15strangers | (no subject)

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*round 6

(no subject)

W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠

[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.

-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.

Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

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I’m probably a bad person for being happy she’s dead, but at this point I don’t think I care about that.

[Morality is relative and all that.

For a second he’s questioning who in their right mind names their kid Krone, before thinking about the fact that so few people got out of that incident.]

And their were fifteen people at the start of that one, yeah?

Like I said. Sounds kinda like that guy you said everyone's glad is gone.

[But he gets more serious, regarding the survivors. Because they're not terrible. Some have done terrible things, but morality is more complicated than that.]

Yeah. Fifteen to start, and nine people died.

Cayenne.

[Said with as much bitterness as possible.]

I’ll tell you about him if you want to know. Though there’s not that much to tell on my end.

[Sad to think about those numbers.]

That’s...pretty much the opposite of my group. Fifteen people when we started. Six died, while us other nine got out alright...physically speaking, for the most part.

[Psychologically speaking, a lot of people are messed up, probably. And Minato still has the whole ‘glass hands’ issue...but they’re alive.]

[So more people escaped from the other games.....all of them.]

Vita seemed surprised we didn't all get out.

[He doesn't get that. Why would she think that was the default.]

Maybe it makes sense....most of us didn't really get along. There was a lot of fighting, especially at trials. [That's why he hates it here so much.]

[Well, that just seems like another reason to hate Vita, at least in his eyes. But he won’t be saying that. He’ll simply let out a somewhat frustrated sigh.]

Well...everyone has a moment where they don’t think things through. That was probably Vita’s moment.

And I don’t think it was your group fighting. Our group got along really well, and none of the people that died came back to life for us.

At best guess...we were unlucky. The incidents we were in didn’t give us some way to bring the dead back. I doubt it was anything about who was there or how things went.

I can understand wanting to believe her sister escaped. [People are complicated and life is hard.

He hears what King is saying. But he didn't think that was why they couldn't bring anyone back, either - that's just not the default anywhere as far as he's concerned.]

I meant....maybe it made sense so many of us died. We were really close to only five of us surviving.

[...he’ll be sure to give Vita his sympathy, when the time comes.

But now he needs to focus on this. The problems of another kid that’s gone through way too much in way too short of a time span. He’s more experienced with this now, but that doesn’t make it any less terrible.

He has to think for a bit before he can come up with something.]

Well, I’m sorry if this is sensitive, but...how many people died because of the murders? Murdered or executed?

....Eddie was murdered only a few days in, but the Stewards didn't hold a trial. Then.... Akko, Franciscus, and Jun were murdered, and Felicity, Zelda, and Thanatos were executed, but....we got it wrong. Zelda didn't do it. She was innocent. Thanatos did do it, but we had an even split, and the only reason Emma and Ambrosine weren't executed alongside him is because he decided to fight the Stewards to the last.

The three-eyed freak got to Boomboom and Emma. The people who killed Eddie and Franciscus made it out. Another survivor had been working for the Stewards.

[In the end, the three who are now here, in the City, are the only ones who hadn't actively killed any other "Guest" of the mansion... Is that why it's them?]

[...he’s...lost his touch in helping people, apparently, if this is anything to take in. King’s got a lot of unpacking to do, now.

Four different murders, with two of said killers getting to walk free. Four different people dying because of others. And two people getting killed, possibly completely randomly. Meaning that half of the six that got out did bad stuff in the mansion.

He needs to think for a minute before coming up with something to say.]

Cayenne got someone else killed. On the first train I was on.

I tried to convince the others he did it-that if anyone would be smug enough to get ideas from a book and think no one would find him out, it would be him...but I failed. And someone else got executed because of that.

For Zelda...I understand why you feel bad. I still hate seeing happened to the guy that took the fall for him, and I think that I could’ve done more.

But...everyone makes mistakes. We don’t always like to admit it, but we do. And all we can really do is try to make up for those mistakes and better yourself from them.

[His life’s taught him that lesson the most.]

The murders...for our group, they seemed unavoidable. The first two motives were threatening our loved ones, and even when the third didn’t seem like it could kill anyone, we woke up to a bomb going off, a teenage girl dying, and a guy already dead. As much as I wish we could’ve done something, I’m really not sure if there was anything we could do, in the end.

I don’t know about this three-eyed freak, but it seems like the people behind these games haven’t always been the nicest. Even from the train, The Conductor decided Zack’s punishment for trying to attack her would be scratching up his sides until he bled. It’s possible that the guy was just actively being cruel to you.

The point I’m trying to make is...I really don’t think it was the fighting in your group that caused that incident to go so badly. Even if you got along well, I’m not sure if there would’ve been much different.

Heck, if our groups had been switched, I might’ve been one of the only six that survived there, too.

Do you...do you get what I’m saying?

Our motives escalated... The first was a threat to reveal our deepest secrets. I think I might've laughed at the Stewards for that one? I've done some bad stuff, but nothing I'd kill someone to hide. The second was total protection of one person of our choice, but it didn't really factor in - the killer was hallucinating and didn't even know who he'd killed until later.

The third was an offer to erase one single thing we regret most or that was our biggest tragedy. ....Emma talked me out of going for it.

[Knowing what he does now, Arthur isn't sure they actually had the power to do all of that, but he was desperate. He still is, kind of, but it's not the same. Odds are it's too late for him to make a difference to the situation he'd been facing when he left his world.]

I dunno how much difference it would've made, if we'd gotten along better. But I can't help but wonder, you know? And now we're here, and people are fighting again, and there's the stupid urge to not trust anyone, and the teevee and radio thingy are trying to mess with our heads again, and the Hosts are all weird, and we all know what's coming.

[He knows why Vita is so angry. He gets it. But she's taking a terrible approach and he's already Done with it.]

[It’s...not entirely surprising, to hear that the motives were escalating in the mansion. They had to if someone was willing to kill a kid. That doesn’t make it any easier hear, especially if Arthur had to be talked down from doing anything...

...ha...]

If it makes you feel better, you weren’t the only one that had to be talked down from doing something stupid. People had to do that for me twice.

And we can all wonder about things. About what might’ve happened if things had gone differently. I could wonder what could’ve happened if no one talked me down at one of those times. I could wonder what could’ve happened if we saved Tali after the bomb went off. I could wonder what could’ve happened if I’d talked with Zack more, or made sure he didn’t go after the last motive...

But...if you think about all of those options, all of those “What if’s” you’ll going to start spiraling, and you just...you’ll be a complete mess.

I...won’t lie. I’m not sure how well this is all going to turn out. If all of us are going to make it this time...

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make things better. I’ve done some talking with people. We’re going to try to get people more civil. We’ve already got a plan for the TVs and radios. We know that they’re messing with our heads and we can do something about it. We might even be able to help the Hosts, after some time passes.

I’ve been in a situation like this. Before the train, where it seemed like I was up against impossible odds. Where I might’ve lost everything important in my life.

But I kept fighting.

I didn’t give in to my sadness and despair. I went through Heaven and Hell to get the life that I built up for myself.

And I got it. Against all odds, I’d outsmarted two cosmic beings and earned my happy ending. And even if it’s been overwritten now, I’m not going to give up fighting for it.

What about you?

[King doesn't know why those what-ifs are so important... Arthur's well aware of all three timelines branching off of the Mansion game. He appreciates the shounen speech. He does. But he never had any intention of giving up fighting, and he's ready to kill another god or abstract concept if he has to.

Maybe it's best to just take the next direction.]

So....you've got something pretty good waiting for you to get back?

[He notices that subject change, but he's pretty sure that means he's hit his limit for trying to help. If he tries to much he might just drive him away, and he doesn't want to do that.]

Yeah. Bailey and our three pups.

[He looks down at the blue bandana around his neck and rubs it between his fingers.]

I...got to make sure they were all okay before getting sucked into this. I wish it could've been longer, but I'm grateful for having gotten the time I did.

And...you have someone waiting for you, right?

[He knows that's a bit more of a loaded question now, having met Minato, but he's pretty sure Arthur doesn't have those same feelings...hopefully...]

Family, huh. [He doesn't know what having a family is like. But he's seen how families interact and there's just.....something nice about it. He's mostly okay with his own situation, but still.

Then there's that question. Arthur leans back on his heels, looking up at the empty sky.]

Maybe? It depends... I was in the middle of a big fight when BREW got me, and we were on a time limit to stop something. I dunno if they won or not, or if I'll just get sent right back to the middle of battle. If time ran out, then....Etria's just a crater by now.

[King simply nods at the mention of family. He doesn't think much else needs to be said on that front.

And it looks like, no, he didn't learn anything from Minato. He's still asking these questions to the wrong people. But he can at least try to make it better this time.]

If this BREW thing was like whatever brought me and my family into another world, they're probably okay. A piece of land got brought with us, along with a lot of others, and less than a day had passed to them since I'd been taken.

[At least he's hoping that the ways are similar.]

[Arthur's situation is slightly less hopeless than Minato's? It's still Bad though.]

As far as I know BREW only grabbed people, not places. And Team Beer saw stuff that made them think time was passing. It's still possible it's not - and the others might've won without me, even if my formulas hit the hardest...

And it's not like the world's ending, or anything. Not yet, anyway... But we didn't even have two minutes left.

[Not sure what formula he's talking about, but he's getting worried about how many teenagers are dealing with potential apocalyptic scenarios, even if Arthur's situation hasn't gotten that far yet.]

Well, if time's still passing, I bet they did win. Something tells me that, if they're strong enough to get to the main problem they were dealing with, they were strong enough to get through it, even with out their strongest teammate.

[And even if Arthur isn't the strongest, or even the most important, he can at least humor the idea that he is.]

[It's fine it's not like there's anything worrying on his profile...]

We are the best explorers in Etria, probably in the whole world...but there's still work to do, if they won. It's just gonna be the five of us and the Subaltern who know what's coming. ....If they lost, and Etria's gone, then I'm the only one who knows.

[There's a lot to do, and every hour matters because they don't know how much time they have. But that's fine. Arthur is a researcher, investigator, explorer. He's used to short nights and difficult days.]

[~~I mean it's not like he read that he only read the ones for the names he didn't yet.~~]

Well, I'm...not sure how much I could help, I could do what I can, and maybe get you some people that would be helpful, if you want.

[He's still reluctant for going on adventures, but...he doesn't want any more kids suffering, so helping out will have to be the compromise.]

The problem's ancient, and there should be five left. Each one will take out a whole continent. They're a huge pain to even get to, let alone fight, plus they can regenerate - we could only beat the one we did thanks to two different pieces of special help. And there's a lot we don't know-

Actually, this whole other times and universes thing might help a lot.

If it's a fight, I might not be much help, but...remember the therapy dog I told you about? His name's Mungo, and I'm pretty sure he's the canine equivalent of Hercules. He regularly breaks doors just by trying to open them, can break your ribs if he's not careful hugging you, and I'm pretty sure he broke another dog's wrist just by having him punch him in the stomach.

He's also a trained police dog, so he should be ready for fights when the time comes.

Does he sound like he could be helpful with that?

[He feels bad for volunteering others for these adventures, but...he can't really do much as himself, can he? So the next best thing: Get someone else that could (And probably would) help!]

More in a fight is always useful. It'll still take time to get through the Yggdrasil Labyrinths, though...

[He's a librarian, he knows the most important part is the hardest to get: information.]

It'd be nice if we knew more about the Old World, but we've got what we've got.

[…okay, this is getting ridiculous but-]

Do either of those involve magic? Because, even if Sabrina and Tarot aren't as powerful now, Tarot's still a psychic, and I'm pretty sure that they've researched magic so much they could write books about it.

[At the very least they're both smart, so they could help with that stuff.]

Uhh....maybe? The Old World's supposed to have discovered all the secrets of the universe with science, but a lot of their stuff looks like magic to me. We've got nothing anywhere near that advanced.

Well, I can try to get them to help you with that stuff then.

[He's gonna owe a lot of favors, but...it'll all probably be worth it, if he's being honest.]

But...I guess the point here is that we still shouldn't give up hope for our homes, you know? Even if the situation wasn't the best, we just have to keep going.

[He feels a bit like a broken record at this point, but this is an important message; one that he may need just as much as Arthur.]