You stand at the back of the boat as it glides through the waves.

As usual you can see the boat captain at the front, and Rokkenjima in the distance. You'll be there in the few moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aalI-pmhgb4

I look at the island. By tomorrow morning, many humans on this island will be dead. I accept this inevitability, but before this happens I intend to swing things to my favor.

"Captain. When do you intend on returning? I have several appointments and I make a habit of punctuality."

>>16215
"Well considering the storm inbound I imagine I won't be able to return until the day after tomorrow. But we will have to wait and see."

You can see you are closing in on the docks now.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to endanger your life by pressuring you further, although my preferences clearly gravitate toward you arriving tomorrow as planned. One more thing. This is a strange question, but it's an important one to me. Humor me, if you will: the Ushiromiyas. Would you say that they're good people?"

Last edited at 14/09/03(Wed)18:06:38

>>16217
"Hmm, I'd say so yeah. Some of their personalities I don't particularly like but being wealthy and all I imagine its hard to help that."

The boat gets closer and you can see Reinon waiting you meet you. The boat comes to a stop and you gather your things.

"Give my regards to the family," he calls out to Reinon and yourself, "I need to hurry back before this storm catches me. See you!" You are then are left on the dock with Reinon who greets you as you would expect.

"Welcome to Rokkenjima. We have been expecting you Madam English. I am to guide you to the mansion."

"Thank you for having me. It's Reinon, right? I've heard much about you. I'm in your hands."

I follow her.

>>16219
"Oh really?" She appears surprised as you walk up into the forest and start to follow the path through it. "If you don't mind me asking, what was said?"

"Your professionalism exceeds you. Even the way you compose yourself-- there's something about it. Full of life, yet reserved. I meant to discuss this with you later, but I didn't expect it to be you who would greet me. My employer wishes to negotiate with you. As you're well aware, maids on Rokkenjima generally find more engaging work as they grow older. There are exceptions, I've heard, but you don't seem to be one to confine themselves. We're willing to offer you a job at a considerable salary if you're willing to work with us. Of course, I'm not in a position to discuss specifics, but I will say that it's well worth your while. An opportunity that I'd be envious of your age.

I don't expect an answer right now, but I do implore you to think it over."

>>16221
"Oh well I'm flattered," she says somewhat stunned. After a moment she responds "Yes, I will think it over, thank you."

The two of you reach the garden at this time and you can see the usual view. In the distance there is the mansion and halfway to it the arbor where the cousins are seated. Looks like the island is the same as ever.

I approach the cousins.

"Battler, Jessica, George, Ange. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Guinevere English. I represent my employer. I'm here to disperse Kinzo-sama's will tonight according to his exact specifications. I hope that we all get along. I'm sorry to hear that Maria-chan became ill. I wish I could have met her as well."

>>16223
"Its nice to meet you," Jessica responds after you introduce yourself. The other kids introduce themselves to you as well, but of course you already knew all of them very well. Like usual Ange hides in the back.

Reinon moves to the front of the group and gestures to the mansion, "Shall we continue?"

"Let's."

I follow Reinon once more.

>>16225
You follow Reinon into the mansion as the others follow behind. You are quickly overcome with a familiar feeling...

---

-̫̣̠ͮ͒_͒ͮͮ҉͟҉̯̘-̡̳̭̰͙̱͗>̊͏͏͇͇̤-̴̶̷̲̯͔̦͉͎͚ͫ̚<̞̪͎̰̳̯̟̈͗ͣ̾ͯ-̧̰̮̫̫̽̓ͨ́̚_̧̤͍̩̑̉́̇͂͗̚
-̸̩ͥͮ̊ͅ

"That's that. We should probably bring you to Krauss and the others now."

_̡͚͍̦͈̱̭͖ͣ̅(̶͖͖͎̞ͭͪ̎͌͟͡_̙̹͕̣̑̎ͭ̃̀̂͑̕(͕̝̯̙ͯͯͯ́_̨͍̻̖̘̆ͥͪ̑̀̃̈̀̕͘(̻̖͔͚̤͉͎̙̉)ͣͩ̈́̍̈̓�
�͎͇̜̲̠̹̖͙ͬ̂+̪͙͔̫͖ͧ́̇͋̀̊ͥ̆

̵͍̅̾͑̈̌
"Ah, well I presume that would be fine."

_̴̖̳̼̝͎̜͕̓͛ͫ̒̀)̡̲͓̔͛͘(̛̰̻̣͎̩̦̣̮͊ͩ̀ͤ̿̇ͤ̚͟͝^̴̪̟͓̤̼̻̭̄ͧ̕ͅ

"Its true, until recently... well we didn't really have a very good relationship with Father.

_̴̛̘̻͇͇̂͌ͦ̑ͮͭ{̔ͨ̓́̾ͭͩ͋͞͏̞͚̠̱̣_̷̳̈́ͯ}̷̼͉͙̤̪̄ͫͅ_̧͍͓̠̟̦̩̓ͬ̒ͦ}̻̘̬̹͊̅́͘{̵̛̫̀ͯͪ̆̆̌͗:ͣ̅
̊ͯͭ̆͏̪͎̪̣̩̭̝̲͈

Wear the one winged eagle of the Ushiromiya family with pride.

ṣ͎̊͌̓ͬ̋̎ͦ[̢̨̠ͦͦͪ͐̈̚]͙̤̜̫̲͊̐̀͝[̥͓͓̣̺͕̊́ͣͪ͒́̍̑ͧ͢ͅȩ͈̹̘̩̙̥̃̆]ͪ̋̀ͬͥ̂͆́͏̶̱̗̳͓̦[̆ͫͧ�
�̳͕͈̘̗]̸ͫ̔̊ͧ͠͏̖̫;̡̢̫̲̈́͐ͦͤͫ͊-̵̪̹̎̈́̏ͤͦ̿ͣ'̨͙̙̗̭̳̲̦ͤ̐̅́̓ͭ̋;̸̻ͩ͊ͫ́͡'̵̛̺͖̠̥̮͚ͩ͋͗[͆͆̎͞
̞̹̭̥͟c̷̷̱̰̞̰̪̬̭͒ͥ͗ͫͪ̕;̵̪̗͎͍̈́͐̾̀͐̀[̴̨̭͗̋͋͗̉̓]̸͎̑r̫͕͖̩̐̀̎̽̚͞ͅ\̶̛̱̘̦̝͈̅ͪ̂'̳̥̉̾ͯͪ̃�
�;̶̘̱̙̓ͣ͞͝'̫̼͕̜̻̭̹̗͛͌̉͢e͔͖̣̻̺ͪͤ͛ͩ̐͞\̲ͩ͆̇͗̓ͅ'̨̜̳ͨ̾̔ͨ͗̌;̭̰̪͚̹̺͔́ͭ̎͐̽ͥ͊̈́̚͠ͅ[̲ͤ̑ͥ̀͞
̳t̠͈̲̫̙̰͂ͤ

"T-that... was..."

-̫̫͇̲ͯ̔̄-̳̻̝̦͓̐͂ͨ͐͛̀ͭ̄͛͟ͅ{̙̗̰͙̰̱ͫ͋̐ͦ̓ͅͅ_̴̯͈̼̒͛̔̋̑̿_̗̝͚̰̜ͮ̃̊ͧ̕{̗̮̯̬̞̍́̀̕

"This is your room I believe."

_̹̠̳̗̲̱̦̈́͌̀̊ͦͅ{̟̺̖͙̝̓̄ͥ́͘͡_̼̤̥̖̤̞̝͌{̢̯͒̈́̽̓ͩͯͯ̑͝_̘̫̖̦̇ͬ̅̎̈́

---

Once again you are deposited in front of the guestroom. Everything looks to be in order.

As usual, I head to the mansion and wait for Reinon and Genji's antics.

>>16227
You exit the guesthouse and quickly pass through the rose garden uninterrupted.

Upon entering the mansion, to your completely and utter surprise Reinon comes down the staircase. Last round you were able to save her, who knows what will happen this time. She quickly sees you and says, "Madam English, I wasn't here. If Genji comes looking please don't tell him you saw me." She them promptly goes and hides in the closet close to the entrance.

Once again Genji appears in front of you, "Pardon the inquiry Madam, but have you seen any of the other servants recently?"

I shrug. "I believe that I saw Asune slacking off in one place or the other, but otherwise, I've been isolated."

>>16229
As Genji gets ready to leave, speak of the devil, Asune walks out of the kitchen and is instantly spotted. Without hesitation Genji drags her off to the servant room as she cries out, "Nooooooo Genji please guesthouse duty is sooo boring! Ahhhhh."

Following this Reinon leaves the confides of her hiding place, "That was close. She is right, Guesthouse duty really isn't desirable. Thank you for that."

I wear a pained expression. "It was no problem at all. Normally, I would ask if you considered my offer, but there are more pressing matters at hand. I just got off of the phone with my employer. I'm afraid I have awful news. I need to gather the family and servants as soon as possible. This won't be easy to hear."

>>16231
"Eh? Well I think the adults are in the parlor... Wait I heard that the external lines went down during dinner. How could you have gotten a call?"

"Is that what happened? The line disconnected for me before I could even say goodbye. I assumed it was an issue with that specific phone, but it seems as if it's an island-wide issue. If I was able to establish communication momentarily, that suggests that the problem isn't as bad as it could be. Perhaps a temporary issue with the external lines, I don't know. In any case, it's important that we gather everyone right now."

>>16233
"I see alright then. Here this way," Reinon says as she leads you in the direction of the parlor. She opens the door and inside you find Krauss and the rest of the adults as you would expect arguing. She tells them that you were on the phone with your employer and have something you wish to say.

"Well, was is it?" Krauss says clearly annoyed with your interruption. Seems like they were in a heated debate right before you entered. Reinon goes off to presumably call the guesthouse.

"I spoke with my employer recently. Somehow, we managed to speak briefly despite the seemingly sporadic issues with the outside line, although we were cut off around the end of our conversation. I have some dreadful news to report and I'd like to apologize in advance. I'm afraid this won't be easy to hear: the will I brought you was a forgery. It's a fabrication created by it's supposed witnesses. I don't say this without proof, of course. When this storm ends, my employer and I will support this in the court of law. I thought it prudent to tell you all first, however."

>>16235
"What?" Krauss exclaims.

Seems the others are quickly angered.
"This is ridiculous how could it be a fake?" Hideyoshi stands up to make his point. Eva stands up beside her husband.
"They have had it this whole time and only now this is said, well what are you trying to pull here?"

Seems the same outburst following in the same fashion, I guess this wasn't the best time to drop this bomb on them.

"Wait a moment," Rosa parts her way through the yelling, "Genji himself said that was the will Father wrote right? This is Genji we are talking about, I doubt Krauss could persuade him into some scheme."

The others seems to have similar responses, Krauss of course continues to make displeased facial contortions at all these implications of slander.

"While I am not entirely interested, something else doesn't match up," Kyrie starts to explain, "Based on what Reinon and you said, you just got off the phone. However that is impossible since you were with us during dinner; the lines would have already been down."

At this point its fairly clear that whatever power you had is completely lost once you delivered the message. They continue to blame Krauss and suggest this was part of his plan as well, eventually it gets to him and he explodes.

"If you can't even have a civilized conversation then I don't see any point to continue!" He then marches out of the parlor, Natsuhi quickly behind.

"As I've already said, it seems that the lines have been fickle. External communications temporarily worked for me. If you believe me or not, that's irrelevant. The truth will come to light once this storm ends. My employer will back up everything that I've told you, I guarantee it. I can't tell you what to do with this information, nor do I have any reason to lie about it. I'm a neutral party. The actual will states that the siblings will divide Kinzo's wealth-- anything beyond that I can't say, as the line cut out again. I apologize for not being more helpful."

>>16237
Rudolf chuckles, "Whatever you say, I'm stepping out for a bit." He then leaves the parlor, and Kyrie exits as well.

Eva, Hideyoshi and Rosa remain the parlor talking and close the door.

You are currently standing in the main hall.

I attempt to find Battler.

>>16239
You remember Battler saying he would be playing cards in the cousin's guestroom so you head over there. On your way out of the mansion you pass Rudolf who seemed to be in deep thought as he took a drag from his cigarette.

After passing through the rose garden once again without seeing anyone you quickly enter the building. Inside the servant room you can see Asune reading a book.

You go upstairs and can hear Battler's voice in the guestroom along with George and Ange. You are currently standing outside of the room.

I stand in the doorway. "Battler-san? May I speak to you in private for a moment?"

Last edited at 14/09/03(Wed)21:00:02

>>16241
You hear someone getting up and moving over to the door. It then opens and Battler comes out.

"Speak of the devil, Reinon told us there was some commotion over at the mansion. We were already on our way over when Asune came and told us it was a false alarm or something. Well anyway, what's up?"

I speak loud enough so that everyone in the room can hear me. "There were...complications with the will. It's looking as though Jessica may not gain control of the headship after all. It's a personal matter. It's not my place to comment on it. Anyways, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about, Battler. Can you accompany me to my room? What I need to tell you... it's personal. I feel that I can trust you."

>>16243
"Um... well I suppose so." He turns back to George and Ange, "I'll be right back guys."

He then follows you to your room and enters, "Well then, what is this all about?"

I turn to him. "I have an awful feeling about this conference. I know you're going to think I'm being silly, but I know that something terrible is going to happen on this island tonight. I feel it. The last time I felt like this... you'll say it was a coincidence, and you may be right, but that's when my mother...was... a drunk driver veered off the side of the road as she was on her way to the convenience store."

I approach him. "I don't know what's going to happen, but when this typhoon stops...I dread to think of what this island will have become. You believe me, don't you, Battler? Please..."

>>16245
"Woah well uhh," Battler takes a moment to consider how to respond. "I mean I can tell you are worried I won't deny that... but well... why are you telling me this?"

"Why, indeed? I wonder that myself." I inch towards Battler until we're face to face. "There's something about you, Battler-san. You have the marks of a brave man. I'll bet that not everyone sees it, but I do."

I let my hand brush against his leg. "You'll protect me, won't you?"

>>16247
"Woah!" He yelps not before jumping back as you put your hand on him, "Hey look, umm, uhhh... Sure if there is anything dangerous I don't want anyone getting hurt but this is.. well I got a girlfriend and all so..." He inches closer to the door.

I return my expression to normal and take some steps away from him. "Good. I'm glad to know that you're at least that kind of person. Asune is lucky to have you."

>>16249
He stops moments before opening the door. He too turns serious, "...I have no idea what you are talking about." He then leaves the room.

I visit Asune.

>>16251
You walk downstairs and find Asune in the servant room still reading her book. She doesn't notice you at the moment.

"Asune? What are you reading?"

Last edited at 14/09/03(Wed)22:00:26

>>16253
She jumps a bit as you call out to her, "Oh hello, its just a mystery novel." She holds it up for you to see, 'Appointment with Death' by Agatha Christie.

"You're a mystery fan? That gives me an interesting idea. Why don't you try and solve my mystery? If you can, I'll tell you something that might interest you. If you can't, I get to ask something. I guarantee that I'll make it fair, so what do you say?"

>>16255
"Ah no, I'm afraid I don't think I'm any good at these," she says with a small laugh, "Someone recommended it for me but I'm just not getting it."

"It's not that hard. Mystery novels are all tricks of perception. What is there that shouldn't be? What should be there but isn't? Why was this seemingly irrelevant information included? Things like that. I --"

I hold my head and make a pained expression. "Ah, Asune. Do you have an asprin anywhere?"

>>16257
"Ah, I believe I saw some in the lobby, just hold on a second..." She then exits the room leaving you alone.

I unplug the phone line and quickly steal a pen from the writing area and put it into my pocket. I'll steal paper if I can find that, too. I then wait for Asune's return.

>>16259
You unplug the phone and find a paper and a pen on top of the desk.

Asune returns shortly after doing that with some pills and a glass of water. "Here you go" she says as she offers you to take it.

"Thank you," I put the pill in my mouth and pretend to swallow it without even touching the water. "This should help."

When I leave the room and I'm out of her sight, I take the pill from my mouth and pocket it.

>>16261
You do so.

You are now out of the room standing in the hallway.

I return to my room and write a message on the paper:

"Members of the Ushiromiya family, welcome to Rokkenjima. In the past, I served Kinzo-sama as the alchemist-adviser of this house and my name is Beatrice. I was serving him obeying a contract that extended for many years but, when Kinzo-sama died, that contract ended.

Consequently, I’ll have my duty as alchemist-adviser of the family to come to a closure, so please be understanding of that. Then, I must explain one part of the contract to everyone here. I, Beatrice, did loan a vast amount of funds to Kinzo-sama but with a certain condition.

As for that condition, he will return everything by the end of the contract. And as an interest, I can accept everything of the Ushiromiya family, including their lives and the lives of everyone who works for them.

I'm merciful, so this letter is a way of warning you about about my future crimes. If you wish, do your best to stop me. Whether you are together or not, whether you have weapons or not, the result will be the same. When the seagulls cry, there will be no survivors.

I’m praying from the bottom of my heart that tonight turns out to be an intellectual and yet elegant night."

Once I'm done, I pocket my letter so that it can't be seen and put all my effort in heading towards the mansion.

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)14:19:53

>>16263
You write the letter out and then put it your pocket.

Following this you once again leave the guesthouse and head off to the mansion. As per usual you fail to notice anyone on the way there.

Once inside you find the mansion to be rather quite. Seems everyone has left the parlor at this time. You do hear some movement from upstairs though.

I move upstairs, keeping mind not to be seen. I look around and see if anyone's around.

>>16265
You don't seem to find anybody on your way up, furthermore the second floor hallway seems empty for the moment.

You no longer hear anything, however you do notice Jessica's door to be ajar.

I quietly attempt to open Jessica's door.

>>16267
You open the door slowly and find... nobody inside.

The room seems to be empty. You do notice however the envelope that Jessica stole on the bedside table.

I pocket the envelope, take the light-bulb out of Jessica's lamp, and leave the room. Assuming I don't meet anyone, I go back downstairs.

>>16269
You grab the envelope and find it to have already been opened, anything inside has already been removed.

As you unscrew the light bulb you suddenly hear someone behind you. In an instant you are down on the ground and your vision is flashing black and white. The only thing you can make out is a pair of well polished male servant shoes...
-----
----
---
--
-End of the First Night-
--
---
----
-----

>>16270
BGM: Das Absuchen

The first thing that you notice is the throbbing pain within your head. Seems like you are regaining consciousness and it is hitting you hard. Your legs feel like they have been slashed a number of times as well.

You attempt to move however you notice your hands have been raised above your head. The darkness of the room makes it fairly hard to see more than a few meters in front of you.

Finally your brain clicks in, you are in the boiler room and neck deep in water. You hands are bound to the pipe which you remember Reinon being attached to.

All around you the water swirls in different directions and pieces of clothing float about. Boxes and dirt mix into the water and gets in your eyes and mouth. You can't tell if the water is raising, however at this point it won't matter as you can barely get a breath of air.

You better act fast.

I scream for help before wildly biting into the yellow rope surrounding my hands in an attempt to tear it and yanking furiously with the force of my entire body. If possible, I also use my feet to kick off of a wall.

>>16272
You start to yell and yell, who knows if anyone will hear it.

You smash your face into the rope and being to gnaw it off. You get a mouth full of water but continue to try and pull it off. Combined with kicking against the wall you find that it hardly helps and you don't see it moving at all.

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)15:19:28

If I can't force the plastic rope off, maybe I can break the pipe!

I examine any possible weaknesses in the pipe's structure and and, if I find any, I pull as hard as I can on that section.

>>16274
You can't seem to locate any part that you would call weak, so you pull in every which way you can think of. Sadly it doesn't seem to work either.

During this you end up swallowing more water and painfully cough it back up.

I try to think. My legs have been slashed. I doubt a culprit would have gone through the trouble to do that if they were just going to drown me, which might mean...something floating around the water is slashing at my legs!

I use my legs and feet to feel around for anything sharp.

>>16276
You dig around with your legs and quickly locate a handsaw. You succesfully trap it under your foot in order to stop it moving.

I trap the hacksaw in-between my two feet so that it's sitting vertically. Then I raise my feet higher in the water until I can grab the dull end of the hacksaw with my teeth (or, at least, hold it with my neck. Assuming this all works, I push the sharp end of the hacksaw into the plastic rope.

Any damage to my arms and legs during this process is accepted casualties.

>>16278
You slowly attempt to move the handsaw out of the water with your feet. First try it falls down and you have to locate it again, however on the second you raise it out and grab it with your hands.

You then slowly, but surely start cutting at the rope...With a satisfying snap the rope breaks. Your hands a body are still very sore, but you can almost ignore that with the new found feeling of freedom. Now that you can calm down a bit and get some air, you can tell the water is no longer rising, or most likely stopped before you woke up.

Once I feel like I have enough air, I swim to the entrance of the boiler room and let myself out.

>>16280
After a moment you leave the boiler room and get out of the water. You take a moment to lay on the ground as you feel rather heavy upon leaving your aqua prison. You take note that during your ordeal your watch must have come off, for it is missing. Who knows how much time has passed...

Eventually you stand up and walk upstairs. You are now in the main hall.

...You find the mansion to be... deathly quiet.

BGM: Dead Angle

I check my inventory and try to remember where the closest clock is in the mansion.

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)15:52:13

>>16282
In your pockets you find the broken pieces of the aspirin pill, and the pen you took from the servant room. Everything else seems to be missing.

You think you remember a clock in the parlor... speaking which from here you can see the doors appear to be wide open, and somewhat damaged.

I creep to the parlor, picking up a blunt object if I see one along the way. I press my back against the side of the parlor door and quickly peek in, Metal Gear Solid style, keeping note of any noises around me.

>>16284
You fail to find anything on the way over to the door, however you quietly push your back up against the wall and take a peek in.

Inside you clearly see Natsuhi dead in the middle of the room. The coffee table and the surrounding chairs have been smashed and pieces of glass, wood, paper and rope lay scattered everywhere. Looking at the doors it seems clear that they were broken down in order to enter the room.

I enter the parlor and get a survey of the room and keep an eye out for a blunt object. I also check Natsuhi's pockets and person for anything of note.

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)16:10:25

>>16286
You enter the room and take a quick look around. You find a hunk of wood that seems suitable as a blunt object. The room seems fairly as you remember it, you also find a clock up above the door frame; it appears to be 2:57pm. Looks like it is already well into the next day.

You get closer to Natsuhi and can see her face bears a large hole, presumably from a gunshot. Inside her pockets you don't find anything.

"Rest well, Natsuhi. This time...I wanted to be able to save you. I wanted to save all of you. Maybe next time, right?"

If I can find a blanket or some kind of sheets in the room, I cover Natsuhi with them. Either way, I leave the parlor with my hunk of wood and head to Jessica's room.

>>16288
You fail to find anything to cover Natsuhi with. You leave the room and head upstairs.

Upon getting to Jessica's room you find the door to be locked.

I try Krauss's room.

>>16290
You find Krauss's room to be unlocked and you take a peek inside.

You can see a bed that hasn't been slept in, and other furniture that you would expect from a bedroom. Nothing seems to be out of place.

I try every room on this hallway until I find something of interest, starting with the closest one (in this case, the spare room). If a door is locked, I skip it for now.

>>16292
You find the spare room, Natsuhi's room, and VIP room to be locked. You don't see anything in the closet, Krauss's study, or bathroom that jumps out at you either.

When you finish doing this you hear something coming from upstairs. You dare say it sounds like someone walking.

I quietly walk back into the bathroom while peeking around the corner, searching for the source of the footsteps.

>>16294
You hide in the bathroom and keep an eye out in the hallway. Nobody comes.

Sounds like the footsteps have stopped as well.

I yell into the hallway. "Who's there? I have a gun, so don't come any closer!"

>>16296
No response. You hear movement originating from above again though. Sounds like someone is on the third floor.

I dash from the bathroom to Krauss's study, taking the same position that I did before.

"I said, 'Who's there?'!"

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)16:53:04

>>16298
No response. Doesn't seem to be any more sounds of movement.

I quickly head back downstairs and outside to investigate the guest house. No reason to take any more unnecessary chances.

>>16300
You rush out of the mansion and head to the guesthouse.

You see nothing on the way there. Upon entering the building you find that it too is rather silent.

I search the entire guesthouse. If I don't find anything, I head back to the mansion and back into the obvious trap.

>>16302
You search the guesthouse and fail to find anything worth noting.

On your way back to the mansion you can see movement from up on the third floor in Kinzo's study. You head back up the stairs and then to the third floor.

Now in front of the door to the study you can hear voices inside too muffled to make out who or what they are saying.

I knock on the door.

>>16304
Any voices you hear stop and there is a pause. After a moment you hear, "Who is there!?" being yelled out by Rudolf from within the study.

"This is Guinevere English! I just woke up tied in your basement and when I got out I couldn't find anyone. I demand to know the meaning of this right this instant!"

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)17:16:19

>>16306
You hear some arguing inside of the room and they tell you to back away from the door. After doing so the door slowly opens with gun sticking out almost immediately.

Slowly you can see inside and Rudolf stands there holding the gun which is pointed at yourself. Behind him you can see many of the other missing people, although I suppose at this point you were the one actually missing.

"Alright, we've decided to let you in. However we need to tie you up, for precaution sake. If you didn't notice there have been murders." he says quickly, gesturing with his raised gun.

"You're going to tie me up again?" I show him my wrists and give him a glare. "Very well. Do what you feel is necessary."

I let them tie me up.

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)17:27:33

>>16308
You enter the room and Rudolf and Hideyoshi quickly tie you up so that you cannot move your arms. They then sit you down and tie you to a chair.

While they are doing this you can see the people in the room. Over on the left side Rosa, Kyrie, and Eva are standing close to wall. Battler, George, Ange, and Jessica are over by the liquor cabinet. Asune, Reinon, Sanon, and Gohda are beside them.

Finally, in front of the desk in the room sits Genji who has also been tied up just like you.

"What happened?" I ask. "The last thing I remember is coming to the mansion. Then..."

>>16310
“… I suppose I should just explain from the beginning.” Rudolf admits as he moves to a better position to tell his tale.

"I woke up in the morning and headed to the dining hall with my wife. There we met everyone who had also gathered. We were going to eat, however it became obvious that Krauss had yet to come down. During this time I decided to go upstairs and find him, Hideyoshi and George came with me."

>>16311
"When we reached the second floor we took a look inside his study and his room but to no luck. Eventually George noticed through the window of Jessica’s room that Krauss was inside. We had to break the window in order to enter. Inside we found Krauss dead… murdered. After searching the room for a while I came across the key on top of Jessica’s desk. "

>>16312
After this we decided that it was best to lock the door, and we did thusly. Immediately after this we heard a scream from downstairs and a gunshot. We rushed down and saw Genji standing in front of the parlor’s doors with a gun. The others who we left in the dining room came out to see what was going on.

>>16313
I took the gun away from him and asked what had happened. He merely said "I killed her" We then tried to open the door but found it locked, so we decided to break it down.

>>16314
Inside we found Natsuhi's body. The key to the parlor was found inside the room, just like Krauss's. I don’t know what I was doing, but I decided to search everything. Perhaps I was in shock. I didn't see anything odd with the couches, nor any of the locks. I kept looking out of the window trying to see if someone was running away, but of course I found nothing. The windows had all been shut and locked as well.

>>16315
Finally, we tied up Genji and decided that it was best to head to the study. We took his key and made this room our base. There were four other guns in this room so as you can see we are armed. We tried to make Genji talk, but he won’t make a sound. We then decided to sit around and wait the rest of the day out, for that is all we can do with this damn storm.

>>16316
"Eventually we heard some sounds coming from downstairs, we were almost going to investigate, but they went away. I’m guessing this was you." he says as he takes a look at you. "Now you are caught up."

"I see. So that's how it is. I had a difficult experience as well. Last night, I went upstairs to find Krauss so that I could discuss Kinzo's will with him. As I approached his door, I was attacked."

I tell them everything that happened to me afterwards in detail.

"The only thing I know about my assailant is that he wore servant shoes. That could be Genji, but...did you check the ammunition of the gun he held?"

>>16318
"Yes, a single bullet appeared to have been shot. Judging from Natsuhi's body I'd say it matches up."

"Was Krauss shot as well?"

>>16320
"No, he had been cut up. Stabbed a few times I think." he explains to you.

I look at Gohda and Genji's shoes to see if I recognize them.

>>16322
Both of their shoes seem like the pair you saw, however they are rather similar. Doesn't seem like you can make any clear distinction.

"Has anyone noticed anything else unusual over the last couple of days?"

>>16324
It doesn't seem like anyone has much to comment in those regards.

"When Rudolf and the others went upstairs, Natsuhi and Genji were in the dining hall with everyone else, right? Why did they leave? Also, did anyone else leave during that time?"

>>16326
Kyrie responds, "I believe they left because Rudolf and the others were taking so long. She asked Genji to go with her."

Everyone agrees that nobody else had left the dining room during that time.

"And Rudolf and the others stayed together the entire time? Also, where are the guns normally stored?"

>>16328
"Well pretty much, we each individually searched the second floor."

You remember the guns are stored here in a cabinet in the corner of the study.

"How much time would you say passed between the time that Genji and Natsuhi left the dining room and everyone in the dining hall heard the sound of gunfire? Was it enough time for him to go to the third floor, grab a gun, and come back?"

>>16330
Kyrie tells you that while she can't give an exact time, but it is possible he could have made it there and back within that time.

"I'm fairly certain we would have seen him though." Rudolf adds

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)20:34:45

"Is it possible that Natsuhi triggered some kind of trap in the parlor? If Genji wouldn't have been able to make it past you, that means the gun would have to have been hidden somewhere on the first floor. Perhaps the trap activated when Natsuhi opened the parlor door. Otherwise, we have to assume that Genji killed someone with a weapon he knew would make a great amount of noise and then not even attempt to escape. That's ridiculous to me."

>>16332
"Perhaps that is the case, but we can't take any chances. The both of you will remain tied up until we can get off this god forsaken island."

"One more thing. And this might be nothing, but it's something that has bugged me throughout these iterations: where is Kinzo's will right now?"

>>16334
"Krauss took it with him after dinner. Haven't seen it since." Hideyoshi informs you.

"Something to keep in mind next time.

I don't mind waiting it out until morning, but could I at least be untied from this chair? I haven't given you a reason to suspect me and I'm already covered with bruises and cuts. I'm no threat with my hands behind my back. If we're going to wait hours for Kawabata to get back, can I at least do it comfortably?"

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)22:10:50

>>16336
"I don't think that is a good idea." Rudolf says.

"...What harm can she do? When you think about it we have guns." Rosa explains.

Rudolf takes a moment to think.

"Fine, I'll loosen the ropes. However you have to stay right there otherwise we'll just tie you up again."

He then unties your ropes.

"In a way, it's a good thing that your daughter became sick, Rosa. At least someone was able to be spared from this madness."

I wait for something to happen.

>>16338
You stay seated and begin to wait around for something to happen. Rudolf slowly paces back and forth looking around the room and occasionally back at you.

The cousins seem to be rather silent and Ange occasionally bugs Battler to do something, not fully understanding the situation they are all in.

The other adults don't fair much different as they sit around waiting. At some point Kyrie started playing with the chess board but decided whatever it was wasn't worth it.

The servants have sat down as well. Doesn't seem like much is happen.

A few hours pass and finally something happens. You thought it was just your ears playing tricks at first, but you can clearly hear... something. Looking around there doesn't seem to be any clear source of the sound.

Eventually your eyes rest on Genji who seems to be... swallowing something? He wears a pained expression and his mouth and eyes are clenched shut.

"Genji, what's wrong? Hey, someone help!"

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)21:15:25

>>16340
The others are quickly galvanized and Rudolf goes over to Genji to grab him by the collar. You can see Genji, for the first time, let out a small, yet spiteful smile.

With a large cough blood spills from his mouth and covers Rudolf's face. It pours onto his clothing and soaks the floor. Rudolf drops him onto the ground where he remains motionless.

"What is going on" "Eva what are you doing?" "He is dead!" "What?" "How could-" "Oi what is wrong Jessica?" "I didn't even hear anything!" "Rudolf are you ok?"

Everyone yells turn into an incoherent mess. Rudolf drops his gun and he tries to wipe away the blood from his face. The adults begin to raise their guns, confused to just what is happening. You try to make sense of it yourself by looking around, however your vision becomes blurry.

No... not now... why? That's impossible... this is...

You feel something give away in your chest, followed by a sharp pain. With a quick motion you fall face first onto the ground. The last thing you see is Genji's dead eyes staring back at you, and his blood stained face plastered with that satisfied smile.

Darkness engulfs you. You have died once more.

~~~~~

>>16341
BGM: Silent Night
Titbits... Tiny morsels, that was what is left.

The man sat with his hand on his chin. Throwing out tiny piece after piece. It had been this way for a while now. He was running out.

Snap -- 7 days, Snap -- 2 days.

After that last handful, he stopped reaching in his bag. He knew it was empty. Sure, he could make more in time however... he just doesn't have that.

The creature cocks its body. Confused, perhaps as it sways back and forth. The man knew after being in this room for so long that this thing didn't get hungry. Despite eating, its actings was a veil. A veil that hid something, the core to what perplexed the man.

With uneasy thoughts, he tried to confey his words. Slowly and methodically he continued to make gestures in this voiceless prison. All he wanted to know is; what do you want?

Staggered, quick movements instantly halted. The message had been clearly conveyed. With one motion it responded.

It pointed directly at the man himself.

~~~~~

Your mind hazes back into your head. As if anticipating it, you find your left leg to be missing.

In the darkness you can hear the bones being gnawed on. Snapping bit by bit. With a disgusting gulp you can hear the rest of your leg met its end.

With a cheshire grin it lets blood seep through its teeth. "...rule...once... more..."

Looks like you've got another attempt at this, only a limb per rule. What a fair price.

"The player can win the game before the first time skip."

Last edited at 14/09/04(Thu)21:42:39

>>16343
It once again unhinges it's mouth and borrows someone else's voice.

"It is impossible to win the game before the first time skip."

With your blue denied you fall backwards once again into the depths of your mind.

>>16344

>>16345
Once more the boat greets your feet with a firm step.

With the wind in your hair you go about yet another change into a different person. This time back to that of man, hair changes color and glasses sprout from your face.

With this newest transformation complete you stand up and look over the sea, ready to start the fourth round.

Fourth Thread: https://archive.seacats.net/gameboard/res/16346.html