No. 2

The brisk sea air smashes into your face along with all the water it carries. The rain is coming down quickly and without mercy as the boat bumps up and down on the sharp waves. You find yourself sitting on the back of a motorboat racing towards an island in the distance. The grey sky complements the mood as you recall your reason for being here.

Just a short hour ago you had been on the mainland when your superior urged you to assemble a team as quick as possible for an investigation. Apparently a radio signal had been picked up by a local living on Niijima; the context of the message was a short chilling scream followed by a few words broken up by static. “Rokkenjima” and “murderer” were a few of the words used. The man reported it to the local police department who then went to investigate as the storm had calmed down slightly. This is when the message was sent out that more than 8 deaths were already confirmed and they were continuing to discover more. After that however the radio signal was so bad nothing else could get through. The occasional voice still was being heard but nothing tangible, so you know they are stilling trying to reach you at least.

This is where you come in. You grabbed the first people you could find on short notice. Along with you in the boat are three other men, dressed in police uniforms with their police badge and name tag. Just like the one you wore (at least before you changed to that hideous white trench coat thing).

Sitting beside you, looking a bit nervous is the young rookie Matsuoka Juichi. You remember various cases you two have worked together since he has joined. He may be a bit shaky but he certainly gets the work done. You remember him mostly from how he loves to write down notes in a little booklet he always carries around. They have saved you a number of times since you were never good at recalling room layouts.

On the other end of the boat is a man with long sleek hair named Minami Ken, known mostly for being a blood spatter analyst. You have worked with him on one or two cases and he happened to be around so you took him with you. He always seems a bit grumpy and has an addiction to smoking. You brought him along mainly because he is the closest thing to the coroner you could find; he has proven post-mortem analysis is also one of his specialities.

Finally the one driving the boat it is the last member of your party: Suzuki Akira. He is a middle aged man who has a quiet demeanor and a receding hair line despite his long cut hair. You have never really worked with the guy, but you have only heard good things about him. Primarily he is the photographer; luckily it seems he knows how to drive a boat as well.

No. 3

Looking over the horizon the storm appears to be picking up. There should have been some reinforcements on their way but with the weather they might not be as luck as you are. You weren't able to bring much in terms of equipment; each of you is armed with a simple pistol and you in particular carry a flashlight. The others have markers and other equipment for preserving the crime scene, but that is about it. As the boat starts to shake far more than you would consider safe, you make it close enough to the island to dock. In the distance, mixed with all the rain and wind that continues to pound down, you can see a small dock with boat, and a policeman waving. Your boat slowly makes it up to the dock and the man helps to tie it down.

“Four men? I know you’re skilled but quantity might be better over quality here” the man says. He introduces himself as Captain Yamamoto; he was one of the first on the scene. He wears a brown trench coat over his police uniform which is similar to the ones your team wears. A pin with “Niijima” is placed beside his badge additionally he introduces himself as the head of the Niijima police department. You all quickly get introductions over with and proceed to business as you move onto the beach. “How many men did you bring Yamamoto?” asks Minami as he sees one policeman come down a pathway that leads into the forest.

“Including myself only five” responds Yamamoto. “Tsukuda, get down there can make sure those boats don’t drift away!” he orders to the man who had just arrived from the path in front of you.
“Yes sir!” Tsukuda briskly responds and runs past your group as you walk into the forest. As you walk the captain starts to explain a bit about the location, how the island is owned by the Ushiromiya family, and that this was their yearly family conference. He has met most of the family members before and has a few documents on the family roster in case you need it.

Yamamoto continues, “We have found a total of sixteen bodies so far, all of which have been discovered in rooms that were locked and had their respectful keys or other manner of locking the door inside the room along with the corpses. In addition these rooms have been marked with various circles drawn in blood.”

Juichi seems to have taken his notepad out already and as started writing this down.

The captain takes pauses as he speaks to pull out some papers under his coat, looks at them and proceeds with “Currently Maria and Kinzo Ushiromiya appear to be the only ones missing, however we have yet to confirm if there was more than five servants working here tonight, so there may be more…”

He offers if you want to ask him any specific questions. Your group is currently walking through the forest path as you talk.

No. 4

"Right. I would like to know the names of the sixteen you have found dead. I'd also like to know the names of your other officers you brought with you to investigate, and where they might be found."

No. 5

>>4
"Well you saw Tsukuda down at the dock, as for the rest of my men their names are named Watanabe, Saito, and Sato. I have them searching the island at the moment for any more bodies or any survivors. We really could have used more men, this place is far larger than it looks.

As for the deceased: Eva, Hideyoshi, Kyrie, Rudolf, Krauss, Natsuhi, Rosa, Genji, Jessica, George, Battler, Nanjo, Kumasawa. There are also three servants I can't identify by my own memory. I believe one of them is the chef, and the other two are some of the kids from the Fukuin house the Ushiromiyas favored. There were so many kids from there I can't remember all of them."

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)18:51:17

No. 6

>>5
Eventually you make it out of the forest to a large rose garden. In the distance is a large western styled mansion. You take a look around the rose garden and see a garden shed in the corner, and a path was that leads off to some other part of the island.

Yamamoto leads you through the rose garden and into the mansion.
The large wooden doors that make up the entrance to the mansion have been propped open and allow you to walk inside. Immediately upon entering your eyes are drawn to two things; another door directly to your left which has a large circle drawn in blood on the front and on the other side of the hall a large portrait of a foreign women that has been torn to shreds. The hall also connects to multiple hallways and staircases leading to other floors.
Suzuki mumbles “You weren't kidding… this looks like the set of a horror movie.” He then proceeds to start taking photos of the main hall. Beside you Juichi is scribbling in his notepad again.

“When we first arrived most of the doors were locked” states Yamamoto, “after breaking into the dining room we were able to find a master key and explore further.” Another policeman walks around the corner and sees the rest of the group. He has a shaven head and dopey looking face. “Watanabe, you were the one who found the first room right?” Yamamoto asks the man. "Yes sir, these are?" Watanabe asks referring to you. After talking with Yamamoto he leads the way around the staircase down hallway. At the end are two more doors covered in the demonic looking circle; the left of which being a double door. You take note that in the middle of this circle is a large number one also written in blood.

No. 7

>>6
What was in the room itself truly was something ghastly, you've seen corpses tons of times before, but for some reason this room is just eerie. In the middle is a large table with six bodies that appear to have been arranged in order to join hands into a circle; three on one side and a different three on the other side; three females and three males. They are sitting chairs with their heads leaning on the table top. In the middle of the table are three rifles, and a pile of keys. From the looks of it this is the dining room. Cabinets line the walls that were filled with china, most of which is now broken. There are two windows on the right side of the room. The room has been littered with broken chunks of wood from broken chairs, what stands out the most is the large blood stains that mix in well with the red carpet that is placed under the table.

“After we broke down the door I took a look at the corpses. These are Kinzo’s children and their respectful spouses(he then tells you who is who[he also mentions that Rosa is in a different room and doesn't have a husband]). The keys on the table are the master keys that the servants would have used, and the key to this room. I took one of the master keys in order to unlock the other rooms. I've put it back now as you can see.”
Suzuki and Minami start to do their business. Little clicks of the camera here and there and Minami crouches down to investigate all the blood under the table. You might as well take a closer look yourself.

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)19:15:23

No. 8

>>7
I'll check under the table and inspect the blood splatter. Then I'll look at the corpses to see if I can find a cause of death for each of them. I'll count the number of master keys on the table. After that I'll check the rifles to see if they are loaded and then investigate the China cabinets for anything suspicious inside.

No. 9

>>8
There are various blood splatters surrounding the table, mostly they are under the chairs where the corpses sit. You notice that around the table and in the front of the room are dried puddles of blood that seem further away than the ones on the rug. As for the bodies they seem to be have been shot.

Minami notices you looking at them and speaks up. "Judging from their lividity they were killed around 12 hours ago. The shape and angle of the blood would suggest that the culprit was standing in the doorway as they unleashed their load on the victims. Maybe even from the same rifles that sit on that table." He moves over to the doorway and gestures holding a gun and taking aim.

Moving over to the table now he points to the bodies again. "There are a few extra blood stains at the front of the room, and unlike the other corpses there are two who have their wounds on the back of their head." Indeed he is right, you noticed it too. The ones know as Rudolf and Kyrie only have the back of their skulls shot open. Minami suggests that they were standing up with their backs facing the door when the culprit entered the room."

"...Impressive, I wish my men had your skill." Yamamoto mutters. Watanabe doesn't say anything, but certainly looks impressed. Minami makes a small nod and continues looking around.

Besides Kyrie and Rudolf the others seems to have been shot randomly, each having one bullet wound. The wounds are large enough to take out a large chunk of skin and flesh, Hideyoshi's face in particular is barely there anymore.

You count 5 master keys. The rifles have no ammo.

The china cabinets sit mostly at the back of the room, the rain of bullets much of shattered most of the worth inside there. You fail to notice anything odd about the china.

No. 10

>>9
I will ask Juichi for a sketch of the room's layout.

No. 11

>>10
Juichi finishes a sketch of the room and hands it to you.

No. 12

>>11
"Suzuki, please make sure to have photos showing the wounds on each body, and also take a picture of the keys on the table. ...I'm not sure why you put the key back, but for investigative purposes I'm taking one with me."

After making sure Suzuki photographs the keys as they are, I will take one of them for myself.

No. 13

>>12
Suzuki follows your orders flawlessly. You then take a key without any problems.

No. 14

>>13
"Alright. It seems that as Minami suggested, Rudolf and Kyrie were probably shot from the doorway. You can see the blood spatter right there, too. However there are only four spots of blood and six corpses, which tells me that perhaps two were killed from outside the room and then placed in their seats.


...In any case, there could be a sixth master key which was used to lock the room. There's no real mystery here, so let's move on to the next crime scene..."

I begin to walk toward the doorway, but stop and turn around.

"Oh, right. Since the culprit is probably still here, let's confiscate the rifles for our safety. Suzuki, take a picture of those for archival purposes, and then we'll carry the rifles with us. Each one of my men can take one. Then we'll lock the room upon leaving."

No. 15

>>14
Suzuki takes the photos and the guns are handed out to everyone. Its a bit of a burden carrying around but they decide to agree anyway. You lock the door after leaving.

The door opposite of the dining room has a similar circle drawn in blood on it; this time with the number two written in it. "This is the second room we found. Originally this door was locked, so we tried to unlock it and enter but the door itself seemed to be stuck. I recalled another circle labeled two around the corner so we went and tried that door in the hope it was the same room." He explains this as your group walks around to said other room.

Upon opening the door you take note that this must be the kitchen. There are two corpses in the room. One of a young girl and the other a young boy. Yamamoto explains that this is Jessica, and the boy is one of the kid servants he doesn't know the name of. You notice there is a rope that has been sewn through their legs.

"Upon unlocking the door and opening the room there was a large crashing sound. It seems that the bodies were hung from the ceiling by their feet. One end of the rope was attached to the door closest to the dining room, and the other end to this door we entered in. The weight of the bodies is what stopped us from entering through the other door."

The bodies lay on top of the island in the center of the kitchen. Blood has completely covered the top as they have drained from the corpses. You can see a blood drenched key there. The rope is still loosely wrapped around the metal rack attached to the ceiling. There is a tabletop circling the top and right walls of the kitchen. It had an oven, sink, and other kitchen appliances built it. There is one window. There is also a fridge, freezer, and trash can. in the corner.

No. 16

>>15
I'll take a closer look at the bodies for wounds and causes of death. I'll inspect the key and ask the others what it's used for. After that I will inspect the oven, sink, fridge, freezer, and trash can for any clues. Then I'll also take a look at the window to examine its condition.

No. 17

>>16
It appears just like the others Jessica and the servant boy were shot. The boy in the chest and Jessica in the head.

The key is labeled "kitchen", should you try it on either door you would find it indeed works on the room.

You take note that all the other parts of the kitchen such as the sink, freezer and the other appliances appear quite normal. You also note that there are quite a few blood markings and dried puddles. One close to the door and another by the fridge. Drag marks are apparent and probably were caused by the culprit putting the corpses on the island in order to hang them.

The window appears normal, it is closed and locked.

Suzuki seems to be taking pictures of everything just to be safe.
Juichi finishes another sketch for you and hands it over.

No. 18

>>17
"Oh man, ropes and weights, just like my least favorite physics homework problems. But I think the answer is still simple."

I will see if my master key works on either of the doors.

No. 19

>>18
You find that the key does indeed work on the door. How simple.

No. 20

>>19
"...Well, what do you guys make of this? It seems quite simple to me. The culprit just has a thing for unnecessarily decorating their crime scenes."

I'll listen for their opinions and then suggest we move to the next location.

No. 21

>>20
Minami seems to be the only one to respond.
"I think you are right. They are needlessly complex, the culprit probably got off on it."

Everyone decides its best to just move on now. They lock the room just like the last.

Yamamoto beings to take you back into the main hallway as Tsukuda appears in the main entrance all out of breath.
"Captain the ropes are too weak. The boats could break away at any moment now!"

"We have extras we can just twist them together and use that instead." responds Yamamoto. Eventually they reach the conclusion that they Yamamoto and Watanabe will go help Tsukuda with the boats. He assures you that there really isn't anything spectacular with the next room and he'll return right away. He tells you that there is no room labeled 3, and that the portrait was covered with the circle instead. The next room is the parlor labeled with 4,5, and 6 and it was the room on the opposite end of the hall to the portrait. Victims are Rosa, Genji, and the chef. They then leave.

Juichi speaks up. "Not very well organized these locals are. Although all the way out here I imagine you'd never see anything like this." He then hands you a sketch of the mansion. Seems he walked around the hallways as Yamamoto was explaining.

You are currently in front of the kitchen.

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)21:02:57

No. 22

>>21
Let's go to the parlor to investigate the next set of deaths in more detail.

No. 23

>>22
You walk into the main hall and pass by the large portrait. Upon opening the unlocked doors to the parlor you can see the three corpses that Yamamoto described. Rosa is laying on the couch with half of her head missing. The other two servants are hunched over in their chairs. One of them clearly has their face completely destroyed. Beside that area of the room, there doesn't seem to be any blood anywhere else. You can see a key beside Rosa's corpse on the arm rest of the couch.

The room itself seems to be glorified sitting room if not for the tv in the corner. There are two sets of sitting areas, one with the couches and chairs where the corpses are, and a table similar to that of the dining room further in the back. A second door is close to the table in the back. There are also 3 windows in total. Finally there is a trash can beside the tv.

Minami walks up to the bodies and starts to investigate. The others do their thing as well.

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)21:16:18

No. 24

>>23
I'll investigate the corpses in more detail to try and spot anything I can't see right away. Also see if anyone knows what the key unlocks.

Check both sitting areas for anything unusual and check all the windows as well, and also look in the trash can.

Lastly I'll turn on the TV to see if anything interesting is on.

No. 25

>>24
The corpses seem to have also been killed via an overdose of bullets. You notice that their clothing has been stained with blood, more so then just around the wounds. Minami seems to be focusing on that currently but doesn't have an explanation.

The key is labeled 'Garden Shed". You presume that is what it works on.

Suzuki calls you over to the sitting area in the back. It seems there are some gun shells here that match the rifles you all carry. They are splattered with a very fine amount of blood and he is he is currently trying to take decent pictures of them.

Checking the trash can reveals a set of garbage bags covered in blood.

The tv turns on but there is no signal.

No. 26

>>25
"As I thought, the culprit used garbage bags to keep blood off themselves when committing the crimes, then threw it away in a trash can."

I will take the Garden Shed key and then ask for another sketch of the crime scene.

No. 27

>>26
You take the key. Juichi hands you the already drawn sketch. What an amazing artist.

No. 28

>>27
"Let's check out the coat room next, and then the servant room. They might be relevant to this crime."

No. 29

>>28
Minami states that he wants to continue investigating the blood pattern on these corpses and suggests you check the other rooms yourself. Suzuki does the same in regards to trying to get a decent shot of the bullet shells.

"To the coat room then?" Juichi asks.

No. 30

>>29
"Yeah. You guys take your time. And be careful."

I take Juichi with me to the coat room.

No. 31

>>30
You reach the coat room and to a dissapointment fail to find anything really useful in the room. However upon going to the servants room you find documents and records stating the servants who were working on the island during the conference. There are only five servants in total; Genji, Kumasawa, Gohda, Kanon, and Shannon. Gohda being the chef and middle aged, which would put him as the other body in the parlor. Which means Kanon must be the servant found in the kitchen. The documents also state there are only five master keys in total.

Other than that there appears to be a key box. The ones that are missing are the dining room, kitchen, garden shed, parlor, and guesthouse lobby. The keys that are still there are the boiler room key, servant room, coatroom, mansion, and the main guesthouse key.

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)22:31:49

No. 32

>>31
I will take all of the keys and then go back to the parlor to catch up with the others.

No. 33

>>32
Juichi looks at you a bit odd when you take all the keys but doesn't say anything. Upon going back to the parlor Minami and Suzuki are still where they left off. Looks like it might take more time.

No. 34

>>33
I will go over to each window and see if there is anything of interest visible.

"So it seems there were five servants on duty. Genji, Kumasawa, Gohda, Kanon, and Shannon... and there are only five master keys. It's possible that the culprit made a duplicate key, but I doubt it. If you ask me, the circles with numbers mean that the culprit wanted these scenes to be found in a particular order. The culprit wanted to show off these crimes... It's a game for them, a challenge directed at us."

No. 35

>>34
You find nothing of interest on the windows. They are closed and locked. You can see the garden from the window. You can another policeman standing in front of the garden shed.

"That would be one way to explain it. After all each murder seems to be set up rather than just being stratified in killing." says Minami

The others seems to agree too. Suzuki and Minami continues to work

Juichi pipes up, "Seeing how we found the garden shed key in this room, do you suppose we'll find another murder there?"

Last edited at 14/05/31(Sat)22:54:04

No. 36

>>35
"Probably. Let's head there once Minami and Suzuki have finished their work."

No. 37

>>36
Eventually they finish up and you head over to the garden shed. The police man you saw from the window is still standing in front of it once you get there. The garden shed's metal folding door has been pushed up but you can still see part of the circle written in blood like the others. This one had a 7 on it. Inside there is a young man with glasses hung from a rope attached to the ceiling of the shed. You can clearly see he has a gunshot wound in the chest. The room is filled with shelves of various gardening equipment. There is a small window in the back. Below the corpse is a puddle of blood that Minami seems interested it, no surprise there.

"Ah... you are?" the police man asks once you get close. His badge tells this is Sato that Yamamoto mentioned. He is a tall man with medium length hair that is brushed to the side.

No. 38

>>37
I explain to Sato who I am and what I'm doing here. Then I'll take a closer inspection on the corpse. Did he die from the gunshot or the rope? I'll see if there is any interesting gardening equipment and check to see if there are bloodstains on any of them. And I'll check the window as well to see its condition.

No. 39

>>38
Sato understands and relaxes knowing that the weird white trench coat wearing guy is a cop and not some crazy person.

Judging from the height of the rope its probably safe to assume he died from the gunshot and then was tied up. Minami suggests this is the case.
"Although there is something odd here. Sato, are there any other bodies like this?" asks Minami.
Sato takes a few seconds, apparently lost in thought.
"...Ah, now that you mention it two more corpses are similar. I think I know what you mean, it was probably a different gun that was used."
Minami nods. "Indeed. The entry wound is completely different from the bodies from the previous corpses. Most likely a handgun of some sort. A much stronger one than any of the ones we carry."

The rest of the shed seems clean of any blood. Nothing really stands out as for the tools. The window is intact, closed, and locked like the rest. You also notice a key labeled "parlor" behind the body.

No. 40

>>39
"Two more corpses? Which ones are those?"

No. 41

>>40
"The ones in the chapel." Sato tells you.

Minami points out there is a particular square in the blood on the ground. Almost as if that section was hydrophobic.

No. 42

>>41
Request a sketch of the crime scene and photographs of the body, as usual.

"...The culprit just needed to shoot the victim, tie him up, and then close the shutter. The culprit also placed the parlor key here, but we also found the shed key in the parlor. ...It's possible the culprit used a master key to place the shed key in the parlor after committing the shed murder. I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers on these circles were misleading."

I'll wait for my two comrades to finish their work, then we can move to the chapel if Sato has nothing else to say.

No. 43

>>42
You get your pictures and sketch, after Sato excuses himself and heads into the rose garden.

You walk up the pathway and see Yamamoto coming from the direction of the mansion. He informs you that the boats were properly tied down and secured. He then says the next bodies that were discovered are the guesthouse. Minami asks about the chapel and Yamamoto responds by saying the chapel is further in the forest and discovered last.
Seems if you really want to go to the chapel first he won't stop you, it will just be slightly inconvenient.

No. 44

>>43
"Let's not waste any time. First the guesthouse, then the chapel."

No. 45

>>44
Your group moves to the guesthouse.

“Like previous rooms, I used the master key to unlock this door.” He states. Upon entering the building you find yourself in a small hallway that leads to other rooms and a staircase. You can see directly to your left is another room with a circle drawn on it. This one has 8 and 9 on it. Yamamoto tells you that they didn't find much else in the guesthouse besides this room.

The room is the guesthouse’s lobby. It has a bar, a few tables, and a large paned window covering the entirety of one wall. Unlike some of the other rooms this one is rather clean… at least for a murder scene. There is an old man lying on one of the couches with a lab coat on. Beside him is an old servant lady. Yamamoto tells you the man is Kinzo’s personal physician; Nanjo. The servant is named Kumasawa; she has been employed almost as long as Genji who was Kinzo’s closest servant. You can see the key to the room on the table in front of the corpses. The others get to looking around as per usual.

No. 46

>>45
I will search the bar for alchoholic beverages, and if there is any vodka, I'll take a bottle of it with me. Then I'll go examine the corpses to see their causes of death, and search the room in detail for any traces of blood or damage.

No. 47

>>46
Surprisingly there is mostly vodka. You take a bottle.

It seems they were cut. Nanjo has his neck slit and Kumasawa is just the same. They bled out on top of the couches and you cannot anymore blood in the room besides at that location. There doesn't seem to be any damage to the room itself. Juichi seems to have already finished the sketch.

Minami explains that judging from the blood splatter from the action of slitting the neck, the culprit simply walked up to them where they stood and did the deed. They then fell down onto the couch. It was quick and without mercy.

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)18:19:39

No. 48

>>47
"So you're telling me that you used one of the mansion's master keys to unlock a room in the guesthouse?"

I will use the lobby key found in the room on the door to verify that it's really the lobby key, and then I'll use my master key to see if it really does work.

No. 49

>>48
You find that both keys work. Yamamoto confirms that he used the master key to unlock it.

No. 50

>>49
"Alright, let's go to the chapel."

No. 51

>>50
The group is lead around the back of the guesthouse and onto the pathway you saw when you first walked through the rose garden. It takes you deeper into the forest and eventually you reach the destination. A large chapel sits before you and like the others has the circle on the door.

“Man this rain just won’t quit. I can’t help but think we are losing precious evidence as the time goes on.” Yamamoto explains while looking at the door. The blood circle is warped and messy as the rain constantly hits it. Notable this one has a number 9 on it too.

You enter the chapel and instantly see two bodies lying in the aisle. The door is clearly broken down as the deadbolt is exposed from the splintered wood. You are told the master key doesn't work on this door and that one of the men had to break it down. Yamamoto explains that the corpse nearest is Battler, and the one closer to the altar is the other of the Fukuin servants; the female one you now know is Shannon. There are four windows on both sides of the chapel and one large stained glass piece in the back over the altar. There are ten sets of pews and a large chandelier hangs down from the ceiling. For some reason you feel the second room would have worked better here… oh well. The men get to work.

No. 52

>>51
I'll walk around and check each of the windows to see if they are in good condition. Then I'll look up and see if there is any way to reach the chandelier or perhaps enter the chapel from above. I'll also search the whole chapel for any clues, and then inspect the corpses for wounds and causes of death.

"So you just broke down the door to enter this place, huh? You didn't find a key to the door anywhere, did you?"

No. 53

>>52
You find all the windows in good condition. They are all closed and locked.
There doesn't seem to be any way to enter the chapel from above.

You check in between the pews, altar and all around the chapel but fail to find anything besides the area around the corpses.

Going up to Battler you can tell he looks similar to the first room victims. He is wearing a white suit that has been stained with blood from his wounds. He has been shot in the face and is in similar condition that Hideyoshi was. Minami points out that he also has a blunt wound on the back of his head.

As for Shannon you notice something off the moment you get closer. Simply put she is coated in blood. Multiple blood splatters are on her clothing and her hands have covered in the dried mess. Minami can't make anything exact out from it as the splatters have overlapped far too much. She too as been shot, this time right in the chest. Beside the body is one of the rifles from the first room as well. It is unloaded and you find many empty shells stuffed in her pockets for that matter.

As you ask Yamamoto about the key you see a large key lying beside Shannon's corpse. It has multiple gems on it and looks almost like a piece of jewelry. Yamamoto explains that is the key to the chapel, as his men tried it on the door after breaking it in(good thing the lock mechanism still functioned).

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)18:55:34

No. 54

>>53
"I see. ...Well, it seems like everyone really is dead. You said you couldn't find Maria or Kinzo, right? That's strange. Did you search the upper floors of the mansion and the guesthouse? Anything unusual there, that we may have overlooked previously?"

No. 55

>>54
"Actually that reminds me, after returning from the boats one of my men searched through the other floors of the mansion and found some evidence that suggests Kinzo may have already dead and the family was hiding it." Yamamoto states as he hands you some documents.

Indeed, if this are legitimate then Kinzo's death being hidden probably is the case. Of course that still leaves Maria.

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)19:10:06

No. 56

>>55
"Hmm. Well, what should we do now? I could make a few theories at this point, but they're only just theories. You've searched everywhere and still haven't found Maria? Maybe you're not looking in the right places."

No. 57

>>56
"Captain!” a sudden call from the front of the chapel interrupts. A new policeman has arrived. He is a middle aged man with a square shaped head. “What is it Saito?” the captain responds.

“Sir, I believe to have found the body of Maria near the cliffs.” Yamamoto tells the man to guide your group there at once and you quickly leave the chapel.

Saito leads the group through the forest in seemingly a random route, however looking closely there appears to be an overgrown path that you are following. Eventually you can see the ocean and each some rather steep cliff faces. Looking down you immediately find the body of a young girl at the bottom. The rocks have been stained red, from here you imagine her head was cracked clean open. A few of the men grimace at the sight and continue following Saito down the cliff. You hear a noise from behind you however. Turning around you see Juichi has plopped his ass down on the wet ground. “Ah Kinjo, don’t worry about me I’ll just catch my breath.” He shudders as he forces a smile. Looks like he has reached his limit. For a rookie he did well, better yet that he knows when not to force himself.

You continue down to the bottom of the cliff and reach the corpse. You fail to find much of interest beside the area directly around the body. Her head is the only wound and it seems quite obvious that she fell. Yamamoto picks up a small book beside the girl’s body. He opens it up and moves it back and forward in front of his face a few times. “Of all the times to forget my glasses he mutters.”

Eventually he holds it so that you can both take a look. For the most part there are silly little drawings and other things like that. One page however you find some weird pome.

(insert epitaph here)

"In her book as well eh?" Yamamoto says. "You investigate the portrait right? I think one of your men pointed it out, well forget that, what I mean to say is that the culprit was probably acting based on this." Everyone agrees more or less and you continue to read. Near the end it starts to become a diary...

No. 58

>>57
Mama told Maria that she should write in her diary more so I am writing down all the fun times I will have with Jessica and George this year on the island. I hope Beato is there again.

This year Maria’s other cousin returned. His name is Battler. I don’t remember him but Mama and the others tell me we played when I was young. I think I’ll play with George and Jessica instead.

Everyone says a storm is coming. I hope there isn't thunder. I don’t like thunder.

Dinner was very very very good the new chef is really awesome. I think he name is Gouda. He is really tall but nice.
Adults were yelling about money again. After Auntie Eva gave me candy and said I should run along.

Beato seems sad. While the cousins were talking to the parents I snuck upstairs and found her and I showed her drawings but she didn't like them. Maybe I am no good at art.

Battler said Beato didn't exist. Battler stupid and mean. I hate him.

George and Jessica played cards with me in guesthouse. Battler found us and wanted to play too. I didn't want him too but George and Jessica ignored me.

The phone rang and Jessica answered it. She said the parents wanted to talk about something and she left the guesthouse. George and Battler continued to play cards with me.

The phone rang again and George answered it. He said that Battler and George both were wanted at the mansion so they left too. George looked angry. tired so I will sleep now.

-

I'm scared. Something bad happened. I'm in the forest as I write.
When I woke up I was in a different room. I went down to first floor and one of Beato's magic circles was drawn on the lobby door. I went to mansion looking for people. In window all the adults... mama...

Something was moving in the mansion. I ran to the chapel. I ran around until I heard Battler in chapel. Through window Beato and Battler were yelling. Beato was red. They pointed at each other and my ears rang. They fell and neither got up.

Beato why won't you save me...
Beato...

Mama, I continued writing like a good girl. I'm a good girl right?
Mama...

---

The diary ends there.

No. 59

>>58
"Well from this it seems to me that the murders were carried out by 'Beato' -- more accurately that maid Shannon. If the murders happened just like the epitaph under the portrait of Beatrice describes, then the person carrying them out must be Beatrice, AKA Beato, who was in the chapel with Battler -- an alias for Shannon. You follow my reasoning, right? She killed herself and Battler after committing all of the murders and then Maria died from her own carelessness. Case closed."

No. 60

>>59
The others seem to agree.
"Judging from the amount of blood on her body and hands, it seems very likely." Minami points out.

“Captain!” You hear someone shouting from up on the cliff. Beside Juichi you can see Watanabe. It seems that he has discovered something. After he catches his breath he explains that he found a well that leads to an underground tunnel.

Everyone seems interested at this sudden development. You group will move there unless you have something else you want to do here.

No. 61

>>60
You all head back to the chapel and continue until you reach the said well. You all one by one climb down into the darkness. You turn on your flashlight and lead the way. It appears not to branch off in any direction so your group continues down the tunnel without much discussion. Minami comments how old some of the structures you find are, probably dating back to WWII.

Eventually you all reach a door. An inscription above the door reads. "On the tenth night, the journey ends, and you would reach the Land of Gold.”
“Isn’t this from… the inscription?” Yamamoto asks.

After a short pause the door is open…

No. 62

>>61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWPBKAqJgsw

The brightly lit room is a large contrast from the dark tunnels up to this point. Seems electricity has been hooked up to this area in order to make it much more comfortable. Of course, not one of you actually noticed this, due to the massive pile of gold bars that lay on the table in front of you.

Mostly everyone is speechless. Juichi has a dropped jaw, and the others are staring. Suzuki speaks up, “That’s not… real you think?

Yamamoto manages to mumble, “Kinzo wasn't joking. I never believed the rumors about his gold... but this...!”

The walls of the room are covered in long red curtains. There is a large fancy bed in the middle in the room. Of course then there is the table with all the gold. There is only one entrance which is the door you entered through. Finally there is a grandfather clock at the back of the room.

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)21:27:51

No. 63

>>62
"Gold... bars?! GOLD BARS?!"

I'll inspect the gold bars closely and then search the rest of the room for anything suspicious.

No. 64

>>63
They seem to be real gold bars, you should know after all. You also notice that the pile is rather dusty, however chunks are missing making it look uneven. Perhaps a large amount of these have been moved some time long before today.

Investigating the room doesn't reveal anything odd... at least until you get to the grandfather clock. There is some sort of switch on the side of the clock that has been broken off. You also notice that beside the clock is a loose panel. Upon pushing on it reveals a small tunnel that you could fit through if you crouch. It seems to lead to another room.

No. 65

>>64
"What's this? I don't mean to take away your attention from this vast quantity of gold bars, but... There's some kind of a hidden passage here. Shouldn't we investigate?"

No. 66

>>65
Seems like you've gotten everyone out of their trance for the moment. They agree with you that everyone should take a look. Its implied that you should lead the way since you brought it up, so you get on all fours and start to crawl.

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)22:19:05

No. 67

>>66
Slowly but surely you make your way through the tunnel and come out in a rather dark room. You can tell the room is rather large from the acoustics, but you whip out your flashlight again in order to get a better image. The others have made it through the tunnel and are now with you.

The room you're in has multiple tunnels leading far into the distance in many directions. There seems to be some sort of... bags in holes that have been put into the walls. Ever few meters or so there are some more.

It takes awhile but the gears start turning in your mind. Suddenly Juichi gasps and when you look to see what it is it suddenly clicks.

There is a small clock counting down built into the wall. All of the bags are connected to various others and are far to complex to follow. There are only ten minutes left on the clock... and you are standing smack in the middle of the largest bomb you can even imagine.

No. 68

>>67
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm-EUknpIxw

Everyone quickly realizes the situation they are in. Unsurprisingly, they also quickly panic. They scramble to escape through the tunnel leaving you and the open mouthed Juichi alone in the cavern.

You realise that touching any wires may set it off prematurely. It took about five minutes to get through the tunnel, if you hurry you might be able to make it somewhere safe in time.

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)22:30:29

No. 69

>>68
BGM: http://youtu.be/0miyPXfTszo?t=1m48s

As Kinjo writhes in his last moments, inspiration flashes before his eyes!

An ordinary man, starved for time, would return to the surface!

But Kinjo is different!

Instead! Instead...!!!

He reaches for the clock!!!

After taking a sip of his vodka, Kinjo states his plan clearly.

"With this, I'll turn back time!"

And so Kinjo places his fingers on the hands of the grandfather clock and winds them backward another 50 minutes!!!

No. 70

>>69
You run back into the other room and tinker with the grandfather clock. Juichi who stayed in the cavern exclaims that it did nothing and the digital clock in the cavern continues to tick down.

He climbs back into the gold room with you. "Kinjo we need to escape. The boats are too far, but I think the cliffs where we found Maria might just be close enough."

You can't remember for sure, but he may be right. Even going to the mansion would probably use up you remaining time. Should you trust Juichi and run to the cliffs, or perhaps try something else?

Last edited at 14/06/01(Sun)23:06:40

No. 71

>>70
"If you know how to get there, then by all means let's go for it!"

No. 72

>>71
Juichi seems to have set his watch to match the digital clock. There are less than 9 minutes remaining.

The two of you quickly rush out of the room and up the tunnels. It seems like the other members have all but forgotten about you. You go around the chapel and quickly make your way into the forest.

4 minutes remaining.

Ducking in and out of trees running as fast as you can muster. Juichi is leading the way as you try to keep up.

3 minutes.

Seconds pass by but its impossible to pay attention to the time with all these going on.

2 minutes.

You can see the ocean from here. You're running right beside Juichi now, heart pumping and chest throbbing, for some reason your brain reminds you that you really should have worked out more.

60 seconds.

You can see the edge of the cliff, as you make it closer suddenly everything turns a blinding white and you are picked off your feet from the entire ground shaking. You are in the air, you catch a glimpse of Juichi, he too has been lifted and has become air born. Can you even call it that, this may less than half a second, who knows.

The vibrations get stronger, and suddenly... nothing