The Spider Cliff Mysteries

The Spider Cliff Mysteries
   ▷ Story 2: The Mayor Misplaced
      ▷ Chapter 1: The new paradigm

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Transcript of this chapter:

rebecca: Is everyone okay?
barlow: We're all fine, and Turnip has been saved. Mission accomplished.
crystal: Yeah, Barlow's foolish plan worked out somehow.
rebecca: And the Sheriff?
barlow: Passed out under some rubble, but he'll survive the day.
rebecca: We'll deal with him later. The important thing is that the three of you are safe.
rebecca: I suppose you've decided what to do about Crystal.
barlow: I think she can stay. She doesn't appear to be dangerous.
crystal: Hey!
rebecca: Barlow, you shouldn't tell a demon that she's not dangerous. It kind of hurts their feelings.
barlow: Either she's dangerous and I have to kill her... or she's harmless and she can stay.
crystal: I'm... I'm moderately dangerous.
barlow: I'm going to have to do some demon-slaying now. She may be a weak demon, but she's a demon above all, so I'll probably be killing her later.
crystal: Hello? I'm right here, Barlow.
barlow: I'm going to take a little nap, and then I'll kill her.
crystal: I can hear everything you're saying! I'm right here!
rebecca: Well... after you kill her, I'm going to need you to clean the floor in the diner.
barlow: What?! I don't work for you!
rebecca: No, but Crystal does, and if you're going to kill her you're going to have to take her place.
barlow: Fine! she stays.
barlow: I'll let you decide what to do with her.
rebecca: As the town's demon-hunter, the ultimate decision over what to do with her is yours.
barlow: I'm tired, and I just saved the entire paper mammal population. I can't think anymore.
rebecca: We'll just let her decide, then.
crystal: I'm staying.
rebecca: It looks like we have that all settled. Of course Crystal is welcome to stay here.
rebecca: I think she'll offer a lot of energy and spirit to make up for the little inconvenience to you. Now, we've got a lot to do today, after all that excitement earlier...
barlow: I didn't get any sleep last night, so I'm going to bed.
rebecca: You shouldn't sleep through the day. It's not healthy.
crystal: Yeah, Barlow. I didn't get any sleep either, but am I complaining?
barlow: You waited up last night to kill me.
crystal: You were waiting up to kill me, too!
barlow: There's a lesson in this. Let's not stay up late trying to kill one another.
rebecca: With the job as demon-hunter comes certain responsibilities, Barlow. You're on call twenty-four hours a day, so you should get used to going without sleep.
barlow: Why do you always take HER side?
crystal: Because I don't whine as much.
rebecca: And also because there might be more need for a demon-hunter around here now. Demons like Crystal are sure to attract some of the residual evil in the area. We might see something... maybe as early as tonight.
barlow: Wait... make up for what inconvenience?
rebecca: Well, demons have a habit of attracting evil, even unintentionally. There's a lot of things nearby that might be called evil... I suspect we might be seeing some of them.
barlow: Hey! That sounds like more work for me.
rebecca: Yes... well, you ARE the demon-hunter after all. But don't worry, Spider Cliff is protected from most of it.
barlow: If I have to watch for evil tonight, I'll just sleep through the day. I'm off to bed now.
rebecca: Wrong, Barlow! It seems to me that someone fired a cannon into a closed area and made a big mess. That person needs to do some cleaning.
barlow: You've got to be joking! I just saved Turnip and countless paper mammals!
rebecca: And they're really grateful... but they don't control the coffee supply here. I do. Now grab some cleaning supplies and clean up that mess.
barlow: Protected from most of it? What do you mean?
rebecca: You know all about it, Barlow. There's a layer of protection, an aura, which makes Spider Cliff invisible to the outside world. As long as it stays in place, Crystal can't attract anything from the outside.
rebecca: However, there might be a few things inside the barrier, maybe in the marsh.
barlow: I know that marsh better than anyone. There's nothing out there.
barlow: When I think about it, having a demon here doesn't sound like a good idea.
rebecca: Barlow, you have to take the responsibility that was handed to you, no matter how inconvenient it might be.
crystal: Yeah, so stop whining.
rebecca: Crystal, go clean the floor in the diner.
crystal: Oh... right away.
barlow: Is it really okay to have her here?
rebecca: I am not going to turn on her. Everyone else is fine with her being here.
barlow: ....except Alex...
rebecca: My son will learn to deal with it. We need to be good hosts. The important thing is that nobody is going to turn on her, and that includes you.

General information on The Spider Cliff Mysteries

To fully enjoy this mystery series, you might need the latest version of the Flash plug-in. This comic operates in a manner reminiscent of adventure games, although the gaming aspect is far over-shadowed by the story. Basically, you experience the mystery through the viewpoint of the two protagonists. You can press the spacebar or click on the little arrows to progress through the conversation. At several points in the conversation, you will have several options for progressing through the branching storyline. Important clues (and false leads) are indicated by a clue icon that appears in the corner. These clues might or might not be important, but if you are a registered member, your account will keep track of your clues and your progress through the mysteries. Take it at your own speed, and have fun!