"But Ozaki-san, I love you!"

"Sorry, Gohda. My heart belongs to Kinjo."

Last edited at 14/05/02(Fri)18:39:36

"Hey Kumasawa, I bet you couldn't do a cartwheel from that balcony."

Last edited at 14/05/02(Fri)18:43:06

"...I'm not even in this stupid game."

The people with guns load their weapons. Natsuhi complains about the uneven distribution of weapons and Kyrie hands her gun over to avoid conflict.

Although light-headed, Krauss manages to stand on his two feet. He looks at the stub on his arm.

"Damn them...my whole hand, gone!" He grunts.

"Do you remember anything about who attacked you?" George asks.

Krauss shakes his head. "They came from behind. After that, it was just a blur. If I find them again..."

"Dear, you're in no condition to get worked up. We should return to the parlor."

"Natsuhi's right," says Rudolf. We have the place barricaded."

"Are you absolutely sure that it's safe?" Kyrie asks.

>>14807
"Well considering they just stole a gun without ammo in it, as long as we've got the weapons and hold up in a room we have a better chance of survival. The parlor seems safe, gold room could work too, unless you have anything else in the mind."

"The parlor being so close, is probably the best solution to stay in."

Last edited at 14/05/03(Sat)16:47:14

Your group walks back to the parlor with no incident. The able adults search the room to make sure nobody entered without their knowing, but they don't turn anything up.

With the furniture blocking the windows and now the door, the cousins sit on the hard floor.

"It's important that we keep our minds active," says Kyrie. "The worst thing we can do is stop thinking. Has anyone noticed anything odd over the last twenty-four hours?"

Last edited at 14/05/05(Mon)17:15:21

"I don't know what the norm is for your family but there have been a few murders if that counts for anything.

If anyone noticed anything during the night, or during the morning, that would be helpful. Judging from the bodies this is when the culprit has been active."

Everyone's quiet.

"No matter how trivial it is," Kyrie says. "Anything you can think of would be helpful."

"I- I remember something," Gohda says. "This time I'm certain."

"What is it, Gohda-san?" Rosa asks.

"The event was sometime between 8:30 and 9:00.I had just got done having a leisurely chat with Dr. Nanjo when I saw someone enter the boiler room. I'm sure that I wasn't mistaken! A human definitely went down those stairs. However, when I called out, nobody answered me! Then I tried to turn on the lights and found that they weren't working. Still, I was not afraid, and diligently searched the area, hoping that someone was not hurt. But I didn't find anyone, even a person in pain! And beyond that, the back door was locked from the inside! Master keys don't even work on that door, it only locks from the inside!"

"Why would the door only lock from the inside?" George asks.

"It's an emergency door," Gohda says. "Built in case a fire should spread and the stairs become inaccessible. It simply can't be unlocked or locked using keys. After that, I noticed the lightbulb was missing. I went upstairs, found Genji in the servants room, and we returned to replace the bulb, but there was nobody else in the room at that time. "

"Hey!" says Jessica. "Hold on a second. If the back door was locked, then where did the person who went downstairs go?"

"It looks like we have a murderer who can walk through walls," Rudolf says.

"Or at least one who wants us to think they can," says Kyrie.

Last edited at 14/05/07(Wed)20:33:34

>>15027
"Couldn't they have just been hiding in the room and left after you had gone to get Genji and the light bulb? Hardly need to walk through walls for that."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnypB8LS2yE

"Ozaki is right," Kyrie says. "Deceiving Gohda wouldn't require a particularly confusing sleight of hand. No offense, Gohda-san. What's important is establishing just who the person in the boiler room was.

I can confirm that, with the exception of Natsuhi, all of the siblings and their spouses were in the parlor from 8:30 to 9:00. That creates absolute alibis for Rudolf, Krauss, Eva, Hideyoshi, Rosa, and myself. From Gohda's story, we can also gather that Dr. Nanjo wasn't the perpetrator, since Gohda had just finished talking to the doctor before he saw the individual walk down the stairs. Genji is excluded as well, since, according to Gohda's own words, he went straight to the servant's room and saw him.

Jessica, what were the cousins doing in that time frame?"

"Huh?" Jessica thinks. "We weren't really keeping track of the time, but nobody left the room that much. I'm sure that Maria, Battler, George, and I were in my room between 8:30 and 9:00."

"Thank you," Kyrie says. "That leaves only four possibilities: Ozaki, Amy, Kumasawa, or Natsuhi. And since Kumasawa is a victim, it's very unlikely that she had a reason to sneak around on that night."

"Well," says Dr. Nanjo. "I also saw Kumasawa-san briefly after Gohda-san left my company. I wouldn't think that she could have gone down to the boiler room while she talked to me at the same time."

"Even more reason to narrow our search down to three possible culprits. What do all of you have to say for yourselves?"

"What in the world are you implying?" Natsuhi asks. "What reason would I have to go down to that room? I was trying to re-establish radio connection."

"It's important to establish all of our bases," Kyrie responds. "Is there anyone that can confirm your actions?"

Natsuhi grits her teeth. "She wasn't with me the entire time, but Amy-san was with me for a brief period. I was on the third floor, right by Father's room, not the first!"

"Well, Amy? It might be helpful to explain what you were doing as well, Ozaki. As our guests, you two are the most suspicious."

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)10:26:44

>>15029
"I think that would have been around the time Genji and I took Amy to the storage shed. It's no point hiding it now due to the other deaths, but a body of a young girl had washed up onto the island shortly before dinner. Once I got the chance Genji and I took Amy to see if we could confirm the identity...where Amy told us it was her sister."

I take note any reactions of the people who already knew about the body.

"As Ozaki said we went to the garden shed with Genji, and then afterward returned, I saw Natsuhi going up the stairs and I wanted to apologize to her, so I followed her. Natsuhi was trying to get the radio working, and while she was fiddling with it, we heard a somewhat surprising broadcast. It was about some kind of mass murderer on the loose on Nijima. So, what I'm saying is, it is possible someone else aside from all of us is on Rokkenjima."

"Also this is overall pointless, even if someone did go into the broiler room, why are you counting off Kumasawa? Nothing happened in the broiler room. Kyrie you said it yourself, we found the murder location in the bathroom. The bathroom is not the broiler room. What happened in the broiler room is irrelevant to the murders. There is no proof it has any connection what so ever, so looking at alibis at that time is pointless. You of all people Kyrie should realize this."

"Hold on," Rudolf straightens his back. "Another body? What is this about?"

"A young girl washed up on our beach last night," Natsuhi says. "She looked a lot like Amy-san. I assumed that she fell from the same ship."

"And you didn't think this was worth telling us?" Rosa asks. "She could have been killed by the same person who murdered everyone else!"

Krauss stays silent, only grimacing from his pain. It appears the announcement isn't news to him. Genji stays as stoic forever and Gohda looks as nervous as before.

"You might have at least mentioned it after finding out that there was some mass murderer on Niijima." Rudolf adds.

"I- I apologize. I didn't want to scare anyone unnecessarily. I had assumed that the typhoon made us safe."

"It looks like it's making us the opposite," Kyrie says. "It seems as though there is another person on this island. Whoever they are may have hid out in the basement last night. With the typhoon raging around us, we'll be trapped until the seagulls cry."

"We'll be fine," Rudolf says reassuringly. "We're all together and we have more firepower than we'd know what to do with."

"I wonder..." Rosa says. "Even though he isn't a mass murderer, is it possible that Kanon is behind this? What if he blames us all for Shannon's death in some way and is trying to get revenge?"

Krauss grunts. "Not possible."

"Dear..."

"'Kanon' doesn't exist. He was no more than Shannon in a male servant's outfit. We're in danger now, there's no point in keeping things like that a secret."

"Wait, what?" George looks incredulous.

Before the conversation can continue, the phone rings.

Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)17:00:16

During this sudden revelation and everyone's shock at this twist. I make a dash for the phone trying to get to it first. I'll use a blue shell if anyone is ahead of me, (got to knock out that leader.)

Despite all odds, you manage to greedily snatch the phone before anyone else.

"Are you ready to be tested?"

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)18:14:04

"What do you mean by tested? And just how did Kumasawa fail? How did you get this number in the first place? Are you the person who was reported on the radio?"

"The girl asks many questions. Very well, I'll explain myself to you. Five years ago, I had a fiance. She worked as a journalist for a major newspaper. To the chagrin of her bosses and editors, she did some independent investigating into the business practices of the Ushiromiya group and their allies. She found deception on deception, fraud after fraud. When her paper wouldn't publish her findings, she raised up a storm to whoever would listen to her for more than five minutes. Naturally, she caught the attention of the very people she had been fighting against. They murdered her in cold blood. Now, I will take everything that once belonged to that old fool, Kinzo Ushiromiya, included his living blood and all of those who work for them. I'll grant all of them chances to live-- tests of my own choosing. And even though you and that boy are only guests, I'll be egalitarian in my judgement. You will be tested as well."

The voice gives you the same instructions they did to Ozaki, and the same threats.

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)18:30:53

"Then doesn't your emotions as well as your past and also your actions disqualify you from making judgement upon the Ushiromiya family? Not only are you not impartial, but you who have committed murder are also not qualified to judge anyone. You who has committed far great crimes then the ones you are judging. Only those who have committed worse sins then yourself do you have the right to judge. Isn't that right? You can't be some judge because you aren't pure, you are stained just as black as anyone you have punished."

"I don't care to debate philosophy. Refusal is not an option. If you don't do as I say, a great number of humans in that room will die. You will not receive another warning."

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)19:03:59

"I understand the concept of revenge, however, what did the servants of the family do to you? Or the grandchildren, Maria is only a little girl she has harmed you nothing, are you really so far gone that you will not spare those who have not wronged you in anyway? That you would kill a child? That you would transcend from someone who has been wronged and is suffering to a coldblooded terrorist?

Also you never stated just why you killed Kumasawa. And I have another question for you, did you cause Shannon's death?"

"Everyone on that island is tainted by Ushiromiya blood. Every single person, even you and that other guest. As soon as your feet hit the earth of their island, you were just as tainted as the rest of them. I grow weary of your questions. Tell the others to make their decision."

You hear a click of the receiver.

>>15041
"What did they say Amy?"

I turn around to everyone. "Okay, I need everyone to remain calm, as I confirm that another person is on the island and they are nutcase to the extreme. They aren't just a few cards short, they can't even find the first one. They have minus candles in their candelabra. They apparently had a fiancee who discovered all the dirty secrets of the Ushiromiya family and then got killed because she tried to expose them. So this wacko wants to kill anyone 'tainted by the Ushiromiya blood' so anyone who set foot on the island. But apparently he is giving a false test saying that those who pass will be spared.

He wants Krauss and Natsuhi to go to your room Natsuhi, Rudolf and Kyrie to go to their room, Rosa to her room, Nanjo to his, while the servants stay in the parlor, and Ozaki the cousins and I go to Kinzo's study. He says we can't refuse or try to trick him, or else he will blow up the island. I think we should try not to aggravate him, which is probably almost impossible, if you step on a floorboard wrong he might go 'You are harming the earth!' or something stupid like that. Honestly, it sounds like he needs to get laid, too much pent up frustration.

Anyway, I think we should follow his instructions for now, at least until we have more information. All you do to survive according to him is prove that you aren't completely tainted by Kinzo's blood. So just show you're a good person, or well probably a saint."

"So, there is an extra person on the island after all," Kyrie says.

Battler stands. "See? I told you! There's no way one of us would have done something like this."

"Why should we listen to them?" asks Rosa. "They're obviously just trying to lead us out. I'll be all alone!"

"At least you'll have a gun," says Dr. Nanjo. "I'll be completely defenseless..."

"If the culprit really does have access to explosives of some sort, it may be best to do as they say. At least until we can gain a fuller understanding of the situation."

"Are you insane?" Rosa asks. "I won't be separated from Maria just for some murder's convenience!"

"You'd rather she get shredded apart by a bomb?"

"Don't speak like that! We have no evidence that they're telling the truth."

"Or that they're not. It's a Devil's Proof. As soon as we understand what these 'tests' are about, we can contact each other and try to find a way to put a stop to this madness."

The adults argue for some more time, but everyone begrudgingly agrees to follow the madman's orders for the time being.

"Maria-chan," Rosa kneels in front of her daughter. "You understand what's happening, right?"

"...bad person is hurting people."

"That's right. That's why you need to stay with your older cousins, okay? If something scary happens or you feel like you're in danger, scream and run to momma's room."

The adults talk to their children in similar ways (except for George) and, like that, everyone scrambles.

Ozaki and the cousins reach the third floor.

"Now, how do we get inside?" Battler asks out loud.

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)20:08:06

>>15044
I survey the area.

"What, does nobody have a key? Why did they just let us go up here without one?"

I check the door to confirm it is locked.

Last edited at 14/05/09(Fri)20:14:23

"Mr. Hornybones said their should be a key for us to find."

You check the door to Kinzo's study. It's definitely locked. You don't see anything out of ordinary in the immediate area.

The cousins search around the hallway for a key.

"Hey," after a little time, Battler holds up a bronze looking key. It appears that he found it under a vase resting on a stand. "Could this be it?"

George looks at the door. "It's worth trying, right?"

"Hold on," Jessica says. "What if it's some kind of trap, like, we open the door and buzzsaws fly out and hack our necks or something?"

The cousins seem unsure of how to proceed.

>>15047
"I doubt they would have enough skill to something of that sort. But its best to be careful."

I take the key and open the door. Before doing so I tell the others to stand away from the entrance and I too stand off to the side from the entrance as I unlock and open the door.

You open the door with no resistance. No spinning blades or mechanical traps jump out at you. The most threatening force is the smell of unbearably musky and rotten air.

The room is too dark to see inside. The curtains block out any natural light.

Last edited at 14/05/12(Mon)21:25:03

>>15049
I feel around the nearby walls for a light switch and flick it on.

Last edited at 14/05/12(Mon)21:34:15

You flick the light switch on. The images you see spell out the fact that you shouldn't have.

Rotten corpses...no, not even corpses, just paper white skeletons, hang from the wall with ropes tied around their necks. A dozen of these figures litter the walls of Kinzo's study. The ropes hang on large nails hammered into the wall by whatever madman did this.

Jessica screams.

"Who the hell are they?" George asks.

Battler turns Maria away from the horrific scene. He wrinkles his eyebrows and grits his teeth.

"I- I'm not going in there," Jessica says. "Nobody can make me. I'm not going to do it!"

>>15051
"Wait, just don't run off. Let me check something first."

I examine the skeletons in general, also for any signs of preparation, or wounds. While doing so I also survey the rest of the study.

While Ozaki is looking at the skeletons I'll look around the room and examine everything, while being careful of traps of course.

Ozaki notices that some of the skeletons are adorneded in bits of World War II outfits.

Unfortunately, they're dead. Not all have their parts intact, but each of the figures suffer from some kind of fracture or another. A few are to the head, many are in the chest. It seems likely that their lives were lost in some kind of battle.

Meanwhile, Amy examines the rest of the room. It fits its presentation from all other gameboards, plus a few skeletons and minus a portrait/epitaph. The study is divided into sections. It's pretty clear that nobody has actually used the room for a long time. She finds another study key sitting on a small table next to a phone.

Nobody is hiding in the room.

Last edited at 14/05/12(Mon)23:48:10

"The room seems safe." I tell the cousins. "And ready for Halloween trick-or-treaters."

>>15055
I'll stay silent waiting for the cousins to respond to Amy.

"What's wrong with you?" Jessica leans towards you. "People were murdered! There are bodies all over the wall. This isn't funny, it's sick, and you're sick for laughing at it!"

George reaches for her shoulder. "...I know the inclination to be upset. But we aren't angry at Amy, we're angry at the monster who did all of this."

"Screw that! This entire time, I haven't seen either of these two even show that they're scared! Shouldn't we consider that they're working with the culprit? And even if they aren't, then there's something wrong with them."

"Hey, Jessica," Battler says. "I'm sure Ozaki and Amy are just as stressed as the rest of us. People react to fear in different ways. Like Kyrie-san. With...everything that's happened, she's turned every part of her mind off except for her logic and intuition. We have to do scary things to survive, sometimes."

Battler and George manage to coax Jessica into the room, and Maria slowly behind them.

I bow to Jessica. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. It doesn't help to be frightened and scared. We need to remain calm and make smart thought-filled choices."

I pause and gaze at the window with a far off gaze before looking down at the floor.

"And I have to admit I'm not exactly scared. I lost my whole family, death is not an unwelcome thought." I look back up with a determined look on my face. "However, I do have something keeping me going right now, dealing with this madman. I don't like it went people push others around or play judge. I have no intention of letting this guy get his way."

I look straight at Jessica. "I want to try and prevent any more deaths."

Last edited at 14/05/14(Wed)00:33:06

>>15058
I let Amy talk to the cousins as I go over to the phone and take the study key. I make sure the phone is working for now.

Kinzo's door clicks as the door shuts and the auto-lock sets.

Jessica stares at the ground. "They've already gotten us to split up. Right now, they could be killing anyone."

"Everyone will be on their guard," says Battler. "Besides, I wouldn't worry about your mom. She seems tougher than everyone gives her credit for."

He looks over at Maria, who blankly gazes over some dusty books sitting on a bookshelf at the far end of the study. "Hey, Maria, are you okay? You've been quiet."

"Maria is mad."

"Mad? At who?"

"At the person who disgraced Beato's domain! Even if she isn't here, this is Beato's island. Since I'm her apprentice, I should expel this bad person."

"Maria," George says. "Don't go and do anything by yourself, okay? If anything happened to you Rosa oba-san would never forgive us."

"Uu."

The phone comes to life, signalling the next phase of this journey.

Briiiiing. Briiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

"Ozaki, you're the closest one to the phone, answer it."

I answer the phone.

"It's time. Amy and Ozaki will go to opposite ends of the rose garden. Amy will go to end end closest to the shed while Ozaki will stay at the side near the mansion. They will find further instruction there.

I will be close by. If they make any detours I will kill them."

The phone clicks.

Last edited at 14/05/15(Thu)20:30:23

>>15063
I tell everyone what the phone call says, and suggest we should follow the instructions, but I first call the others too see how they are doing.

I look at the cousins "I guess we have to part ways for now. But don't worry, we'll find a way out of this somehow."

Jessica gives you the extensions to the other rooms. You check up on the servants first. You hear everyone's voices and they seem to be fine. This is the same with each room you call. Everyone seems to be in their proper places, awaiting further instruction.

After the cousins have talked to their families and the phone falls back on the hook, George takes a breath.

"If anything should happen," he says. "Come back to this room. We'll wage a war with the culprit if that's what it takes. Then no threats of bombs or murders will be able to hold us back. Even if he kills us, we won't go down alone."

"G-george," Battler says. "Saying stuff like that..."

"He's right," says Jessica. "If you're in danger, don't feel too scared to run. We don't need any dead heroes."

"At the same time..." George looks down. "If you get the chance to kill them, do it."

Last edited at 14/05/19(Mon)23:51:15

I nod in understanding. "I have a request for all of you though, it will sound strange, but trust me it is very important. Every ten minutes call each room, trade who calls after each room, with each ten minutes you have so different people are calling the same room. Ask to speak to everyone in the room, don't let anyone escape this. For example, say the first ten minutes Jessica calls the parlor, then the next 10 minutes Battler calls the parlor, then George, and then Maria. You are doing 3 things with this , making sure that everyone is okay, and that they are in the room, as well as gathering information on what is going on. If anything seems off, such as someone refuses to come to the phone, or there is no one picking up the phone, the person currently using the phone should call everyone and check their locations and what is going on with them, once again talking to everyone, but do not mention to anyone what is going on, not even to each other, but take a piece of paper and write down the time and which room was off, do not write the reason. I'm sure you're all getting upset at this request but it is absolutely important, we are making sure there does not exist an accomplice among all of us. I know seeing your family as a possible accomplice is a horrid thought, but think about it this way, by doing this you are proving they are not. This includes your fellow cousins. This is so we can eliminate any distrust that could happen so we can all work together. Tell no one outside this room about this plan, if they ask why you are calling just say you are checking up on what is going on since having a grasp of the current situation is important. Also do not tell anyone we left the room."

Last edited at 14/05/20(Tue)01:00:39

>>15068
"...This is sudden, but Krauss said the other servant, Kanon was just Shannon crossdressing right? Considering this then anything that happened to him would affect Shannon, and possibly explain her death. It seemed like a few people didn't know this and would have treated them as separate people. I don't suppose anything comes to mind? Like a conversation Kanon had with one of you, or if we was doing anything odd perhaps?"

"Okay," says George. "I think I understand what you're trying to do."

He looks back at the other cousins. None of them argue. It seems as if your plan will be set into motion.

Nobody offers anything helpful.

"I haven't been here while 'Kanon' was around," says Battler. "I wouldn't be able to tell you anything like that."

"I had no idea," George says. "You'd have to be a genius to figure something like that out by yourself."

"I always knew," says Jessica. "She was...having identity issues for a long time. Sometimes, it didn't seem like even she knew who she was anymore. But I only saw glimpses of that side of her. I'm sorry, if I had known..."

I'll look around the whole study one last time (any other rooms besides this one as well) before heading out to the location I was called too.

>>15072
I too leave the room and head to my destination. All while keeping an eye out for anyone as I walk there.

You look around the room. Nothing has changed during your short visit. It's still as cramped and uninviting as ever.

The bathroom looks unused and the two closets in the room are as bare as Gohda's expertly shaven chin.

Last edited at 14/05/24(Sat)15:24:12

You walk with Amy down the staircase to the first floor, then the second. You don't meet any resistance nor do you notice anything odd as you exit the front doors to the mansion.

In the area you were told to wait, there is a small leather box. Rain splashes across its surface. There is also a stick sitting beside it. A most curious combination.

You walk to your destination. There is a similar leather box plopped in the muddy earth. Instead of a stick, a large cleaver rests beside it.

>>15075
I knock open the box with the stick.

I examine the box carefully and around it for any type of trap or surprise before opening it.

There's a letter inside. It reads:

"It is time for your test, Ozaki.

You disobeyed my direct orders and that girl keeps poking her nose where it doesn't belong. I don't need two annoyances running around this island. By the time this test completes, one of you will be dead.

I know you'd hate to get your hands stained, so I won't ask you to kill the girl yourself. Once you incapacitate her, I will shoot her from my position. Of course, if you refuse or allow her to win, I will kill you both.

Good luck."

A letter sits inside. You peek at its contents.

"Amy,

Your test is a straightforward duel against your opponent, Ozaki. It will be a fight to the death, although I wouldn't ask you to deal the finishing blow. I am in a superior vantage point as you read this. Once you get him into a killing position, I will take care of the rest.

Should you refuse or allow him to win, I will kill you both.

Good luck."

>>15079
I examine my surroundings. I look up at the mansion for any open windows or anything on the roof. How far away from the mansion am I?

Last edited at 14/05/24(Sat)15:48:36

I look around scanning the area, making note of the location of everything around me, how far away things are, their heights. Before picking up the cleaver.

You don't spot any open windows or anything suspicious on the roof. From where you are, it would probably take around 10-15 seconds to reach the mansion if you ran at full speed. Small eternities while a gun is pointed at your skull.

Last edited at 14/05/24(Sat)18:32:06

The mansion is behind Ozaki, standing at three stories. The only other building in the near vicinity and to your left at about 7 or 8 yards. It's not very tall. Someone might be able to climb on top of it. There's an arbor near the center of the garden. It's small, but it might be able to offer a little protection if you can get to it.

Directly behind you is a dark forest. With the rain raging, it's hard to make anything out inside.

You pick up the cleaver. It feels sturdy in your hands.

Last edited at 14/05/24(Sat)18:41:47

>>15084
I head to the building. (it is the shed right?)

>>15083
I start to jog over to the garden shed trying to find Amy.

You walk over to the locked shed. You can hear Ozaki running from behind you. His shoes make loud plops against the wet ground.

>>15099
Seeing the box at Amy's feet and the cleaver I imagine its fair to say I deduce she got a similar letter.

"Hey Amy, the culprit apparently is trying to make us play some sick game. Luckily the forest is right behind the shed here, where visibility is low, so if you pretend to attack me and chase me into the forest we can loop around into the mansion probably. If they are at a place where they can shoot us, one of the buildings is our best bets."

Using the shed as cover I slink around to the back side of it, so that the shed's structure is blocking me from the direction of the mansion.

Amy wordlessly slinks to the opposite side of the shed, disappearing from your line of sight.

I follow her.

I gauge the distance from the shed to the mansion, and the shed to the forest.

The distance from the shed to the mansion is the entire length of the rose garden. There are only a few yards from the shed to the forest, however.

A dark, Ozaki-like figure emerges from around the corner. He has some kind of small object in his hand.

I carefully watch for any suspicious movements from the figure as they approach and stay on guard.

>>15192
"Did you hear what I said?"

I nod. "I heard, however they probably can't see us from where we are now, so we could just go into the forest behind us without being seen."

>>15259
"Alright, let us do just that then."

I escape into the forest.

Ozaki scampers into the not-at-all-ominous forest. Godspeed, Ozaki.

>>15298
I'll wait for Amy to follow.
My next move would be to circle around within the forest in order to try and get back to the mansion. Or perhaps guest house if it is closer.

I'll do the same, but the mansion only (I have no interest in going to the ruins of the guesthouse)

Amy enters the forest behind you. Together, you walkzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Help! Uu, Beato! Help!"

Maria calls out as loudly as her small voice can manage, but nobody answers her call. Had she failed her test? She didn't understand what was happening. Beato had to save her. Even if she said she wasn't coming back, she had to make an exception! Just for this, she had to!

A powerful force knocked against her magical barrier. Sakatauro had placed it before he...no, Maria couldn't think about that now. She had to do something. Anything at all! She was Beatrice's apprentice, part of the magic sorciere. If there was something she could do, anything at all...

"Maria..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QiZ8__T3qc

Maria spins around. In front of her, the Golden Witch stands tall.

Or, at least, a shell of the golden witch.

"Beato? You look funny."

"Heh. Sorry, Maria. I can't take the name 'Beatrice' anymore. I've done nothing to deserve it. I sacrificed it so that I could finally leave this place."

"Uu! No. Maria won't accept that. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, you'll always be Beatrice the Golden Witch. Nobody can take that away from you, not even you! Maria won't allow it."

The Golden Witch grits her teeth. "Didn't you hear what I said? I've given up that name. I'm not the person that you want me to be!"

"Maria doesn't think that's true. You're scared, I get like that sometimes, too. Like when the kids at school pick on me, or when I'm not sure if mama's going to come home. But you have to tough it out, because that's what you do when life is hard! You be strong, and with your strength and magic, I know you'll be able to save us."

The Golden Witch looks away. Her face shimmers. "Save you...Maria, you're already dead."

Maria's body freezes up. Had she always felt this cold? Was she just ignoring it? Why was it so hard to breath in this room?

"I'm using all of the magic I can to talk to you right now. Maria-chan, please. I need your forgiveness. Even now, would you grant that?"

Light-headed. Maria could use a nap. She lays down on the floor.

"Maria?" The Witch's voice grows faint. Her form gets thinner.

"Go away," Maria whispers. "Maria has to wait for mama. She'll save me."

Last edited at 14/06/15(Sun)18:01:30

You and Ozaki walk into the mansion. You hear shuffling and voices around the mansion, but you don't see any people.

"Maria!"

"Maria-chan?"

"Hey, come out?"

You notice that someone opened the clock passageway.

Last edited at 14/06/15(Sun)18:20:13

>>15317
I cautiously enter the clock passage and see if anyone is down there.

I'll look around some of the main floor (the areas near by where we currently are)

You walk down the staircase. Your footsteps echo around you in the dark passageway. You don't hear any other activity.

As you enter the room, you see a pair of short legs dangling from a pile of gold. Undoubtedly, they belong to the body of Maria Ushiromiya.

You don't find anything suspicious in the surrounding area. After Ozaki walks through the clock passageway, Kyrie and Rudolf walk from around a corner.

"Amy-san," Kyrie says. She keeps her distance. "What happened?"

"At this moment, I'm still trying to figure that out." I let out a sigh. "Ozaki and I were brought out for a test in the rose garden, and while that was going on, something seems to have happened here. I'm afraid I'm in the dark right now."

Last edited at 14/06/17(Tue)00:00:01

>>15322
I make sure the room is empty besides myself and that nothing else is to be discovered, then I move the gold in order to confirm its Maria.
Check the body for wounds and anything else of interest.

You walk around the gold room. It's hard to get a complete visualization of everything with all of the gold piled up, but you don't find anyone or anything of note as you look around.

Maria's body appears to be completely crushed by the gold bars. Her ribs are broken along with a number of other bones in her body. Still, it's hard to say that this was the cause of death. Drool hangs on her black and blue cheeks and sticks to loose strands of her orange hair. You can't find any other wounds on her body, nor can you see any traces of poison.

Rosa, Krauss, and Natsuhi descend from a nearby staircase.

"Maria!" Rosa breaths rapidly and heavily. "Where are you?"

"Hey," Rudolf notices the open passageway. "Did someone go down there?"

>>15326
I guess I head back up the stairs assuming there isn't anything else.

"When Ozaki and I came back into the mansion it was open, Ozaki just went down a moment ago, I decided to stay up here to find out what is going on. And if you don't mind me asking so, what is going on?"

"We're not sure," Rudolf says. "Battler and Maria were called to go to their 'tests'. Genji found Battler waiting in the courtyard. Apparently nobody ever showed up to meet him. All he got was a letter telling him to wait until someone came for him and the brat did what he was told. He's getting a change of clothes now, but the rest of us are looking for Maria-chan."

"Maria was supposed to go inside the parlor," says Kyrie. "Rudolf and I looked in there ourselves. There was a note similar to the one Genji described, but no sign that it had even been opened beforehand. The secret passageway was open at that point, but we hadn't investigated it yet. We were just going to head inside."

"We're wasting time!" Rosa yells. "My Maria could be in trouble!"

Rosa dashes into the clock passageway and down the dark stairs.

Rosa runs down the stairs in front of you. She's holding a gun.

"Ozaki-san!" She looks panicked. "Have you seen my Maria?"

Last edited at 14/06/19(Thu)13:56:53

>>15331
"...You shouldn't go down there."

Rosa's mouth hangs open for a second. She looks away and continues rushing down the stairs. "Maria-chan, I'm coming!"

>>15333
I continue walking up the stairs.