15strangers | F̎̋̀͝I͋ͦ̿ͦ̇̈́N̷̏́̊̽̔̍͒A̶ͧ̂͒̍L̛ͧ̃͜ ̶̛̐̀́ͪ̈́̐ͤT̒͘͠R̨͐͊̀̕ĬA̢͊̓͌͗͢Ļ̋͞

Entry tags:

*round 6

F̎̋̀͝I͋ͦ̿ͦ̇̈́N̷̏́̊̽̔̍͒A̶ͧ̂͒̍L̛ͧ̃͜ ̶̛̐̀́ͪ̈́̐ͤT̒͘͠R̨͐͊̀̕ĬA̢͊̓͌͗͢Ļ̋͞

F̶̡̯̻̠̤̻͔͋͊ͬͦͤ̊ͯ̆Ḭ͙̜̺͇̽͟ͅN̷̰̥̥̹̱̐͛̎͞A̮͋̎͛͊L̛͚̱̯͈̄ͧ̿̂̋́͡ ̵͓̜͑͊͐ͨ̎̀̚͡Ț̸̢̥̥̲̼͔̻̟̣͂R̦̭̥͇̓ͧͣ̉͠Į̮̻̪͙̺̘͈̰͉̋ͮ̆ͩ́̔̉͌Aͩ̒ͤ͏̖̼̣L̫̥̰͉ͥ̂̐͐̓͑̑̚͢

[It is time.

Though there was no timer, the time was clearly nearing its end. The darkness that encompasses this place becomes even darker as the hours dragged forward, until even the lights of the City's skyline seems to darken along with it. You can almost feel the Noise watching, an infinity set of eyes in the void beyond staring back, as everyone pulls together again to proceed down the street.

The brightest building in the sky is the dome, now. There's no barrier preventing you from going beyond the Central Building now. There's no need for it-the City is completely empty, its streets devoid of life, as everyone inevitably finds their feet bringing them to the dome.

There's no turning back now. Whatever you have, that is what you will bring on this final journey. Not just in items, but in mind, in spirit, and in soul. IT, the avatar of the Thing and orchestrator of your game, will not relent. IT knows it has bent you, but not broken you. Now IT intends to finish the job.

As you round the corner to the dome, you feel the rhythm suddenly take control of you. You feel a sucking sensation grab onto you, and try as you might you cannot fight. You are pulled in. And when you manage to clear your head and eyes, you are inside the building. It is massive, domed, and-

you are only in one corner of it. There is a small table with chairs, with everyone's name on little dot matrix displays in front of chairs. Not all of them, of course. There are 15 chairs, and where the survivors' chairs are white, the chairs of the dead are black, their dot matrixes empty and lifeless.

A glass panel separates this little set up from the rest of the building, which is concealed in red fog. Despite this, a worryingly slack-jawed Link and Hiyori are sitting in chairs on a raised step just behind the glass, their suits still impeccable and their irises swirling more intensely than before. They do not react when everyone comes in; they do not respond if someone tries to greet them. Next to Hiyori is a briefcase and a boombox, which even through the glass it is quite clear the static, pulsing rhythm coming from it is very, very loud. Kyuubey sits in its own chair, meanwhile, its eyes watching and its expression unchanging; a fourth chair sits empty next to them.

There is no visible sign of IT. But IT is there, just beyond the glass, just waiting to unleash ITs full might. It's almost mocking the Strangers, as if to say go ahead, draw your conclusions. You won't win. You can't escape.

Fifteen Strangers, from scattered multiverses. They were brought together once more to kill. Now, they must solve the final riddle. All of the knowledge and experiences they've had have led to this, and their newest evidence may help as well. The survivors have one chance to make this right and stop IT for good. Failure cannot be an option. If it is...no. Don't think about it. Just do it.

The trial for the future of all existence has now begun.]

[It's time!! The Strangers' objective here is simple, but all-important: they must pull all of the evidence you have together, unlock the answers they seek in full, and at last confront IT, the Mastermind.

This is it. There is no turning back. The blight curls ever-further from the darkness between the clusters. Can there be a cure?

Have fun, good luck, and may the right prevail.]

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[Ba-boom.

The rhythm thunders through the dome as something within the smoke behind Hiyori flares, rages, fumes. It pulses through the air, rattling everyone's bones and teeth, seizing on their heartbeat whether they are broken or not.

IT is not pleased.]

[Eric will be super happy for Hiyori in a minute, but he is broken a little harder over property damage trauma and in particular the act of heart seizure!! So for now, he scream]

YEAH, WELL, YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT EARLIER! YOU REALLY AREN'T BETTER THAN SAPIARCH ELENWEN! TACTICALLY, THAT IS! I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD!

[Hiyori is just... talking to the bodiless rage... like this is a normal conversation]

[A breathing, like a sick cat.

Then, a voice.]

D͍̕o̰͟ ̧͎y̮o͉̪ͅu̻͖̤̦͓ͅ ̡̹͉͇ṭh̶̝i̛̱nk͜ ̳̗y͇ǫu ̝̙͍͔͎̹̕a͕͔̬̯͙r̡̝e̼̩̬̗͙̭ ̘̦͖b͏̪̙̻͓e̞i̶͍n̙̹͔̫͙g ̛̺̙̰̯̭̮̘b͍r̻̥̤̝̬a̠̤̪̝̹̦v̥͚̹̖̳ḛ̪̺͓,͉̣͉̳͇͙͔́ ͞H̞̯͍̥͢i͓̫̥y̧͎͓̼̥̮̺̝or̳̘i̳̹̬̭̖ ͚̱͈̥̠T̡̫͖̬̭͔̻̗o̡͖̖̝͖͓͔̖n̯̭̙͙̕o̢̦?̤̥̩

No.

[He whips out of his jacket pocket a very finely folded piece of paper that, even if the name can't be read from so far away, is on stationery that Karma and Caleb will recognize.]

I'm being smart for the first time all year. You didn't even reinforce your glass from the inside.

I was ready to do so much for your sake, did you know...? Waste of talent.

Edited 2020-02-29 23:45 (UTC)

Yo̖͇̙̪̳̩͠u̜̙̫̞͈ ̢̣̙̪̪s̥̱̘̭t̞̗i̼͡ͅl̵l̴̙̳ ̶̤͙c̤̮̖̺̱͜a̜̲̲̼n.̝̘̮͔̣ ͙̞͈͞Y̯̘̲̫͉̱̭o̲̟̺̲͍̳̱u̱ ̴̪c̣̺͇a̞̦n̺̞̘͈̟͜ ̳͍s̼͓̣̳̻̝̝t͇il̘̦̩l̜̤ ̣̀h̖͕̲͕̬͔̲a̪͔̙v҉̗̫e̲̖ ̥̦̗͔͍͝p͚̜̞͍̣̜̦͢ḙ͎̣̦̤͎̣a̙̗c̟͠e̢̙̜͔.̱͓̺
͉̬͢
͓̰̙̖͎̰
I͇̜͠ͅt̻̮͈͓ ̰͎̦̠ḭ̧̗͙̹s̼̥̹̙͉ ͉͍͇n͇̺̱̺͓o̰̪̹͇̫͓ţ̝ ͇ṭ͕ͅo̰̫̦̼̹͞o ̞͍͡la̵̫̘̦̬t̺̱̖̱̗͇͓e̠̤̫͕͈ ͏̘ț̭̺o̢̬̯ ̰͓̱̙͓s̰̪̹͚̜u̧̟͎͔̩͙̙b̝̹͍̳m̪̱̯̯̹͙it͜ ͜ḁ̷̘ǵ̳͍͔̱a̛̪͎̬̬i̥̺̼̘̜͘n̸̰͙.͖͇̠̻͈͇͕

But it is too late for Vita and Jonathan. Or are you going to backpedal on that stupid "dead is dead" conditioning?

There's no point.

HEY, IT?

[ Karma may be grinning madly at this point but he holds up both hands in the direction he figures the thing is. Flipping off the bird at IT. ]

Go FUCK yourself.

[Silence. Then, smash.]

[Eric is just looking around now in a daze. That... that really happened? So that's why he winked... maybe he really is zetta slow, but anyway he's laughing in surprise and disbelief, and more importantly relief.]

Welcome to the ex-traitors club, I guess!

[Two-fingered salute, briefcase in the other hand, also he's on the ground by now.]

Premature ex-traitors spend the trials in the tubes, what can I say!

...also the time after the trials if there's still an institution left to put them there. But no pressure.

A-Alright. We can defy fate. It's all or nothing now, right?

[Eric raises the shotgun again, although he's not really sure if anything is coming.]

D-Does IT have reinforcements?

...don't hold me to this. We weren't briefed in full at all; even the evidence you guys found is something we just read your write-ups about. But my best guess is that the plan is literally just for IT to take you guys by force mentally here.

You know better than anyone that this attack isn't easy to face. That's what made you so easy to talk with; you respect what we went through, so I respect you. But at the same time, with the letter and things like that... I'm pretty skeptical it'll even be a contest.

B-But it's not good enough to resist.... we have to kill it! We can't let IT get away!

[Eric is HOPPED UP on SHOUNEN IMPRINTING, but this is kind of making him nervous that they still don't know how to do that]

If IT is this determined to get us personally... then IT may come physically closer? That gives IT an advantage, I know that much. And his reticence to be seen that close despite the advantage... Maybe his true body is physically weak!

(no subject)

poorlovefool - 2020-03-01 00:38 (UTC) - Expand

[Link doesn't say anything, just turns to the fog and holds up the Master Sword, swinging it down before turning away.]

[H̱̙̙͉͝I̢̫̥̖̥̼ͅI̢̝̣̮̺̥̗̬I̘͖̕i̫͔̖͔i͍̠I̬͔̩͍I͎̫͎͔͉͓ĮI̡͕͉̮I̜̖̰͔̹̦̞ii̸̟̣ͅi̵̗̤̤i̳̬I̼͚̲̠̘̻̼I͇I͙͜Ḭ̵͓̥̤͙͔̠iì͔͉̪̞I̺͇͙̮I͍̦͉̜͠i͞I̡͔ị̡̹̹ͅͅi̳s͈̫̻͈̤̙ͅS̷̪͙̮̯̩̥S̩͚s͉̲͖s̸̹̼̳s͚̫s̥͚͎̞͍͍s̛̠̯͓̜͕̬̥s̨͎̤̪̝̪̫S̼̰̙͙͓̭S̩͓̫s̹͝.̶̫̞͚̤

Like steam in a pipe it echoes through the air in a psychic wave, threatening to become a high-pitched whistle.]

Edited 2020-02-29 23:44 (UTC)

[He holds it up across his chest and near his head like a shield before backing away and heading down with Hiyori.]

[He'd leapt from his seat for Hiyori's defiance, but IT's rage is far more difficult to fight than he was prepared for, and drags him to his knees. It holds him there, quivering, as he tries to get his heartbeat off-rhythm.

Defiance. Defiance. Fear couldn't break him, like hell he's going to let this thing...]

...Don't let it win, Arthur. Don't give up Hope now.

[ He's made his way over to him, a hand on his shoulder. Yes that thing is kinda scary but he's not backing down. ]

[Karma. Karma's voice. It's grounding, reminds him what he's been shouting about this whole time. Hope. Remember what hope is. Right....

He raises his head.]

Thanks...

[Nope. Not happening. He goes over to Arthur and winces slightly about doing this in front of people, but he kneels down and puts his arms around Arthur.]

We've got you.

Mrow!

[Fortinbras wanders over and sits in front of Arthur. Hello friend.]

[Caleb, Frumpkin, and Fortinbras are here, came to help him just like Karma did. They're here. Arthur is still far too thin, but he's not alone. He breaks free of the rhythm. For the moment. He reaches to scratch the dog's ears.]

I... I'm okay. I'll be okay. [A smile.]

[He ruffles the boy's hair fondly, and nods, pulling back slightly so he can help Arthur to his feet.]

You're an adventurer. You've dealt with ugly monsters before, ja? IT is just another one of them.

Just like dealing with Primevil....but without the flesh caves.

[We've got this.]

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