fall over dead*

* A smiles wanes. ''That's it?''

. . .

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

* !!! OK YEA ITS DEFINITELY FASTER IT IS ACTIVELY ACCELERATING AND GAINING MORE SPEED! At this rate not even any of the statues are able to outrun the wall. Was the game rigged to kill everyone participating in it?*

* ! No time to ponder on it, as something lifts you up over its head! Another statue has you in both of their hands, as it flings you across the path, right in front of a cliff…where the path seems to end. The only thing that meets you at the end are 5 statues staring into the distance, with the middle one…the middle one looks an awful lot like the vessel she used. Down to the colors. The only thing missing was the face.*

* Grunt, the kick down onto the statue's face, but its already too late, sent flying over the flames and walls, spinning themselves around to get a proper landing, almost sliding right off the cliff. * Eyebrows furrow, as they get up. They shout forward, placing both hands onto their helmet. ''What's this about? Ya' skip half of the middle board. Flyin' 'round is fun, ya know.''

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

*instead, it becomes another of the statues, while a statue further down the path has life breathed into it. It turned its head to face the civilian lagging behind. It yelled something at them, though the voice was HEAVILY distorted and rough*

„### c### #e# #om# ya f##g### w##s!“

*!!! it continued running along the path, actually making an effort to dodge I coming projectiles…also making sure to throw a statue or two at you*

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

*as the wall in front of you slowly fell, a hush quiet voice whispered to you a singular word*

run

*!!! almost as on command, the entire dimension was set ablaze. Fire stretching high into the air from right and left, preventing you from jumping over the walls of the path before you. The path was littered with various obstacles. Most of it were huge chucks of rusty metals, wood or gaps in the floor, though there were also a bunch of rusty statues. They looked like people. People who tried to rub away from something…chasing…them…*

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

*there was a light underneath you. Looking down, you see…a desolated area? Rusty, old constructions barely holding together. Rust spreading all over the floor. A giant old spawn point in the middle…that seems to be your destination, because gravity kicked in again!*

[do you land with style or do you fall flat on your face? Your decision]

*after you landed on the spawn point, you find yourself in a strange dimension. It is…old. Distant metal creaking, singular water droplets landing in the concrete floor and above all, a giant red metal wall in front and behind you. The clockwork no where to be se-*

* A mix of both, kneeling down, both arms in the ground, but still a good landing all thing considered. * Getting up, cracks are heard from their shoulders as they spin in their axis, which gives them the opportunity to what the clock fall down from the sky, a welcoming smile greeting her. ''When I sai' change in scenery, I wasn' expectin' this. What, mountains got too cold for ya?''

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP

* Holding onto their potato helmet, they roll to the side, trying to dodge out of the way. Didn't have enough time to leave a present sadly, but dodging will do. ''Well see 'bout that. I've sure you love the tickin', so what about you hear some more, Pennywise.''

*It’s tail stopped moving, as the # inside it disappeared. Paranoy took a step back and grabbed its tail, disconnecting it from her own body and held it like a bat.*

„HEA#DS UP, BOMBER!“

*it hit the potato with full force, intending to launch it back at the enemy…but the vegetable exploded right on contact.*

„(Ooookaaayyy, Not my smartest decision. Should’ve figured the bombs that explode once contact can’t be deflected this easily…oh well~)

*it took a glance towards the enemy combatant, fast enough to see the flying gesture of affection. It had heard everything.*

„(…he is VERY fun. I might have to keep him around when I’m done here. Am I a hypocrite for that decision? Yes. Do I care? Mostly not. Time will get him if I don’t)“

*sigh* „it is…unfortu#nate to sacri#fice th#is ves#sel, ykn#ow? On#e of my favo#rites and it las#ted ve#ry lo#ng…hone#stly, i wa#s abo#ut ti#me to cha#nge it…so w#hy no#t ma#ke th#is a spect#acle?“

*…*

„Yo#u wa#nt th#e spi#der? Co#e # n d G e # ##“

* !!! 4 giant spider like legs bursted out of the broken corpse, before multiple giant metal spikes enveloped the gruesome metamorphosis, shielding your eyes from whatever is going on. Multiple clocks far and wide were heard chiming, as if they were singing a death song. The machinery around the battlefield sprang to life, only for those with still functioning mechanisms to blurt out „the clock reads“…and as the spikes disappear…your wish…has been granted*

* The blades of foliage are crushed under their boot, wind blowing above them, barely able to be heard, but enough to lower the temperature, or is the heat running from its presence? This cold on their belly, uncertainty. ''You were a lot uglier on paper, I'm glad my imagination was wrong. You truly are better then I thought.''

* The field is crushed, hinges of the clock's leg, and the crack of their bones. From their leather jacket, potato emerge, two on each hand, all beeping again and again, the cloak built of dead grass and leaves dragging a path towards her. ''Cmon' rust-bucket, show us ya' best! I wanna bleed.''

* The air is filled with smoke, the dead plants of the ground and of their cloak having their color replaced with black and orange, the once cold plains now burning hot with flames. Crackling of hell, only quieter then at crocked laugh. ''That HURT, n' I'll laugh it off just like I did the rest. This not the first suicidal mission and SURE AIN'T THE LAST, HONEY.''

*there hasn’t really been a fear like THIS. This…was different. Whoever this civilian was, their fear was something…incredible. To powerful, so palpable, yet so destructive. They feared dying like a coward more than death itself. They were laughing at death, laughing at the living embodiment of time and paranoia. Outstanding, REALLY AMAZING! SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS RARE! SHE CANT EVEN RECALL THE LAST TIME SOMEONE HAD THIS TYPE OF FEAR!*

*the laughter coming out of the void that was the main part of the construct was getting louder and louder. Almost deafening. As if it was competing with yours. What better way to spend a day than to violently throw hands with a crazy person strapped to the teeth with bombs that didn’t fear you?*

} Jay don't you dare. } I won't. . . } But- } I will leave you in a aquarium if you do. } Aw.

*it was ripped out of its thoughts when the explosions and fists continued raining down on its „face“. She was gonna indulge in this fight just a bit longer. It was far too fun to suddenly switch strategies again AND ignore the incredible backdrop that was the raging forest fire*

[!] Instead of keeping their grip on a boring old potato, their fist wrap around the ringing bell, swinging side to side along with the hands. Grabbing another sweet potato, they stick one, and two, and three, and four, and more onto anything they can reach, the hands, the bell, the void, cover it all. * Placing one of the sweet potatoes in their mouth, they shout, muffled but still seeping with adrenaline.

…

*the outside world is just a small window but the rumbling of the explosive are still felt inside the emptiness of the clock tower…that was, until the hand let go of you, sinking into the void…leaving you alone…floating about…as your vision gets darker…and darker..and a ringing fills a your ears as does a hard ticking sound.*

*your reward for bringing the harbinger of time to its knees. Something no one escaped from…but maybe you can? Who knows? All you know is*

* All the beauty, everything outside now just muffled inside an endless abyss, lighting up the night, if it even was night, they got a bit sidetracked with their original mission, which they don't quite recall what it was. * Spinning in the air, getting a grip on the fall and falling into a more advantageous landing position, everything around them grew quieter. And to think they would get dumped in the middle of a fight, how fun.

} Good morning miss, yes us again, don't mind us. You keep getting in the way of our research subjects so just, smile for the camera! } Eitherway, here She? He? What even is that thing? Well its coming your way so. . . Good luck!

* Quiet evening, sun dawning in the horizon, covering down the grey and black mountains of the landscape. A beautiful sight, which sadly won't last until tomorrow. * While you can't exactly hear or see anything, I am sure you can feel it, in some way or form, you can. But someone has entered the premises, not too far away, but close enough to be noticeable.

* And from what it seems, it might be someone mentally unstable enough for a certain clock to put on a show. So is it Showtime, Lady #######?

„…“

*Paranoy was enjoying the sight of the sunset. It was calming and the last couple of rays warmed the cold rusty metal that was its body. As she turned away, to walk somewhere else, she glanced into a random direction.*

„he#llo, I di#d n#ot exp#ect y#ou he#re eit#her. It is qu#ite amus#ing h#ow yo#ur rese#arch lea#ds yo#u to me. Or t#he ot#her wa#y arou#nd.“

*it stretches itself, before walking away, right towards whoever has entered its field of effect. It chuckled at the information being presented to her*

„I do li#ke put#ting up sho#ws, bu#t th#ey are#n’t for th#e enterta#inment of oth#ers. N#ot alw#ays. Yo#u ha#ve to a#sk Art#ful f#or th#at. Ve#ry we#ll, I sh#all obl#ige fo#r no#w, as what#ever subj#ect y#ou ha#ve h#as cau#ght my inter#est.“

„(Well now…what’s a camp like that doing out here? And the amount of traps and machines…someone clearly doesn’t want this place to be found. That or some person managed to get in here and have themselves this camp all to themselves. Either way-)“

*Paranoy proceeded to walk towards the middle of the camp. Any obstacle in her way simply phase through it. Being only somewhat bound to reality does wonders in being stealthy and not hitting your legs on trash and traps. However, paranoy did softly strike a small bell, giggling at its noise…and what the following consequences might be*

. . .

''GAWD' MAWNIN.'' [!] From the shadows, between the spaces of the tents, a potato flies, hitting and sticking to a surface nearby, or her face who knows, the throw wasn't the best on accuracy. Beep beep beep beep [?] That doesn't sound good.

„(didn’t know vegetables were now explosives. What strange invention. Although…I have heard of the game ‚hot potato‘. If that is supposed to be a literal tale on this children’s game, it is hilarious!)“

*it looked where the potato flew from, but as it was somewhere beyond the trees, it couldnt see it. Probably a mechanism attached to that bell.*

„(…I hope that it was a mechanism. If it was indeed a person hiding here, I might have to have a stern talk about throwing potatoes at strangers, hihihi)“

*someone who actually had some knowledge on it? How interesting! And they weren’t revealing themselves just yet…this was already getting very exciting*

„i thou#ght th#is ca#mp w#as fr#ee to exp#lore, espe#cially wh#en y#ou we#re frie#ndly eno#ugh to…prov#ide so#me fo#od. Qu#ite th#e explo#sive flav#or, if y#ou all#ow th#e p#un.“

*it chuckled to herself, before looking around trying to find the culprit.*

„the na#me yo#u ar#e searc#hing for is #######. Reda#cted fr#om al#l offi#cial govern#ment fil#es in th#e hop#es of no pes#ky civil#ians learn#ing abo#ut wh#at tru#ly happ#ened on th#at fate#ful da#y. It woul#dn’t be th#e th#e on#ly thi#ng th#ey a#re hid#ing… Though you defin#itely kn#ow th#at mu#ch. No#w, wh#at is yo#ur na#me?“

''Jus' ya kno', the name is not importan', but the codename sure is. 'nce ya meet Sauce, tell 'em O.B. Frybomber sent ya'!'' * They take a bite out of the potato, weaving their arm up and sending the potato flying past the tree line. Beep beep beep beep, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

„(an expert in explosives…this guy has clearly lost his mind, yet it is in fact to his advantage…)“

„I se#e h#ow it is…ju#st warn#ing yo#u: th#is ves#sel ha#s me#t it#s ma#ker a lo#ng ti#me ag#o an#d yo#u se#em to ha#ve th#e sa#me wi#sh. I wi#sh y#ou lu#ck, Frybo#mber. Yo#u wi#ll ne#ed it.“

* !!! she started to murmur nonsense, as your vision starts clouding up. Various weird snippets of images, places and people (among them a barely visible clock hiding behind them) fly around in your mind, as you hear your task:*

[FIND THE RIGHT ONE]

*it arrived at the entrance of the forest, stepping inside, making sure not to step on anything that might blow up in its face. The ticking of its tail was loud and fast. It was having a lot of fun.*

„no#w, wh#at el#se do yo#u kn#ow abo#ut me? I’m su#re yo#u a#re aw#are of at lea#st so#me of my attrib#utes, or is mo#re th#an my na#me a mys#tery to y#ou? I’d be hono#red if a majo#rity of my lit#tle fi#le ha#s be#en reda#cted.“

''They kno' you love to toy, they kno' you feed of fear and instability, but ya nothing agains' someone whos been eating #### ever sinc'. That' why I'm here, and I'm rather fond of seeing a spider today.'' * The person around the tree falls to your feet, their coat made of leaves and their head wearing a potato helmet. . . [!] That is not a helmet, and that is not a person.

*the explosion hit paranoy. It made an incredibly loud noise, as if metal was being teared through by a strong force. It was still standing after the explosion, lying inside the crater. Two giant mechanical legs have bursted out of her body, visibly charred by the explosion, but the vessel was unharmed. The legs slowly retracted back into the body, taking time to re-arrange themselves, before disappearing in the giant tear. This gap started to close itself, loud mechanical ticking, clicking and whirring was escaping the vessel, accompanied by the voices of those it has „saved“ long ago*

„Impr#essive. Ve#ry imPRES#SIVE, MY GO#OD MA#N“

*the hole closed itself, everything quieting down. She reached behind her head, the piece of food that was supposed to bolted onto it had disappeared. A pile of ash was all that remained and her feet.*

„Yo#u actu#ally man#aged to damage my ves#sel! Th#at is a gr#eat techn#ology y#ou ha#ve th#ere.“

*she dusted itself off. The shockwave had gotten rid of some of its rust, although not a lot*

„It is tr#ue. I lo#ve to pl#ay wi#th t#he po#or so#ul torm#ented in th#is pl#ane of exist#ence. Mos#tly to sat#isfy mys#elf, I ju#st lo#ve a go#od ga#me of cat and mo#use. Thou#gh ju#st because my ma#in meth#ods a#re psycho#logical doe#sn’t me#an I am comp#letely defens#eless to some#one who#se mi#nd ha#s alre#ady be#en bro#ken. As if I’d ev#er be defens#eless any#way“

*its head snapped to a seemingly random direction…looking suspiciously close to where you were currently hiding. Its tail speed has slowed down, focusing more on it snapping from side to side violently*

YOUR BOMBS ARENT THE ONLY THING TICKING DOWN. YOU BETTER KEEP IT UP