LUNA

II - LAZULI

PART 2 — LAZULI
Greet the day with a smile!

Birthday City — August 27

It's just another day in Birthday City. The deep red skies light up the streets, ripped apart from wars never told, and events never seen. Countless buildings stand tall like a reanimated cadaver, still rotting with all it's gone through. Moss covers the cracks and grime litters the walls, the floors—wherever it can find itself stuck on.

Radiation litters the entire city, like bombs have gone off in every inch of every corner. The wanderers have adapted to this hellscape—somehow, they manage to prosper despite the obstreperous state of their home.

Home is a strong word. It should not apply here.

Among all the rotten and shattered piles of concrete that these people call shelter, the casino in the heart of the city stands tall, undeserving of it's maintenance. People go there every day, despite their disdain, just to get a semblance of ownership for god-knows-what. Even junk that vaguely looks like steel is valuable to these people.

And despite its maintenance... It is not safe from criminals.

It seems like every week another incident occurs in that damned casino. It's usually just rowdy gamblers who had too much for their own good or that they're angry they lost a game of "obviously-rigged-poker." Hell, even some of the staff caused a ruckus, and rarely do they get their comeuppance.

But only a few weeks ago, a string of events caused the biggest myth in that casino.

They call him "The Reaper of The Audit."

Several murders have been linked to this cryptid of a murderer. Always the same kinds of people—gamblers who happened to be alone. Hardly any evidence remained in the scenes. That is—if there even was one. The Audit, in all it's corrupt glory, never acknowledges the murders and erases knowledge of the crime. The scene, the evidence... All that remains is the myth of the reaper.

But this murder case was different. Nothing was hidden—it's all in clear view. And The Audit acknowledged that it happened. Thus, it's theorized that this has no relation to "The Reaper."

So they needed to investigate.

7:02 — Concord Lazuli — August 27

"GOOD MORNING! GREET THE DAY WITH A SMILE!"

"Lord, if there were any more of these TVs, I wouldn't hesitate to break you."

In the deeper parts of the city lies a building much more well-maintained than the rest. The concrete walls are painted beige, some of it peeling off or covered with moss. The sole window is covered by blinds, a sign saying "closed indefinitely" hanging from the windowsill. Inside, a man is putting on their purple tie, wearing a similarly-purple trench coat.

The man looks at their bag, checking if everything's inside. A vial of black granular, some luminol, a toxin identifier... Everything's there, up to snuff. Satisfied, the man closes their bag and slings it over their shoulder.

"HEY! What's taking you so long?!" yells someone from another room. The person turns to their open door.

"Gimme a moment! I got distracted; just wait!" they reply, walking out, grabbing a hat hanging from the door. "I'm out! How about you?" they yell, looking around.

Suddenly, an orange-haired shortie wearing a yellow turtleneck pounces onto them, and in instinct, they shove him off. "Watch it with that lighter, you maniac! You'll get a man hurt," they say, giving this maniac a stern look of disapproval.