T̨̛H͝E͡ ͏̷͟S̛̕E͞C̵͢Ó̡N̨͟D̕͡ ̀͢EX̵E̴̴CU̴͡T͞I̕O̡͜N̶̨

[strangerpeople]

T҉͝H̸E͏ ̡͝SĘ̴̵C̵O͘̕͞N̡͞D̷ ͢͏Ȩ͟X̢͡Ȩ͏̕C̡UŢ̕I҉̨ON

[Just as before, as time runs out, an alarm blares, and the dot matrix screens on the podiums of the suspects flash. The suspect with the most votes flashes red three times.]


[Once more, the true culprit is marked with a blacker-than-black X.]

Congratulations, Strangers, on yet another unanimous correct vote... and this time, you also figured out what actually happened!

It took you a while, but your deductive reasoning skills finally kicked in.

Kyuu-lun's duties will continue to be fulfilled by their many comrades.

That was extremely rude of you, you know! Fortunately for you it doesn't count for this.

All that counts is that Kurama shot and then fatally slashed Lala Hagoromo.

I guess all that's left to say is...

[They speak in unison.]

Sit back, relax, and soon enough you’ll get to enjoy the execution!

Comments

LAST WORDS

[strangerpeople]

But first, does the culprit have anything to say?

[After speaking, their heads swivel in unison towards Kurama.]

[unwittingking]

[Even if Kurama doesn't want to speak...]

Sorry again...for all of it.

[He wishes he could do something...but it's just not possible, as far as he can tell.]

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama takes a slow breath and looks around at everyone.]

You should all know, I was Scanning at the moment of Lala's death. I never saw her soul. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, honestly, but I imagine you'll find out before this is done.

Don't let them win. And thank you...for wanting this to end differently, even if it really couldn't.

[He turns to look directly at Karma and tosses him Akira's damn virtual pet.]

If... when, you get Akira back, keep an eye on him and Goro for me. They'll need someone.

[comesaround]

[ While he is quiet, Karma is a lot calmer now than he had been during the end of the trial.

So when Kurama turned to look at him, he raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything until the little device was tossed to him. Not sure what the meaning of this for a short moment or two. ]

Right. I'll do my best.

[ A pause and he has to collect himself before speaking again. ]

...I can at least promise I won't let them win, Kurama.

EXECUTION: ĮT̶̷ ̷̨͞Hun̴g̶͜eŕ͞͝s̨ [CW: impalement]

[strangerpeople]

[Soon enough, without warning, the podiums are moved, right in front of the force field. The lights flicker off, and then the lights return, with Kurama on the other side of the force field. He is already on the defensive, his power activating as the floor rumbles and the wind begins to howl. No panels open up, but there is no doubt IT is watching, along with the Hosts, and the others, whoever they are, their swirling eyes ever open.

He falters, however, when he sees what the stencils bringing him. Then he lets out an angry scream-a red-eyed Akira is among them, as are multiple individuals, including middle-aged woman, a a group of teenagers, a strange and massive floating...thing with a single red eye and massive stenciled muscles...there's at least a dozen figures charging towards Kurama.

He shuts his eyes, readying his whip, even knowing that he won't win. He begins to twirl his whip, and then-

Then a black stenciled hand sticks out of his chest, and he looks down, eyes widened. He shakes, trying to pull himself off, to no avail.

And from behind him, the one responsible is a stenciled, brightly-red-eyed version of--oh no, nO NO-]

O̸ ̸͘Y͠ ̷͢͏O̕͞!

[With it's distorted screech, the scene flickers, then becomes fully static as the rest of the pack lunges forth, and everything is plunged into black from energy loss as Kurama lets out a cry. His cry is overwhelmed with the sound of static and ringing, and the red fog fills everyone's eyes. This last for a moment before, suddenly, the lights return, the fog is gone, and so is Kurama, who is eXtinguished, just as his podium lights up one last time. Then all but the X remains, until at last it is entirely void of anything whatsoever.

DING.

The elevator is open. It's time to go.]

[unwittingking]

[It's worse.

Somehow, it always, always gets worse.]

[otherworldlyking]

[ With Kurama being alive, there's no doubt that something about this was...yeah.

...Okay, let's get moving, then. ]

[relieable]

[hey. this is... not great.

when the static gets louder, Osomatsu brings up his hands to cover his ears. actually, he's more interested in seeing Karma's reaction, so he's going to be sticking close by to him, lingering before running out of there]

[comesaround]

[ He had told himself that he wouldn't watch. That it wasn't gonna hurt, but then it started and everything was an absolute nightmare.

Kurama was gonna fight all of those things, including a twisted version of Akira. He knew how this was going and yet he forced himself to do it, to stand strong... at least until that hand sticks out of Kurama's chest and anyone close might see Karma visibly flinch. His breath hitched, and then the pack of stenciled creatures closed in on the other redhead, that cry etched into every fiber of his mind.

He is extremely still for a moment, eyes almost devoid of emotion before just turning and leaving as soon as the elevator dings.

This place was getting on his nerves and he was Done. With. It. ]

[katzenpfote]

[Caleb watches the execution, interested in the way it happens while still disgusted by the whole thing. His body feels numb, though even he has to flinch at the sight of the distorted Lala.]

[He waits for everything to pass, helps pull up anyone who's fallen and who needs herding towards the elevator, and leaves.]

[incendiarize]

[Arthur isn't okay with this. And he's not about to just do nothing to stop it. Someone will need to grab him and hold tight, to get him not to run in - he doesn't know what a force field is. He's not very strong, or heavy. Not hard to hold back.

No matter if someone grabs him or not, he's going to at least try to swing his arm overhand, a throwing motion--

Stop him?]

[carryabigstick]

[Estelle doesn't think, she lurches after him--]

--Arthur no!!

[Hit her with your worst, she can take it. She's not letting something bad happen to anyone else today!]

[incendiarize]

[He's not trying to hit her, he's trying to help Kurama fight--

But Estelle grabs him, tugs him back just as he's about to let go of the object in his hand, and instead the small glass bottle of yellow liquid falls where the two of them are. It's not sturdy - it's meant to shatter with a little impact.

And it releases a powerful, if brief, electric current. Arthur yells. They'll live, but they might not be getting up on their own.]

[carryabigstick]

Yikes!

[Lucky for her, Estelle is used to getting hit with elemental attacks-- but boy does it suck as a surprise. What she will do instinctively however, is use her body to shield Arthur from it as much as she can. It might not spare him completely, but she's going to try and take the brunt of it.]

Damn... that sure packs a punch... [But before she worries about herself--] Arthur! Are you okay?!

[incendiarize]

[It's difficult to shield him from, considering how currents work. She can take the better half of the damage, though.

Fortunately Arthur would be a poor Alchemist if he couldn't weather his own work. He's left groaning, but conscious.]

Why.... Why did you stop me?

[carryabigstick]

[As long as he's alright, that's what's most important. But dang. It'll be a bit before she can pull herself together either.]

Do you have any idea what they might have done to you if you interfered?! What good would it do us to lose both of you? I... I didn't... I couldn't just let that happen...

[incendiarize]

What if I could've saved him?

[He knows he couldn't have, of course. Knows it in parts of himself he's refusing to acknowledge. Probably couldn't have done anything, and would've been left with the Hosts' mockery and scorn. So, maybe it's better Estelle stopped him.

Because this way, he can keep telling himself he isn't powerless.]

[carryabigstick]

[She gets it. She does. So she won't take that from him. Instead--]

Maybe you could have-- but then what if they took you instead? Would you really want to save Kurama just to make him watch someone die for his crimes? Do you have any idea what kind of burden that would put on him?

We need to do something... I agree. But we need to find a better way. I know there is one-- I've seen it. But we need to get in contact with the right people first. And if we do, then we can save everyone.

[incendiarize]

I do know. Too well... I saw what it did to Eric, watching Zelda die for what he did. I watched Thanatos fight, just so Emma and Ambrosine wouldn't be executed alongside him. I....I'm the one who told Eric....it's harder to live with it.

I'm not innocent, either..... I've done stuff I'll never be clean of.

[He hasn't gone into a lot of detail about the things he faced in his own world. But it's weighty stuff. Things he can't run away from or forget. He exhales heavily, grimacing at the lingering pain from his volt formula. And then he drops his voice low, very low, barely audible.]

You've seen....? ......I've.... I've had contact with someone on the outside. An ally. I'm-- I'll try to reach him again.

cw: suicide mentions

[carryabigstick]

[Time for a better explanation.]

Yeah. There was... a special condition for us, when we were taken last time. We had to keep this special object on us and not let it get damaged or lost. If we did, we'd die. Well... a girl tried to get herself killed by leaving her item in another room. Lala found it and tried to return it to her but-- they tried to blame her for the murder because of it.

But the important part is that the guy that saved us from that house--

He was able to put the girl that died into another body through some kind of weird technology. We were able to talk to her. And she was okay. If we can get out of here... there's a chance we could save everyone. I want to believe that anyway.

[incendiarize]

[He'll...have to invite her to conspiracy board with him this week. Nothing about the house was in the videos, and he hasn't seen it in his visions - it was even a question in his notes, there's just nothing. Someone rescued them...and had a way to revive the dead. He remembers Osomatsu asking about that at the final trial in the mansion. About how it'd been impossible. He remembers how Arachne had a way to revive only because she'd planned for it...

Do miracles exist? He wants to believe it. He wants to believe he has more than a crater and a mostly-doomed world to return to. He wants to believe Simon and the others are okay. He wants to believe Emma and the rest can come back. He wants to believe something of Kurama still exists.]

Did.... Did you get his name?

[carryabigstick]

Oh yeah-- it was Linkara. He's the commander of a ship. The... Omnicron-one or something like that.

[No, wait--]

Commicron-one. The Commicron-one, I'm pretty sure.

[That's better.]

There was a girl with a train too... Cardia... She got us all out of there...

[unwittingking]

[He was going to just go back on his own again, but hearing that?]

ARTHUR! ESTELLE!

[He's running over to help. He doesn't care if he gets hurt-he can't risk it, don't you dare die-]

[incendiarize]

[They're alive! Just. Slightly microwaved.]

[unwittingking]

[What is with teenagers and self-sacrifice for 'the greater good'...]

Arthur? Arthur, are you okay?

[Just. Lightly shaking him, since Estelle seems (mostly) fine.]

[incendiarize]

[He hisses in pain a little bit.] I...I'm okay. I made the formula, I can withstand it.

[unwittingking]

[He can't hold back the sigh of relief, even if it's small.]

Just...you got me worried there.

[Not that he blames Arthur for the worry, more that...maybe Estelle should've calculated the situation more? I don't know, kids just need to be more careful here.]